Optional Bosses | Dark Souls 2 Wiki


Updated Dec 16, 2014 8:02 am

This page contains a list of all the bosses that are either optional or can be skipped in any playthrough, as well as those that are non-optional.

Note: The Shrine of Winter will open after you either light 4 Primordial Bonfires, or have a Soul Memory of 1,000,000 souls (in NG, see page for more details). This in turn allows you to skip every boss that isn't in Drangleic Castle and beyond.

  • In version 1.0? of the game (xbox360 only?) you could even skip the Shrine of Winter without 1,000,000 Soul Memory. It's an out of bounds path involving a series of jumps in the mounds around the entrance, ending up on the other side of the rubble that's blocking the path behind the Sentry mini-boss.

 

The Last Giant

Area boss of the Forest of Fallen Giants.
Defeating this boss gives you the Soldiers Key to access the Pursuer boss, and to reach the King's Gate to The Place Unbeknownst.
  • This boss is somewhat optional, since you can reach the Place Unbeknownst by a tricky jump.
  • The Place Unbeknownst can be reached by jumping from the castle wall in front of the bonfire down to the wooden platform below. The jump is tricky, but allows you to reach the Memory of Jeigh without the Soldiers Key.
  • You can also skip the Pursuer, since there's another path to the Lost Bastille. See the Pursuer below for details.

The Pursuer

Second boss of the Forest of Fallen Giants.
This boss can also be defeated early in Forest of Fallen Giants, but you still need the Soldiers Key to access the boss area. Another one can be fought upon returning to the Smelter Demon's location, and there are also two of them at Drangleic Castle's throne room in NG+.

Dragonrider

First Boss of Heide's Tower of Flame.
  • This boss must be killed to access Huntsman's Copse and No-Man's Wharf.
  • Optional boss if you open the Shrine of Winter with a high enough Soul Memory.

Old Dragonslayer

Boss behind the fog gate across a large drawbridge, dropped by pulling a nearby lever, at Heide's Tower Of Flame.
  • This boss is completely optional since defeating it only provides access to the Blue Sentinels Covenant.

Flexile Sentry

Area boss of No-man's Wharf. Accessed by ringing a bell atop the Wharf that docks a ship.

Ruin Sentinels Yahim, Ricce and Alessia

Area boss of Lost Bastille.
  • Can be skipped via a Pharros Wall Contraption, then an illusionary wall. You also need the Antiquated Key to reach this area, accessed through a locked door behind a boarded up door in the Lost Bastille courtyard.
  • The Antiquated Key is found close to the Bonfire Apart in Lost Bastille, but this area can also be reached from the main Lost Bastille area. See the Antiquated Key for details.

Belfry Gargoyles

Bosses of Belfry Luna.
  • This area and boss is completely optional.

Lost Sinner

Area boss of Sinners' Rise, the area past and below the Lost Bastille.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

Royal Rat Vanguard

Area boss of the Grave of Saints.

  • This boss and area can be skipped by entering a path further down the Majula pit, which in turn leads directly to the Gutter.

The Rotten

Area boss of the Black Gulch, below the Gutter

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

The Skeleton Lords

The Skeleton Lords are located in the Huntsman Copse, behind the waterfall.

Executioner's Chariot

This boss is encountered in the Huntman's Copse, across a dilapidated wooden bridge and behind a red greatsword phantom NPC.

Covetous Demon

Boss of the Harvest Valley.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

Mytha, the Baneful Queen

Boss of the Earthen Peak, directly in the middle of Harvest Valley.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

Smelter Demon

First boss of the Iron Keep.

  • This boss is completely optional, defeating it grants acces to a Bonfire and an optional Pursuer boss fight.

Old Iron King

Second boss of Iron Keep, bonfire called Eygil's Idol.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

Scorpioness Najka

Area boss of the Shaded Ruins.

Royal Rat Authority

Boss of the Doors of Pharros.

  • Optional

Prowling Magus and Congregation

Perhaps the weakest boss in the game, location upper Brightstone Cove Tseldora.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

The Duke's Dear Freja

Area boss from Brightstone Cove Tseldora.

  • Optional with high enough Soul Memory to open Shrine of Winter.

Twin Dragonriders

Bosses of King's Gate in the Drangleic Castle. Two of them.

  • This boss is non optional, since they must be defated to reach the Shrine of Amana.

Looking Glass Knight

Boss in Drangleic Castle's King's Passage.

  • This boss is not optional, since he must be defeated to reach the King's Ring.

Demon of Song

Frog boss, found in the Shrine of Amana.

Velstadt, The Royal Aegis

First boss in Undead Crypt.

  • This boss must be defeated to reach the King's Ring in the room next door.

Vendrick

Second boss in Undead Crypt. Can be weakened by having 1 to 5 Souls of a Giant. Having all 5 weakens him most.

  • Completely optional, You only need the King's Ring from his area.

Guardian Dragon

Boss of the Aldia's Keep.

  • Must be defeated to get to Dragon Aerie and Dragon Shrine for the Ashen Mist Heart.

Ancient Dragon

Boss in Dragon Shrine. The player can talk with him.

  • This boss is completely optional. He gives you the Ashen Mist Heart when you talk to him, which is all you need.

Giant Lord

Boss of the Memory of Jeigh, after examining a tree in the Forest of Fallen Giants.

  • This boss is not optional since it gives you the Giant's Kinship needed to access the final boss.

Darklurker

Secret boss of Dark Chasm of Old, accessed by joining the Pilgrims of Dark Covenant.

  • This boss is completely optional. Defeating him grants access to a spell.

Throne Watcher and Throne Defender

Bosses of the Throne of Want.

  • Non optional boss.

Nashandra

Boss of the Throne of Want appearing after cleaning previous locations. Final Boss.

  • Non optional boss.



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