Ranking the Best Gimmick Boss in Each Soulsborne Game!

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When we talk about boss fights in Soulsborne, there are a sub-category of bosses that we consider to be gimmick fights. Maybe they have a specific way to defeat them - Maybe their arena is extremely unique, or maybe they have a moveset that sets them apart from the regular bosses of their calibre.
Today, we're looking at the best Gimmick Bosses from each Soulsborne game! Enjoy!
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Intro: 0:00
Demon's Souls: 1:25
Dark Souls: 3:47
Dark Souls II: 6:17
Bloodborne: 8:37
Dark Souls III: 10:46
Sekiro: 12:44
Elden Ring: 14:49
Outro: 17:03
#soulsborne #eldenring #darksouls #bloodborne

[@30bside23]

Don't think the bell gargoyles are a gimmick really - the game isn't really pushing you to do something unique

[@BillySYT]

Yeah, of all of them, they were my most iffy of choices. Dark Souls 1, at least for me, lacks for great gimmick fights, so I had to reeeeeally stretch the definition.

[@shamshake40]

Idk it pushes you to focus on positioning on top of just dodging and attacking so I think that’s worth something

[@shamshake40]

Especially if you add that on top of the fact that the second one coming in later was something very new to the series at this point

[@The_Vanni]

​@@BillySYTUh, you ever heard of the Ceaseless Discharge lol. It is so much of a gimmick it almost isn't a fight

[@RPGNoZero]

@@shamshake40 That happened with Maneater already

[@vengertheforceofinconvenie7377]

I know he’s only a miniboss, but I feel like armoured warrior deserves a shout-out for sekiro gimmick bosses. Felt like a fun twist in the game’s combat (also it was very satisfying realising I could use vault over when I posture broke him in the wrong spot)

[@BillySYT]

Oh 100%, if we could include mini-bosses, he'd be the pick.

[@Shifsabre]

ROOOOBEEEEEEEEERRRRT

[@jonmann4980]

I somehow managed to get to him before genichiro and hit my head against the iron wall until I finally beat him

[@IWillEatUrMeat]

On my first play through he glitched and ran off the bridge on his own without me posture breaking him and I was so confused😂

[@TheNickofTime]

Here’s a ranking idea I’ve never seen done before that might be fun: Standard, non-boss enemies. They’re easy to forget about in the grand scheme of things, but they’re what you spend the majority of the time interacting with, which makes them a pretty important part of the game. At their best, some of them even have movesets that demand your attention in the same way a boss would, like those swishy-wishy skeletons wearing high heels from Ithryll in DS3 (don’t know their proper name).

[@BillySYT]

I actually did have this as a future idea. Like my Top 10 Enemies from each game, etc.

[@jajasking9652]

Magicat did this a few weeks ago, for the best enemies, he also wants to do It for the worse, but still, more tops ? I'm not complaining about those 😊

[@collin2401]

I don't think I'd consider the Belfry Gargoyles, the Twin Princes, or Owl to be gimmick fights, but it's such a subjective distinction that I can see why they're here. That said, the Divine Dragon will probably always be my favorite From Software gimmick boss. The spectacle and the power fantasy of flying into the sky on a bolt of lightning to kill a dragon in the clouds are unmatched imo

[@zacharyhuhn8366]

I think twin princes is definitely a gimmick fight, but the others you mentioned aren’t.

[@michaelbarker6732]

I didn’t even consider Burnt Ivory King to be a gimmick boss fight honestly. To me he seems more like a boss that uses ds2’s classic move of having to do something outside the boss to make the boss easier. You can light the torches for Lost Sinner, burn the windmill for Mytha, get the eye of the priestess for Ava, and destroy the statues for Fume Knight. He is an extremely cool fight and does kindof have the whole spectacle thing which is a usual hallmark of gimmick bosses in From games though so I totally see why you picked him. My pick, if you’re curious, would be Executioner’s Chariot just because it’s very very unique and memorable.

[@BillySYT]

Given the Burnt Ivory King has an entire phase you have to work through to even fight the main King himself, that's the main reason he lands on the list as a gimmick. Because it stands out from the norm that Dark Souls II set of "Walk into boss arena, fight boss, leave." Instead it's "Walk into boss arena. Fight waves of enemies. Fight boss, leave."

[@Welcometotheslam5424]

My favorite gimmick boss from DS1 is definitely Gwyndolin. The Bell Gargoyles can't be called gimmick bosses since they don't add much difference to combat. To me, a gimmick boss is a boss that deviates heavily from the standard Dark Souls combat gameplay. Take the Bed of Chaos, Executioner's Chariot, Micholash, and Ancient Wyvern for examples. All of those bosses don't play out as traditional fights, instead forcing you to do something else instead. The Bed of Chaos uses platforming, the Executioner Chariot forces you to avoid its attacks while running around a circular arena in order to knock it down, Micholash forces you to go through a mini area to chase him down, and the Ancient Wyvern similarly forces you to traverse through a mini area before killing it in one hit. In this case, Gwyndolin is my favourite.

[@MarkHogan994]

I think for me the Storm King from Demon's Souls and the Divine Dragon from Sekiro have to be my 2 favorites. Both are just supremely well executed in terms of atmosphere, gameplay, spectacle, music, and just sheer fun.

[@jajasking9652]

Storm King got soo good in the remake, and divine dragon is just a cinematic fight done really right

[@wilbert3842]

The spirit caller snails in elden ring fell like a better version of the Witches of Hemwick gimmick. They are invisible unless you’re close in some fights, or hidden and spawning strong enemies in others. There’s no perfect way to make it a boss fight but they work as an enemy with the summoning gimmick

[@BillySYT]

Mhm - I think they're a fun gimmick when they show up in-game, and likely will be the best proof of concept we'll get for the Witches gimmick.

[@teofilogarciatrujillo6330]

Fun fact, I had a harder time with Ryykard than I did with Malenia with my Arcane faith build

[@TheSuicune7]

You should have summoned a friend and beaten him TOGETHAAA

[@sentinelslayer8328]

@@TheSuicune7TOGETHAAAAAA

[@iAmTheFoeOfInhumans]

​@@sentinelslayer8328TOGETHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@Local_commentor]

​@@sentinelslayer8328family

[@Local_commentor]

​@@sentinelslayer8328devour

[@Dr.Decker927]

You could rank all of the games endings. Rank them by maybe their cutscenes, lore implications, quest tied to them and how accomplished you feel at the end

[@alexterieur8813]

Great idea

[@BillySYT]

Definitely something I'll keep a note of. Love the name, btw.

[@BHM_Productions]

Great video! It's always enjoyable to hear your analyses. My all time favorite gimmick boss from Souls is probably Rykard, his fight hits REALLY well when it's firing on all cylinders. I've played that fight online with others countless times!

[@Hopeful_Husker]

In other words words, you and other Tarnished face the Lord of Blasphemy… TOGETHAAAAAA

[@BHM_Productions]

@@Hopeful_Husker AS FAMUHLEEEEEEEE

[@duskmike8526]

You forgot The Nameless king and his famous gimmick of not being able to lock onto him in phase one.

[@BillySYT]

lmaoooooo

[@BillySYT]

Edit: Yes, the Bell Gargoyles for DS1 was a biiiiig stretch. But I just... don't like any of the main gimmick fights from DS1, so I decided to go a different route. Today, we're ranking the best gimmick bosses in every Soulsborne game! This week, we look at the icons, next week we look at the flops! Enjoy~

[@thediabolicalraisin8953]

Hey, it was either that or Bed of Chaos.

[@notjazz.]

What’s the point of the video if you’re not sticking to the concept and just ranking whatever random boss you want

[@zacharyhuhn8366]

@@thediabolicalraisin8953 Yeah but Bed of Chaos is good.

[@dhampirsilver1260]

This is a really good video idea! Gonna enjoy this one

[@KuzcoCool96]

Love your work! I subbed :)

[@BillySYT]

Thanks so much! Every sub helps c:

[@matthunwick5230]

Your list, your criteria! Great video as always

[@cippyyt1428]

Just came across your channel and I love your content btw (very clean and smooth accompanied with great commentary). You earned a sub, my friend. Anyways, I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I felt Bed of Chaos is a perfectly difficult gimmick boss fight. Even though its attacks can be hit or miss, I like the platformer aspect within a souls game

[@jamesparker6364]

This is definitely one of the best Souls channels on KZbin. For future Souls videos I'd like to suggest an enemy ranking, perhaps one for Elden Ring.

[@Cheddargoblindeez]

I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS BILLY!!!

[@BillySYT]

Gracias~!

[@alexterieur8813]

@@BillySYTare you spanish or british?

[@lml55]

Yooo love the Cassette Beast Music in the BG

[@funnypickles]

I’d love to see a series of you doing item and enemy randomizers

[@BillySYT]

Sadly, I don't think I'm particularly funny or interesting with live commentary, but who knows? xD

[@Chritin]

I feel like I’m terms of a more literal gimmick boss, The Armored Warrior has to be my favorite for Sekiro.

[@ginibehpunkt4702]

fun fact for the twin princes fight by the way, Lorian isn't the one teleporting. Thats Lothric, he teleports his brother around. Lothric "prays" before he teleports in the cutscene, but lorian doesn't do anything while he teleports, hes not actively using a spell. Also, Lorian isn't using faith based stuff in general because the's the "knight" of the two. You can argue since the two brothers are one soul he could technically use the spells of his brother but i dont think thats the case here

[@thecancerousdan3800]

Love the ranking vids, any chance we could see something like weapon rankings? From boss weapons/unique weapons to all of the Bloodborne weapons and stuff like that

[@BillySYT]

I think for Bloodborne I'd be willing. I don't really use a lot of weapon variety in the other games, but BB's trick weapons are all unique enough to warrant it.

[@thecancerousdan3800]

@@BillySYT Great! Can't wait. Always watch your videos the moment I see them in my feed.

[@teofilogarciatrujillo6330]

​@@BillySYTMaybe Elden Ring remembrance+legendary weapons would be entertaining too

[@sethlowen2303]

Your idea of gimmick boss fights might be a little off the mark. All gimmick bosses have interesting mechanics, but not all bosses with interesting mechanics are gimmicky. A gimmick boss fight should be defined as a boss with interesting mechanics that also fundamentally changes how you play the game. Bell gargoyles, ivory king, Lorian, and owl wouldn’t be considered gimmick fights.

[@BillySYT]

To each their own - I explained what my definitions were, and people are free to feel okay with that, or otherwise ^^

[@Hopeful_Husker]

I’m going through the Ivory King DLC now; I’m so excited to face the Burnt Ivory King

[@napoleonicgeese5223]

For ds3 i would've considered demon prince a gimmick fight, as both demons switch between different aggressions, and then depending on which you killed first the prince has a different powerful attack

[@therighttrousers343]

It's interesting to compare Burnt Ivory King to Radahn, hadn't drawn that connection before. Kinda agree, kinda don't, i think Burnt Ivory represents the notion of war, war with friends a lot better, partially cos in Radahn you resummon them, lots of allies, about six or seven is it? And you have a total pool of deaths, it's something+10 i think, whereas Burnt Ivory, the core summoning of the game is less baked into it while once you rescue those knights, they're coming in no matter what. And the phase 1 of felling his own troops, of course the phase 2 harder variant of two open portals which I've never tried, but also it's the culmination of the DLC, cos the entire second half of the DLC is you rescuing them to help you out, it's the only goal, so that optional to the fight sidequest is buildup, it's you preparing by going out and getting teammates. Radahn, it's NPCs with their own plot progression that led them to this festival, but between the longer time between encounters, that it's authentic progression, it certainly feels like an MMO raid boss, with buddies, that help you out as you take on the raid boss, not the getting whoever you player/NPC summoned before the fight, plus the squad you specifically went out for, the portal-closers, they tie Burnt Ivory King as the finale more while Radahn is, not thematically, but in gameplay pretty disconnected from the rest of the entirety of Caelid. And this is all fine. Radahn is a festival, it's a good time, it's a raid boss, everyone already came here for the party, you didn't send out the invites. And he's a midgame boss anyhow. He's everything he is and needs to be. It could've been fun properly going round asking everyone if they want to join the party and tiny sidequests for them, but it wasn't necessary. BIK is the reason for act 2, the optional but recommended act 2. It's a funny little challenge. Ultimately now that i remember, the entire point of Ivory Crown being that it linearly presents Aava and BIK to you as linearly overcomable challenges by your own skills and patience but certainly made easier if you follow standard progression is a wonderful premise, not railroading you but giving you your own motivations to solve problems presented as you please, it's really the perfect culmination of Dark Souls 2's philosophy of options.

[@piterrospl9512]

I know I'm late to the party, but as far as gimmick bosses in Dark Souls I go, I think Iron Golem fits into the definition of "gimmick", and is the best one at that. Of course, he can be a standard giant fight, but he has two aspects I can consider gimmicks: the giant before the fight (less interesting, just annoying if you don't kill him before the fight), and stagger. If you hit his legs enough, he will stumble, and I think if you keep hitting, he will fall over - and if you do it in the right moment and place, he will fall down the bridge. I think it is gimmicky enough.

[@eliawein4644]

Sekiro defenetly the armored knight which can only be killed by killed by pushing him off a bridge by finishing him

[@BillySYT]

I consider him a mini-boss, so I never even thought of him for the ranking. But tbh, I should have said screw my rules & included him.

[@ironscraper3327]

Bruh I was so whipped with yorm that when I fought Rykard I only used the art of war for way too long, like multiple playthroughs

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

I’m honestly a little surprised to see Storm King up there. For me, it was either Fool’s Idol or Adjudicator! You’re content is so enjoyable bro, keep it up!

[@BillySYT]

I think with Demon's Souls, you can make the case for most of the bosses to be up there gimmick-wise. I just happen to really love the Storm King, so any excuse to talk about it is a good excuse ^^

[@jajasking9652]

I could see this on the og, but, in the remake, storm King is that cinematic Epic moment of the Game, with amazing lookings and the best ost upgrade of the remake Honestly, i found adjudicator to be super boring, and me played only the remake doesn't improve things, since that fight had a way better atmosphere in the og version ( better design for the Boss and much more fitting ost )

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

@@jajasking9652 I can see that but it had nice mechanics and was one of my favorites!

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

@@BillySYT very true and as you mentioned, it did spawn the legendary stormruler!

[@bigchonc1]

I honestly think micolash is underrated as a gimmick fight. The atmosphere, the level design is extremely well done. I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get lost in the arena or “nightmare”. Micolash has very annoying attacks but I think that ties in with his character and design. Could it have been done better? Absolutely. But I think it was a great attempt at a creative gimmick fight. I honestly hope a future soulsbourne game or dlc can make a boss similar to micolash, but better.

[@samlewis6487]

Personally I would rank Priscilla as the best in DS1. I just love the invisibility fights. Heck, my favorite cave (a normal thing to have) in Elden Ring is the Sage's Cave because of the invisible Black Knife Assassin boss. I just think it's a cool challenge to be unable to lock on and actually have to aim.

[@BillySYT]

My main issue with Priscilla is less to do with her gimmick and moreso just that her fight never really lasts long. She's so fragile health-wise that she never ends up being a threat. It's why I was glad to see her gimmick getting a re-use with Sister Friede, and to an extent the Black Knife Assassins (If they didn't have that grab attack they can spam, I'd be all for them).

[@samlewis6487]

@BillySYT Fair enough. To be honest, I've never had her fight go on for long either. Especially because I've never fought her. I just feel so bad, she seems so nice 😭

[@samlewis6487]

So excited for next week's video! Curse-Rotted Greatwood #1 worst or I riot.

[@BillySYT]

If I had a nickel for the amount of times FromSoftware made a tree-based gimmick boss that was generally hated by the community, I'd have two nickels. Which is weird that it happened twice.

[@samlewis6487]

@@BillySYT I don't actually hate the Greatwood that much, to be honest. Its not difficult or anything, it's just annoying and the design is uninteresting.

[@northseapirate2313]

Looking Glass Knight from DS2 would be my favorite. Unlike Halflight or Old Monk it isn’t entirely reliant on having an online invader, since the Looking Glass Knight is still a good boss regardless. Plus it makes the fight unique compared to any other PvP duel.

[@Ifslayanct]

9:00 They did reuse the concept. It was Throne Watcher and Defender. While to a lesser degree of clusterfuckery, if you take too long killing one after one is killed, the other will revive it.

[@laurencevicar5798]

Demon's Souls: Storm King/Tower Knight/Old Monk(PvP) Dark Souls 1: Kalameet, kinda? Or Manus with Silver Pendant Dark Souls 2: Looking Glass Knight/Darklurker/Fume Knight Bloodborne: Gascoigne/Living Failures Dark Souls 3: Soul of Cinder Sekiro: Divine Dragon Elden Ring: Starscourge Radahn

[@fenderbeen]

I’m one of the few people who actually enjoyed the Witch of Hemwick fight in Bloodborne. I do think, however, it gets boring in subsequent play throughs because by then you’ve “solved” the puzzle. There are two things I would like to have seen added to the fight. One is giving the witches the same move set they have in the jail and the chalice dungeons, where they can physically grab you to gouge out your eyes. The second is to add an arcane attack that buffs the mad ones and makes them more aggressive toward you when their health is low. Often times they just walk around and leave you alone as long as you don’t get close. I think they were much more aggressive in chalice dungeons.

[@BillySYT]

Exactly, I think if they want to make a fight with this concept work again, they need to make it so the puzzle is only half the fight. Then have the "post-puzzle" actually be a difficult experience, rather than a tedious one because of the enemy summon spam.

[@williamvalentine7087]

Twin princes is not a gimmick fight. This list is a huge reach.

[@BillySYT]

It's got people talking about gimmick fights in greater detail though, so I'm pretty satisfied in that sense. I didn't want to stick to the picks that every single KZbinr ever goes for because it's been done to death, so spicing up the conversation seemed fun.

[@gatla4695]

Id be surprised beyond belief if From EVER tops Rykard as the perfect hybrid of challenge, gimmick, and cinematography. He’s just that good.

[@JTdaGoat2871]

The thing I like most about Rykard too is you don’t have to use the serpent hunter either I’ve beat him before without it. Wasn’t easy but it’s possible. Yhorm is nearly impossible to beat without it, even with a +5 weapon your doing like 100 damage to his massive health bar. I doubt very many people have pulled that off. Maybe since his move set is easy to dodge.

[@cardboardwalk]

I never knew about the storm ruler, I’ve always used arrows on that fight lol

[@welshlout3400]

If the Bell Gargoyles qualify as a gimmick fight, then so do Kalameet and Manus. And I’d choose one of them over the Bell Gargoyles

[@mickeynelson6263]

I remember my pure mage run in DS1, I used “hush” against Seath, since he’s technically blind. I don’t think it’s suppose to change anything. But for me, Seath never actually locked onto me and constantly attacked randomly. Maybe I just got lucky?

[@grimreefer213]

I think we should make a distinction between legitimate fights that have gimmicky mechanics and “gimmick fights”. When I think of gimmick fights I think of deacons of the deep, or Yhorm, or Rykard. Those boss fights have unique “gimmick” mechanics where the combat itself isn’t the main focus and isn’t designed to test you on it. Bosses like Owl or Twin Princes may have some unique mechanics but I wouldn’t consider them gimmick fights. As a side note I fought Yhorm without the storm ruler and it’s actually quite fun. Instead of just killing him in four or five hits with the storm ruler which makes for a lackluster encounter, instead you have to focus on dealing damage to his arms which are weak spots. Particularly if you hit his right arm it will result in a stagger after you deal enough damage. When he staggers you can then deal damage to his head and get a critical hit. You can tell the devs thought about how you would fight him without the storm ruler, and gave us options to fight him if we didn’t want to use the gimmick weapon. So for that reason I think he’s actually better than Rykard which is quite an easy boss with the gimmick weapon, but the devs didn’t think about or allow room for people to take him on without the gimmick weapon and make it a fair fight that is fun. As far as doing it the intended way though then Rykard and the Serpent Hunter itself is a lot more engaging than Yhorm

[@BillySYT]

I'm all for people using my video as a way to finally draw the line in the sand regarding gimmick fights. I mainly wanted to shake up the concept for the Sekiro & DS3 entries since I don't really feel the main gimmick fights of those games are particularly strong (Divine Dragon is cool, but I've also talked about him a surprising amount recently so I didn't want to bore my audience either). Thanks for the comment, much appreciated ^^

[@grimreefer213]

@@BillySYT That’s fair, the gimmick fights in DS3 are all pretty lackluster and Divine Dragon could be better, it’s a nice spectacle but mechanically kinda meh

[@vikkstardoom2950]

potential hot take, abyss watchers from ds3 are a gimick fight, at least phase 1, and i strongly prefer taking on 2.5 dudes with the same moveset than the cancer that is the princes' fight

[@BillySYT]

You wound me with your Princes critique. But totally fair.

[@vikkstardoom2950]

well the prices wounded my desk, keyboard and hand not to mention my soul@@BillySYT

[@lewis1423]

i think its hard to distinguish fights that have gimmick, from gimmick fights. my to big examples are o and s as their phase change being determined by who you beat is a gimmick in the fight the throne watcher and defender who have to be killed at the same time, and Manis/Gascoigne whos pendent or music box adds a gimmick tool to his fight. overall they are standard fights with a twist as opposed to a fight that entirely dictates how you approach it

[@BillySYT]

Oh 100% - I think the term "gimmick" is so broad, so rather than keep myself in a very small box with the topic, I decided to stretch it out a bit. Next week's video though on the worst ones though will feel a bit more traditional xD

[@napoleonicgeese5223]

Rykard is one of the best bossfights in not just the game, the series imo.

[@estherwinchester2831]

The twin princes are definitely not a gimmick fight, the only reason they teleport is because Lorian is crippled, by this logic Malenia is a gimmick fight because of her self heal, you don’t have to fight the princes in a different way from you would the Dancer or Nameless king

[@Dark_kittens123]

Aw hell nah picking twin princes is cheating💀( and owl)

[@BillySYT]

At least I gave my reasoning ^^

[@shadysorkin9214]

Owl is not a gimmick fight. Armoured warrior or Divine Dragon were good choices.

[@BillySYT]

Armoured Warrior is a mini-boss, so I didn't consider them.

[@MrGuy..]

Your next video should be ranking the best fire bosses in the series.

[@BillySYT]

That's actually a topic I have planned. It's just a case of compiling them all.

[@lior997]

I would somewhat conaider O&S as a gimmick since it isn't just fighting 2 enemies instead of 1, there'a alao this 2nd pjase thing where it changes depends on who you kill first, but i also cant confidently say they're a gimmick fight

[@zacharyhuhn8366]

I’ve only played the trilogy, so I don’t have opinions on other games but for me it’s Bed of Chaos for ds1, Sinh for ds2( I consider the durability thing to be a gimmick), and Twin Princes for ds3 ( My third favorite fight in the series)

[@inkymonstrosity]

For Dark Souls 1, I think maybe Kalameet could count. I mean, you have to enter his arena, be at a loss for what to do and then go to Gough where you get an awesome cutscene where he grounds the dragon with his greatbow. I think that entire setup could be seen as a gimmick, especially if we're willing to count the Bell Gargoyles as a gimmick fight.

[@BillySYT]

I honestly try to forget this video exists, because I can tell I maybe went a bit too far stretching the term gimmick. If I included Kalameet, I might cause a Souls fanbase meltdown lmao

[@inkymonstrosity]

Eh, I wasn't necessarily bothered by the stretch because, like you said, the other options aren't anything to write home about. Priscilla is a bit too easy to leave a lasting impression (not helped by the fact that my first encounter with her was after I fulfilled all the requisites to face Gwyn and completed the DLC). Gwyndolin feels more like a fight against your own impatience than the boss. Attacks are easy to dodge, but ready to punish you if you try to rush. And with Bed of Chaos... do I even have to say it?

[@eepupm1]

demons: armoured spider ds1: gwyndolyn ds2: demon of song ds3: curse rotted greatwood

[@jajasking9652]

Cursed rotted greatwood over yhorm ? I mean, cursed rotted greatwood is a really overhated fight, but i don't think is a better gimmick than yhorm, even if yhorm is really disapointing

[@RunEscaqe3]

I think kalameet was by far the best gimmick boss in DS1. Needing him to be shot by a giant arrow to have a fair ground fight is while also being a good boss has to be up there.

[@BillySYT]

I'd say that's less a gimmick to the boss fight, and more a requirement to access the boss fight. Kalameet's a great fight though ;D

[@RunEscaqe3]

From the way you mentioned lost sinners light being a gimmick I would have expected that to be the same for Kalameet. Also as some modern playthroughs use the stand in center method with magic to kill Kalameet people often skip the encounter with Gouph on repeat playthroughs.@@BillySYT

[@TheFrontLines955]

What's twitter? Never heard of it

[@spencer1531]

Rykard was such an amazing boss

[@mchooveshoofman7314]

Man I thought that Living Failures was gonna be on the list 😭😭😭 my homies and I got left out

[@BillySYT]

The title of the video does say warning bad taste xD

[@rouge9082]

If Lorian and Lothric are a gimmick boss than EVERY boss is, wtf 😅😂

[@aidanallard8482]

Surprised you didn’t use the snake from sekiro, or Yhorm for dark souls 3

[@BillySYT]

The Snake is a fun stealth fight, but I dunno, I wanted to go more traditional (ironically), and as for Yhorm, I lowkey just don't enjoy his fight to the same extent as everyone else. More info on that on my DS3 Boss ranking vid ;D

[@sentinelslayer8328]

The squalid queen is the only boss with a summon mechanic Mirror knight: ☹️

[@BillySYT]

I think my brain was just like "But Mirror Knight summons NPCs/Invaders" so for some reason, I just didn't think of him on the same level lmao

[@sentinelslayer8328]

@@BillySYT my son glass knight slandered once more 😭

[@BluerunnerZ]

W

[@didfoxfixfoxfoxfox6665]

W.ratio😊

[@requiescantenpace]

I would've said ceaseless discharge

[@BillySYT]

As one of the best gimmick fights? I find him to be one of the worst fights in the game myself xD

[@debater452]

I personaly would have picked the 4 kings for DS1 as they are more of an gimic boss then the Gargoyles

[@beanfrog4320]

I’m not sure about picking Twin Princes over… y’know *The guy who literally needs a gimmick WEAPON!* Poor Yhorm still being disrespected

[@BillySYT]

I already had Storm King & Rykard representing that style of fight on the list. And beyond that, I'm really not fond of Yhorm's boss fight. It doesn't have that "first time" factor of the Storm King, and Rykard's Elden Ring fight basically shows how lacking Yhorm's fight was in retrospect. I just can't pick a fight I genuinely don't care for, it'd feel disingenuous ^^

[@cardmossdn8058]

I sorta feel like your definition of gimmick is really just a boss mechanic. 90% of souls fights are gimmicks if you classify them like that

[@BillySYT]

I mean, that ultimately is what a gimmick is. It's a unique facet to a given boss, and the way in which it's perceived as a gimmick is based on how much it stands out, or how much it changes up from the baseline other bosses set. I encourage people to form their own opinions on what a gimmick boss is though, since it can create some good healthy discussion on the topic, and perhaps even remove the stigma around them.

[@firstorderblade4432]

If you consider ivory king a gimmick he is by far the best

[@BillySYT]

My Dark Souls 2 entry will please you then ^^

[@basicallybroly]

Noooooooo I thought you were gonna pick Tower Knight!

[@r3dn3ck3r3]

Bed of Chaos as a gimmick? You need to destroy parts of boss before unlocking path to boss, plus damage does not reset upon death? Borderline bad boss, but why not?

[@michaelo.1320]

Man you cheated so bad on Sekiro calling Owl a gimmick boss 😂

[@BillySYT]

I meant it in the most positive of ways lmao - It was either that or talk about the Divine Dragon, which isn't a bad fight by any means, it's honestly quite iconic. But I feel like I've talked about it in quite a few of my recent videos already.

[@michaelo.1320]

@@BillySYT Lmao I get it but should have just used Divine Dragon imo because as far as gimmick bosses go it it is by far the best and most tolerable of the soulsborne series and deserved a bigger shoutout IMO. Great video though my man I hope you continue to grow and do great stuff!

[@Frank-kq4te]

So to make some clearing here, Gimmick bosses are the one that "needs" a specific items to be defeated or fought, Stage boss are the one where you fight the enviroment and not the boss itslef, or eventually the boss in the end like dragon god, everything else is just unique mechanics or just design, like a duble boss. This video shows a lack of research and could have been so much more interesting. Don't mean to be negative, just a bit disappointed when i see a botched video wich otherwise has great potential.

[@BillySYT]

I think you're actually being rather closed minded about the concept of a gimmick boss. Gimmicks are inherently unique mechanics in their design, and trying to separate Soulsborne gimmick bosses into "Needs a specific item to win" is a very uninteresting take. Where's the variety? Where's the flavour? Do people really want me to talk about the Storm King/Yhorm/Rykard gimmick for the fiftieth time in a single video, or do people want to hear adverse opinions that may make them think. Doesn't mean anyone has to agree with me, my takes, or what I present, but to shut me down entirely based on your perception of gimmicks is downright rude towards the work I DID put into this video.

[@Frank-kq4te]

@@BillySYT I'm not closed minded, it's the meaning of the definition of "gimmick". Gimmick bosses are what they are, if you don't like the definition, don't use the term "gimmick bosses". You can talk about CoD being an rpg, that doesn't make it an rpg. It's not a matter of opinion. If you don't want to talk bout yorm, rykard and the storm ruler for the fiftieth time, then don't do a video called gimmick bosses, but surely the solution isn't to say something wrong and claim it to be an opinion and call it a day for the sake of "flavour and variety". The fact that you ignore what gimmick means doesn't make you more legitimate to be wrong. You are balming me for telling you what gimmick means instead of owning the fact taht you just used a random definition for a video you wanted to make and didn't know how to group everyone into one definition. That's why i'm calling you out. it's a minor thing, and yet you handled it like a kid. You wanted to talk about fights you felt unique, called them gimmicks, and if anyone corects you on it it's their fault to point to the definition. Calling me rude for pointing out that dual bosses are not gimmicks was the most chilidish thing you could have done.

[@WaspGenocide]

You're stretching the definition of gimmick fight here. Neither Gargoyles nor Shinobi are gimmicky. They have a concept, sure, one being 2-vs-1 and the other being master vs. apprentice, but by that definition any fight could be considered a gimmick. Sister Friede is a gimmick because it's her and her dad, Guardian Ape is a gimmick because it has a surprise second phase, Ornstein and Smough is a gimmick because it's a fat slow guy and a thin fast guy, etc. I think maybe there's already an oversaturation of "let's rank X, Y or Z in a souls game" and people are coming up with increasingly wacky concepts.

[@minerman60101]

Belfry Gargoyles are the DS2 ripoff, they're called Bell Gargoyles in DS1. I'd not count them as a gimmick boss and put Gwyndolin in that slot; people talk about his arena and teleporting to this day.

[@BillySYT]

I just refer to both bosses as belfry - They both still guard bells, and people know the difference from the visuals. I understand why people might put Gwyndolin down, but I lowkey don't like him enough to call him the best gimmick boss lol

[@minerman60101]

@@BillySYT also, Armored Warrior erasure for that Sekiro ranking. You can call him a mini boss, but I'd still say he's the best outright gimmick boss in that game. I await the Bed of Chaos hate train and Folding Screen Monkeys missed potential sadness train coming in next week.

[@MarkHogan994]

@@minerman60101 Divine Dragon is the best gimmick boss in Sekiro and imo the entire series.

[@finndriessen5829]

Love Lorian and the owl. But Lorian the Owl and the Gargolyges. They aint gimmicks.

[@nugget_bo0b]

Why are they called the twin princes, one of them is literally older than the other one. This has always confused me

[@BillySYT]

Their mother was like "If I tell everyone they're twins who were born at the same time, I'll look younger :D"

[@nugget_bo0b]

@@BillySYT makes sense

[@isferbaad7367]

5:30 the fact you didn't bring up the abyss watchers as another amazing fight that follows the gargoyles kinda meh

[@BillySYT]

I mean the Abysswatchers is amazing, and technically you are right. But I was mainly focused on bosses in the immediate area of DS1/DeS at that point ^^

[@nero2153]

Bro every boss in Demon's Souls is a gimmick boss

[@BillySYT]

Which I literally say at the start of the Demon's Souls segment lol

[@AtreyusNinja]

Once again dark souls 2 Best Souls 2

[@jace_519]

no offense but this whole list is wrong, gimmick means that the quirk is not outweighed by the good it brings, so it would be bosses like ancient wyvern and moonlight butterfly

[@BillySYT]

Since when do gimmicks have to be inherently bad? I think that's an awful misconception.

[@jace_519]

i swear on god the definition for gimmick was something that was eyecatching or fun but outclassed by its negatives, and for the life of me i cant find it anymore, so maybe im insane@@BillySYT

[@dungeondog4785]

Half of these fights aren’t even gimmick fights bruh 💀💀💀💀💀

[@BillySYT]

I explained why I consider them gimmicks, but I recognize that my definition of a gimmick is not the definition many souls players have. Totally willing to die on this hill though cuz it's lowkey kinda funny

[@youcantkilltwice5596]

Disappointing. Dark souls 2 should be King of this list but you skipped a lot. 1) Pursuer Balitsta possibility 2) Mghta Banefull queen poison pool 3) Skeleton lord summons hundred skeletons 4) Darklurker dividing himself 5)Fume knight gimmick the nerf Boss Room 6) Alva and Lud Second pace constant healing of remaining Boss 7) Nerfing King vendrick to beat 8) Cutting Gutter arms 9) Freja armor 10) Throne Defenders also origin of Lorian and Lothric healing ability

[@BillySYT]

You're just stating gimmicks, without giving any importance to whether they'd be fitting as the "best" gimmick boss in DS2. A majority of your suggestions are pretty middle of the road fights. 1 - That's not a gimmick, that's simply a way of many to end the fight early. A gimmick needs to be prevalent during the fight. 2 - Mytha's poison pool was considered, but ultimately I think it's a middle of the road boss fight, so I didn't note it. 3 - Skeleton Lord summons, valid. I think it's a good gimmick, but one that isn't utilized to the best of it's ability. 4 - Darklurker dividing himself is a phase transition. It's why I wouldn't include Pontiff Sulyvahn on the list either. 5 - I've never seen anybody actually praise the gimmick of the Fume Knight fight. It's a great fight, but not because of the gimmick. 6 - In what world would anyone ever put Lud & Zallen in a "best boss" position? 7 - Vendrick's gimmick doesn't change the fact the fight is a snooze-fest. 8 - Cutting off the Rotten's arms isn't a gimmick, it's an interactable aspect to the boss's body. 9 - I genuinely have no idea what you're referencing with Freja. The two heads, maybe? 10 - Throne Defenders being able to heal is a fair point, I'll give you that one. Please understand that I am not here to list every single gimmick known in every single fight. We'd be here for hours.

[@big_red01027]

I can't think of a good gimmick boss in Dark Souls.

[@BillySYT]

Right? Like, the Optional Femboy of the Souls Series Gwyndolin & Priscilla are the only two I could come up with outside of my actual pick, and even then, I have issues with their fight that would leave me feeling disingenuous if I included them here.

[@big_red01027]

@@BillySYT Those fights absolutely have gimmicky aspects. I dunno, they just fall short of being true gimmick bosses like the grandfather of them all: Dragon God.

[@jajasking9652]

Gwyndolin is alright but Hot take: Priscilla is awful, her turning invisible is done in a really frustating way, if i get bleeded ( normally in 2 hits ) i Will just die, that combined with the main gimmick of the fight ends Up turning the Battle into a frustating experience, and she can turn invisible again right after turning her visible. Lastly, her moveset is not more complex than more than half regular ds1 enemies The rest gimmick fights are bad or awful

[@therighttrousers343]

Huh, i get my butt kicked by Yhorm more than Rykard. Lot of AoEs that interrupt your charge, and he chases you down fast. I don't really like him cos there's so little windows for the gimmick, but if you can chain it right and get your distance once you've got one off and before he can chase you down you win, but i do think he's harder than Rykard, which lets you sustainedly poke and swing and the ash comes out quicker than Stormruler.

[@birbobatea1491]

Hi

[@BillySYT]

Hola

[@BambrewNL2]

bro just put good bosses not gimmick bosses

[@BillySYT]

I really didn't want to talk about Yhorm for DS3 though cuz I hate his fight :

[@nomarnd]

cool you're gay grats.

[@shockgames23]

I don’t think Lorain is a gimmick, more like Yhorm or Wolnir or Ancient Dragon

[@BillySYT]

Totally fair - I expected my definition of a gimmick to be contested, and I'm willing to own that ^^

[@shockgames23]

@@BillySYT No worries lol