The 10 Hardest Castlevania Bosses

The Black Knight

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“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” (2010) In case you aren’t familiar with the “Lords of Shadow” games, they served as a way to help “Castlevania” evolve with action-driven games...even if the franchise didn’t really need to do so. Still, “Lords of Shadow” is worth checking out, especially when you get to fight foes like the Black Knight. No, this is not the same Black Knight from King Arthur’s stories, but rather a golem made to protect dear Claudia. Throughout the fight, the big brute will do everything to keep you hopping around like a madman, generating shockwaves and utilizing far-reaching attacks. So long as you mind your position and not mindlessly wail on him, you should come out a-okay!

“Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia” (2008) *sigh* Why doesn’t anyone talk about the DS games the same way they do with the older titles? They had their fair share of memorable moments and fights, and “Order of Ecclesia” is no exception. One fight that stood out was the grueling duel against Gravedorcus. Basically, what you have is a demonic sand shark with bladed fins and poison-inflicting vomit abilities that cover quite a bit of ground. On top of that, Gravedorcus can spew out explosive spores that can do a hefty amount of damage. Watch your step, keep your distance, prioritize the spores when they appear, and you should do just fine. Oh, and when you can, spam attacks that deal Strike and Ice damage - he’s incredibly weak against those.

The Belmonts

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Various Monsters of the night that only wield a handful of powers to decimate their targets? If you ever needed a greater challenge, facing the Belmonts themselves proved to be quite a feat. Not only are you fighting against your ancestors who wield almost the same exact arsenal as you, but some of them will come with a few extra bells and whistles to keep the pressure on. This could come in the form of an extra attack to use or inflicting elemental damage...or just being a spammy troll. It all depends on which game you’re playing. Even if we get mad, they are still a treat to see in every installment.

“Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow” (2005) Don’t you just love it when a boss takes up ten screens and has a tiny hurtbox compared to his overall size? No? Well, that’s what we got in “Dawn of Sorrow” anyways. Menace lives up to his name by being an oversized jerkwad that has to be hit in very specific spots, much like another adversary. It is very easy to get overwhelmed in this fight as Menace will try to keep you cornered and send enemies after you. Patience and precision is key here, so don’t try to rush it.

St. Germain

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“Castlevania: Curse of Darkness” (2005) Who invited Mr. Planters’ vampiric cousin? As fancy and gentlemanly as he may appear, St. Germain isn’t one to scoff at under any circumstance. For starters, he is the token “let me spam my teleport and move across the map every half-second” boss. So, he’s already annoying with just that. Then, there’s his irritating, time-stopping abilities that can freeze you in place and impose a very distracting clock animation on the screen. Look, man - you’re already disappearing and reappearing in random spots like a Bugs Bunny cartoon! Freakin’ chill!!

“Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (1997) “Symphony of the Night” is already a challenging entry in the “Castlevania” series, at least for players who haven’t picked it up in recent years. However, of any fight in the game, Galamoth is the one we still have some difficulty with, and it's because of his wide attack. See, Galamoth likes to spam this lightning attack that deals a ton of damage within a few seconds. Even with a large amount of health, you’ll be close to death by the time you finally off him. Sleep tight, you big lummox!

Doppelgangers

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Various Much like the Belmonts, you’ll be fighting a foe that wields the same arsenal as you plus a few extra tricks up their sleeve. The thing about the Belmonts, though, is that they sometimes use attacks and maneuvers you’ve seen before, usually because you played as that Belmont in a previous game. The Doppelgangers, on the other hand, have the exact same tools as you in addition to more powerful abilities. From transformations and attacks that trigger upon death to additional technical skills like quick-stepping, the Doppelgangers will test your prowess, and they serve as an excellent late-game boss battle.

Forgotten One

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“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” (2010) This is one “Castlevania” you may not want to finish right away considering one of its boss fights. Granted, the Forgotten One is entirely optional, and thank god he is because we’d be breakin controllers if this guy was mandatory. On top of being a long boss fight (lasting roughly 15-20 mins, which substantially longer than the average “Castlevania” boss fight), he goes into three different forms, each having their own set of attacks to frustrate the crap out of you! He hits hard, he can do poison damage with his stupid maggots, and he is the bane of our existence! YOU DESERVE TO BE FORGOTTEN!!

Death

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Various Yes, Death is arguably worse than the Forgotten One. Who else can we expect to spawn in sentient scythes and sickles from out of the blue? Who else would dare employ teleportation moves and be annoying about it on the same level as Death? Who could possibly demand we only use magic attacks and constantly drain our magic? Better yet, what other “Castlevania” boss would be a cheap sack of bones capable of rejuvenating himself, thus extending the boss fight even more? Death. Death would. And Death is an ass.

...Does It Even Matter Which One? Even after enduring all of these other bosses - Menace, the Forgotten One, even St. Germain, no one puts up a tougher fight than the lord of darkness himself. Dracula has, in most of the games, served as the final challenge in your quest, and he doesn’t hold back. Pillars of hellfire, rushing you as a swarm of bats, transforming into a giant demon, he does it all! And if that wasn’t bad enough, “Portrait of Ruin” forces you to fight Dracula AND Death at the same time! You can feel the stress and anxiety just looking at him, and it’s why Dracula has cemented himself as one of the toughest bosses in gaming to ever exist.