FromSoftware has consistently managed to improve the quality of combat throughout theSoulsseries, withDark Souls 3andElden Ringstanding out for having some of the best controls from the developer. However, while the control of the player character has continued to evolve, the series still hasn’t managed to improve on a high point fromDark Souls 3’s boss roster.
This highlight of the series comes in the form of Slave Knight Gael, a character that appears throughout both of theDark Souls 3DLC expansions and acts as the final boss for this add-on content. The heights that this boss fight reaches are especially impressive considering the otherwise lackluster design ofThe Ringed CityDLC that he comes from.
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Dark Souls 3’s Mediocre DLC
Regardless of the quality of theDark SoulstrilogyandDark Souls 3as a standalone game, the DLC for this latest installment in the series is a strangely meandering mess that exists entirely as a vessel to hold a few extra boss fights that weren’t available at launch. This is most prevalent in theAshes of AriandelDLC, where the player is given very little direction as they are tasked with walking in circles around the frozen and rotten landscape. That being said, while the areas are unfocused and turn back on themselves in non-intuitive ways, they include some of the best bosses that the series have seen.
In the first DLC, FromSoftware introduced Sister Fried, aDark Souls 3variant of the popularBloodborneboss Lady Maria. However, afterAshes of Ariendel, the next piece of add-on content came in the form ofThe Ringed City, which introduced a host of new bosses that can be found along a much more linear new landscape. This is where bosses like the Demon Prince and Darkeater Midir were introduced, scattering a series of incredible fights throughout the otherwise boring new locations.
Slave Knight Gael as an End to the Dark Souls Era
It can be surprising to realize that the last piece ofDark Soulscontent was released almost six years ago, especially with FromSoftware and other developers continuing to launch new Soulslike titles over that time. Additionally, with the release ofElden Ringand theannouncement forArmored Core 6, it looks like FromSoftware may be done with theSoulsseries, even if the developer isn’t done with this archetype of games. This means thatDark Souls 3’s last DLC could be the last official piece ofSoulscontent to release, and likely will be the end of the series moving forward.
With Slave Knight Gael acting as the final boss of this last DLC, he is the cap off to FromSoftware’s entire era of creatingDark Soulsgames that will follow the original formula so closely. That being said, there are a few better ways the series could have ended, as Gael is an incredible boss that is easily the most difficult inDark Souls 3. This boss also acts as the evolution of a previous fight from the first game’s DLC, emulating much of what helpedKnight Artorias, The Abysswalkerstand as the most interesting fight of his own game.
Gael manages to reach these heights by making the most of everything that had made otherbosses like the Nameless Kingso compelling acrossDark Souls 3and its DLC. He has brutal combos that can be overwhelming when unprepared, but everything is telegraphed well enough that his moveset can be learned and slowly mastered over several attempts. Then there are the three phases, which add new layers to the already impressive moveset that expands as his health is slowly whittled down. All of these factors combine to make for an amazing callback to Artorias that is also able to stand out as a great encounter on its own.
Dark Souls 3is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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