History AwesomeBosses / Bioware

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' might not have the best combat system, but we get the boss fight at the end against Saren. You can fight him, or you can talk him into [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled shooting himself in the head to escape indoctrination.]]

** The Knight gets to fight the [[spoiler: Sith Emperor himself. (Maybe. It's unclear if you really killed him or just knock him down for a while.)]] Your only backup is the little astromech, you're in the center of the Dark Temple itself, and at one point, he spawns ''five'' clones of himself to battle.

* In the main game there are climactic battles at the end of each chapter. Moscow provides the best in and of itself as you close in on Konstatine Brayko, American 80s obsessed Russian mobster who just got done [[TortureTechnician torturing one of your allies]]. When you get to him, he's on a disco stage and the two of you engage in {{Pre Ass Kicking One Liner}}s set to a rousing guitar riff. When the battle starts, you realize it's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Autograph's "Turn Up the Radio"]] (they originally planned to use [[WhatCouldHaveBeen "The Final Countdown"]]). As soon as you manage to drop his health by a quarter, he shoots up on cocaine and [[KnifeNut comes at you with a knife]]. Accepted wisdom for this segment is to RUN until his high passes.

* In the main game there are climactic battles at the end of each chapter. Moscow provides the best in and of itself as you close in on Konstatine Brayko, American 80s obsessed Russian mobster who just got done [[TortureTechnician torturing one of your allies]]. When you get to him, he's on a disco stage and the two of you engage in {{Pre Ass Kicking One Liner}}s set to a rousing guitar riff. When the battle starts, you realize it's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Autograph's "Turn Up the Radio"]] (they originally planned to use [[WhatCouldHaveBeen "The Final Countdown"]]). As soon as you manage to drop to drop his health by a quarter, he shoots up on cocaine and [[KnifeNut comes at you with a knife]]. Accepted wisdom for this segment is to RUN until his high passes.

* Balek of ''Bring Down The Sky'' forces you into a SadisticChoice, let him escape or blow up the hostages. Choose the latter and after his boss fight you can kill him, repeatedly shoot him, and/or leave him to be taken in alive.

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': '''[[spoiler: Human-Reaper Embryo]]'''. You fight [[spoiler: a '''Reaper''']]. On ''foot''. Even if it's just [[spoiler: an incomplete one]], that's still one of the most awesome things in the entire game, and it's fought to some of the most awesome music in the game. Killing the [[spoiler: Human-Reaper Embryo]] pretty much confirms that yes, Shepard ''is'' the only one who can save the galaxy. [[spoiler: It also looks like the T-800 from ''Film/{{Terminator}}'' after its skin has been burned off.]] Reduced somewhat if you hit it with the Cain, a boss-killing mushroom-clouding explosive launcher that halves the boss' health if you hit it. (Which is more like taking off 1/4 of its health on the hardest difficulty.) Then again, using the Cain means you kill ''a giant mecha-Chtulhu with a nuclear bomb in the face''. Think about it.

* In Taipei you've been hounded by the [[GenreSavvy ruthless and capable]] [[MeaningfulName Omen Deng]] since you started trying to stop the assassination of Ronald Sung. Your final confrontation takes place on a [[GetBackHereBoss construction scaffold, climbing up to balcony facing the platform where Sung is speaking]] where Deng decides to make his [[YouShallNotPass final stand against you]]. [[spoiler: What neither of you have realized is that you're both trying to stop the assassination, and as the fight comes to a close the real assassin takes the shot...]]

* DragonAgeInquisition has the very final battle against the Elder One, [[spoiler: Corypheus]]. You've completely smashed his forces, and ruined all of his plans so that the Elder One has no choice but to [[spoiler: re-open the Breach]] to force a final confrontation. You fight him in the ruins of the Temple of the Sacred Ashes where the game began, but this time the Elder One uses his magic to [[spoiler: levitate the ruins into the air]]. This begins a running fight against the Elder One throughout the ruins while his pet dragon engages in an aerial battle against [[spoiler: a dragon of your ''own'' who is either Morrigan shapeshifted into one, or a special dragon you've gained the ability to command for this battle.]] Eventually you'll be forced to finish off the Elder One's dragon yourself before confronting him at the very top of the ruins for the very final part of the battle. [[spoiler:Defeating Corypheus for good and reducing him to a screaming wreck desperately calling out to Dumat for help before vaporizing him with the Anchor is a very satisfying end indeed.]]

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II: Shadows of Amn'' has so many of them. How about...

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II: Throne of Bhaal'' picks up the awesome boss trend and runs with it...

* Citadel's DLC final boss is [[spoiler:your clone. It's the same class as you, and will use mostly the same powers you have. Yes, that means a Vanguard clone will charge/nova you. Who didn't charge at your clone as a Vanguard after s/he charged you?]]
** Not to mention everything else involved. Two squad members with you in ''extremely'' claustrophobic quarters ([[spoiler:the Normandy cargo hold]]), {{Mooks}} everywhere and [[spoiler:Maya Brooks]] firing on you at the same time. It is ''frantic''.

** Though it's more of a mini-boss, taking down a [[spoiler: thresher maw, whose main strategy for defeating it is to, according to the Alliance, use heavy ordinance like TANKS or, according to Zaeed, "Run the f**k away in the other direction"]] on ''foot'' when the mission only requires you to ''survive'' it for 5 minutes is a SugarWiki/MomentofAwesome, especially on Insanity difficulty. Even the krogan think so! If you manage to kill it the Krogan want to mate with you.

** Imperial Players get the Foundry flashpoint instead. You already know you're in for a hell of a fight when the first boss introduces himself with [[spoiler: Statement: Silence, meatbags!]]. But you discover he's just the {{Dragon}} to a crazed Jedi who plans to wipe out ''98 percent'' of the Imperial population (too bad no one informs the Imperial players their own Emperor wants to wipe out 100% of the galactic population...). And by the time you reach [[spoiler: Revan]], he puts up a ''devastating'' LastStand, telekentically hurling heavy objects, throwing Force Lightening, and even [[ShoutOut "becoming more powerful]] [[Film/ANewHope than you can possibly imagine]]." It all ends in a painful IronicEcho.

[[AC: StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic series]]

* ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': Republic players get a view of Grand Moff Killran, a SmugSnake of an Imperial officer nicknamed [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Butcher of Coruscant"]] in the first flashpoint, but don't a chance to wipe the smirk off his face until Malestrom Prison. He shows up, sniping at you with a rifle from all the way across the room, sending hordes of mooks at you, and forcing your movement to a crawl. It's a long, hard slog, but wiping the floor with that jerk is ''immensely'' satisfying. [[spoiler: the fact you're doing this to rescue ''Revan'' from three centures of torture just adds extra awesome, but the awesome has a spoiled aftertaste because...]]
** Imperial Players get the Foundry flashpoint instead. You already know you're in for a hell of a fight when the first boss introduces himself with [[spoiler: Statement: Silence, meatbags!]]. But you discover he's just the {{Dragon}} to a crazed Jedi who plans to wipe out ''98 percent'' of the Imperial population (too bad no one informs the Imperial players their own Emperor wants to wipe out 100% of the galactic population...). And by the time you reach [[spoiler: Revan]], he puts up a ''devastating'' LastStand, telekentically hurling heavy objects, throwing Force Lightening, and even [[ShoutOut "becoming more powerful]] [[StarWarsANewHope than you can possibly imagine]]." It all ends in a painful IronicEcho.

** The Knight gets to fight the [[spoiler: Sith Emperor himself (Maybe. It's unclear if you really killed him or just knock him down for a while)]]. Your only backup is the little astromech, you're in the center of the Dark Temple itself, and at one point, he spawns ''five'' clones of himself to battle.

** Both factions can take down Darth Malgus; possibly the most cunning and intellegent Sith of them all. To the Imperial players, he is a traitor usurping the Emperor, and [[FantasticRacism recruiting "lesser" species]] [[FelonyMisdemeanor into Imperial life]]. To the Republic, he is the butcher who slaughtered his way through the Coruscant Jedi Temple. He is ''tough'' and wicked fast, and if you do not interrupt his channeling of "[[StarWarsRevengeOfTheSith Absolute Power]]" it is a TotalPartyKill. Even better, he stuns your party and forces each player to fight him ''one on one'' (yes, even if one of those party members is a companion toon, which means he could theoretically get taken out by Dr. Cedrax...).

** Imperial Players get the Foundry flashpoint instead. You already know you're in for a hell of a fight when the first boss introduces himself with [[spoiler: Statement: Silence, meatbags!]]. But you discover he's just the {{Dragon}} to a crazed Jedi who plans to wipe out ''98 percent'' of the Imperial population (too bad no one informs the Imperial players their own Emperor wants to wipe out 100% of the galactic population...). And by the time you reach [[spoiler: Revan]], he puts up a ''devastating'' LastStand, telekentically hurling heavy objects, throwing Force Lightening, and even [[ShoutOut "becoming more powerful]] [[StarWarsANewHope than you can ever imagine]]." It all ends in a painful IronicEcho.
** Both factions can take down Darth Malgus; possibly the most cunning and intellegent Sith of them all. To the Imperial players, he is a traitor usurping the Emperor, and [[FantasticRacism recruiting "lesser" species]] [[FelonyMisdemeanor into Imperial life]]. To the Republic, he is the butcher who slaughtered his way through the Coruscant Jedi Temple. He is ''tough'' and wicked fast, and if you do not interrupt his channeling of "[[StarWarsRevangeOfTheSith Absolute Power]]" it is a TotalPartyKill. Even better, he stuns your party and forces each player to fight him ''one on one'' (yes, even if one of those party members is a companion toon, which means he could theoretically get taken out by Dr. Cedrax...).

[=BioWare=] and Obsidian, the makers of some of the most popular Western [=RPGs=] of the past decade and a half, certainly know a thing or two about awesome bosses.

** You also have the option to redeem [[spoiler: Sun Kin. This is achieved by Sun Kin's spirit fighting the Death's Hand armour, under your control. Kin basically gets to redeem himself by beat up his own failures with a sword.]]

* Considering that he was using you as an UnwittingPawn the entire game? Considering how callously he talks about his lost family, especially when you've got Dawn Star right next to you? It is ''very'' satisfying to pound [[spoiler:Sun Li]] into the ground. If you're fond of little Wild Flower, it is also terribly satisfying to kick Ya Zhen to the curb for terrifying the sweet little girl.

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': '''[[spoiler: Human-Reaper Embryo]]'''. You fight [[spoiler: a '''REAPER''']]. On ''foot''. Even if it's just [[spoiler: an incomplete one]], that's still one of the most awesome things in the entire game, and it's fought to some of the most awesome music in the game. Killing the [[spoiler: Human-Reaper Embryo]] pretty much confirms that yes, Shepard ''is'' the only one who can save the galaxy. [[spoiler: It also looks like the T-800 from ''Film/{{Terminator}}'' after its skin has been burned off.]] Reduced somewhat if you hit it with the Cain, a boss-killing mushroom-clouding explosive launcher that halves the boss' health if you hit it. (Which is more like taking off 1/4 of its health on the hardest difficulty.) Then again, using the Cain means you kill ''a giant mecha-Chtulhu with a nuclear bomb in the face''. Think about it.

** The fight against [[spoiler:The Shadow Broker himself also fits here.]]
*** Particularly since it's a [[spoiler:[[AlwaysChaoticEvil yahg]], [[AlwaysABiggerFish which makes the krogan look like cuddly bunny rabbits]]. It wields a [[{{BFG}} M-76 Revenant assault rifle]], an [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe omni-shield]], and a [[DeflectorShields kinetic shield impervious to bullets, biotics, and tech strikes.]] Essentially, drain it's health, and when the shields come up, '''''punch it in the face'''''.]]

** Kasumi's loyalty mission where Hock is in an invincible gunship. She climbs up a structure, runs for Hock and jumps on the ship while in flight to take out it's shields, before taunting him and jumping a hundred feet to do the splits as she hits the ground.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the [[spoiler:Reaper Destroyer]] on Rannoch. Again, it's not actually that hard, but you're facing down [[spoiler:a goddamned ''Reaper'']]. It's amazingly epic and a fitting conclusion to the [[BestLevelEver Rannoch arc]]. Shepard paints a target on the Reaper while charging around like a ADD kid on Red Bull to avoid it's laser, all so that every quarian ship in orbit can unload 20 ferrous slugs ''each'' down it's throat.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the [[spoiler:Reaper Destroyer]] on Rannoch. Again, it's not actually that hard, but you're facing down [[spoiler:a goddamned ''Reaper'']]. It's amazingly epic and a fitting conclusion to the [[BestLevelEver Rannoch arc]]. Shepard paints a target on the Reaper while charging around like a ADD kid on Red Bull to avoid it's laser.

--> '''Shepard:''' [[spoiler:That was for Thane/Miranda/Kirrahe, you ''son of a bitch''.]]

* Facing off against some of the Sith teachers on Korriban. Not quite as epic, but almost as fun. Depending on how big a [[VideogameCrueltyPotential bastard]] you want to be, [[SadistTeacher Jorak]] [[AxeCrazy Uln]] can lead to fun times with [[PsychoElectro lightning bolts]] for one of your [[SmugSnake douchebag]] [[TheRival fellow students]]. Or the final encounter with Yuthura and Uthar -- depending on whether or not you went for the straightforward option, the double-cross, or the ''double'' double-cross, it can range from a truly kickass DualBoss fight, a MeleeATrois, a two-on-one fight with optional backstabby goodness, or an honest-to-God [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] HeelFaceTurn. Ah, choices, choices...

** Though it's more of a mini-boss, taking down a [[spoiler: thresher maw, whose main strategy for defeating it is to, according to the Alliance, use heavy ordinance like TANKS or, according to Zaeed, "Run the f**k away in the other direction"]] on ''foot'' when the mission only requires you to ''survive'' it for 5 minutes is a CrowningMomentofAwesome, especially on Insanity difficulty. Even the krogan think so! If you manage to kill it the Krogan want to mate with you.
** The [[spoiler: Geth Colossus]] during Tali's recruitment mission. Three different ways to attack the damn thing, with geth closing in on you constantly from every angle, and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeFud97kKC8&feature=related Tali's theme music]] blasting in the background.

** Kai Leng. After dealing with this slippery bastard throughout the game, it's satisfying to finally lay into him with all your might. Then, after you beat him, you get one of Shepard's best [[AwesomeMoments Crowning Moments of Awesome]].

** The battle against [[spoiler: Zathrien]]. Fighting a powerful and decidedly ''not'' SquishyWizard [[spoiler: consumed by his rage and grief over a centuries old crime]] who casts some of the most powerful spells in the game and summons Ents into battle? While epic, it's the aftermath of the battle that's really awesome. The [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome boss music]] is icing on the cake.

* In the main game there are climactic battles at the end of each chapter. Moscow provides the best in and of itself as you close in on Konstatine Brayko, American 80s obsessed Russian mobster who just got done [[TortureTechnician torturing one of your allies]]. When you get to him, he's on a disco stage and the two of you engage in {{Pre Ass Kicking One Liner}}s set to a rousing guitar riff. When the battle starts, you realize it's [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Autograph's "Turn Up the Radio"]] (they originally planned to use [[WhatCouldHaveBeen "The Final Countdown"]]). As soon as you manage to drop to drop his health by a quarter, he shoots up on cocaine and [[KnifeNut comes at you with a knife]]. Accepted wisdom for this segment is to RUN until his high passes.

** Even better since the release of the DLC lonesome Road. You can battle Lanius, who wears legionaire armour and wields the blade of the East, while wearing the Duster of the Courier and wielding the Blade of the West. East versus West in epic battle.

[[AC: VideoGame/MassEffect series]]
* In general, the ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' series doesn't have a lot of bosses. Some levels may end with fights against named characters, but in practice these are just named EliteMooks for a BossRoom. That said, when the series does give a proper boss fight, it tends to be epic. The proof? The below is basically ''all'' of the series' true boss fights.

*** It's awesome in terms of lore, but the actual fight is probably easier than the one that comes after it, especially considering that the above is a three-on-one fight.