A big part of the fun inSoulsgames is how gleefully they lean into friction. These titles aren’t afraid to make youworkfor your victory. While most fans respect that aspect, the lengthy boss runbacks are a little more divisive. Bosses in these games are hard enough as is. Thelastthing you want to be thinking about while sweatily gripping your controller is how horrific the trip back will be if you die. I’m here to dive into the most fiendish examples of the boss runback across all FromSoftware’s Souls games.
While overall length is definitely one of the core factors here, this isn’t a list of the ten longest runbacks, it is a list of the longestand most annoyingrunbacks. How confusing the path back to the boss is factors into each ranking, as does how many enemies there are, and how difficult it is to get around them. FromSoftware has found a myriad of ways to make these runbacks painful, so I’ll try to account for as many of those aspects as possible.
8Placidusax - Elden Ring
Elden Ringreally doesn’t have many frustrating runbacks. FromSoftware has largely eased up on this specific method of torturing their player base. However, with Placidusax they just couldn’t help themselves. This boss is found in the endgame area of Farum Azula, and will see you take an elevator, weave your way through a small keep, and then hop off the side of a cliff, where you will then platform your way down and around a series of floating rocks.
It isn’t a particularly tough runback, as you only have to evade two beastmen, one of whom won’t even be facing you, but the first few times back, you’ll find yourself getting turned around. At least I did. Once you know exactly where you are going,it will likely take you around a minute and a halfto get back to Placidusax, which is probably three times as long as the next longest runback in the game.
7Bed Of Chaos - Dark Souls
You know things have gone terribly wrong when the quickest path back to a boss has you wading through lava. Though wading through lava is precisely what you should do, as that will cut your runback time down to a more manageable minute and a half. After toasting your toes, you’ll find yourself navigating up and down a path of roots, before heading up a staircase that is blocked off by a massive, tentacle-legged spider.
It is all very disorienting. And, once again, even when you know exactly where to go, it is stilla minute and a half of hoofing it. One of the reasons I’m ranking this one a little lower on the list is because there are only a half dozen enemies for you to contend with along the way. Most of them are massive, slow-moving maggots, and the other is the previously mentioned spider. All of them are pretty easy to run past. Even so, it is a lot of running to do.
6Tower Knight - Demon’s Souls
If you were to play through the soulslike games in the order of their release,Demon’s Souls' Tower Knight runback would be the first truly brutal runback you’d encounter. On the face of it, this runback is sadistic. There are over twenty-five enemies lining the path back to the Tower Knight, culminating in two Blue-Eye Knights waiting in front of the fog door.
Worse yet, the way some of these troops are positioned, you can’t just duck around them; you will need to fight some of them as they are clustered around doorways you need to pass through. Oh, and if you haven’tshot him with arrows for ten minutes straight, there is a dragon dive-bombing you during the entire run. On the plus side, if the dragon is present, he will clear out some of the fodder for you.
There are a few elements that mitigate the experience, though. For starters, it is a straight shot across a (long) bridge, so you don’t need to worry about getting lost. Moreover, the enemies you encounter, outside of the Blue-Eye Knights (whom youcandodge around), are all fairly weak. Still, front to back, you are looking attwo minutes of sprinting across that bridge. You almost have to admire FromSoftware’s commitment to sadism.
Four Kings
5Martyr Logarius - Bloodborne
I think this one could have been a little higher on the list, butI am a little biased when it comes to Cainhurst Castle. What can I say? I absolutely love my Castlevania-esqueBloodbornelevel. That being said, you sure get to seequite a bit of itevery time you die to Logarius, who just so happens to be among the hardest bosses in the game. So, what does this runback entail, then? Well… you’ll hop on an elevator, weave through a library filled with the undead, climb a massive ladder, then, you’ll need to work your way through a series of snow-covered rooftops, all while avoiding winged horror.
All of this culminates in performing a little Bloodborne platforming and rolling off a ledge and onto the roof of a tower. The platforming in Bloodborne is unwieldy at the best of times and missing your roll here will lead to your death. If you know exactly where you are going, it will take you somewherein the neighborhood of two minutesto trek back to Logarius after every death, and you’ll have to work your way around a dozen or so enemies. As awesome as Cainhurst Castle is, this runback is a lot.
4Blue Smelter Demon - Dark Souls 2
There are so many laborious runbacks in the world ofDark Souls 2, but this one definitely stands out in my mind. The path forward is far from being straightforward; it requires you to work your way through a series of winding caves. From the bonfire to the boss gate,the run is only a minute or so long once you know where you are going, but because the path is far from straightforward, it will take far longer than that during your first couple of runbacks. It isveryeasy to get turned around in this labyrinthine series of tunnels and caves, and the enemies all pose a palpable threat.
you may’t take your time to get your bearings, either, as these rooms arepackedwith foes. So, unless you want to turn this into a five-minute runback, you are going to need to commit. There are around fifteen enemies you will have to evade on your way to the boss arena. Running through them is your best option, but some of them are pretty nimble-footed, and there is at least one undead axe-wielder who is blocking an exit.
The worst bit is the cavernjustbefore you hit the boss arena, which has beenfilledwith some dangerous foes, including a massive giant who’s sitting right beside the mist wall, ready to club you as you try to sneak past him. Even when you know where to go, this runback is a real trial. When you aren’t fully familiar with the path forward, it can be downright nightmarish.
3Sir Alonne 2 - Dark Souls 2
The runback time is, on the face of it, not too bad.you’re able to make it to the boss in about a minute. It is also areasonablystraightforward path. So, why is it here, then? Well, because that runback time is if you perfectly dodge the ridiculously speedy knights lining the path. You will need to pass through two rooms that are home to groups of these goons, and they aren’t easy to juke. Especially the last room, which just-so-happens to have a pair of archers mixed among them.
Add to that Sir Arlonne beingone of the hardest fights in the game, and you have a recipe for pain. On the plus side, with enough practice, you will eventually become a knight-dodging god. And you are likely to get quite a bit of practice. But do you know what the worst part is? This dude bows to you before the fight. Like he didn’t just have all his buddies jump you. Reprehensible behavior!
2Old Hero - Demon’s Souls
Do you know what I love doing? Fighting rolling skeletons while stumbling down a set of crumbling stairs positioned precariously alongside a cliff. But that’s not all you’ll have to do; you’ll also have to work your way down through multiple caverns. These areas are filled with spirits that will fire beams of energy at you. The section on the staircase is the most perilous, and you will likely fall to your deathat leastonce, but the crypt section with the ghosts is lengthier, and it is harder to navigate without taking damage.
There are only about 11 enemies you’ll need to work through: five skeletons and six ghosts. However, you’ll have to fight your way through most of them - though you can avoid a few of the skeletons that aren’t standing directly on the stairs.
All of this leads to a runback that’ll take you around three minutesif you knowexactlywhat you are doing and execute your run perfectly. However, if you are proceeding with any caution at all, you’ll need to tack another minute onto that time. The Tower Knight is the first lengthy runback that you’ll encounter in Demon’s Souls, but the Old Hero makes it look like a walk in the park by comparison.
1Lud And Zallen - Dark Souls 2
I mean, you knew it had to be on this list somewhere, right? There is very little to say here. The path to Lud and Zallen is you running in a white void and then having a frozen reindeer come out of nowhere, headbutt you, and ruin your life. You’ll need to fight them, as they are too fast to sprint away from. Oh, and they have a ranged lightning spell, so even if you do get some distance, they’ll just zap you. You are a frozen horse, dude, that’s not even on theme.
Did I mention that this runback takes forever?Agoodrun will probably take you around five minutes. However, you’ll likely struggle to repeat that consistently. Since there is very little in the way of landmarks (that you may see), you just need to learn what general direction to run in. The other entries on this list are, for the most part, well-designed, frustrating stages. That is not true of the runback to Lud and Zallen. It is just pure misery that feels unpredictable and cruel.
