History BossInMookClothing / RPG

** Upon entering Old Yharnam, an old coot on top a tower warns you that, if you proceed further into the hamlet, then he's going to have to hunt you down. No biggie, right? Yes, it is. Especially when he opens fire on you from atop of his tower with a ''[[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]]!'' Meet Retired Hunter Djura. So, you struggle your way to his tower and climb it, really looking forward to tearing that gun-reliant coward a new one... Yeah, well, Djura is ten times as deadly at this distance, so have fun with that. The fact that you fight him [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou on top of a tall, narrow tower]] does ''not'' improve matters, though this also that means you can subject him to a DisneyVillainDeath, ''if'' you know what you're doing...

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' carries on series tradition. This game's Unique Monsters generally have so much HP that a fair fight requires your party to be several levels higher than them and a tombstone shows up where they were originally if they are defeated for the purposes of rematches. And also in series tradition are the monsters that are 30+ levels higher than you when you are first in the area.
** One of the most difficult Unique Monsters early game is the Walker Trap, partly due to it's incredibly high amount of HP at Level 26 as well as the amount of damage it does with one of it's arts (Which hits anything in a straight line). It's also a Driver which means block rates are much higher than a typical monster. This isn't even getting into the worst part which is when you take 50% of it's HP down where it will then go enraged and uses an attack that heals itself.

** In a slightly more mundane example, it should also be noted that nearly every area in the game will have otherwise-regular monsters wandering around that are usually thirty levels above the party's level when you first enter that area ''at the very least''. At least you'll know where to go when you need to level grind later.

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Of the many NPCs that you can interact with, the ones that make the best allies can also serve as enemies powerful enough to put some of the bosses to shame when challenged with Olberic or H'aanit, who must fight all challenged NPCs alone. Every town and village is host to at least two or three such characters.

* The unique monsters in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}''. All of them are tough enough to be considered bosses, and the sole distinguishing visual characteristic some of them have prior to being targeted is being slightly to ''much'' larger then the normal enemies in their vicinity. It's only after targeting them and seeing their level, odd name, and fancy info window that you can know for sure. They're also almost always aggressive, even if they're of a normally passive monster type, so one who has enabled the option to see monster info from a distance can potentially identify them in this manner, as well. They have a [[AutobotsRockOut unique battle theme,]] so if you [[BackgroundMusicOverride suddenly hear it start up]], '''run'''.

** First appearing on the second stratum of the first game, F.O.E. appear as arrows on your map, and most of them look exactly like the normal enemies in the dungeon... but have vastly higher HP and attack power. Some follow set movement patterns, while others will rush your party when you get in their line of sight. Others, once they sense blood (such as the Wolves and Skolls) will actually ''join other [=FOEs=]'' mid-fight to make your life even more of a living hell.

*** The [[BeeAfraid Cazador]], although very small and having the appearance of a much weaker enemy, the Bloatfly, can decimate low level players with its poison within a couple of hits and as nimble. Not to mention, they come in ''packs'' of up to five. They are often used [[BeefGate to wall the low level player in]], forcing them to take a specific route in order to level up first.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3'':
*** There is an entire series of these in the form of the Omega Viruses. ''Every'' type of enemy in the game has a fourth [[UndergroundMonkey level]] of virus that is super-fast, super-powerful, and pack high HP (some Omega Viruses get up to ''500'' HP, about the same as an early-game boss). Some will even have additional effects added to their attacks (e.g., Mettaur Omega's shockwave now cracks panels). Thankfully, they're only found in set encounters late in the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' brings us The Fear (article included in the german version), and the Animal, as boss fights halfway through the second major dungeon in the game. They are quarding a key and a passage to the next level respectively, and have a lot of buildup to their respective fights, with the characters actually commenting on them. The Animal especially is considerably powerfull and fast, and can deliver massive blows and even critical hits. It's a standard enemy in all dungeons. In fact, the one you first fought is actually a lot WEAKER then all later variants. Thankfully, being supernatural creatures, means that they can be instantly removed from the field with a spell that is unique to the caracter who joined you prior to first encountering them.

** The Black Knights. Non-respawning enemies who appear slightly off the beaten path, they have a lot of health, defense, and are very hard to defend against with fast, powerful attacks. Once you defeated them, you have a rare chance to net some DiskOneNuke. Even if you don't, you can meet them again in [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Kiln Of The First Flame]] as respawning enemy, they are prone to become [[PinataEnemy farming targets]] by the time when you meet them there however.

* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is usually pretty straightforward with their boss creatures, being the specific target of an expedition. There are, however, a few... "uninvited guests" that can pop up randomly that only look slightly more lethal than normal EliteMook opponents.
** Most infamously, the Collector. Can show up in ANY expedition as a random fight in a hallway, and on top of having the durability of a fallout shelter, can summon and resummon a whole host of minions that all do their jobs very well.
** The Shambler, who appears anywhere that there is zero torchlight randomly (or can be summoned at one of its randomly spawning altars), will always surprise your party and reshuffle your positions. It basically is a pile of horror, stress, and death fueled by a perpetual desire to see you dead; once you encounter it, it will replace all encounters until it dies, or you die (or abandon the mission).
** The Crocodilian is encountered in the marshy, swampy Court, introduced in the aptly named Crimson Court DLC. This lump of pure HitPoints and killing intent will abuse position swapping to duck in and out of attack ranges, and its Apex Predator attack is almost a guaranteed critical hit. And it can be encountered as early as your fourth expedition in a new game - expect no survivors if that's the case.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy 3'':
** The game has the Monolith enemy class, which is nigh-unanimously considered ridiculous by any reasonable standard. All three of them have a ton of HP, resist virtually everything, have incredibly overpowered attacks in general, and have a move that is ThatOneAttack by that standard. The first one you encounter is the Viking Monolith, whose ThatOneAttack hits the entire party, can kill in a ''minimum'' of three hits, and inflicts the dangerous freeze condition at an obnoxiously high rate. Oh, and it can cause instant death with another attack. The second is the Ancient Monolith, which loves to pull out a move that heals 100% of the HP of the entire enemy party, including itself, right when you're on the verge of finally killing the damn thing. And then...there's the Cosmic Monolith. It can, and ''will'', abuse its Doomsday attack that nails the whole field for upwards of 10,000 damage. This includes itself; by the way, it ''absorbs the attack element''. ''And'' they have a random chance of spawning during the final battle. They also have their buffing spells. In a game where UselessUsefulSpell is largely averted, an enemy that possesses a max-level buffing spell with the ability to use it on the entire enemy party is a huge DemonicSpider for that reason alone. And the Ancient Monolith can remove your buffs, too. Your one saving grace is that they don't null Syphon (instead being ''just'' neutral), so if you can pull it off, they can't do anything while you wail on them.
** The final area of the game contains a fight with 2 Cosmic Monoliths. Considering their first attack is always programmed to be Doomsday, they're damn hard in any circumstance, even without the limit cap during the first run. Thankfully, all of the encounters in that area before the final boss can be avoided.
** Cosmic Monoliths proved so notorious in the third game that the fourth game made them the strongest summon in the entire game, and removed them entirely as enemies... unless you're willing to pay for the DLC level, where you encounter one as a BonusBoss. Attempting the same tactics that worked on the Cosmic Monoliths from ''3'' won't work on this one, since it now has a devastating physical attack if it gets Syphoned, and Doomsday now hits through your Dark resistance. And then when you beat it, '''three more take its place'''. It even gets battle music entirely unique to this one fight, an honor shared only with the FinalBoss!
** The Cosmic Monoliths return as regular enemies in the fifth game, no less difficult than before. As in ''4'', they get their own song separate from the other enemies in the area - there's at least one battle where the Monolith doesn't show up until the second wave but you ''[[ParanoiaFuel know it's coming]]'' because the music's changed. Their status as this trope is even lampshaded; after you beat the first one you come across, Anna remarks that such a strong enemy must have been a boss and [[TemptingFate it's a good thing you won't run into any more of them...]]
** Both here and in the next game, you'll occasionally run across a GiantMook that has much more health than its smaller versions and many stronger attacks, and can [[MookMaker summon its smaller counterparts]] too, at will!
* In ''Eternal Ring'' there is a secret area [[spoiler:that is reached by going back through the starting cave and hitting the door on the beach with a dark or light spell.]] Inside are rats that are easily one-shotted, floaty orbs that die in three pokes of a sword, but go on a (long) self destruct timer, and the werewolves. They take several castings dragon summoning spells (dragon spells are as big as it gets here), and they take more than half the HP of a character who's already able to take on the final boss.

** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Demons]]. Huge demons wielding giant axes similar to the Taurus Demons from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', but with fire-based attacks.
** The Stray Demon from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' returns with an additional grab attack and a ranged boulder-spitting attack that is impossible to dodge.

** An old coot on top a tower warns you that if you proceed further into the hamlet, then he's going to have to hunt you down. Especially when he opens fire on you from atop of his tower with a ''[[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]]!''
** Retired Hunter Djura is ten times as deadly at this distance, so have fun with that. The fact that you fight him [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou on top of a tall, narrow tower]] does ''not'' improve matters, though this also that means you can subject him to a DisneyVillainDeath, ''if'' you know what you're doing...

** Once you've triggered the Blood Moon phase of the game and venture into Yahar'gul, you may encounter three Hunters within the Hypogean Gaol.Hunters, essentially making this a WolfPackBoss in Mook Clothing. One of the Hunters is armed with a [[WolverineClaws Beast Claw]] and a Hunter Pistol, the second is armed with a Threaded Cane, a [[FireBreathingWeapon Flamesprayer]] and a [[ShockAndAwe Tiny Tonitrus]], and the third is armed with a Rifle Spear and ''a [[ArmCannon Cannon]]''. Both of which have ''unlimited bullets''. And these three Hunters are aggro-linked, meaning that if you provoke one of them, the other two will be on your throat faster than you can say "Paleblood." The only mercy in this encounter is that the Hunters do not respawn, so as long as you manage to kill one of them, he'll remain dead for your next attempt.
** The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, who only appears at the end of [[CoolOldLady Eileen the Crow]]'s questline once the Blood Moon has risen. Like Yurie, he's a maximum level Hunter, but unlike her, he's got a ''huge'' healthpool, fully comparable to some bosses, two Bloodvials to restore his health with, and three out of his four armor pieces are the Cainhurst armor set, which have the highest raw defenses in the game. The weapons the Bloody Crow uses are the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Chikage]] and a [[HandCannon Repeating Pistol]], both of them fully upgraded and both of them some of the highest damaging weapons in the game, making him capable of killing you in two-three hits with either one of them, a fact made ''even worse'' by the items and tools he uses: Numbing Mist, which [[AntiRegeneration disables your own ability to recover health]], and the Old Hunter's Bone, which enables him to use [[FlashStep the art of Quickening]], which he does so often he's basically {{Teleport Spam}}ming. Finally, unlike all other NPC Hunters, the Bloody Crow ''gets stronger with each NewGamePlus run,'' going from roughly 3100 HP in a New Game, to a whooping ''9000'' on a NG+ run and capping off at a massive ''13000 HP'' on [=NG+7=].

* So, you're playing ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos Origins''? And you just got past [[ThatOneBoss that damn bird]], so you're feeling good? Well, you're gonna saunter away from the crash site and run right into the Alraune. For starters, the flower has a ton of HP, capable of swallowing your strongest attacks for several turns. It's quite fond of 'Poison Breath', which hits all three characters hard and is likely to poison at least two of them. Its normal attacks are no slouch either, and the Mirabilis it comes with hit just as hard. Unless you're loaded for ice or fire, the damn thing can and will rip you apart. Just to add insult to injury, the overworld sprite appears in a very cramped location, making it tricky to dodge. Probably the best way to handle a party with one of these is to assemble Blazing Glacial Queen, but good luck keeping [[GlassCannon Guillo]] alive long enough to pull it off.
** So, how could that be worse? Well, how about if they made it incredibly common, as in, most enemy encounters will have one. Then, make it appear with several enemies that hit hard, have quite a bit of HP, and have cooperative attacks with the thing. Buff up its stats a bit, make Poison Breath even more painful-wait a second, we just described the [[PaletteSwap Queen Alraune]], found all over Nekkar! Have fun!

*** So you've just entered Old Yharnam, right? And some crazy old coot on top a tower warns you that if you proceed further into the hamlet, then he's going to have to hunt you down, right? No biggie, right? Yes, it is. Especially when he opens fire on you from atop of his tower with a ''motherfifing [[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]]!'' Meet Retired Hunter Djura. So now that you've been formally introduced, you struggle your way to his tower and climb it, really looking forward to tearing that gun-reliant coward a new one, right? Yeah, well, Djura is ten times as deadly at this distance, so have fun with that. The fact that you fight him [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou on top of a tall, narrow tower]] does ''not'' improve matters, though this also that means you can subject him to a DisneyVillainDeath, ''if'' you know what you're doing...
*** When you enter [[AcademyOfEvil Byrgenwerth]], you're confronted by Yurie, the Last Scholar. She's a wizard-type Hunter. The [[SquishyWizard squishy kind]]? Yes, but since she's also ''maximum level'' you won't notice that fact. What you ''will'' notice is that she's got [[CombatTentacles Augur of Ebrietas]] and ''[[BeamSpam A Call Beyond]]''. The former makes close quarter combat with her risky while the latter makes long distance combat a death sentence, with each one of the Call's dozen-or-so projectiles causing a small explosion on impact with any surface, and it's powerful enough to one-shot you with just a few grazing hits. Up close she also uses a fully upgraded [[WhipItGood Threaded]] [[SwordCane Cane]] and a Rosmarinus, an unblockable sidearm which saps your health within its AOE. Going on [[AttackAttackAttack a relentless offensive]] and praying for a miracle is honestly your best bet.
*** Once you've triggered the Blood Moon phase of the game and venture into Yahar'gul, you may encounter a Hunter within the Hypogean Gaol. I'm sorry, did I say ''a'' Hunter? I meant ''three'' Hunters, essentially making this a WolfPackBoss in Mook Clothing. One of the Hunters is armed with a [[WolverineClaws Beast Claw]] and a Hunter Pistol, the second is armed with a Threaded Cane, a [[FireBreathingWeapon Flamesprayer]] and a [[ShockAndAwe Tiny Tonitrus]], and the third is armed with a Rifle Spear and ''a motherfifing [[ArmCannon Cannon!]]'' Both of which have, in case you forgot, ''unlimited bullets!'' And what's worse is that these three Hunters are aggro-linked, meaning that if you provoke one of them, the other two will be on your throat faster than you can say "Paleblood." The only mercy in this encounter is that the Hunters do not respawn, so as long as you manage to kill one of them, he'll remain dead for your next attempt.
*** And last, but certainly not least, we have the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, who only appears at the end of [[CoolOldLady Eileen the Crow]]'s questline once the Blood Moon has risen. Like Yurie, he's a maximum level Hunter, but unlike her, he's got a ''huge'' healthpool, fully comparable to some bosses, two Bloodvials to restore his health with, and three out of his four armor pieces are the Cainhurst armor set, which have the highest raw defenses in the game. The weapons the Bloody Crow uses are the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Chikage]] and a [[HandCannon Repeating Pistol]], both of them fully upgraded and both of them some of the highest damaging weapons in the game, making him capable of killing you in two-three hits with either one of them, a fact made ''even worse'' by the items and tools he uses: Numbing Mist, which [[AntiRegeneration disables your own ability to recover health]], and the Old Hunter's Bone, which enables him to use [[FlashStep the art of Quickening]], which he does so often he's basically {{Teleport Spam}}ming. Finally, unlike all other NPC Hunters, the Bloody Crow ''gets stronger with each NewGamePlus run,'' going from roughly 3100 HP in a New Game, to a whooping ''9000'' on a NG+ run and capping off at a massive ''13000 HP'' on [=NG+7=]. Want a tip? [[MemeticMutation Try]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck tears.]]

** Similarly, the Rider enemy in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' is much stronger than the final boss, using the game's strongest spells on the party, and healing itself an absurd amount every turn.
** ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'' already contributed the K. Sludge and the N. Rider to this trope. The former came in groups of three and packed a very effective Instant Death spell, and the latter can use all of the highest level spells in the game.

** The Beebas as well, when you first fight them.

* ''VideoGame/TheDenpaMen'' series has several. In the first game, if it looks like it's going to kick your ass, [[TotalPartyKill it probably will]]. There are many, many offenders (Golems, Windbugs, Dragons when at low levels), but among the worst offenders is the notorious Hydraplant. It attacks twice per turn, has tons of HP, can breathe various stat-affecting gasses, and absolutely ''loves'' to spam an Earth-type hit-all attack that can easily decimate all but the sturdiest Denpas in your party in one go--let alone ''two'' of them per turn! And they have ''upgraded versions.''
** In the sequel, Hydraplant got a ''massive'' downgrade, but Windbugs and Golems retain many of their former glories. Golems were even ''made stronger,'' since they're no longer weak to Light and Water-type attacks.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy 3'' has the Monolith enemy class, which is nigh-unanimously considered ridiculous by any reasonable standard. All three of them have a ton of HP, resist virtually everything, have incredibly overpowered attacks in general, and have a move that is ThatOneAttack by that standard. The first one you encounter is the Viking Monolith, whose ThatOneAttack hits the entire party, can kill in a ''minimum'' of three hits, and inflicts the dangerous freeze condition at an obnoxiously high rate. Oh, and it can cause instant death with another attack. The second is the Ancient Monolith, which loves to pull out a move that heals 100% of the HP of the entire enemy party, including itself, right when you're on the verge of finally killing the damn thing. And then...there's the Cosmic Monolith. It can, and ''will'', abuse its Doomsday attack that nails the whole field for upwards of 10,000 damage. This includes itself; by the way, it ''absorbs the attack element''. ''And'' they have a random chance of spawning during the final battle. Have fun.
** Do not forget their buffing spells. In a game where UselessUsefulSpell is largely averted, an enemy that possesses a max-level buffing spell with the ability to use it on the entire enemy party is a huge DemonicSpider for that reason alone. And the Ancient Monolith can remove your buffs, too. Add all of this to what is mentioned above and...yeah.
** Your one saving grace is that they don't null Syphon (instead being ''just'' neutral), so if you can pull it off, they can't do anything while you wail on them.

** Oh, and the final bonus area? ''The fight there has one of each Monolith type.'' To add insult to injury, your party's maximum level under normal circumstances is 30. '''''THEY'RE AT LEVEL 50.'''''

*** The Cosmic Monoliths return as regular enemies in the fifth game, no less difficult than before. As in ''4'', they get their own song separate from the other enemies in the area - there's at least one battle where the Monolith doesn't show up until the second wave but you ''[[ParanoiaFuel know it's coming]]'' because the music's changed. Their status as this trope is even lampshaded; after you beat the first one you come across, Anna remarks that such a strong enemy must have been a boss and [[TemptingFate it's a good thing you won't run into any more of them...]]

** The above are less to be feared in ''Epic Battle Fantasy 4'', but there you'll occasionally run across either an already GiantMook or one or two DemonicSpiders or GoddamnedBats that are slightly larger than normal but several levels higher than the ones around them, and these are a lot harder to see coming. They're usually not guarding anything (and thus will respawn), and many times the enemy displayed on the overworld is a smaller type. And if these are in multiple waves, the big guys will only show their faces on the last wave. And you rarely get much of a reward (aside from experience) out of them.

** First appearing on the second stratum of the first game, they appear as arrows on your map, and most of them look exactly like the normal enemies in the dungeon... but have vastly higher HP and attack power. Some follow set movement patterns, while others will rush your party when you get in their line of sight. Others, once they sense blood (such as the Wolves and Skolls) will actually ''join other [=FOEs=]'' mid-fight to make your life even more of a living hell.

* In ''[[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games .hack]]'', using [[LimitBreak Data Drain]] on an enemy turns it into a level zero critter. Except for The Guardian, which then turns into The Bracelet, a lv90 monster that has every top tier non-summon elemental spell in the game, and sometimes manages to cast ''two spells at the same time''. Many a player thought it'd be safer to defeat it with physical attacks. Hoo boy, were they wrong: his basic attack is fast and strong enough to kill pretty much any character other than [[spoiler: Helba]] in a matter of 2 to 5 seconds.

** The Stray Demon from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' returns with an additional grab attack and a ranged boulder-spitting attack that is pretty much impossible to dodge.
** Sulyvahn's Beast is a giant three-eyed crocodile dinosaur monstrosity that [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere literally materializes out of nowhere]] on the bridge towards Irithyll. It attacks ferociously with fast bites that deal massive damage and can also charge at you with its mouth open and grab you with it, [[OneHitKill killing you instantly]]. Should you choose to flee into Irithyll, it will later drop down as you pass through the swamp below, forcing you to fight it [[MuckingInTheMud while wading around in the muck]]. In other words, you'd better kill it on that bridge.
*** Later on there is an area hidden behind an illusory wall where you fight ''two'' of them! Even though it's pretty easy to aggro one at a time, either one of them is even tougher than the one on the bridge, and they even seem to have smarter AI. So how bad do you ''really'' want that Ring of Favor?

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'', being a NintendoHard dungeon crawler, has a ton of these monsters, designated as "[=FOEs=]" (officially short for [[GratuitousEnglish Field-On Enemies]] or [[GratuitousLatin Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens]], but more commonly referred to as ''Fucking Overpowered Enemies'') in game terms. First appearing on the second level, they appear as arrows on your map, and most of them look exactly like the normal enemies in the dungeon...but have vastly higher HP and attack power. Some follow set movement patterns, while others will rush your party when you get in their line of sight. Others, once they sense blood (such as the Wolves and Skolls) will actually ''join other [=FOEs=]'' mid-fight to make your life even more of a living hell.
** ''[[MemeticMutation Even on TVTropes,]]''' [[MemeticMutation F.O.E.!]]'''''
** The sequel, ''Heroes of Lagaard'', in addition to having a F.O.E on the first floor, takes this one step further. A specific random encounter in the final floor has 10,000 hit points, more than five times the number of hit points of the next strongest random encounter, and 3000 more than the strongest FOE the game has to offer. Said random encounter also has a multihit attack on your entire party what will usually OHKO any of the non-tank classes, as well as a skill that prevents you from using any of YOUR skills. Said random encounter also holds the dubious distinction of being the only FOE or random encounter in the game that is immune to Instadeath Skills (most Bosses are immune), and the ONLY enemy in the ENTIRE game that is immune to Stun. If you're particularly unlucky, this also appears as an ambush while harvesting. ''In pairs''. 'Boss in Mook Clothing', indeed.
*** The remake retains this random encounter in all its overpowered glory, and made it ''stronger'', with over 30,000 HP, and a DesperationAttack that can destroy the party when it approaches death. A quest needs you to ''hunt one''. One of the guaranteed ways to get it to spawn also gives that enemy ridiculous ActionInitiative. And there's a ''conditional drop'' to boot.

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'': Deathclaws are exceedingly ferocious and can demolish even high-level players if they are caught unawares. Super Mutant Behemoths are considered the "bosses" of the game, as there is an achievement for killing them all, but players have proven that a Deathclaw can kill one in 1v1 combat.

*** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' dropped the Dart Gun and made the Deathclaws more numerous and resilient, turning them into outright DemonicSpiders. Fortunately, they only appear in specific locations as opposed to random encounters.
** Sentry Bots have the same HP as Deathclaws, with even greater damage resistance and no weak points, and possess highly damaging weaponry in the form of a Minigun or Gatling Laser and Missile Launcher. They also largely [[LevelScaling replace the lower-grade robots at high levels]]. Once you're leveled up and have the proper weaponry, though, they become more of {{Fake Ultimate Mook}}s.
** The ''Broken Steel'' expansion DLC adds Super Mutant Overlords, Feral Ghoul Reavers, and Albino Radscorpions. All 3 enemies have incredibly high boss-level health and massively damaging attacks. Even high level characters can find that an entire VATS cycle of high-end attacks that can kill all other enemies in just a few hits will barely scratch their health meter. They can appear in any location where their lesser brethren spawn, even if you had been there at a lower level. As early as Level 13, in fact. Also Overlords do 40 extra points of extra damage to their Tr-Beam Lasers. Not per shot, no that'd be too easy, it's ''per laser beam''. That's 120 unblockable points plus the extra 75 for hitting and it's only against the player.

** Speaking of [=DLCs=], ''Point Lookout'' had the Swampfolk. They look like normal (if slightly deformed and deranged) people, yet their attacks hit for much more than you would suspect. This is because they, like Deathclaws, have the ability to ignore your damage resistance. But unlike Deathclaws, they do not have sharp claws or other special abilities, only regular double barrel shotguns and lever-action rifles. These guns, like Overlord Tri-Beam Lasers, do an extra 35 points of unblockable damage but the shotguns are worse. A meat shot with all nine pellets does a total of '''315''' points plus the 85 points of the shot. The developers have said that they made the Swampfolk so strong because they wanted ''Point Lookout'' to be the hardest DLC and also because they wanted to create the "Lovecraftian" feeling of having to run and hide from mysterious enemies; instead of just running in and slaughter everyone with your minigun. The aforementioned Reavers are also a common occurence. Swamplurks look like a palette swap of the base game's Mirelurk Kings, but have almost twice the HP, twice the melee damage, and spit armor-eating acid that does as much damage as a Deathclaw.
** The original ''Fallout'' had a single Deathclaw as an incredibly rare random encounter while traveling on the over world map; considering most of these random encounters are generally more of an annoyance than a challenge after awhile, any person playing ''Fallout'' for the first time was in for a slaughtering.
** In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the game introduces a new enemy type known as the [[BeeAfraid Cazador]], which although very small and having the appearance of a much weaker enemy, the Bloatfly, can decimate low level players with its poison within a couple of hits and as nimble. Not to mention, they come in ''packs'' of up to five. They are often used [[BeefGate to wall the low level player in]], forcing them to take a specific route in order to level up first.

*** On the subject of Deathclaws, the Alpha Male and Matriarch variants [[LightningBruiser are twice as fast as and have 50% more HP]] than the vanilla version, and deal up to 300 melee damage (Normal difficulty), which means a OneHitKill to most characters. The ''Lonesome Road'' Deathclaws, since they scale to the player's level like most DLC enemies, become even more lethal than the Alpha Males at high levels, able to OneHitKill nearly any character.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' introduces a couple of these. Invisibles have had a major upgrade from the first game, but the game warns you ("Caution! A powerful enemy is near!") so they may not count. Living Pods, on the other hand...Crazy amounts of HP and they hit like a semi truck. What looks like an easy mission becomes a pain in the ass thanks to these guys.

** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded re:Coded]]'' has the Eliminator, a [[PaletteSwap recolored Defender]] that randomly appears in System Sectors. They can block any frontal attack or magic? Not too bad, normal Defenders can also do that. They can also teleport around the sector, and have crazy attack power. What makes them truly evil is their shield attack, which fires a fast-moving homing burst that can inflict any of the status ailments in the game. Better hope that it is not [[InterfaceScrew flip-foot]] or [[OneHitKill Level 1 Defense]]...
** At least Invisibles and Black Fungi let you beat a hasty retreat if you so wish. Eliminators, on the other hand, ''will'' TeleportSpam to stay within attacking distance of you. If you're fast and lucky enough, you may be able to reach a door before you get killed.... only to find out that ''[[SuperPersistentPredator the blasted things actually follow you from room to room]]'', something that ''no'' other enemy in the game is capable of doing.

* The Nazgul in the GBA version ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' The Return of the King. They spawn alone or in a group of 2 or 3 if the Eye of Sauron on the upper right corner fills all the way , which means they can be faced very early in the game. They are easily the strongest enemies in the entire game, being tougher than even the Witch King, their own boss. Not only do they have a very high HP, they also have a ridiculously high defense, causing almost every attack against them fail, unless the player is of extremely high level. Top it off with the extremely high damage their long reach attack does and you'll find any attempt to melee them is pretty much [[TooDumbtoLive suicide]]. Their drops are not exactly worth the effort for "killing" them either, running away from them is usually the best option. On the other hand, at max level, they are the only enemies in the game to provide any challenge.
* These are so common in ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'' that they actually get their own battle theme and a special icon in the game's PreexistingEncounters system. Early examples include the Bear, Owl Bear, Sword Geist and Shield Geist. You also get twice the normal AP for winning a battle containing one or more of them, so they can be worth the risk. Yes, the game gives this much fanfare to ''regular enemies that are much harder than the norm''. Appropriately, ''actual bosses'', by comparison, have a downright epic battle theme and look about as intimidating on the map as a red blob can.

** Harbinger, in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', would be a literal example, but is not actually that particularly difficult. He randomly [[MemeticMutation assumes direct control]] of Collectors, making them a lot more stronger and durable than normal and adds the ability to launch explosive projectiles that can hit you even behind cover. And even if you kill him, [[DemonicSpiders he'll just find another body if any are still present.]] Usually you have to kill him three or four times in a single fight with Collectors. In basically every fight with Collectors.

** [[SandWorm Thresher maws]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1''. They can be defeated quite easily once you have them entirely figured out, but you need to make good use of the rocket launcher and machine gun of your vehicle to take them down and they can destroy it instantly when they erupt right from under it. Two hits from their acid spit also can destroy the Mako. A Thresher Maw actually [[spoiler:appears as a full-fledged boss in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' in Grunt's loyalty mission]].

*** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' included the nameless Krogan Commander, who has two lines at best and is not much different than a normal krogan, but just catches the party at the right range to make him a very nasty encounter. He serves as a final boss for the level despite his build as a mook. If you forget to switch to anti-organic ammo (because you've been fighting synthetics all mission) he's even harder.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3'' has an entire series of these in the form of the Omega Viruses. ''Every'' type of enemy in the game has a fourth [[UndergroundMonkey level]] of virus that is super-fast, super-powerful, and pack high HP (some Omega Viruses get up to ''500'' HP, about the same as an early-game boss). Some will even have additional effects added to their attacks (e.g., Mettaur Omega's shockwave now cracks panels). Thankfully, they're only found in set encounters late in the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' - One word: Cattlesnake. It has more than twice as much HP as any other enemy in the area (it has almost 800 HP, and the nearest enemy in the area in terms of maximum HP only has around ''250'' HP), and has a ridiculously high defense - characters that do 50 damage to other enemies will only do 10 damage to the Cattlesnake. It also has an attack that can hit the whole party for 70-80 HP damage per strike - at a time when your characters will average about 140 HP. Before you first see one, [[LampshadeHanging there is a sign warning you to keep your distance]].

** A lone Elite Wizzerd in ''The Thousand-Year Door'' probably isn't tough enough to count (despite having both the "needs a lot of strategy to defeat", to some degree, and the "has a variety of different attacks" qualifications). Unfortunately, they generally come in [[WolfpackBoss groups of]] ''[[WolfpackBoss four or five]]''. A defense of 5 is almost insurmountable in this game, so you pretty much need to use defense-ignoring attacks (here's hoping you've got plenty of Star Power--Art Attack works well, but even from a full meter, you can only chain two of these). They have 12 HP each and have three different damaging attacks, one of which does 8 damage to one party member and one of which does 7 damage to ''both'' party members. They can also buff their attack or defense, become dodgy (attacks may miss), become transparent (attacks ''will'' miss), electrify themselves (deal damage if you try to attack them directly), '''heal''' themselves, and when only one remains, it will inevitably split into five, only one of which will actually take damage. And they only appear on the lowest levels of the Pit of 100 Trials, after you've likely worn out your items and star power fighting Piranha Plants and Dark Bristles on the previous stage and regular Wizzerds on the stage before that.

** Hell, it's practically a given that the random mooks in the last (and possibly next-to-last) dungeon in all Megaten games will all, without exception, be totally immune to every kind of attack save one. Don't have that damage type/status effect in your group? Why, I believe it sucks to be you right now. Have it, but the character is out of mana after running into one of them too many? Oh, but your tears of frustration are just yummy, my dear.
** An JustForFun/{{egregious}} example would be the rainbow-colored Maya in The Answer (''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}''). It has ''high'' resistance to damn near everything except Almighty attacks plus can nuke pretty much any party member with Black Viper (single target Almighty spell). Woe unto you if it [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou hits Aigis]].

** Let's not say ''The Reaper''. This thing plays the regular encounter theme in ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 5'' but he has the same HP as a mid-endgame boss, and if you are low leveled enough or unprepared he can party wipe you with nearly every element imaginable.

** There is a particularly annoying team in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor''. The Leader: Some Magic-prominent reviver/healer. The other two? Berserkers. Who always have ''Endure'' as their one of their abilities, which allows them to always survive an attack [[LastChanceHitPoint with 1 HP left.]] Needless to say, it's almost impossible to take down even one Berserker AND kill said leader before one is revived, and the leader gains almost perfect defense again.

** There is a complete reversal of this is in ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga''. The final [[BonusBoss secret boss]] is the [[spoiler:Demi-fiend]] from Nocturne. His random encounter music plays during the battle, giving the impression that you're just a random bunch of mooks for him. And quite frankly, if you're not prepared, you ''are''.
*** For a more straight example, there's Samael in the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Karma Temple]] and Anahata Waterways. A Samael in this game has more than a thousand HP, [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]] MP, resists Physical, [[NoSell voids Earth]], repels Electricity, Expel and Death, and has some nasty skills like Vanity and Revelation. Two of them can appear as reinforcements if you defeat an enemy encounter in the waterways, but Samael is typically alone.

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' has a system of special battles in which you use a special visor to find rare demons and battle them. Most of the encounters found this way are quite strong, but drop valuable remains which can either be sold for a lot of money or used in high-end weaponry. However, every now and then, horrifically overpowered demons pop up. The finest examples are the Fiends, but there are plenty of others who occasionally come up with a hankering for your guts.

** ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'' has this pretty much at many points of the game. In many dungeons there will be enemies that will instantly petrify your party, and will require constant stunning to prevent the group-petrifying attack. Attacking so often the enemy can't do anything is a major tactic for most enemies. In the bonus dungeon, most of your characters will have a Star Guard, equipment that upon a successful block, will do an attack which releases multiple attacks that can do 9999 damage a piece, and even then, you will die if not careful.

* Slivers in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', a slightly less powerful version of the Sand Worm (also technically not a boss, but not encountered randomly and guarding one of the Devil Arms). They appear very rarely in the snow fields near Flanoir. ''Very, very'' rarely. Will probably be the last monster you need to complete your Monster Guide.

*** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' included the nameless Krogan Commander, who has two lines at best and is not much different than a normal krogan, but just catches the party at the right range to make him a very nasty encounter. He serves as a final boss for the level despite his build as a mook.

*** High-level draugrs (overlord and deathlord flavors) are definitely this. Once you reach a high-enough level, these draugr which previously served as an area's boss now becomes a mook, and they're still every bit as tough as they were before.

** NPC Hunters in general can qualify for this. Since they are created using the same character creation system as your own character, they, too, have character levels and stuff, which of course limits just how powerful they can be, and they do not get stronger over NewGamePlus games, either, but those are weak comforts. Especially since [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard NPC Hunters do not play according to]] [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules the same rules as you]], having unlimited usable items, tools and Quicksilver Bullets for starters, which allows them to spam their guns and spells however much they want. (Though they've thankfully got a much more limited stock of Bloodvials than you do.) Some encounters, however, stand out:
*** So you've just entered Old Yharnam, right? And some crazy old coot on top a tower warns you that if you proceed further into the hamlet, then he's going to have to hunt you down, right? No biggie, right? Yes, it is. Especially when he opens fire on you from atop of his tower with a ''motherfifing [[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]]!'' Meet Retired Hunter Djura. So now that you've been formally introduced, you struggle your way his tower and climb it, really looking forward to tearing that gun-reliant coward a new one, right? Yeah, well, Djura is ten times as deadly at this distance, so have fun with that. The fact that you fight him [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou on top of a tall, narrow tower]] does ''not'' improve matters, though this also that means you can subject him to a DisneyVillainDeath, ''if'' you know what you're doing...
*** When you enter [[AcademyOfEvil Byrgenwerth]], you're confronted by Yurie, the Last Scholar. She's a wizard-type Hunter. The [[SquishyWizard squishy kind]]? Yes, but since she's also ''maximum level'' you won't notice that fact. What you ''will'' notice is that she's got [[CombatTentacles Augur of Ebrietas]] and ''[[BeamSpam A Call Beyond]]''. The former makes close quarter combat with her risky while the latter makes long distance combat a death sentence, with each one of the Call's dozen-or-so projectiles causing a small explosion on impact with any surface, and it's powerful enough to one-shot you with just a couple of hits. Up close she also uses a fully upgraded [[WhipItGood Threaded Cane]] and a Rosmarinus, an unblockable sidearm which saps your health within its AOE. Going on [[AttackAttackAttack a relentless offensive]] and praying for a miracle is honestly your best bet here.

*** And last, but certainly not least, we have the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, who only appears at the end of [[CoolOldLady Eileen the Crow]]'s questline once the Blood Moon has risen. Like Yurie, he's a maximum level Hunter, but unlike her, he's got a ''huge'' healthpool, fully comparable to some bosses, ''two'' Bloodvials to restore 40% of his health with, and three out of his four armor pieces are the Cainhurst armor set, which have the highest raw defenses in the game. The weapons the Bloody Crow uses are the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Chikage]] and a [[HandCannon Repeating Pistol]], both of them fully upgraded and both of them some of the highest damaging weapons in the game, making him capable of killing you in two-three hits with either one of them, a fact made ''even worse'' by the items and tools he uses: Numbing Mist, which [[AntiRegeneration disables your own ability to recover health]], and the Old Hunter's Bone, which enables him to use [[FlashStep the art of Quickening]], which he does so often he's basically {{Teleport Spam}}ming. Finally, unlike all other NPC Hunters, the Bloody Crow ''gets stronger with each NewGamePlus run,'' going from roughly 3100 HP in a New Game, to a whooping ''9000'' on a NG+ run and capping off at a massive ''13000 HP'' on [=NG+7=]. Want a tip? [[MemeticMutation Try]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck tears.]]

*** You can alternatively run into a pair of [[NighInvulnerable Arahabakis]] in the Manipura Waterways as reinforcements if you defeat an enemy encounter there. Special note about the Arahabakis, they ''null everything except for [[NonElemental Almighty]], [[KillItWithIce Ice]], and [[LightEmUp Expel]].'' Second, they can use [[ThatOneAttack Gate of Hell]], which deals massive Physical damage to everyone and has a chance to [[TakenForGranite turn you to stone]] [[NoSell if you are not immune to either death or Physical]]. And if everyone voids Physical? They don't use it and use skills like Last Word instead.
** ''Digital Devil Saga 2'', the [[VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga first game's sequel]], includes Narasimha and Parvati in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and they are always alone. Narasimha repels Physical attacks and guns while Parvati repels elemental magic, plus they can [[RandomDrops randomly drop]] key items that are required to fight [[BonusBoss Vishnu and Shiva respectively]]. Narasimha also packs [[ThatOneAttack Gate of Hell]] and he will use if given the chance to.

* The Black Rabbite of ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' is just a palette swap of the conventional Rabbite. It's also the most deadly thing in the entire game.