Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength

Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength

Highlights

  • The Darksiders games provide a unique take on the Four Horsemen, showcasing individual personalities and combat abilities.
  • Strife excels in dexterity and speed, while Fury focuses on magical abilities, and War is physically built for combat.
  • Death, the oldest and strongest, demonstrates acrobatic skills, immense strength, and creative magical prowess unmatched by his siblings.

As a seasoned observer of the supernatural, I must say that among the mighty Nephilim, the Horsemen stand out as beacons of raw power and unyielding determination. Among them, Death, the eldest and the leader, holds an aura of intimidation that is second to none.


The Darksiders series offers an engaging gaming experience. These action-adventure games are renowned for their intense combat and puzzle-solving elements, but they also provide detailed portrayals of the Four Horsemen – Death, Fury, Strife, and War. Each character embodies a unique aspect of the apocalypse, offering creators significant leeway to design them in distinctive ways that make them memorable. For instance, Death is often depicted as a Grim Reaper figure, while War might resemble Ares-like characters seen in various media. Strife (also known as Pestilence) is usually portrayed as chaotic or cunning, and Fury (also known as Conquest) is frequently shown as a fiery and bloodthirsty conqueror.

In the Darksiders series, the depictions of the Four Horsemen are uniquely captivating because they offer insight into the distinct personalities and journeys of each rider, while also allowing players to directly engage in their formidable combat skills. Given this context, which of the Darksider Horsemen is the most powerful overall? Let’s break down each one individually, examine the abilities demonstrated in their respective games, and rank them from least powerful to most powerful.

4 Strife

The Ranged Fighter & Most Dexterous Horseman

Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength
Name Primary Game Steed Primary Weapons
Strife Darksiders: Genesis Mayhem Revolvers (Mercy & Redemption)

Initially introduced is Strife, the Horseman who unfortunately ranks last among his peers due to several factors. Often perceived as the middle child of the group, Strife appears to be between Fury and War in terms of age, and uniquely among the Horsemen, his primary weapon isn’t a melee one. Instead, he wields Mercy and Redemption, pistols resembling revolvers that can shoot various elemental ammunition imbued with Strife’s unique magic. Despite this, if an adversary comes close to him, Strife isn’t defenseless, as he also carries two unnamed sabers for close-quarters combat. Compared to his siblings, Strife appears to excel more in agility and swiftness rather than strength or stamina. In simpler terms, War is a character build emphasizing strength, Death is a balanced build with a focus on both Strength and Intelligence, Fury is a spellcasting or sword-and-sorcery build (Intelligence primary and Strength/Dexterity secondary), while Strife is a speed-focused build.

In summary, if a contest determined the speed at which the siblings could eliminate a group of adversaries, Strife would probably emerge victorious. However, in a contest to determine strength, Strife might lose, especially when his siblings manage to get close. It’s worth noting that Strife’s form, Anarchy, while visually striking, appears to be less powerful compared to the transformations of his other siblings. This assessment, however, should be taken with a pinch of salt, as Strife has not received the same level of game development as his brothers War, Death, and Fury. Unlike them, who each had their own third-person action games, Strife’s lead role in the game Darksiders: Genesis was a twin-stick shooter, which may not have showcased his abilities as effectively as a third-person action game would have.

3 Fury

The Most Magically Adept & Creative Fighter

Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength
Name Primary Game Steed Primary Weapons
Fury Darksiders 3 Rampage Blade Whip (Scorn)

Coming next is Fury, the fiery-tempered sibling of the trio of Horsemen. If War can be likened to a combatant overly focused on his physical prowess (rather than magic), and Death as a well-rounded fighter, then Fury could be compared to one who leans heavily on her magical talents. Fury identifies herself as a sword-mage, employing a mix of her weapon Scorn (a whip), her magic, and Arcane Counters to anticipate and counter enemy attacks effectively. This combat style is reminiscent of the gameplay in Darksiders 3, which shares similarities with Soulslike games.

In the game Darksiders 3, Fury wields formidable telekinetic prowess, employing it for both combat and puzzle-solving. In her quest to subdue the Seven Deadly Sins, she amasses a variety of magical skills such as fire magic, force magic, wind magic, electricity magic, and time magic, suggesting that she favors her magical prowess over her physical strength, though she remains a formidable warrior in battle. When Fury transforms into Havoc Form, she can wield dual whips and employ her elemental magic abilities to destroy any foes that cross her path. At the start of the game, Fury already has most of her abilities at her disposal, making her appear more powerful than her siblings initially. However, according to in-game lore and dialogue, Death and War may still surpass her in combat, but her newfound magical powers from Darksiders 3 could potentially level the playing field somewhat.

2 War

The Youngest & Most Physically Built

Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength
Name Primary Game Steed Primary Weapons
War Darksiders & Darksiders: Warmastered Ruin Broadsword (Chaoseater & Armageddon Blade)

In essence, across the Darksiders universe, each of the Four Horsemen holds a comparable level of power, much like members of an effective team who excel in distinct areas. War, the youngest among them, is particularly notable for his exceptional physical strength and combat abilities, fitting for the Nephelim embodying the concept of war.

If we were to compare War to an MMORPG class, he’d be a Warrior or a Tank, AKA someone who takes a lot of hits, is incredibly skilled at close-range combat, and is well-known for a specific weapon of choice. However, because War is so incredibly built towards the more ‘physical’ sides of combat, his magic skills, smarts, and ranged abilities leave a lot to be desired. When it comes to using magic in general War is more than capable, but typically his Wrath magic manifests itself by either covering him in different buffing auras or as simple projectiles in different forms. On top of that, most of the time War will end up just tanking unnecessary hits from enemies because he knows he can take it or he doesn’t bother to think of how to avoid these attacks, which is a habit that would only serve as a drawback when in a fight against someone or something actually capable of damaging War. Overall, War is very likely to be the second strongest among the Nephelim, especially in his Chaos Form in which he seems to be entirely invulnerable while it is active, forcing his opponents to ‘wait out the clock’ while War drains the energy of this transformation. While it’s impossible to say with certainty who the strongest Horseman is, based on the information gleaned from all of the Darksiders games, it really seems like War is second only to Death.

1 Death

The Oldest & Leader of the Horsemen

Darksiders: Every Horsemen, Ranked By Strength
Name Primary Game Steed Primary Weapons
Death Darksiders 2 Despair Dual-Scythes (The Harvester)

To wrap up, let’s discuss Death, who leads the Four Horsemen and is justifiably feared. Not only is he the eldest of the Nephilim but also the strongest among them. Throughout the game where he is the main character, or Darksiders 2, Death largely increases his power from a minimal base. Consequently, by the game’s end, players see Death at a significant fraction of his full potential rather than his peak power. In essence, we spend most of our time with Death witnessing him at less than his maximum capacity.

Death is renowned for his agility and flexibility, boasting incredible physical strength, ruling over death itself which allows him to communicate and recall the spirits of the deceased, and he can also draw life energy from his targets to rejuvenate himself. While Death might not appear as bulky or adept in melee combat compared to War, it’s highly probable that he outclasses War in these areas (and possibly surpasses him). In terms of magic, where War falls short, Death excels significantly. Death’s magic isn’t limited to summoning spirits or the undead; he’s quite inventive with it. He can conjure lightning imbued with Death Energy, whip up tempests of bones, craft various skeletal constructs, and wield potent telekinesis that he often combines with his Scythes. Moreover, this only scratches the surface of his abilities; Death also possesses a Reaper Form and demonstrates skills as an artisan. Death’s diverse talents suggest that he made optimal use of his time as the eldest among the Nephilim, showing proficiency in a wide range of areas and often surpassing his fellow Horsemen in any shared skill.

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2024-08-10 03:36