You’re fighting a boss and repeatedly dying, just to hear the same dialogue over and over again. Most of the time it makes the losses even more frustrating, and you might even find yourself reciting the dialogue with your enemy. But despite the annoyance, you can’t deny that some boss battle dialogue is absolutely iconic.
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If your enemy can speak, they probably have a number of lines they speak throughout the fight. Many of these lines are simply taunting you, but other lines actually add to the plot. Whether it's right before or after the fight, or somewhere in between, plenty of games offer more content in some of their hardest boss battles. These are 10 of the best dialogue lines you’ll hear during boss fights.
10 God of War: Ragnarök: Thor
It’s not so often that a boss fight begins shortly after inviting the enemy into your house to drink with you. The boss battles in the God of War series are top-notch, no matter which saga you’re playing. God of War: Ragnarok takes that sentiment to another level, opening the game with an epic battle between Kratos and Thor.
During the battle, Thor shares his grievances about Kratos’ choices in the previous game. Thor goads Kratos as they fight and dedicates some of his punches to the memories of his fallen loved ones. The consistent dialogue and epic combat offer a cinematic experience you’d usually expect to see in a Marvel movie.
9 Elden Ring: Malenia, Blade Of Miquella
One of the worst parts about losing a boss fight in Elden Ring is the fact that you have to reenter the scene over and over again, rather than respawn when the fight begins. Not only does losing a fight result in making you start from scratch, but it also means you’ll have to hear the same dialogue countless times.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is known for being one of the hardest boss fights in the game, so it’s likely you’ve heard plenty of “I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat.” Approaching her and hearing her introduction, especially in the second part of the fight when she reemerges as “true horror,” can be annoying, but they’re also chilling lines.
8 The Last Of Us: Part II: Ellie Vs Abby
You’ve been waiting most of the game to see these two face off and it finally pays off at the end of Abby’s portion. At this point, Ellie and Abby have killed a significant amount of characters on either side, even leading up to the moments right before the fight.
The characters finally have a moment to converse—though it doesn’t last long—and recap both of their actions throughout the game. It’s the first time the two characters confront one another and discuss the real reason why Abby and her friends showed up in Wyoming.
Shortly after, the two characters move around the abandoned theater, while Ellie hunts and Abby hides. And after, the two share a cyclical moment that shows they may not be so different after all.
7 A Plague Tale: Requiem: Count Victor
Amicia has been through a lot throughout A Plague Tale: Requiem and her battle with Count Victor only makes things worse. You’re unexpectedly betrayed—and almost murdered—when you return to the castle.
As Amicia, you flee the scene and play a game of cat and mouse with the Count. He’s speaking to you all the while, revealing how sinister he truly is. But the best piece of dialogue comes shortly after Amicia escapes him again.
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Now in front of both her loved ones and her enemies, Amicia shows her resilience tenfold. She’s being absolutely pummeled, and yet she still gets back up to fight. At this moment, an injured and battered Amicia rises once again, exclaiming “I am Amicia De Rune, and I kneel to no one!”
6 Resident Evil Village: Lady Dimitrescu
Running around House Dimitrescu while evading the bloodthirsty clutches of the Lady and her daughters will easily get your heart pounding. Facing her daughters is quite the challenge as they can appear anywhere in the house, but getting through them is nothing compared to facing their giant vampire matriarch.
Lady Dimitrescu angrily chases you throughout the mansion while verbally attacking you, wanting revenge for what you’ve done to her children. It’s the most time you get to spend with this iconic villain, and the monster she turns into makes her even more horrifying than you could imagine.
Plus, it doesn’t help that she desperately wants to eat you and won’t let you forget it.
5 BioShock: Andrew Ryan
One of the most famous boss battles of all time is undoubtedly the Andrew Ryan boss in BioShock. You’ve been following the directions of Atlas against the leader of Rapture, Andrew Ryan, and you finally come across him as he golfs.
Once you find him, he eerily preaches his monologue to you, revealing much of the truth of Jack’s origins. So much is revealed in this short interaction, including the actual identity of Atlas.
And I think we can all agree, “Would you kindly?” will go down in video game quote history.
4 Tomb Raider: Legend: Final Boss
After hours of searching for answers about the whereabouts of your missing mother, you finally face the characters that seem to know the truth. Lara fights James Rutland, Amanda Evert, and Amanda’s demon.
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You’re likely just as fed up as Lara is after searching for so long with no solution to your problem, so the fight with the three characters is a culmination of that anger. After taking down her enemies, Lara confronts Amanda.
At this point, Lara has lost all patience and shoots her pistol between each of her words, asking “Where is my mother?!”
3 Bloodborne: Gehrman
Out of all the bosses you fight in Bloodborne, Gehrman is one of the few that resembles a human being. And though he looks somewhat close to normal, speaking and fighting with him is a chilling experience.
As the First Hunter, Gehrman automatically becomes more intimidating than most of the foes you’ve previously fought. But before you fight, you can listen to him ramble on before giving you the choice between life and death.
If you’ve chosen to fight, Gehrman will rise from his wheelchair and creepily say, “Tonight, Gehrman joins the Hunt.”
2 X-Men (1992): Magneto
X-Men, the arcade game released in 1992 may not be as well-remembered as the other aforementioned games, but it has one iconic piece of unforgettable dialogue. Toward the middle of the game, you’ll have to fight Magneto.
After fighting a cluster of enemies, you’ll approach a waterfall where Magneto enters the scene. As he hovers in the air, showing off his magnetic abilities, Magneto lets the X-Men know exactly what he plans to do.
Hilariously, Magneto says “X-Men, welcome to die!” before destroying the cliff the heroes are standing on.
1 Fallout: The Master
Sure, you’ve conversed with plenty of villains while they attack you, but have you ever fought one by talking to them? The Master in Fallout is a monstrous being that has a lot to say. Surprisingly, most of your interactions with this creature are just speaking with one another.
He tries to convince you to join the Unity, to which you’re given answer prompts to respond with. After speaking, you can just repeatedly shoot at the Master until he’s destroyed, in an incredibly simple fight that’s mostly spent arguing.
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