The 10 HARDEST Enemies That Are NOT Bosses

10 Hardest Enemies That Are NOT Bosses

Welcome to Mojoplays, and today, we’re looking over the most gruelling battles in video games against difficult enemies distinctly lacking a boss health bar.

Juggler Puppet “Lies of P” (2023)

There are several puppets found across Krat that match and, in some cases, surpass the difficulty of its bosses, but the most aggravating have to be these jesters. They’re mercifully infrequent, but whenever they leap onto the scene, expect quite the scuffle. They can apply severe break damage to your weapons, juggle projectiles, and lash out at such speed you’ll barely get a chance to dodge. They made their grand return in the Overture DLC…only now they can breathe fire!

Elder Dragons “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

To truly master the powers of the Dragonborn, you’re going to have to reave the souls of a lot of flying lizards. Fortunately, after you make enough headway through the main story, they’ll start dropping from the sky, giving you ample chance to slay them. Unfortunately, the Elder Dragons are no slouches. Not only can they breathe fire and frost, but if they get you in their jaws, you’re likely going to get most of your health munched. And just when you think you’ve levelled up enough to take them down with ease, assuming you’ve installed the Dawnguard DLC, you’ll soon find yourself contending with the likes of the Legendary Dragons, who naturally pack a much bigger bite.

Grosse Tete “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025)

The bosses found throughout the Canvas are absolutely stunning in their presentation. Same for the Chromatic versions of regular enemies, who provide an extra layer of challenge. But there’s one foe that left everyone utterly confused and frazzled, not only due to its appearance, but in the way it fights. Having a giant stone face throw itself at you is disconcerting enough, but when it does so twenty-four times in a row, that’s when things go from bizarre to absurd. This Nevron really took the turn in turn-based RPG and ran wild with it, while all you can do is parry and dodge like mad!

Regenerador “Resident Evil 4” (2005)

Whether you tussled with these infected in the original game or the remake, they remain equally terrifying. As the name suggests, these creatures can regrow lost limbs to continue hunting Leon throughout the complex. The only sure-fire method to kill them is to go out of your way to get the Infrared Scope, so you can locate the three parasites in their bodies and blast them. The same applies to Regenrador’s evolved form – the Iron Maiden, which come equipped with a crazy amount of spines poking out of every pore that can be launched out to skewer anything in the nearby vicinity.

Marauders “Doom Eternal” (2020)

Khan Maykr? Get out of here. The Icon of Sin? Oh, please. But when it comes to the Marauders, they give us reason to pause. Even when up against the one man army that is the Slayer, the Marauders are the stuff of nightmares. They’re beyond tanky, their melee strikes come in hot and heavy, they're utterly relentless in their pursuit of the player, and even if you dodge their axe swings, they’ll either blast you with their shotgun or summon hellish wolves to chase you down. Any time one of these things appeared, you can bet we were clutching our pearls.

E.M.M.I “Metroid Dread” (2021)

We’d rather take on an entire planet’s worth full of giant alien fiends than have to deal with another one of these cybernetic stalkers ever again. The EMMIs are borderline unkillable robots that hunt Samus throughout the various biomes across Planet ZDR, each with their own quirks that makes outrunning them all the tricker. The only chance you have of finally ridding yourself of them is to make it to specific areas that can charge up Samus’ arm cannon with enough juice so you can melt them into scraps. They weren’t kidding about the dread…

Banshee “Mass Effect 3” (2012)

What happens when a race of eldritch machines turn a group of super-psychic aliens into their thralls? A whole lot of trouble for Commander Shepard, that’s what. The Banshee’s are the deadliest form of husk in the game, and excessively hard to kill. Not only are they layered in shields, meaning you’ll be burning through countless thermal clips to just bring one of them down, but their biotic abilities can instantly spell your doom if you’re caught in the blast radius. Pair that with such an insidious visage and these things soon filled us with more fear than the Reapers themselves.

Lynels “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

Ever since Link’s first adventure, he’s been contending with these beasts in one guise or another, but it’s only when they made the leap to the Nintendo Switch did they truly become a force to be reckoned with. Equipped with a variety of weapons, Lynels come in various breeds, but share the ability to teleport, have an abundance of health, and will shred Link to pieces if given an edge in combat. They’re a true test of your skills, and for those who really want bragging rights, they’re more than welcome to seek out the Golden Lynel on Master Mode! Compared to them, Ganon is a cakewalk.

Revenants “Elden Ring” (2022)

There are so many monsters roaming the Lands Between that it’s easy to lose track of which are beatable, and which give the game’s innumerable bosses a run for their money. But every Tarnished worth their flask knows to be wary when a Revenant makes itself known. These elongated chimera are feral, capable of lunging forward and attacking at such speed you’ll get slaughtered before you can even attempt to roll. Pair that with its poison damage and nasty teleporting tricks, and Revenants soon made a name for themselves as some of the most hated creatures in Souls games. Speaking of which…

Shark Giants “Bloodborne” (2015)

Only appearing in a single area at the tail-end of the DLC, these fishy behemoths might just be the evillest thing that FromSoftware have ever created. Killing one is a feat, even for the hardiest of Hunters, given that their health pool is staggering, they can instantly gobble you up if you’re unlucky, and worst of all, you’ll often find them in pairs. Even when up against actual Lovecraftian horrors like the Orphan of Kos, the Shark Giants still swim rent-free in our heads. Here’s hoping they never return.

Which video game enemy is responsible for causing you the most game overs? Let us know in the comments!