“What defines a Soullike?” is a question I wouldn’t dare answer on IGN given the countless viewpoints on the subject, but one of the oft-discussed features of FromSoftware games is at least “runback” or… well, returning to a boss after you’ve already died to it, especially when it involves a significant distance or challenge. Not many games have them. FromSoftware and Hollow Knight have some terrible things going for them.
How terrible? Truly terrible, if the numerous threads and online discussions complaining about some of them are any indication. But we wanted to know which one is the one the worst?
Last month we ran a poll on IGN where we asked readers to vote for the Soulslike boss with the worst rating. I used multiple sources to complete our survey options. I asked our Soulslike experts at IGN, asked for suggestions on Bluesky, and went back to some senior Reddit threads in various Souls communities where fans were lamenting terrible comebacks to see what they complained about the most.
Interestingly, absolutely no one suggested anything that wasn’t either a Hollow Knight game or a FromSoftware game, which perhaps says something about how both of these games approach saving points against bosses. I asked the IGN staff to think tough about whether we should add any bosses from other games, and we came up with Umi-Bozu from Nioh to add some variety.
We then published a poll on many Soulslike related articles and shared it on social media, asking our readers to vote. We admit that this is a rather unscientific survey, considering it was included first in an article explicitly regarding Bilewater in Hollow Knight: Silksong. That said…
IGN readers voted Groal from Silksong as the Soulslike boss with the worst score, earning 16.2% of the votes.
However, it was not a crushing victory. Closely behind with 15.3% was “The Complete DLC Pack for Dark Souls 2,” which included Blue Smelter Demon, Lud and Zallen, and Sir Allone. Again, this is admittedly a non-scientific poll – including three bosses probably changed the vote a bit, but when we asked so many people who mentioned Dark Souls 2 DLC bosses or the DLC as a whole, it felt inappropriate not to group them together.
In third place with a slightly more scientific vote percentage of 9.8% was Placidusax from Elden Ring and… yes, that Crumbling Farum Azula bit that you have to run through every time you fight him sucks! Close behind was the Bed of Chaos from the original Dark Souls, an already frustrating fight compounded by a terrible jump, whether you’re wading through lava or taking a shortcut after Queelag’s sister.
Umi-Bozu received the fewest votes, perhaps suggesting that the results outside of Hollow Knight and FromSoftware really aren’t that bad.
If you’re playing Silksong and haven’t made it to the Groal yet, we have great news: we’ve got a walkthrough to assist you survive Bilewater in general, and if you don’t like using guides, here’s a quick tip that will make getting back to the Groal… a little easier. It’s still bad. In addition to our Bilewater guide, we have a detailed Wiki to assist you with every step of your Pharloom journey, so check it out before, during and after Bilewater.
And if you’ve already beaten Groal and think our poll is wrong, don’t hesitate to vote above. The percentages given in this article are true at the time of publication, but there may be some Nioh fans who really want to assist Umi-Bozu. Personally, after two consecutive nights of failing to climb a tower with nothing on top, I wish I had included Baby Steps somewhere in this poll.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Have a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
