5 hardest optional boss fights in video games

Boss fights in video games exist as a gate for players to pass through to proceed to the next area. More often than not, players need to show skill to surpass these bosses to prove themselves. However, certain games contain optional bosses that do not have any purpose other than providing a spectacular fight.

These optional boss fights generally exist to test players beyond the limits of the main general campaign, with the enemy itself being a stronger opponent than the final boss of the game. Being optional, players are not required to defeat these optional bosses

However, for those willing to test their mettle or for those striving for a 100% completion, these are the strongest enemies to face in the video game. Here then, five such optional bosses were harder than most enemies in the video game.

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Optional video game boss fights that were sometimes harder than mains

1) Sigrun - God of War

The Valkyries are ancient female warrior spirits in the service of Odin, who will carry the souls of those slain in battle to Valhalla. However, the Valkyries in God of War are more proactive in their approach, preferring to kill individuals in battle themselves instead of waiting for one to die. Or at least that's the kind of thought that might cross players’ minds as they take on one of these winged warriors.

While the Valkyries are hard on their account, Valkyrie Queen Sigrun is the toughest boss. After defeating all the other lesser Valkyries and collecting their helmets, Sigrun’s boss fight is unlocked and can be accessed by players.

If the other Valkyrie fights seem hard, Sigrun has a few lessons to teach. Boasting a moveset comparable to a FromSoftware boss, Sigrun will hit players with everything they’ve faced in each different Valkyrie, all packed into one. Players will need to develop a counterattack or at least a method to evade every one of her moves and attack opportunistically. The game even warns players that the Valkyries side quest is supposed to be completed after the main story.

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2) Sans - Undertale

This is not a boss in Undertale that players can meet during the normal story of the mission. If players perform what is known as the pacifist run, wherein they do not kill any of the bosses they meet, the true final boss is Asriel Dreemurr, who is the final form of Flowey, the evil looking sunflower.

However, if players go on a genocide run, in which they heartlessly murder and kill everything they come across in the Underground, they have to fight Sans, the skeleton, at the end of the game. Sans initially starts as a helpful character at the beginning of the game but cannot now condone the player’s actions any longer.

Arguably the hardest boss fight in the game, Sans’ battle does not leave any margin for error. Making all his attacks hard enough, but landing a hit requires players to be as precise as a laser. Since technically, the player has committed a complete genocide of the game’s characters, though, they should be well prepared for this.

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3) Emil - Nier: Automata

In the game Nier: Automata, the two protagonists 2B and 9S may come across Emil, a disembodied head attached to a shopping cart, who acts as a vendor to the two androids. He even gives them a side quest to retrieve five Lunar Tear Flowers. Once this side quest is completed during the first playthrough as 2B, the path to the optional boss is opened.

In the second playthrough as 9S, players may enter his house and loot a few belongings to initiate the first boss fight with an Emil clone. This fight is relatively easy and opens up the final boss fight. During the playthrough using A2, players must upgrade all weapons to max. This will lead to a quest where they need to talk to Emil, who will lead them to the desert.

At this location, players will discover some giant disembodied heads on the sands, which aren’t as inert as they initially seem. A few seconds in the are is enough to trigger the boss to fight against many Emil heads, which constitutes a level 99 boss. It is recommended that the player be at least level 50 to have any hope of denting his health bar.

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4) Karstaag - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn

Karstaag itself is a legend in the Elder Scrolls Universe, having appeared in the DLC for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, known as Bloodmoon. Here, the player's character faced Karstaag as a boss fight during the main questline and needed to dispatch him. In the DLC for Skyrim, known as Dragonborn, this unique Frost giant is once again a character that players may choose to test themselves against.

Having died during the events of Morrowind, this Frost Giants skull can be found on the island of Solstheim, where the Dragonborn DLC takes place. Once in the players’ inventory, they can travel to Castle Karstaag Ruins and place the skull on the throne there. This will then summon the spirit of the legendary Frost Giant for one final duel.

This is one of the harder boss fights in the game, as the giant is a sturdy foe. He has a stomp attack that can deal immense damage and an ever-present frost cloak that will slowly chip away at the player’s health. He will also summon ice wraiths when things get too tough. Players might want to turn on god mode for this encounter.

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5) Darkeater Midir - Dark Souls 3

In the first entry, there was mention of a FromSoftware boss, so one makes it at the end of this list. From Dark Souls 3’s Ringed City DLC hails Midir, a large dragon who the Abyss has corrupted. Players have to have a necessary encounter with him in the DLC, although one which can be escaped from.

If they would like to have a proper fight with him, however, players must defeat him upon a bridge in a more arcade-style battle, following which he will fall into a chasm. Through a series of secret tasks, players can find a way down into the chasm themselves and be treated to what they want. Lots of hurt.

This is a colossal dragon, about 50 times the player’s size, can breathe fire and a laser breath (like the popular character Godzilla), take to the air, and perform melee attacks with its claws and mouth. The player is about a rat's size as an adult human. One can imagine the difficulty this boss fight may pose. Landing a hit on the dragon is difficult enough. Players also need to constantly readjust the camera as the massive dragon moves about the arena.

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Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.