All the Deadly Bloodborne Bosses Ranked

Unraveling the sinister tapestry of Bloodborne reveals a range of terrifying foes. Venture into the horror-filled gothic city of Yharnam, where nightmares lurk around every corner. From the blood-curdling shrieks echoing through street corridors to the grotesque visages of cosmic horrors, these adversaries test the mettle of even the most brave hunters. 

All the Bloodborne bosses in this haunting world present a unique challenge, demanding strategy and uncompromising resolve. Among blood and beasts, survival hinges on the hunt. Otherwise, players become the hunted.

1. Orphan of Kos

The Orphan of Kos crawls out of a fleshy mass and stares at the collapsed moon in the sky from the Fishing Hamlet Coast. Once disturbed by the player's presence, it charges into battle with its own placenta molded into an axe attached to its arm. In the Orphan’s first phase, despite its slow walk, its attacks maintain a fast and relentless pace. 

In phase two, the Orphan bites into the placenta-like weapon to transform, growing wings and fighting far more aggressively. It utilizes ranged spells, leaping into the sky to rain exploding blood orbs and screeching, summoning a storm of massive lightning strikes. The Orphan ensures players share its agony, thrashing and wailing until only the falling rain remains.

2. Ludwig, the Accursed/the Holy Blade

This hideous beast among Bloodborne bosses, founder of the Healing Church Workshop and first hunter of the Church, Ludwig, the Accursed, crawls within The Hunter’s Nightmare. With unpredictable movements, he thrashes atop a pool of blood where every frantic strike claps hard. Once his health drops by half, he gains composure and wields his Holy Blade.

Phase two shows his name as Ludwig, the Holy Blade, standing tall and proud, swinging his sword in a human-like fashion. This mighty sword shoots energy waves, and his running attacks cover more distance. With this blade, he can control player movements with every swing. To counter this, get as close to him as possible and pray not to get hit.

3. Laurence, the First Vicar

Within the Hunter’s Nightmare, in the Grand Cathedral, Laurence, the First Vicar, burns in wait. Shaped like the Cleric Beast but on fire, Laurence lunges with his bristly appendages, spraying flames and grabbing the player if one stands too close. His second phase emerges after a third of his health drops, where he dashes and jumps more, attacking far more aggressively. 

When his health gets below half, he loses his legs but not his ferocity. His crawling leaves behind a pool of lava, intensifying the chances of getting cornered.

4. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower

Within the Astral Clocktower, a corpse sitting in a chair awaits undisturbed. When inspected, the corpse comes alive, unveiling itself as Lady Maria. She grabs the player's arm, uttering, “A corpse… should be left well alone,” and lets go to wield her twin blade that splits in two. She fights similarly to the player character, humanoid in size and just as fast. 

In phase two, she stabs her chest with the two blades, producing an explosion of blood and coating her weaponry in it. All her attacks have extended reach and gain the blood elemental damage status effect. In the third phase, she levitates off the ground, siphoning blood into her, producing a large blood explosion.

5. Gehrman, the First Hunter

Of one of the three possible final Bloodborne bosses Gehrman, the First Hunter, stands as the toughest. The fight unfolds within a moonlit arena in the Hunter’s Dream. He wields a scythe in his main hand and a curved sword and blunderbuss on his back, switching between each set throughout the battle. He dashes fast, lunging his scythe and pulling people in.

In his second phase, he stops to channel energy, triggering his End of the Nightmare magic, surging a large blast of blue essence. His swift and agile maneuvers demand precise timing and dodges. His ability to switch between close-range strikes and ranged attacks requires adaptability.

6. Shadow of Yharnam

Lurking in the Forbidden Woods, the Shadow of Yharnam walks in the form of three cloaked figures with various weaponry. One employs a sword, another uses fire magic in one hand and a morning star in the other, and the last utilizes agile movements, wielding a katana. The three walk synchronously while the pyromancer lingers to shoot three homing fire blasts. They each have their own health bar, so taking them down one at a time takes a cunning strategy.

7. Martyr Logarius

Martyr Logarius wanders on the rooftop of the Forsaken Castle Cainhurst. Upon walking through the nightmare fog, Logarius strolls with a scythe that casts homing red skulls and a sword for quick slashes and thrusts. His attacks grow stronger at around sixty percent health when he sticks his scythe into the ground with a red haze surrounding him. After he completes this ritual, he gains moves and a massive boost in speed and damage. The lower his health, the more he pursues the player, taking them down as fast as inhumanly possible.

8. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos

Sitting within the Altar of Despair rests Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos. She crawls inside a cavernous arena, unleashing devastating attacks with tentacles and arcane energy. Her tentacled assaults demand expert footwork and exploiting openings. Her spell, A Call Beyond, summons many fast arcane missiles that cause enormous damage. Fortunately, the Daughter of the Cosmos moves slowly, allowing for more straightforward navigation around her, aside from dodging her violent attacks. 

9. Rom, the Vacuous Spider

Accessed from the Lunarium in Byrgenwerth College, Rom, the Vacuous Spider skitters atop the Moonside Lake. At first, a wave of small spiders approach, each taking a couple of hits to kill. Following them, a larger spider approaches Rom, who will slam her body into the player or point her tail in the air for a wind explosion. In phase two, she grows stronger, utilizing ice magic and summoning more waves of spiders.

10. Darkbeast Paarl

Within the Hypogean Goal dwells Darkbeast Paarl, a malformed beast enveloped in blue lightning. Darkbeast Paarl’s attacks swing relentlessly, in animalistic fashion, he leaps and slams at the ground. He channels electricity for a nova explosion or electric breath between his physical moves, annihilating the battlefield. Focus on his limbs to weaken him; each limb has health, and once destroyed, he loses the limb.

11. Vicar Amelia

Vicar Amelia haunts the Cathedral Ward, past a big circular graveyard, up the stairs, and inside the Grand Cathedral. Once a head of the Healing Church, Amelia kneels awaiting her inevitable transformation, and upon confrontation, will succumb to the beast and claw her way into battle. Her large body tramples the arena, grabbing and biting, rising up with her hands together to smash the ground. In phase two, she gains a new combo that involves smashing the ground four times and sweeping the area with her lanky arms. She heals too, making staying close a solid strategy.

12. Amygdala

Deep in the Nightmare Frontier, Amygdala expands its many spindly arms across the battlefield. It stomps with its legs, fires a single blue laser beam that causes massive explosions, and spits a pool of damaging vomit. In phase two, it introduces magic spheres at the end of its thrusting attacks. Targeting its limbs proves an effective strategy, aiming for its head whenever possible for significant damage.

13. One Reborn

Guarding the way to the Nightmare of Mensis, the One Reborn eclipses the blood moon above Advent Plaza. After it falls from the sky, it attacks in eldritch fashion with a Rain of Flesh spell, and Flailing Corpses furiously kicking and swiping in all directions from its body. As it walks, it discharges a stream of putrid liquid, forcing players to take higher ground. Yet, like the Amygdala, the larger limbs can be broken. Maintaining stamina proves crucial in completing this fight.

14. Blood-Starved Beast

This thirsty beast wanders the ruined church at the bottom of Old Yharnam. At first, the boss moves slowly and has limited attack combos. Once it loses a third of its health, it increases its dodging frequency, and each of its hits builds up Slow Poison. After another third of its health falls, poison spouts from the beast’s body during its attacks. The lower its health gets, the approach grows riskier, making it a fight against time, the poison, and the beast. 

15. Father Gascoigne

Located in Central Yharnam, Father Gascoigne wanders a graveyard. His fight begins in human form, where he wields a pistol and axe, slashing at the ground to emit sparks when meleeing. He will smash as many headstones as necessary to get to the player character. Once his health drops by half, he transforms into a beast, leaping and slashing with his claws. In beast form, his defense increases, but his fire resistance drops. Keep the beast at a distance, or become part of the headstone collection.

16. Micolash, Host of the Nightmare

Deep in Nightmare of Mensis, Micolash, Host of the Nightmare, stalks the halls. He wears a tall cage on his head and performs a strange battle. Disappearing into the walls and running away from the player, he forces them to traverse the nightmare library and face his Ethereal Walkers. When one catches up to him, he fights them himself, casting dangerous area spells and tentacle arms. At half health, he teleports away for phase two. Here, he grows more aggressive, using Augur of Ebrietas, and A Call Beyond spell with the potential of one-shotting.

17. Mergo’s Wet Nurse

Taking an elevator to the upper part of Nightmare of Mensis, Mergo’s Wet Nurse awaits a new presence. She towers with spindly wings and six skeletal arms, each one wielding a curved sword. When her health drops below seventy percent, phase two initiates the Nightmare Veil, where her movements and attacks grow more antagonistic. Mid-fight, the nurse generates a purple fog that summons a clone, which vanishes either with a single attack or when the fog disperses.

18. Cleric Beast

Looming on a bridge in Central Yharnam, the Cleric Beast walks with disfigured horns, high agility, and superhuman strength. The massive creature forcefully swings its arms with brutal power, leaping and charging, stomping up the cobblestone. Should it grab the player, high health becomes crucial, or else one runs the risk of becoming its next meal.

19. Moon Presence

Moon Presence, an optional boss, requires gathering three umbilical cord pieces, refusing Gehrman’s request, and defeating him. The Moon Presence appears before the blood moon, lowering itself into the flower fields of the Hunter’s Dream. During the fight, when it's not focused on attacking, it will halt to channel Gaze of the Moon, a large attack that blasts arcane energy to reduce the player to exactly one health point. Its channeling offers a window of opportunity to get many hits in. Carry an ample supply of blood vials to counter the immense damage.

20. Celestial Emissary

In the Orphanage within the Upper Cathedral Ward, the Celestial Emissary hides among a crowd of Celestial Mobs. The mobs and boss appear identical, rapidly forming into a horde. Once one finds the Celestial Emissary and brings it down to half health, it grows into a gigantic version of the mobs. It sprouts blue tentacles from its head and emits a bright blue aura of cosmic energy, unleashing six quick cosmic lasers on the player. 

21. Living Failures

Located in the Lumenwood Gardens in the Research Hall, the Living Failures extend their slender alien-like bodies to the sky. Upon entering the gardens, one Living Failure presents itself. After a few seconds, another appears. The pattern continues until the maximum of four walk in the arena. They share the same health pool, but a new one takes its place when one dies. Phase two begins at about sixty percent health when the Living Failures stop to raise their hands and summon a Meteor Storm. Seize the opportunity to eliminate them while their attention faces the sky.

22. The Witch of Hemwick

In the outskirts of Yharnam, in Hemwick Charnel Lane, the Witch of Hemwick strolls with her Mad Ones—strange shadowy figures wielding sickles. Despite the name, there exist two witches, both of which creep and fade to different places in the chamber. However, their main source of combat comes from the Mad Ones, who can be avoided. The witches die when both perish simultaneously; otherwise, one revives the other if alive for too long. Just keep running through the chamber to locate where the witches run off to and defeat them swiftly.