Black
Billy S Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You follow me everywhere that I go
But you cannot walk in my shadow no more
And I just want to leave, I just want to go
Every time I get on my feet
You pull me back down to the floor
Mental health, mental health
Everybody's talking mental health
But I don't wanna talk

I swear this medication's meant to help
Walking with this black dog like it's been sent from hell
Maybe I need somebody to come and save me from myself
Which god do I blame? Another bottle for the pain
Feeling like I'm one problem away from going insane
We drink cause we have problems
We have problems cause we drink
I got so many problems I should probably see a shrink
But what's it even matter what I think
When this melancholy mongrel
Got me feeling like I'm jinxed
Got me feeling like I'm jinxed
Got me feeling like I'm jinxed
Black Dog Black Dog
Black Dog Black Dog
You follow me everywhere that I go
You cannot walk in my shadow no more
And I just want to leave, I just want to go
Every time I get on my feet
You pull me back down to the floor
Depression's got legs
The way it's running through my family
Granny had it, mummy had it
Left me in a dark hole like a bunny rabbit
I got some funny habits
Sometimes I wish this planet would just swallow me whole
I don't understand it
This ain't the way I planned it
Somebody give this dog a bone
Stop it from tryna follow me home
Got so many worries and I got so many woes
So much trouble in my soul
I wish this black dog would just leave me alone
I wish this black dog would just leave me alone
Black Dog, Black Dog
Black Dog, Black Dog
You follow me everywhere that I go
You cannot walk in my shadow no more
And I just want to leave, I just want to go
Every time I get on my feet
You pull me back down to the floor
Black Dog, Black Dog

Black Dog, Black Dog
Black Dog, Black Dog

Overall Meaning

The song "Black" by Billy S is a haunting and evocative piece of music that touches on themes of violence, survival, and family history. The lyrics reveal the singer's deep roots in a rugged landscape where fighting and shooting were essential skills for survival. The image of the old black hills looms large in the song, representing both the haunting beauty of this rugged terrain and the bloody legacy of those who have lived and died there.

The first verse introduces the singer's father, a bare knuckle fighter who taught him how to defend himself. The second verse centers on the singer's mother, a crack shot who was feared and respected by the people around her. Together, these two figures represent the singer's heritage and the tough-minded, self-reliant values that they passed down to him. As the singer walks into the unknown, he knows that he will need these skills and this toughness to survive.

The chorus repeats the phrase "down on the old black hills," emphasizing the rugged landscape that has shaped the singer's identity. The final lines of the song mention the crows and rattle snakes that thrive in this harsh environment, suggesting that the singer is not alone in facing danger and hardship in this place. Overall, "Black" is a powerful meditation on identity, heritage, and the struggle for survival in a harsh and unforgiving world.

Line by Line Meaning

As the cold wind it chills my bones
I feel a sense of isolation and discomfort as I face the unknown.

And as I walk into the unknown
I am venturing into uncharted territory.

My daddy was a bare knuckle fighting man
My father was a tough and resilient person.

He taught me how to stand my ground
He taught me how to be confident in myself and face challenges head-on.

He was raised high up in them hills
He came from a rugged and remote area.

Where the trees fall and the blood it does spill
The region he grew up in was intense and violent.

And it runs red down on the old black hills
The ground was stained with the bloodshed of past conflicts.

My mumma was the best shot around
My mother was skilled with a firearm.

The people they move when she walk into town
Her reputation was enough to make people defer to her.

Under that blood red summer the sky
During a particularly violent season,

She shot two down yeah I remember their cries
She was forced to use her skills and it was not without emotional consequences.

Where the crows nest and the rattle snakes live
The environment is harsh and unforgiving.

Down on the old black hills
The bloodshed and toughness of the location left a lasting impression.

Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: W Pendray

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Qici Dub

29w

@Billy S A poll would make much sense, as we would need to all agree on said rules.

Take whatever from this comment, but my checklist would at least have:

-Considering the point in time you encounter the boss, through normal progression, said boss should test most of what the game would have thought you by then.

-Gimmicks, puzzles and mandatory action/strategy would not count, as they'd deserve their own ranking.

Ranking in two ways, as in this video, could make it interesting, since dividing "skill check" in two category wouldn't be excessive. I do see them as "knowledge check" and "reaction/combat check", if that make more sense.

Shidan´s Lair

29w

I think in some cases it's unfair to choose bosses that are clearly not the first boss.
I'd also put Gyoubu pretty high, but that's not the first or even the second boss.

My Ranking would be:
-Father Gascoigne
-Iudex Gundyr
-Asylum Demon
-Cleric Beast
-Chained Ogre
-Genichiro
-The Last Giant
-Grafted Scion
-Dragon Rider

I haven't finished Elden Ring, I defeated Godrick, but I don't remember fighting Margit. Also, I haven't played Demon's Souls :(

Zombycow the jighole man

29w

Grafted scion is such a strange first boss.
it has a big fast aoe, it can enchant its gear, it is fast as fuck boiiiiii, but that isn't the weirdest bit.
Cleric beast and gascoigne fit their areas well. a beast wandering the streets, and a hunter that was driven crazy.
Asylum demon is the guard of the asylum, stopping undead from escaping, while the taurus demon is probably like cleric beast, a wandering monster.
Last giant is a prisoner that you walk in on, and dragon rider is a guard.
Margit guards the way to the castle... then there's grafted scion.

a weird monster stuck on/near a cemetery that jumps out to get you. it doesn't have any lines other than screaming, offers no lore, and only exists to be a "souls game first boss".

Honestly, i would have switched margit and scion's placement around.
Margit wants to stop the tarnished, so he comes to the cemetery to stop the tarnished before it can even start
Grafted scion ( a beast that works for godrick the grafted) is used as a guard, protecting stormveil castle from anyone that would seek to break in

Crow

29w↑1

All comments from YouTube:

No Kidding

29w↑112

It's just amazing that you could even think of 14 first bosses or tutorial bosses. Fromsoftware really does love their bosses.

Andrew

29w↑1

He missed a couple DS bosses. Both Sif and Pinwheel can be fought before Tauros, and even Queelag can be taken first if you get the Master Key

Your Very Own Local Moron

29w↑1

@Andrew also Moonlight Butterfly lol

Mori

29w↑7

@Andrewyou can also buy a Lamborghini as your first car most people won't, just as most DS1 players won't have fought Sif before Taurus demon

No Kidding

29w↑1

@Andrew they were also talking about tutorial bosses anyways so it wouldn't make sense to put pinwheel who goes down in five shots but you can only get to by going through one of the harder areas of the game and sith which I guarantee you most players will not find Sif before the Taurus demon.

Andrew

29w

@Mori my room mate wants to plan a stream where he goes straight for Sif lmao

1 More Replies...

Wulfgar

29w↑74

One of my favourite things about Margit is the reason he’s guarding stormveil is because he thinks Godrick is so weak he can’t kill even a “lowly tarnished”, and he is completely right because everything in stormveil is far easier than Margit

shquan kinket

27w↑3

That’s such a good way to explain poor game balance that it makes it okay cause that is so facts

Ionic

26w↑1

@shquan kinketpoor game balance?

Halve Lives

26w↑3

@Ionicwell yes the difficulty balance is poor
And top it off with repeating and reskinned bosses
These two were the main problems that's why I quitted eleven for now and am completing the rest of souls games
Already beat dark souls and Sekiro
And also I play loads of other games and do other stuff, I don't think I have the time for elden ring

Eridium Rat

26w↑4

@Halve Lives glad to see somebody else agrees, it feels like elden ring was made to be seen more then played, the rest of the franchise is much more fun to play

Ionic

26w↑2

@Halve Lives oh so by difficulty balance being poor you just mean you’re bad at the game?

1 More Replies...

Jet_extremis

29w↑43

I used to hate the third phase of Father Gascoigne, but I loved every phase as of my recent playthrough. Not only does it get you used to the aggression of beast enemies, but it forces you to learn to breathe and relax.

I freaked out the first time because I thought he was unpredictable and barely beat him. He really punishes you when you panic. When I stopped panicking, his beast phase was so much fun.

Dark Kittens123

29w↑2

Yh the only issue with the 3rd phase is that it’s too short!

Kiraniki B

29w

its funny i had an easy time with father until the third phase since i really had to learn his moveset but i got a lucky parry and it was only a few more hits until i took him down(to me he wasnt omg hard like others said but its probably because i played ER before bloodborne so i was used to fast paced combat)

Jet_extremis

29w↑1

@Kiraniki Byeah, bloodborne was my first SoulsBorne franchise game. So I threw myself into fast-paced combat. 😂

Benro

28w↑8

Gascoigne is the absolute perfect introduction to Bloodborne from both a gameplay perspective and a thematic perspective. He is the perfect roadblock to anyone playing this like a souls game, or otherwise not adapted to the combat system yet. In terms of lore, he gives the player a preview of what a transition into beasthood looks like, and also has his own share of tragic backstory.

winterdragon2004

29w↑16

Father Gascoigne is a special kinda boss. He is brutal and merciless towards anyone who doesn't play the way he wants you to. But once you learn how the game wants you to play and get a good enough grasp of the mechanics, he provides a tough, but fair fight. A literal gatekeeper who forces you master the main combat loop before letting you go on to face much tougher foes. His role in the game is such an integral part of the game that every soulslike i keep an eye out for "the Gascoigne" of that game who fufills the same purpose.

Mr. Tam O' Shanter

29w↑7

The Grafted Scion is the tutorial boss for NG.
The cliff is the tutorial boss for NG+. Seriously, you beat the game, start over, beat the grafted scion with your OP weaponry obtained over dozens of hours and JUST as you're feeling smug, the game quite literally pulls the earth out from under you. I actually laughed the first time this happened; what a good troll from Fromsoft!

Billy S

29w↑11

EDIT - Two notes: 1) Yes, I forgot about the sword obtained from the Grafted Scion. But my point still stands that anyone able to beat that boss in the tutorial likely already has a build in mind, and won't use those items. A beginner isn't likely to beat the Grafted Scion, it takes tons of practice.

2) Lady Butterfly from Sekiro was not included in this list. I wanted to keep each entry to two bosses per game, and as Gyoubu is the boss of the Ashina Outskirts (The first major area of the game), he got the spot over her. But if she were to be included, she'd take #2 and kick him down to #3.

This was actually one of the more fun videos to make on the channel, so please enjoy, and thank you so much for 8,000 subscribers!!!

Jake Micheletti

29w↑5

I like the Phalanx boss. Weird mound with gnarled roots jutting out, making a crown with ethereal energy emanating from it. Just looks odd and otherworldly

bamboozled_once_more

27w↑1

One thing i was surprised you didnt mention was how Margit rewards exploration. If you go around limgrave and defeat Patches, you can buy the shackles that can really help make the fight easier, especially if you have ashes to support you.

Zach Main

29w↑2

Cleric Beast is EASILY my favorite starter boss in any of these games. After traversing through the foul streets of Central Yharnam, fighting horrific beasts and monstrosities, and gazing upon that beautifully eerie blood red sky, there’s isn’t a single boss more fit for a battle than the Cleric Beast. In my opinion, the Cleric Beast IS Bloodborne. It’s a brutal, bloody battle to the death between a foreigner who’s new to the horrors of the nightmare, unaware of the true nightmares residing within Yharnam, and a massive, hulking creature possessing nothing but the desire to kill and feed. The moveset is fantastic, the OST is incredible and probably the best in the game, and the atmosphere is fucking perfect. Other than Ludwig, nothing comes close to my enjoyment of Cleric Beast’s fight.

Darian Clark

29w↑3

What I really love about Father Gascoigne is the fact he is the best boss to test your challenge ideas!
He has soo many mechanics that other bosses/hunters will have during the entirety of the Bloodborne experience.

Aka long story short, if your able to beat Gascoigne in any restrictions you set for yourself, you'll Indeed, be able to face n beat the game.

shquan kinket

27w

I’ve always loved vordt I love his lore and the gameplay is pretty satisfying for an early boss. That 3 charge attack is so fun to dodge. Makes me sad he’s underappreciated

NooodleLegs

29w

It’s taken a while but I finally caught up with all these rankings! You’re easily one of the most interesting creators I’ve found in a while and absolutely love the content! Keep up the great work

Billy S

29w↑1

Ah, thanks for the kind words. Crazy to hear people are actually catching up on all the old videos ^^

Wilbert

29w↑1

Asylum demon is the best designed boss because of how the level ties in to teach the player (despite the second half of the game just not using any of the mechanics) but Gundyr is the best in my opinion. A fun fight on every repeat play through while not being to difficult for new players

FirstOrderBlade

29w↑6

I wouldn’t consider some of these tutorial bosses, but out of all of these I would say Gundyr is still the best. Just my opinion of course, but he feels like the best teacher

Billy S

29w

Keep in mind that I chose to rank both tutorial bosses, as well as the natural next boss you find in-game for a bit of video variety. I don't really consider Gyoubu or Vordt to be tutorials. But I do consider every boss as having a lesson they can impart on the player, even if it's as simple as "Get better at this or that mechanic."

Birbobatea14

29w

Good job on another amazing video! Ive finally done all of these bosses (ds2 was weird) my favorite is Gyoubu

evion234

27w

I absolutely love Iudex Gundyr, he is literally the perfect tutorial boss in my opinion. If you aren't good enough to beat him then you aren't good enough to even play the game lol. DS3 was my first soulsborne game and I spent so much time trying different weapons and ways to beat him.

lankeysob

29w↑6

As a first boss for a new comer to the series Margit is way too overtuned but as someone that has been playing these games for a while it was refreshing to have a challenging first boss

Ahmad Almilli

26w

not really, new comers will go somehwere else and level up to fight margit.

Noah Green

25w

@Ahmad AlmilliElden Ring was my first game and Margit was only the third boss I killed, after Soldier of Godrick and Erdtree Burial Watchdog. Also I sucked at the time so it probably took at least 50 tries to kill him

SentinelSlayer

29w

My first fight with the Torus demon actually ended with both of us falling off the ledge together as he did his big sweep attack causing me to be knocked back with my shield and him being flung over the edge

Billy S

29w

Only if we're allowed to include Lies of P somewhere in the title, so I have an excuse to include it in these videos.

Chris Levack

29w↑3

I LOVE that you are so close to 10K. Well-deserved, sir.

goldeyeblue

29w

I’d have also included the Tree Sentinel, since a lot of SoulsBorne newbies are gonna see him and get tossed!

Billy S

29w

When I eventually decide to do an Elden Ring Field Bosses video, he'll get his props, don't worry ^^

Connor grant

29w↑1

Hey guys if you bothered reading the comments double check to see if you’re subscribed! Billy S puts a lot of work into these and adds so much background that other countdown list don’t. Also love the Genichiro Ashina fight one of my favorites amongst all souls-borne games

Lyoko

29w↑3

I think a cool ranking could be rank the Lords of Cinders/Arch Demons/ What ever the main legends bosses in Sekiro/Bloodbourne/Elden Ring are.

got no life

28w

I’ve always found it funny how the rotten and aava the kings pet could also be first bosses in ds2.

Ullapool Caber

28w

darklurker, what some consider the hardest boss in the game, can be fought as your first boss technically

Qici Dub

29w

Not sure if you did that one, but I'd like to hear your take on a list of "skill check bosses".
Love the content, keep it up!

Billy S

29w

That's actually a topic that's been on my mind, given I've been playing Lies of P recently, which has a ton of skill check bosses. I think I'd need a community consensus on what bosses count as skill checks from each game before I try that ranking, as the definition can be pretty vague.

Qici Dub

29w

Henry benacerraf

29w

Hey Billly, loved the video. You should make a video ranking the shortcuts (and connections to firelink) in DS1

The Muffinprincesa

29w↑1

I actually like the grafted for elden ring. It gives 3k runes for a new character because you can just parry kill it with skill & it teaches reward for knowing the moveset. There absolutely can be better first enemies though

Dillon Bourek

29w

3k runes really isn't worth it

The Muffinprincesa

29w

@dillonbourek4941 it isnt a hard fight and only takes a handful of parries. You get 3.2k runes which is more than enough for all the shop items you need from kale.
You can also sell the swords & shield if wanted for an extra 400, making 3.6k.
Tree sentile gives the same amount of runes in limgrave as the scion, with scion being a faster kill.
You could also start with the rune keepsake if you really wanted and have nearly 10k starting runes I'd you kill grafted & tree.
Edit: spelling

jajas king

29w

3K is not worth unless you are doing region locked, i can just go to dragonbarrow and cheese both the night Calvary and the dragon in the Bridge, as well as killing the massive dragon with a bleed weapon and even kill the putrid tree Avatar, since is a bossfight that's kinda easy to no hit, this would put me around level 60

The Muffinprincesa

29w↑1

@jajasking9652 never said there aren't better things, but there is no negative to taking the few moments to kill the boss. If speed is something that bothers you, you wouldn't be killing greyoll either way & only do night cav. Besdies you'll kill it later if you do questlines that playthrough so might as well finish it when the runes would even matter still

No Kidding

29w↑5

Now we need all fromsoftware Final Bosses ranked in quality from worst to best.

Billy S

29w↑1

That actually was on my mind earlier. It's an easy video to edit, so I'm tempted by the topic.

No Kidding

29w

@BillySYT, another video idea is a mid game bosses ranking as you make it to the midgame and you know how to play but your still not ready to take on the toughest enemy's.

Kono Joe Da

29w

@No Kiddingby that do you mean like, the O&S type bosses?

AskMeier

26w

The hardest thing about Gascoigne is his arena. I just love it when I dodge backwards and get stuck on graves! (And then Gascoigne starts pounding my stuck ass)

Nebby

29w

I think as far as bosses having something to teach you in Fromsoft games, in Bloodborne the Cleric Beast taught me to expect loud, incoherent screeching from bosses going forward.

I felt so prepared for Amelia seeing as my eardrums had already been demolished.

I love the game to pieces, but good lord the screaming is excessive 😂

Zach's Adventures

29w↑2

Technically, my first elden ring boss was Malenia. I was at my friends house and never played elden ring, and hehad me do Malenia. I got to a quarter health damage dealt first try with bloodbound fang, obviously lost
:)

legacymoments

27w↑1

Number 1 is like a top 3 boss in the entire souls series imo.

Arfadoz

25w

Margit is the only one in the entire list that remains challenging after a first playthrough.

Wholesome Dungaree-Wearer

29w

I think the Cleric Beast would benefit from the player being able to jump/something like Sekiro's grapple hook greatly. Especially since they introduce the game's limb breaking mecahnic with Cleric Beast, but the boss is too tall to reach their head and arms most of the time.

I still like Cleric Beast, but their design and music carry the fight for me as the bad camera, small arena, and Bloodborne's 4 directional dodging combined with those quick side swipes make it frustrating, especially on repeat playthroughs. Still though, they're pretty cool (and maybe hot)

Tosher Haney

28w

I know I am late, but in my opinion I think gascoigne also has one of the most underrated osts a boss fight could have, I mean the ost hits hard as in the fight starts out like your hunting him, until were gascoigne ost hits and it is not you anymore that is Hunter him, he is hunting you. Really tho father gascoigne the Hunter ost is truly of my favs in my opinion

Kyle Biggles

29w

feels like Margit is deliberately designed to be more difficult than all of Stormvail from a narrative standpoint. Morgott knows that Godrick is not fit to be a lord and surely not fit to guard the pathway north toward the capital. Margit being the superior combatant and blessed with more Elden Blood who is a devoted follower of the golden order, he took matters into his own hands to stop you from progressing through. Almost like he knows whoever can get by him can defeat Godrick, obtain his shard and go to Liurnia.

Briar Wolverine

29w

IMO Father Gascoigne has the best bossfight music ever. it gives me goosebumps every time I play it.

Simone Alcazar

29w

3:30 …….Your rewarded with the Ornamental Straight Sword and Golden Beast Crest Shield waaay earlier than you get in the game. A weapon that you pretty much start using immediately depending on your class. How did you miss that?

Billy S

29w↑1

I misremembered about the sword. I knew the shield was obtainable, but given it takes 24 strength to wield, it's not something I'd end up using early game since I tend to buff up my HP with my early levels. I also just think the weapons aren't particularly worth it, because if you're good enough to actually beat the Grafted Scion, you don't need those weapons, as the difficulty of the boss is far too high for a new player.

Dallas Kuhn

28w

I would easily put Margit as #1 basically for the reason you had him lower but can more or less agree with the rest

Yugi

29w

Papa G is one favorite first bosses as soon as I beat CB I immediately sprint over to fight him.

hidetaka miyazaki

28w

I was bored and looking for a good video untill i found this one !! Great video + i agree that Gascoigne is the best

Billy S

28w↑1

Thank you Mr Hidetaka Miyazaki

Jakob

29w

You could kill so many other bosses before Taurus demon, but I agree most people go that route on their first playthrough

Billy S

29w↑1

Yeah, that's my reasoning for picking him. Like, I could have tried to account for the Master Key, or people taking the Catacombs or New Londo, but we'd be here all day, and the subject topic would be diluted.

jajas king

29w

Exactly, with glitchts, you can have first bossfights as ridiculous as seath or santuary guardian

Iron Scraper

29w

The way ive always seen it was "tutorial boss" then "1st boss" regardless of who you beat first due to each game teaching you something different per game

The Rec Room

29w

if you haven't before, you should absolutely check out the spanish dub for Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa. that VA went just as hard as the english one.

Billy S

29w

ME LLAMO!!!!!! He got the name screech right, but I think he falters on the next line about the castle gate. Typical Spanish dub moment x_x

Zane Riva

29w↑5

I love your list! Only thing I'd disagree with is the camera comment on the cleric beast. I think Darkbeast Paarl has a worse camera. Even if you're not locked on that camera just goes wild.

Billy S

29w↑1

I mean, why not both? I think beast bosses in Bloodborne, in general, have a lot of camera issues that plague them. I choose to believe they were purposefully included because the game was too perfect without it 🙏

rai tahr ditt

26w↑1

Deadass the camera problems are so horrible in Bloodborne, amazing game but Jesus the camera is so horrible it's just frustrating to fight Cleric Beast #62 with the camera issues.

Shidan´s Lair

29w

Shidan´s Lair

29w

I think the top 3 (Gascoigne, Iudex and Asylum Demon), teach you perfectly how to play their games.

Zombycow the jighole man

29w

Jammermt99

29w

grafted scion also gives an amazing early-mid game weapon it drops off at the capital yes but by then you will have other weapons to choose from

Billy S

29w

Check the pinned comment on this video, I address this, since for some reason, I only remembered the shield you get from the Grafted Scion, not the weapon.

Mr. Tam O' Shanter

29w

Luke: Every boss has something to teach you.
The Taurus Demon: Today's lesson is "gravity"

Billy S

29w↑1

I'm pretty sure that's what he says on the stream, or something to that effect lmao

Mr. Tam O' Shanter

29w

@Billy S LOL that explains why it's in my head. The Oxtra FromSoft streams were some of my faves!

Suchar

29w

My easy picks for top 3 are Margit, Gascoigne and Iudex Gundyr, other tutorial Bosses are much worse than them imo.

Ahh Hey

29w

For me the top 5 are:

1. Margit.
2. Father Gascoigne.
3. Genichiro Ashina.
4. Iudex Gundyr.
5. Grafted Scion.

Totally Not Kavak

29w

I honestly thought you were going to name off all 10 of the possible first bosses in DSII.

Billy S

29w↑1

God no, I just picked the first bosses you'd expect a new player to find based on how new players tend to play these games.

Dominic

29w

I love your videos man good job on almost reaching 10k

Erick

29w

Should’ve include the dance too since you can ……. Stumble upon that fight before Vort

Billy S

29w

That's such a technicality. I'm including the bosses that a majority of the playerbase would find as their 2nd boss. It's a small minority of players who would think "Ah, let's kill Emma, this lovely old lady", and spawn the Dancer.

archie

29w

I agree with this list almost entirely other than Gyobu Owina. I think he’s terrible for a first main boss of Sekiro, and even then he’d be 5th for the bosses without accounting for the fact they’re the first boss.

Gyobu just does not teach the mechanics of Sekiro well, it inspires and allows the player to fight like it’s any other souls game, which is why often people are so stuck on Geni, as this guy was teaching people the wrong idea. Shinobi Tools sort of mean nish on this guy, other than that Firecrackers will stun just about anything. Not a fan of the fight as a Tutoriel.

Jedi_Judo19

29w

I knew Gascoigne would be number 1 just by the title of this video!! Good choice Billy!!

Adi

29w↑2

Lady butterfly was my first boss after tutorial in sekiro.

Billy S

29w

I know you can technically find her before Gyoubu, but I made the call to focus on him because he's the boss of the first major Sekiro area, whereas she's the boss of the second major area you discover. She was actually my first fight as well in my OG playthrough, and if she were on this list, she'd probably take the silver spot ahead of him.

Jorge.W

26w

That’s rough 😂

BlackBloom

29w

The grafted scion feels like a boss added out of desperately clinging to a trope the game did not really need. Nothing in the story of the game really requires the player to die there and the grave is a good enough start to the game that it makes the chapel feel rather redundant. Its also just kind of lame that the game just kill you with a fall if you do manage to succeed at killing the scion. Not only did demon soul require the death of the player to introduce the nexus binding and soul form, it also had the courtesy to deliver a really badass death to anyone who managed to get through the tutorial boss.

Billy S

29w

Agreed - I don't really see what the point of the Chapel of Anticipation even was in the grand scheme of things. Was that where the player was revived by the guidance of grace? Why couldn't we have just started in the grave, with Torrent finding us, etc. It just feels like a very cheap gotcha with no real pay-off for the sake of having a "gotcha" moment for new players.

RagingCatfish

29w↑6

Justice for soldier of god, Rick

Johnny D.

29w

My tier list goes like this:
Last: Margit: Kinda racist, talks down to everyone, simps for a tree. Bad dad.

Middle: Iudex: He's a little emotionally unavailable, but he's only cranky because of his medical condition. Not bad, not good.

Top: Gascoigne: Encourages those he teaches to be better than him, without putting them down in the process. Also loves his actual wife and kids. Good dad.

Prince Sheogorath

29w

To be honest I’m a stubborn and prideful bastard… I spent 2 hours fighting the asylum demon with a broken sword because I wanted to prove myself wrong…

Billy S

29w

Dang, I salute you for that one!

Crow

29w↑1

Dark Kittens123

29w↑1

My top 5:
1. Margit
2. Father gascoigne
3. Lady butterfly
4. Iudex gyndir
5. Vordt

Billy S

29w

Lady Butterfly definitely would have been in my Top 3/2 had I chosen to include her.

Reiterfuchs

29w

I would place the craftet scion between vanguard and the last giant.
I believe you may a bit to harsh, regarding the scion. ^^

Billy S

29w

People can have a different opinion to me, and that's totally cool. But I just feel a boss that no beginner player will ever have a chance at beating on their first attempt really works. Yes, you get the rematch later in the game, but by that point you've already faced a Grafted Scion in Stormveil Castle, so you don't even get the "Finally I can kill you" moment, since you've already beaten one before.

And those weapons are going to be outclassed very quickly - No player who has the skill to beat the Grafted Scion is going into an Elden Ring run wanting to use those weapons - They've already got a build mapped out most likely.

Duck with a donut

29w

Just curious, I see you almost never lock on to the enemies, I understand why in ds1, but why not in the other games?

Billy S

29w↑1

It depends on the boss. I find there are many boss fights where the lock-on actually hinders my movement due to the camera and other factors. Especially for larger bosses. If it's a 1v1 duel style fight, I'll lock on more often than not.

Duck with a donut

29w

@Billy S That makes sense, I personally just lock on to everything out of habit, witch the exception of 2v1 boss fights. Great video by the way, I’m surprised you found so many “first” bosses.

drew deze

28w

Props for shouting out Luke and Ellen love them yo

Billy S

28w

Outside Xtra has been my comfort channel since they launched in 2016, no regrets.

bTarczy

26w

Couldn’t agree more than on Grafted Scion‘s ranking. It’s not just a bad first boss but just a miserable enemy to fight throughout. Give me an Erdtree Avatar, another Omen projection, anything but this flailing monstrosity.

Patch 1.11: The Grafted Scion bossfight has been replaced with a Remnant

Billy S

26w↑1

lmao if I had that kind of sway, I would laugh.

Patch 1.12: The Grafted Scion has been replaced with Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

llama steve

28w

Lol you're completely wrong about it being rare for the torus demon to commit suicide, ive played loads of darksouls and im not sure i've done a playthrough where he has not killed himself.

Nevo Golan

29w

Grafted scion gives his blades and they're cool as hell

Billy S

29w

Check my pinned comment, I addressed this lil mistake there ^^

Cristiano Di Gesualdo

29w↑1

I likes the use of the cassette beast's ost

Gregory Mifsud

29w

whenever mentioning giobu 's name you have to do it with feeling brother. MY NAME .. great lineup

shquan kinket

27w

22:45 okay so Margit is just downloading new attacks wtf was that I’ve never seen that before and I’ve watched every Elden ring video to ever exist

Questionable Zoomer

29w

I just wanna thank you for being one of the very few that still uses footage from the PS3 version of Demon’s Souls because the remake is imo inferior to the original in many ways. And because you’re using the PS3 version of Demon’s Souls, it gives me the feeling that you actually talk about the 'real' Demon’s Souls, because the remake changed some stuff that (imo) doesn’t really deserve to be talked about as if it’s actually Demon’s Souls.

Billy S

29w↑1

Ah, thanks. I like to make sure that I can use my own footage as much as possible in my videos, and I don't have a PS5, so the PS3 version was my only option. And tbh, I really like the vibes of the original a lot. The atmosphere, the style, it ticks all of my boxes. I have a Boss & Area Ranking of Demon's Souls on the channel where I go into more detail there ^^ (Though I did use the PS5 version for the thumbnails, gotta get those clicks lmao)

Zidane Mina

29w

Oh, what an interesting list.

Victor Porten

27w

Taurus demon killed himself first time I fought him hahaha legendary moment in my souls career

Blandy8521

29w

The grafted scion gives you a decent weapon & shield tho? Granted the area being completely disconnected is pretty bad

Billy S

29w

I believe I mentioned the shield in the video? Completely forgot about the weapon, which is my mistake, but even then if a player is good enough to kill the Grafted Scion in the opening tutorial, they won't be using it's weapons for particularly long because that's a player who likely knows what build they want going in.

No new player would ever have a real shot against that boss, and that's why it sits at the bottom of the list.

Blandy8521

29w

@Billy Sah makes sense from a new player perspective

Cheddargoblindeez

29w

Love the vids!!!

( Angel )

29w

Almost was about to say something about the soldier of GODrick

DrThiccy

29w↑1

final bosses next pls

FrogsWorth

29w

Anyone up for a petition renaming the term “soulsborne” to “soulsborneden core, scholar of the first ringed rubicon erdhunters”?

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗞𝗮𝗴𝗲

28w

Vordt is perfect just because of the music

Billy S

28w

His music is the best part of DS3 no joke

Droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

29w

I love that Outside Xbox clip, always makes me laugh.

Billy S

29w

I always go back to streams where Ellen beats major bosses for that serotonin boost. O&S, Sister Friede, Midir, all good stuff

seif eddine

29w

man bloodborne is the best game ever made

KaoruMzk

29w

There are 2 things I want to mention:
Sekiro is NOT a souls game; calling it part of the series is like saying Armored Core is a Souls game.
The non-tutorial boss you chose for Dark Souls 1 is very arbitrary: a new player can potentially end up at Pinwheel, the Moonlight Butterfly, the Capra Demon, the Gargoyles, or god forbid, Quelaag, depending on the path they took. I personally know quite a few people whose first boss was NOT the Tauros demon.

Billy S

29w

For the purposes of the list, I chose to include the 2nd boss from each game that the MAJORITY of players will discover first. Most players will discover the Taurus Demon first, because the game funnels new players to the Undead Burg after they realize New Londo & the Catacombs are too brutal, and I'm not accounting for players who decide to use the Master Key, because 9/10 times, those are players who have game knowledge going in.

And on the Sekiro front, I love how when I include Sekiro in these rankings, I get shit, but when other content creators like Ember or Nightwalk use Sekiro in their videos, they don't. Either have that energy for every Soulsborne creator, or drop it and just let us talk about the games we want to talk about???

Beeg Yoshi

29w↑1

Genichiro is the best early game soulsborne boss

Billy S

29w↑2

If we're talking his proper boss fight atop Ashina Castle, I think it's one of the best fights in Soulsborne.

Beeg Yoshi

29w

@BillySYT yeah I was referring to that. He is the second main boss in sekiro so I'm surprised you didn't include him

Tomas Star Gamer

29w

Smh, where is Aava's the King's Pet? Just gotta get 1 million Souls and she can be your first fight in Dark Souls 2!

Billy S

29w↑1

You right, you right

Chris Howard

29w

Dark souls 3 wins In my opinion. Perfect first boss, you HAVE to beat Gundyr to even continue.

Billy S

29w

I mean, you also have to beat the Asylum Demon in DS1 to continue. And Father Gascoigne to continue in Bloodborne. I totally think Iudex has his merits as a skill check, but he's not the only skill check boss on this list lol

RENE VOGL

29w

ehm you do realise that if your starting gift are the black firebombs (you get 10 of them and they are capable of killing the asylum demon on first playthrough) you can get his weapon too on your first playtrough and it is pretty useless (required stats: 50 strength) and probably the worst strength weapon in dark souls 1. i don't know why the asylum demon is so high on the list because he literally get reskinned/reused (stray demon, fire sage demon) like the taurus demon. if you wanna have some replayability play Dark souls 2 because on NG+ new enemys spawn at the beginning of the game, special red phantoms spawn in some locations of the game, the 4 main bosses of the game give a unique boss soul symbolizing the four lord souls of Dark souls 1, some bosses like the Giant lord get a new ring when you kill them.
you "parried" the cleric beast one of the best mechanics of the game is that if you shot your gun at the enemy while they are performing an attackanimation you can shot them to parry

Billy S

29w

It's not that deep :)

Kenneth Bakken Garte

29w

Yo is that ff14 music in the intro?🤩
Also nice video❤

Billy S

29w↑1

You know it, we love FF14 in this household! Shadowbringers is quite literally my favourite JRPG story.

Kenneth Bakken Garte

29w

@Billy S same honestly, endwalker was amazing aswell, but shadowbringers just hits different😍 one of my guilty pleasures is just watching people playing through the msq for the first time😂

Cowboy Barbaryn

27w

Bloodborne is my second soulslike. Elden Ring being my first. Just started it today actually. And I HATE the Cleric Beast. That strategy of staying as close as possible and wailing on it is just not fun, especially with how little damage you do per hit. The low starting stamina also feels like I need to level up a few times before even giving the boss a proper attempt, and grinding for blood essence isn’t fun. All of the traditional soulsisms I find to be annoyances in this particular encounter, rather than an actual challenge that’s begging me to try and overcome it. I haven’t even found gascoine yet, and I don’t even know where I’d go to find him aside from past the Cleric Beast. All this being said I do agree on the rankings for the Elden Ring bosses, especially soldier of Godrick and Margit

Billy S

27w

Gascoigne's found in a different part of Central Yharnam. You just need to keep exploring, there's a ton of side-paths since it's almost like a maze. There's also no shame in coming back to the Cleric Beast later on. It's intended for you to run into it so you get your first insight, which allows you to begin levelling up in the Hunter's Dream. Coming off of Elden Ring though, I can see why you'll struggle with the combat. It's a very aggressive system, but I think Gascoigne is a much better example of a boss that utilizes it well.

Mathew Haight

25w

Honestly, the only thing that I find shocking in this video is the idea that there are people who do not like Bloodborne.

Billy S

25w

You should see the comments in my Souls Games Ranking video. Absolute war zone, you'll find all sorts of crazy opinions there lmao

Ahmad Almilli

26w

really? gascoine over margit? ok...dont think hes even half as good as margit but to each their own, margit is the best teacher boss in the series imo, no one else comes even close.

Billy S

26w

I disagree, but moreso because in Elden Ring, there's just so much more nuance to what lessons there are to learn, that it's harder to give everyone the same experience. With Gascoigne, it's a mandatory funnel that rewards the exact playstyle Bloodborne needs for players to succeed.

eIrubius

28w

father gascoigne is a lot more harder than margit

Billy S

28w

I mean, check out my Hardest Bosses from Each Soulsborne game video. I agree with you lmao

kvietka

29w

ur vids so underrated

Jon Mann

29w

Another excellent video Billy S

Just my opinion but I don’t really understand why you pronounce Sekiro and Genichiro like a weeb, imo it would be better to pronounce it in your regular accent instead

Billy S

29w

Because that's how their names would be pronounced in their home language. And I think it's a sign of respect to try and pronounce a person's name the way it's intended, I think it's just common courtesy.

Vikkstar Doom

29w

I personally think margit is a bit high, imo he doesn't teach you the mechanics well enough, a boss that encourages stance breaks would be a perfect fit for the first boss of elden ring since that is the correct way of taking on bosses without trading hits, but i don't know wo that would be. also his arena is terrible, not just because it feels too narrow but all the clutter around the edges makes it worse. Summoning rogier also helps, but it took me way too many runs to actually learn how to fight him properly. I honestly prefer vordt and gundyr over him, but it might be because champion gundyr is tied for my fav fight in ds3

Billy S

29w

I could make the case that Gundyr could be above Margit and it'd make sense. So yeah, I could see either or.

Stwbf2

29w

Where’s the tree sentinel?

Billy S

29w

I chose to focus on Legacy Bosses for the 2nd Elden Ring pick instead of Field Bosses. Because then it opens the door to literally the entirety of Limgrave as the 2nd boss. Rest assured when I eventually get around to ranking Elden Ring's Field Bosses, Tree Sentinel will get a lovely feature.