Summary
- Fighting Princess Ilyna feels satisfying due to her immense power and the build-up to the encounter.
- Trokka is unique with her water-based attacks and chaotic battle style, making her a fun opponent.
- Elamein's battle is different, incorporating the use of a shield and requiring patience and creativity to defeat.
As would be expected from a Soulslike game, The First Berserker: Khazan features a plentiful selection of bosses that players will encounter during a playthrough. However, because of how powerful Khazan can become pretty early on in the game, it results in these fights feeling extremely cinematic and enjoyable to be a part of. While there will be many debates about who stands out as the toughest of the lot, a different conversation that is also worth having revolves around who among them is the most fun to fight.
The First Berserker: Khazan - 8 Hardest Bosses, Ranked
The First Berserker: Khazan is packed full of difficult boss enemies, with these being the toughest of the bunch to take down.
From massive dragons to water-bending sorcerers, this game is packed full of unique and creative boss enemies who all bring something new to the table, but there are definitely a few who particularly stand out for their backstories, designs, and fascinating fighting styles. When stacking up all the bosses featured in The First Berserker: Khazan, these are the very best of the bunch.
8 Princess Ilyna
It's All So Satisfying To Finally Take Down The Legendary Yet Deadly Princess Ilyna
- Mission: Strange Melody
- Location: Rovelion Imperial Theater
Princess Ilyna talks a big game before her fight with Khazan. This does make sense considering how immensely powerful she is known to be, not only because of her sword skills, but also her newfound Chaos abilities. This is why being able to go toe-to-toe with the corrupted princess is so satisfying, as the build up to the encounter makes Ilyna feel like an unstoppable force who can only be defeated by the best of the best.
The fight itself is brutally difficult, but that's why it feels so rewarding being able to land a few hits when the opportunity arises, especially with the ghostly spectators watching on from the background as the action unfolds. Being able to face off against the once-renowned blademaster turned Corruptor feels like a true honor.
7 Trokka
A Dangerous Water Mage With An Incredibly Strange And Unique Fighting Style
- Mission: Witch's Castle
- Location: Lake City Aldevir
There's no denying that Trokka can be a little irritating every now and again because of her unpredictability in battle, but it's hard to deny that she doesn't have an extremely unique way of fighting. As a water mage, Trokka makes use of whirlpools and jellyfish to dish out most of her damage, with the arena surrounding her turning a light vibrant blue color to reflect the magician's natural affinity.
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She also has a downright stunning design that is brimming with detail, including a comically large witch hat that will no doubt be a ton of fun to use in cosplays. The actual battle with Trokka might seem a bit too chaotic towards the end, especially when she's tossing out projectiles like there's no tomorrow, but her style and aesthetic make her a fun opponent to take on regardless.
6 Elamein
Khazan Is Forced To Face Off Against His Old Friend In An Epic Duel
- Mission: Devoured Village
- Location: El Ravaca Village
Elamein acts as a close companion to Khazan in the early portions of the game, but after she becomes infested with Chaos, the two are forced to duke it out, resulting in a fun battle that encourages players to practice patience in order to score the victory. Though Elamein is capable of tossing out plenty of hard-hitting swings and slashes, what makes her fight so different is that she also makes use of her shield, which greatly negates any damage coming her way.
Players will therefore need to get a little more creative when fighting her, whether this means rolling around to flank her or simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to execute a parry. Fighting an old friend can't be easy for Khazan, but it's fair to say Elamein puts up one heck of a fight.
5 Ozma
Taking On A God-Like Being Is An Easy Way To Get The Blood Pumping
- Mission: Master Of Chaos
- Location: Imperial Palace
It's always a special moment coming face-to-face with the final boss of a game, and Ozma is no exception. Being able to take on the Master of Chaos himself feels pretty epic, especially with how over the top Ozma is in terms of his attacks and abilities. Because Ozma has multiple forms, it also results in the fight being fairly lengthy, though this simply makes those final few moments all the more intense and exciting as a result.
Speaking of multiple forms, the fight essentially becomes an action-packed movie once Ozma sprouts his wings and starts tossing out all kinds of otherwordly attacks, which can make it easy to get distracted from the battle at hand. As the final boss, Ozma is excruciatingly difficult, but those who can hold their own and spar with him will know exactly how much of a blast this fight can truly be once it gets going.
4 Shactuka
A Wild And Unpredictable Beast With All Kinds Of Tricks Up Its Sleeve
- Mission: Inconceivable Truth
- Location: Linon Mine
Shactuka is the name given to the giant mutant-like beast that lurks through the dark and dreary Linon Mine, and it's fair to say he plays very differently to any of his fellow bosses. Despite its size, Shactuka is surprisingly agile, allowing it to run circles around Khazan while throwing out all kinds of weird high-flying attacks along the way. Because of this, Shactuka feels like a pretty unique boss in terms of his gameplay, which shines because of its unpredictability.
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It's also hard to talk about Shactuka and not mention the design, which looks truly menacing with the giant wheel being stuck around his neck and the head splitting open. All in all, this is a fantastic boss who never feels boring to fight thanks to his wild and reckless nature.
3 Hismar
There Are Big Boss Enemies, And Then There's The Behemoth Known As Hismar
- Mission: Fall Of The Empire
- Location: Capital City Vitalon
While dragons are nothing new in Soulslike games, Hismar is truly enormous, and this is why it's so much fun to take on. Hismar will use every inch of its body to deal damage. Whether it be its gigantic tail, its razor-sharp teeth, or even its legs, there's simply no holding back when it comes to this mighty beast. As a result, it feels incredibly satisfying being able to block and parry the attacks of such a magnificent being, though doing so is much easier said than done.
This battle becomes even more epic once Hismar begins to take flight, with each and every attack of his sounding like a cannon hitting the earth whenever he decides to land to deal some damage. Simply put, Hismar feels like one of the most grandiose fights in the game thanks to the boss' size and scale.
2 Skalpel
The Developers Got Extra Creative When Conjuring Up The Coffin-Wielding Skalpel
- Mission: Corruptors' Fortress
- Location: Vaisar Gate
While Skalpel already stands out thanks to his gothic knight design and aesthetic, what also makes this boss so memorable is his context within the story. While Skalpel was once a follower of Khazan, he would eventually become corrupted and branded a traitor, resulting in him turning into the monstrosity Khazan encounters in the main game.
Skalpel still wields a blade in this form, but he's also got a giant coffin on his back, which he can use for both offensive and defensive purposes, making him a tricky enemy to predict. The underlying context of the fight paired with Skaplel's creative appearance and in-game combat abilities make him a real standout.
1 Maluca
Fighting Maluca Feels Like Engaging In An Intense PVP Battle Against A Worthy Foe
- Mission: Veiled Knives
- Location: Nadin Quarry
It wasn't long after the release of The First Berserker: Khazan that Maluca's name was being thrown around the internet like it was going out of style. The main reason for this was his difficulty, as the two-bladed swordsman was so tough that he would actually need to be nerfed by the developers. Now that he's a bit more manageable, though, the duel with Maluca is honestly pretty awesome, with the intensity of the encounter gradually rising throughout.
Once Maluca enters his second form and is capable of throwing out all kinds of deadly attacks that look downright jaw-dropping in action, the fight becomes a fun but also extremely challenging test of skill. Despite being a little too strong for his own good at first, Maluca now provides one of the most exciting boss fights in the game, and when also taking into account his fascinating backstory of becoming corrupted and obsessed with power, it results in a character who Soulslike fans will probably be mentioning for many years to come.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- March 27, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Neople
- Publisher(s)
- Nexon
