10 Best Boss Fights That NOBODY Saw Coming

It’s usually obvious whenever a video game is about to spring a boss fight on players. Whether it’s by entering a massive room which proceeds a checkpoint alongside a generous helping of resources or by arriving at a pivotal point in the game’s story, an imminent boss fight is so well-telegraphed that it’s almost impossible to miss the signs.

However, there are some games out there that don’t give players this courtesy and surprise them with a boss encounter that they didn’t see coming. With no form of warning for players to properly prepare themselves before they're thrown straight into the fray, these boss fights can catch them completely off-guard. Other times, these kinds of bosses come from a shocking twist that nobody could have ever predicted.

While there are a handful of out-of-nowhere boss reveals that fall flat on their face for being too forced (with Final Fantasy IX’s Necron being the prime example), the best kind of surprise bosses are those which leave a lasting impression on whomever fights them.

Though they might pose a tough challenge, they’re appearance makes for a memorable high point in their respective games.

Beware of spoilers ahead for the following.

Alongside its many stunning vistas, Elden Ring’s Lands Between is likewise brimming with countless enemies that can quickly put an end to players’ adventures. Even in the opening area of Limgrave, developers FromSoftware didn’t pull any punches.

In addition to being home to Margit The Fell Omen, who makes for a particularly challenging first main boss, this picturesque area also contains a brutally difficult Tree Sentinel and a Crucible Knight tucked away in an Evergael. However, a bigger surprise awaits players while exploring Agheel Lake in the east of the area.

Just north of the ominously named Dragon-Burnt Ruins in the centre of the lake, a large dragon swoops down from out of nowhere and wipes out a group of enemies sitting at a bonfire. Without any time to register what happened, the epic soundtrack kicks in and players find themselves in a fight against Flying Dragon Agheel, one of a handful of dragon bosses in the game.

With Agheel able to annihilate low-level players with a single breath attack, trying to fight them early in the game is a recipe for death. The game teaches players that its sometimes better to come back later, and there's no more satisfying feeling than finally felling this powerful dragon.