The Dumbest Ways We’ve Killed Video Game Bosses, Ranked

Video game bosses are often highlights for players. They can be much more challenging than regular enemies, really testing how well you’ve learned the game. Sometimes, bosses aren’t just about difficulty; they’re key to the story, forcing you to confront a powerful enemy or even someone you used to know.

Sometimes, obstacles in games can be frustrating, preventing players who lack knowledge or skill from continuing the story or gameplay. However, players are incredibly resourceful and often find unintended ways to easily defeat even the most challenging bosses. Here’s a look at the most ridiculous ways people have beaten video game bosses.

Be warned: the following discussion contains significant spoilers for the storylines of Elden Ring, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

10. Commander Niall – Elden Ring

A Friendly Scrap

Commander Niall in Elden Ring is a very difficult boss fight. Before you can even challenge him, you have to battle your way through the challenging Castle Sol. Once you enter the arena, the fight immediately becomes intense. You’re stuck facing a powerful enemy who can defeat you quickly, and he also summons two strong Banished Knights to help him.

Trying to fight three enemies at once will likely send you back to your last checkpoint, but you can use an item called Bewitching Branches to gain an advantage. These branches temporarily turn enemies into allies, and they work especially well on the powerful Banished Knights. Once you bewitch a knight, it will switch sides and attack Niall instead.

This strategy is effective only until Niall’s health drops to 50%, when the fight changes and the knights vanish. However, it significantly simplifies the most challenging part of the battle, greatly improving your odds of winning.

9. Darth Malak – Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Just A Few More Steps

Darth Malak is the last boss you’ll face in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and he’s a challenging opponent. The fight begins with him being immune to all of your Force powers. He also boasts strong attacks, a lot of health, and his own powerful Force abilities. To make things even harder, Malak will heal himself using captured Jedi during the battle once his health gets low.

Instead of challenging him to a fair fight, the easiest way to defeat him is to use mines. Place the mines on the path leading to Malak before you talk to him. When the conversation starts and he begins draining the Jedi on Dantooine, destroy the nearby containers first. Then, simply walk over the mines – this will immediately defeat Malak. Given that a remake is planned, it’s uncertain if this tactic will remain effective in the new version.

8. Rocksteady – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Boxed In

Bebop and Rocksteady are Shredder’s well-known helpers in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the first stage involves searching the city and sewers to find them after they’ve kidnapped April O’Neil. Bebop is relatively easy to defeat during this stage, but Rocksteady can be a tougher opponent.

He primarily attacks by charging at players, and any physical contact will hurt the Turtles. He can even jump while charging, making it harder to dodge. It’s also difficult to stay out of his reach because he has a gun and can shoot from far away.

There’s an easy way to win this fight without taking any damage. First, choose Donatello – his bo staff is key. Then, jump onto the boxes on the right side of the screen. Finally, aim down and attack into the center of the arena. It takes a little practice to time your attacks, but this strategy lets you win without getting hurt.

7. The Reaper – Persona 5

Vaccines Have Been Proven To Be Effective

In Persona 5, the Reaper is a particularly challenging enemy found in Mementos. It’s an optional boss that appears if you spend over five minutes exploring a single floor. Once it appears, it will relentlessly pursue you, forcing a battle. You can escape it by moving to the next floor, but sometimes a confrontation is unavoidable.

If this occurs, players who aren’t strong enough or don’t have powerful Personas might fail. But defeating this enemy gives a lot of experience. Fortunately, in the original Persona 5, there’s a strategy to make winning much easier.

The Reaper enemy has a weakness: a status effect called “Despair.” If inflicted, it can’t attack for three turns and is automatically defeated at the end of that time. A simple strategy to do this early in the game is to fight the Reaper in Mementos during Flu season. This gives it a chance of starting the battle with Despair, making it easy to earn a lot of experience points.

6. Capra Demon – Dark Souls

Nothing Like A Bit Of Home Cooking

The Capra Demon fight in Dark Souls is legendary for being incredibly difficult. The cramped arena, combined with fast, aggressive enemies – including the Capra Demon itself – means success depends on careful planning and skillful execution. Players who aren’t prepared often find themselves quickly sent back to the last bonfire.

There’s a surprisingly simple way to defeat this boss and get the Key to Depths without even fighting! You can use Dung Pies. While Firebombs work too, Dung Pies are a much more enjoyable way to deal with this tough demon, and you can buy them from a nearby merchant. Each pie builds up a “Toxic” effect, slowly draining the boss’s health – it’s a fitting end, honestly.

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5. The End – Metal Gear Solid 3

Time Is On Our Side

The End is arguably the most challenging, yet strangely satisfying, boss fight in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The intended fight is a lengthy, strategic duel between snipers, spanning across three large areas where players must utilize all their resources to win. However, there’s also a unique option: you can simply wait for The End to succumb to old age.

If you’d rather avoid the final battle with The End, and you didn’t defeat him at the Ponizovje Warehouse, there’s a simple way to finish the game. Just advance the date on your console or PC by one week. This will cause The End to die of old age, automatically giving you the victory. While it’s not a very exciting ending, it still counts as a win.

4. Salazar – Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Got A Little Egg On His Face

Despite his short height, this Count is a remarkably challenging boss in Resident Evil 4 (2023). He moves expertly around the arena and constantly calls for help from other enemies. Players need to be aware of danger from all sides and manage multiple threats before they can defeat him.

However, there’s a trick to quickly defeat the acid-spitting castellan: Salazar is extremely vulnerable to golden eggs, which are quite rare in Resident Evil 4 (2023). Hitting him with one of these eggs will immediately reduce his health by around 70% and leave him stunned, allowing you to attack him further.

Just a few shots from the Magnum will do the trick, or you could finish him off with another golden egg. Using a second egg will completely defeat Salazar and ruin Lord Saddler’s scheme.

3. Incubus – Silent Hill

No Ammo, No Problem

In the best endings of the game Silent Hill, the creature known as Incubus is the last boss Harry must defeat, marking the end of his terrifying journey through this famously atmospheric game. This fight is incredibly challenging; Incubus attacks with powerful lightning that can instantly kill Harry if he’s not at full health. While players can try strategies like circling to dodge attacks, the surprisingly easiest way to win is to start the battle with an empty inventory – no weapons or ammo at all.

Many games provide players with ammo in boss battles to guarantee they can fight effectively. However, Silent Hill handles this differently. If a player runs out of ammunition, the boss will automatically die, preventing the game from getting stuck.

To beat the final boss, players need to completely empty their weapons and make sure they have no ammo left before entering the boss room. Once they do, the boss will automatically be defeated, which might take a couple of minutes. This allows players to win without firing a single shot.

2. Man On Fire – Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

It’s Better When He’s Wetter

Throughout the Metal Gear Solid series, Volgin endured immense hardship, including betrayal by his own people, the loss of his love, and a fiery defeat at the hands of Naked Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3. However, Volgin didn’t truly die; he was kept alive by his intense hatred for Naked Snake, who is also known as Big Boss. With the aid of a young Tretij Rebenok, Volgin is reborn as the Man on Fire, seeking revenge against his longtime enemy in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Throughout the game, you encounter this child several times, but the most memorable moment is in Mission 20, where he and Volgin try to eliminate Venom Snake. There are many ways to complete the mission, but the funniest way to temporarily disable Volgin is with the Water Pistol. This small toy gun doesn’t harm regular enemies, but it has unlimited ammo. If you hit Volgin with enough water, you’ll briefly put out his flames, giving you a chance to escape or capture him with the Fulton Recovery Device.

1. Kalle Demos – The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Pour Some Water On Me (In The Name Of Love)

This might be the most unusual solution on the list. Considering how popular the Legend of Zelda games are, you’d think all the secrets would have been found by now. With so many players, it usually doesn’t take long for them to discover everything important – including how to beat each boss – and share strategies within days of a new game coming out.

To defeat Kalle Demos in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, players used to follow a lengthy strategy: hit the boss’s arms with a boomerang until it fell over, exposing its weak spot, then attack with a sword before dodging its attacks. For 14 years, this was the only known way to win. However, a much simpler solution was recently discovered: simply pour water on the boss to defeat it.

The process is a little trickier than it sounds. You need a special item called “Forest Water,” but it quickly loses its power – about 20 minutes after you get it (30 minutes in the Wind Waker HD version). First, collect Forest Water from the Deku Tree’s Forest Haven, and then race to the boss room within that time limit. Once you’re there, knock the boss, Kalle Demos, to the ground and pour the water on his head – which will defeat him immediately.

There’s a clear reason why this works within the game’s story. Forest Water is a holy, revitalizing liquid, and Kalle Demos is a demon born from Ganon. Although the game never directly says it, the fact that he’s vulnerable to something like holy water makes sense. However, this was a well-hidden detail in Wind Waker for a long time, and remains one of the strangest ways to defeat a boss.

2026-05-14 04:39