History Characters / DarkSoulsEnemyNPCsAndBosses

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:''Dark Souls 3'' reveals that Smough was the sole god in Anor Londo other than Gwyndolin to stay behind after the first game. Even after the other Four Knights had long since fled, Smough [[UndyingLoyalty remained at his post]] and, when the Cathedral of the Deep invaded, [[LastStand fought to the bitter end]] to protect Gwyndolin. In fact, given that you receive his armor for killing Aldrich (in the same chamber where you fought Smough in the first game, ntoably), it's quite likely that he died in single combat with ''[[TranshumanAbomination Aldrich himself]]''. Considering how tough a boss Smough is, that must have been one hell of a fight.]]

** Another theory is that, assuming Priscilla doesn't age, is that [[spoiler: she was destroyed along with Ariamas' Painted World when it began to rot away.]] While it's never outright stated, it's heavily implied that Ariamas' painting no longer exists and that would be her fate if she stayed.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Formidable though they are, the Undead Dragons have three weaknesses; [[StationaryBoss being unable to move]], a limited range, and an [[KillItWithFire common undead weakness to fire.]] All of these combined makes the fire breath from the Dragon Head Stone a good choice for fighting them.

* LuckBasedMission: The way it attacks with its flames can make killing it extremely difficult when you first encounter it, because more often than not, it will simply one-shot you with its flames.

* CombatPragmatist: They have ''no'' problem fighting dirty. Besides having the homefield advantage and superior numbers,, they can and will gang up on you if you aren't careful. They have three (four if you count the cleric's hefty mace) heavy hitters for melee, there are an archer and mage pelting you from a distance and an invisible thief lurking in the shadows. These are not proud red phantoms seeking a duel.

* MonsterSuit: His armor is kinda like this, looking like a monstrous, obese goliath while his actual face and body type are concealed by it.

* MinionMaster: It's their ability to constantly revive the skeletons in the surrounding area that makes them such a high priority target, because if you don't you'll be buried in a never-ending horde of angry bones.

* {{Expy}}: As an BotanicalAbomination made of tree roots who hides a tiny, pathetic slug thing that used to be a great ruler in its core, it's pretty clearly an updated version of the Old One and True King Allant from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''.

* DropTheHammer: Undisputably ''the'' heaviest weapon in the game. It's accordingly powerful and slow.

* GiantMook: There are giant skeletons that wield a single sword, and are much tougher than the regular versions. There are also giant skeleton archers, which don't have as wide a range of attacks but can still stomp at you if you close in.

[[folder:The Pinwheel]]

!! The Pinwheel

* EliteMooks: Several [[PaletteSwap golden varieties]] exist, only differentiated by being much tougher than the blue varieties.

Bipedal plant creatures that roam Darkroot Garden, ambushing travelers on the narrow paths. They mainly attack with their arms, which can be used as whips or in dangerous grab attacks.

* WhenTreesAttack: Many of them disguise themselves as normal shrubs and plant life, only to burst out of the ground just in time to strike unsuspecting players.

* MultipleHeadCase: The lizards have two heads on long, snake-like necks

* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Minor example. Darkwraith Knights carry (and sometimes drop) the Dark Hand weapon, which they use to block attacks and steal liquid humanity. What makes this an example is that they can do both ''with the same hand''; for the player, the grab attack can only be done if the Dark Hand is on the right hand, and the shield can only be done with the Hand on the left, so a player using both these abilities can only do so if they're dual-wielding Dark Hands (instead of carrying a BFS like the Darkwraith Knights do).

* KillItWithFire:
** There are two versions of them, both of which attack using fire. The melee versions wield torches like normal Hollows. Much worse are the Pyromancers that attack with fireballs (which actually deal magic damage rather than fire).
** Killing them with a fire-based attack prevents them from releasing their toxins.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vagrant_6.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/titanitedemon2.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armoredboar.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/basilisk2.png]]

Large fire-breathing spider creatures found in Blighttown's lower platforms and swamp. Their appearance and harnessing of pyromancy indicate that they might be spawns of Quelaag.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-quelaag_battle_8361.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bluedrake.png]]

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Despite their draconian language, they actually don't have any vulnerabilities to Lightning or Magic damage ([[RequiredSecondaryPowers it wouldn't make sense for a lightining-spitting creature to be damaged to electricity]]), although fire, bleeding, and toxic damage is much more effective.

A massive, long-decayed dragon corpse guarding some valuable loot; however, when approached, it springs to life as a {{Dracolich}}. Another can be found on the bridge to Priscilla's chamber in the Painted World.

A trio of [[OurGiantsAreBigger Giants]] conscripted by the gods to run most of the fortress's defenses from the roof: one opens the gate when the Bells of Awakening are rung, the second rolls boulders down into the fortress, and the last tosses [[KillItWithFire massive firebombs]] across the roof to kill any who make it that far.

* KillItWithFire: The Fire Giant's bombs are the biggest threat on the fortress's roof, splashing large radiuses with fire that sticks around for several seconds. If you fail to kill it before entering the fog door, it will continue to toss these bombs into the Iron Golem's arena, making the fight infinitely harder.

Giant knights who stand guard all over Anor Londo, guarding the path to the palace and the Duke's Archives. Two [[EliteMooks elite varieties]], the Royal Sentinels, block the way to Ornstein and Smough's room.

* HealThyself: The Royal Sentinels will also use Great Heal if they sustain too much damage, regenerating almost all of their health if the player doesn't intervene.

* DeviousDaggers: They share a moveset with the Hollow Thieves, and thus will throw knives and try to get critical hits on you with a dagger.

[[folder:The Silver Knights]]
!!The Silver Knights

* DeadlyGas: The main thing that makes them so dangerous is that without a good ranged weapon, killing them will immediately envelope you in gas that very quickly inflicts Toxic.
* KillItWithFire: They attack with fireballs (which actually deal magic damage rather than fire), and killing them with a fire-based attack prevents them from releasing their toxins.
* PoisonousPerson: Hollows who have swollen up with deadly toxins.

* BossArenaIdiocy: She turns invisible at the beginning at the fight, and the player would have no way of determining her location... [[spoiler:had she not fought the player in a room where the floor is mostly covered with snow/paint, and her footprints give away her location.]]

* GlassCannon: Should you decide to fight her, she has one of the lower health pools, but compensates by way of her powerful, bleed-inflicting scythe as well as turning herself invisible until you're able to stagger her.

* RandomEncounters: Since having one appear in your game is a LuckBasedMission dependent on another player's actions, it's very easy to go through multiple playthroughs without realizing they exist.

* BossInMooksClothing: In the early game, they vastly outmatch your damage and their swings can nearly OneHitKill most builds, making it extremely hard to kill them. They get easier as you progress, but not by much.
* EliteMooks: They're essentially this to the Silver Knights, although you first encounter the former long before the latter. By the time you finally encounter them [[spoiler: blocking the path to Gwyn's chamber]], the two are about on par with each other.

* AssKicksYou: Same as the Asylum Demon.

* CowardlyMooks: The basic rats aren't always hostile, and some in fact will flee from the player rather than engage in a fight. That said, they will attack if cornered, and this behavior isn't always consistent depending on where the rats are.

* YouDirtyRat: Even by the standards of video game rodents, the rats of ''Dark Souls'' are particularly filthy and disease-ridden, with milky white eyes and pustelent bald patches in the fur.

* DegradedBoss: You can fight several Taurus Demons as non-respawning enemies on your way to the Demon Ruins, with some grouped together to guard [[spoiler:the Ember needed to forge weapons upgraded down the Chaos path]]. There's also three respawning ones after the Capra Demons guarding the front of the Demon Firesage's arena.
* EasyLevelTrick: It's possible for it to [[https://youtu.be/4S5JZF9rBK8 accidentally fall off the bridge it's on]].

* MightyGlacier: Uses slow and easily telegraphed axe swings. However, each swing can launch you off your feet and deal massive damage usually enough to kill beginning players in one hit.

* WakeupCallBoss: It's fought in a narrow arena with archers firing at you in the background, which makes the fight much more difficult (and teaches you to fully explore an area before proceeding). It can also knock you off the wall to your doom if you don't watch your footing.

* HelpfulMook: Downplayed example. Getting Cursed is one of the few ways to effectively handle the ghosts in New Londo Ruins, and combined with some early SequenceBreaking, can lead to the player getting some late-game equipment [[DiskOneNuke before even facing the first boss]]. As Basilisks provide an easy source of Curse, this makes them a decent step toward the goal of breaking the game. [[TheDreaded In pretty much any other context, however...]]

* GlassCannon: They're very easy to kill ([[BlackComedy they are just babies, after all]]), but their bites inflict Toxic damage, which can rapidly build up if you're not careful.
* PinataEnemy: Their fragility and the huge masses that spawn make them ideal for farming Humanity, which they have a not-insignificant chance to drop.
* ZergRush: While they're nearly useless on their own thanks to their GlassCannon nature and slow speed, a great many of them rise up all around the chamber, and all will rush you at once if not cut down quickly.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: A backstab on its unarmored rear can swiftly take down the Undead Parish boar.

* MadeOfIron: The fully armored boars that guard the Duke's Archives are ''incredibly'' sturdy, lack the Undead Parish boar's weak point, and will deflect most forms of damage with little effect.

* TailSlap: They can do that occasionally when spinning in the air.

* UniqueEnemy: Only one is encountered in the game, guarding the final courtyard before the bridge to Crossbreed Priscilla.

* GlassCannon: Should you decide to fight her, she has one of the lower health pools, but compensates by way of her powerful, bleed-inflicting scythe as well as turning invisible until you find and stagger her.

* StatusBuff: The first thing they will do after being aggroed will almost always be to do a funny-looking danace that buffs the damage of every enemy in the vicinity, including themselves. Should you acquire their (very rarely dropped) Channeler's Trident for youself, you can do the same to yourself and you allies. And yes, the one overlooking the Gaping Dragon's arena can and will buff the boss if not killed.

* PullingThemselvesTogether: After being "killed" without the use of divine weapons, they will constantly form again until their necromancers are killed.

* {{Necromancer}}: Obviously.

* LightningBruiser: Among the deadliest examples in the game. They [[DamageSpongeBoss soak up hits from most weapons]] and retaliate with incredibly fast, punishing, hard-to-read attacks. One of their flurrying combos can even be a OneHitKill to players without significant health and stamina.

* SkippableBoss: You can run past it to the bonfire on the other side, which makes it fly away until you leave the area and come back. Problem is, getting to the other side is a LuckBasedMission in and of itself if you don't know the trick to getting it to land. There's also a route under the bridge to bypass it it altogether, but then you'll be unable to access the bonfire and the broken statue that enables you to join the Warriors of Sunlight covenant.

* EasyLevelTrick: Capra Demon is renowned as a newbie killer, since the attack dogs combined with the extremely small combat space makes him a terrible menace that requires players to learn how to dodge his attacks while kiting him and the dogs ''and'' waiting for an opening to take the dogs out. But with some readily available and extremely cheap consumables, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VyzySNoXgA he can be killed from outside the boss arena]].

* MightyGlacier: They're very slow, but their attacks are incredibly powerful -- and will almost certainly knock you straight off one of Blighttown's many precarious ledges.

* UniqueEnemy: In a sense; while there's quite a few of them scattered throughout Blighttown, once you kill each of them they never respawn. [[DemonicSpider Thank God.]]

* MsFanservice:A beautiful naked woman whose nakedness is only hidden with her hair... [[FanDisservice just don't focus on anything below her waist]].

** Step 1) Bring a heavy weapon. Step 2) Hit the golem's feet when it's near the edge of the building. Step 3) Laugh as it falls off the arena, to its death.

** The battle against the Iron Golem takes place at the top of Sen's Fortress, and there are no guardrails to prevent you from falling off. [[spoiler:The same applies to the Iron Golem.]]

* TheWorfEffect: On your own its a fairly difficult fight, and one that requires being careful with. If you bring Tarkus with you however, he easily overpowers it and kills it in only a few hits, and thanks to his high poise, he can walk.

* NotQuiteDead: As soon as you defeat Ornstein first, he falls to the ground, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, one of his fingers is still twitching. Of course, Smough, [[FatBastard being the asshole he is]], promptly crushes him with his hammer to gain his lightning powers. [[spoiler: Though, if the implications from Dark Souls 3 are correct, he might have smashed Ornstein so nonchalantly or recklessly because that Ornstein was a fake]]

* JigglePhysics: Definitely present. Just watch his chest. Which is kind of weird what with that that chestpiece being metal plate...