digibutter.nerr

[Spiny]

One time only:Basic boss that only appears once in the game.

Stalker:Follows you throughout the game, determined to tear you to pieces.

Duel:You fight him/her without assistance or certain weapons.

Tube:A boss(commonly a spider) that supports itself by putting it's limbs out to hold onto the walls.Typically invincible to attack, but suffers knockback, cueing you to push it into a hazard below/ahead/behind/above you.

Load Bearing:Killing it destroys the area.

RIGHT THERE ALL ALONG:It hides in plain sight until you enter the room, sometimes applying this tactic in battle.

Not-a-boss:A common enemy that has boss-worthy stats.

Dual:Several bosses at once.

Extra:A boss that you have the option of fighting.

Some suggested catagories.

Puzzle: You can't directly attack the boss, but activating certain switches or the like is the key to their destruction.

Phases of Combat: One boss, multiple steps required to defeat it. Often involves combinations of previously- (and later-) mentioned types.

WHAT THE *crag*?!?: Bosses that are either so outlandish, or require such a unique method to beat them, it really makes you stand up and go "...I have to do WHAT...with WHAT?"

Mind Control: You have to fight one of your allies, likely because they're under someone else's control.

Environmental Hazard: Partially refers to Puzzle-Related, but mainly involves leading an enemy that's either invincible to weapons fire, or has such high health it isn't worth wasting ammo, through some super-dangerous hazard of doom (tm).

Best Buds: Boss is fought with the assistance of an AI-Controlled buddy. (This does NOT relate to RPGs.)

Achilles Heel: The Boss is invulnerable to everything except one weapon. Alternately, a specific item makes the boss easier to damage (via any method).

Never Was on Your Side: An "ally" turns out to be the boss you have to fight.

You and What Army?: Both you and the Boss command armies as the two of you fight each other. (i.e., you and the Boss fight alone while your armies engage each other)

Come With Us!: Once the Boss is beaten, they decide to join you on your quest.

Meat Sink: Fighting the Boss requires no strategy; just stupidly crazy amounts of firing to kill it.

Master of Illusion: You fight several false duplicates of the Boss during the fight; you have to figure out which one.

Stop Teasing Me!: Same as above, just the duplicates are fought prior to the Boss fight.

...That was IT?: The main Boss of the game actually turns out to be fairly easy to fight.

Low Blow: The Boss uses cheap attacks, like disabling specific abilities or something similar.

I'LL TAKE YOU ALL WITH ME!: Defeating the Boss ends with a massive explosion or something similar, designed to take out the player as well. Frequently overlaps with "Load-Bearing."

Show me Your Moves!: Taking down the Boss requires a specific chain of events; often, it's the culmination of all the tricks you've learned in the game thus far. Often, if you take too long on one part of the chain, you have to start over.

Back From the Dead: Prior to the Boss fight, you have to fight some other main Bosses you've dealt with in the past.

The Trump Card: If you've managed to accomplish certain tasks and get a specific item (the Trump Card), the Boss Battle is a cinch. Otherwise, you're in for a loooong fight. Somewhat ties in with "Achilles Heel."

All Talk: The Boss brags about how much more awesome they are than you, and it turns out you could beat 'em with one hand tied behind your back. Similar to "...That was IT?," only it applies to ANY boss, not just the end Boss.

Well-Deserved: The Boss is so tough you may have to restart your game or go back to do a few more tasks. Not so much a type, but a personal preference amongst players: one boss that's tough for one person may be easy as pie to another.

Questioning Your Faith: If the Boss taunts you, it's often with verbal jabs that make you wonder if you're doing the right thing, or fighting on the right side of justice.

I Win, You Lose: A "Boss Fight" that really isn't, because you HAVE to lose the fight to proceed.

Eagle Eye: The Boss is seemingly invincible until you take a closer look at them and notice moments of vulnerability. Often, these events are either short or involve a barely or not-readily seen weak spot.

The Chase: Fighting the Boss involves running after them, be it to engage them, or is how the battle takes place (e.g., horseback, a rolling Goron, etc.).

One Hit Wonder: Defeating the boss requires exposing a particular weak spot, which, once hit, kills them.

Jousting/Bee Stings: Fighting the Boss requires fast, quick attacks that eventually wear them down.

Stalling for Time: Just staying alive 'til the clock hits zero, at which point the Boss is defeated. This is NOT to be confused with...

Borrowed Time: The Boss must be defeated within a certain time limit, lest Bad Things (tm) happen. The Bad Things often entail Game Over, or similar punishment.


Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?: Just before fighting the Boss, who's disguised as a friendly character, you have to choose who's the real friend, and who's the Boss. Consequences for choosing wrong may entail the death of your friend or some other consequence.

Arena/Colosseum: The fight takes place in a big, open area, which may contain many spectators (Colosseum) or few or none at all (Arena).

Partner in Distress: Fighting the Boss is required to free one of your pals, though it may not necessarily be a true Boss (could be a common enemy, as well).

Baseball/Tennis: Damaging the Boss requires reflecting their attacks back at them. Doing so either damages them, or leaves them open to attack.

Dodge THIS!: The Boss has one or two attacks that deal massive damage, are unavoidable, or a combination of both. Often is the case with "Low Blow."

Duel of the Snipers: Attacks between the player and the Boss take place only at long ranges. Typically involves rifles, pistols, or other ranged weapons.

Fisticuffs: The opposite of the above description, attacks between the player and the Boss are exclusively at close range. Often involves fists or melee weapons (swords, maces, etc.).

Strike at the Core: Somewhat tying in with "Achilles Heel" or "One Hit Wonder," damaging the Boss requires peeling off protective armor or the like and attacking the weak spot (the Core).

Just a Warm-Up: Before fighting the Main Boss of the area, you fight a weaker, yet still powerful, Boss before it. Sometimes known as a "Gear Check;" if you can't beat the weaker Boss, you're NOT ready for the Big Guy yet. Frequent theme in MMORPGS (as far as I know, anyway).

Rampaging Bull: The Boss runs around the arena, requiring you to either continuously fire on them, or hit a certain weak spot that stuns them for a moment and leaves them open to attack.

Beyond Salvation: Someone who WAS once your ally has either been overcome with evil or is so assimilated with an evil entity that you have no choice but to destroy them. Often has some heart-wrenching moments when they die. Is NOT to be confused with "Never Was on Your Side."

Wait for an Opening: The Boss is too quick to hit except for a few brief moments where they stop to perform an attack or other action. "Eagle Eye" often ties in with this.

[King Harkinian]

LOAD BEARING AM FUN

[Mana7]

The extras usually are the coolest like in Dark Clould 2 that Evil clown comes back all mean and stuff

[Spell Seal]

[Lord Bob]

[Geno]

[Warlord_Mike]

Hmm...what boss is my favorite...

I have to say, I think some of my favorite boss fights are Duel-Related Fights.

To this list, I'd like to add the following:

Puzzle: You can't directly attack the boss, but activating certain switches or the like is the key to their destruction.

Phases of Combat: One boss, multiple steps required to defeat it. Often involves combinations of previously- (and later-) mentioned types.

WHAT THE *crag*?!?: Bosses that are either so outlandish, or require such a unique method to beat them, it really makes you stand up and go "...I have to do WHAT...with WHAT?"

Mind Control: You have to fight one of your allies, likely because they're under someone else's control.

Environmental Hazard: Partially refers to Puzzle-Related, but mainly involves leading an enemy that's either invincible to weapons fire, or has such high health it isn't worth wasting ammo, through some super-dangerous hazard of doom (tm).

Best Buds: Boss is fought with the assistance of an AI-Controlled buddy. (This does NOT relate to RPGs.)

Achilles Heel: The Boss is invulnerable to everything except one weapon. Alternately, a specific item makes the boss easier to damage (via any method).

Never Was on Your Side: An "ally" turns out to be the boss you have to fight.

You and What Army?: Both you and the Boss command armies as the two of you fight each other. (i.e., you and the Boss fight alone while your armies engage each other)

Come With Us!: Once the Boss is beaten, they decide to join you on your quest.

Meat Sink: Fighting the Boss requires no strategy; just stupidly crazy amounts of firing to kill it.

Master of Illusion: You fight several false duplicates of the Boss during the fight; you have to figure out which one.

Stop Teasing Me!: Same as above, just the duplicates are fought prior to the Boss fight.

...That was IT?: The main Boss of the game actually turns out to be fairly easy to fight.

Well, that's a good start for now.

[Yoshi]

stalkers usually have epic personalities, like Jr. troopa, Lord crump, the stalfos in catfish's maw in Link's awakening, and probably more that I can't think of.

[King Harkinian]

I actually like the "...That was IT??" kind of boss best.

[Tayl]

[Mikauro.]

Not too easy, not too hard. That's all I need.

[Abstract]

[Super ShadowArticuno]

I like Stalker, Dual, and Come with us!.

[Warlord_Mike]

Alright, here's a few more:

Low Blow: The Boss uses cheap attacks, like disabling specific abilities or something similar.

I'LL TAKE YOU ALL WITH ME!: Defeating the Boss ends with a massive explosion or something similar, designed to take out the player as well. Frequently overlaps with "Load-Bearing."

Show me Your Moves!: Taking down the Boss requires a specific chain of events; often, it's the culmination of all the tricks you've learned in the game thus far. Often, if you take too long on one part of the chain, you have to start over.

Back From the Dead: Prior to the Boss fight, you have to fight some other main Bosses you've dealt with in the past.

The Trump Card: If you've managed to accomplish certain tasks and get a specific item (the Trump Card), the Boss Battle is a cinch. Otherwise, you're in for a loooong fight. Somewhat ties in with "Achilles Heel."

All Talk: The Boss brags about how much more awesome they are than you, and it turns out you could beat 'em with one hand tied behind your back. Similar to "...That was IT?," only it applies to ANY boss, not just the end Boss.

Well-Deserved: The Boss is so tough you may have to restart your game or go back to do a few more tasks. Not so much a type, but a personal preference amongst players: one boss that's tough for one person may be easy as pie to another.

Questioning Your Faith: If the Boss taunts you, it's often with verbal jabs that make you wonder if you're doing the right thing, or fighting on the right side of justice.

I Win, You Lose: A "Boss Fight" that really isn't, because you HAVE to lose the fight to proceed.

Eagle Eye: The Boss is seemingly invincible until you take a closer look at them and notice moments of vulnerability. Often, these events are either short or involve a barely or not-readily seen weak spot.

The Chase: Fighting the Boss involves running after them, be it to engage them, or is how the battle takes place (e.g., horseback, a rolling Goron, etc.).

One Hit Wonder: Defeating the boss requires exposing a particular weak spot, which, once hit, kills them.

If I think of any others, I'll be sure to submit 'em.

EDIT: Here's a couple more before I go:

Jousting/Bee Stings: Fighting the Boss requires fast, quick attacks that eventually wear them down.

Stalling for Time: Just staying alive 'til the clock hits zero, at which point the Boss is defeated. This is NOT to be confused with...

Borrowed Time: The Boss must be defeated within a certain time limit, lest Bad Things (tm) happen. The Bad Things often entail Game Over, or similar punishment.

[Tayl]