17 Secret Video Game Bosses You Need To Beat Before You Die

14. Dark Souls II - Aldia, Scholar Of The First Sin

How you get there: Convoluted is the best word to describe the way in which you access the final showdown with the hook-nosed monstrosity that is Aldia. The haphazard way in which the 'true' final boss is challenged probably has something to do with the fact that he was added long after the initial game's release, largely in an effort to placate negative fan response to the original - rather dull - ending.

For Aldia to show up at the Throne Of Want under Drangleic Castle, the player needs to converse with him in three separate locations, answer his questions in a specific way, kill his hollowed brother - Vendrick - and then beat down the original final boss, Nashandra.

Why you need to beat them: As any Souls fan knows, you haven't truly clocked any instalment until you've seen every inch of the world ahead, and that means besting Aldia in battle. Besides, he's much more challenging than the disappointingly easy Nashandra.

Aside from having an alternative, harder obstacle to overcome in order to proclaim victory - which is always welcome in these games - beating Aldia gives those that triumph access to an alternate ending that sheds more light on the game's lore.

Oh, and you rid the world of that offensive nose.

Contributor
Contributor

Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.