I can appreciate detailed graphics, blockbuster storylines, and vast worlds – but if the gameplay doesn’t involve holding on to dear life with all I’ve got, I drop it in an instant. I’ve been playing Dodge Roll’s Enter the Gungeon on and off since its release in 2016. And I’m still finding new ways to challenge myself in the dark halls of this bullet hell. What really makes the Gungeon such a dangerous place has to be its bosses, ranging from a mild challenge to absolutely impossible for mortals. So let’s take a look at the apex predators of the Gungeon.
15. Cannonbalrog
Much like the Balrog from Lord of the Rings, the Cannonbalrog is found deep inside ancient mines This third-floor boss uses chaos and shadows to confuse the player, and it’s one of the few bosses that actually attacks with its body. It can confuse even the best of us. And it makes the Cannonbalrog especially intimidating for newbies. All things considered, it’s not that hard to kill – but it has a way of hitting you unexpectedly right before you beat it. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
14. Mine Flayer
Deep within the Black Powder Mines of the third floor hides an Eldritch horror capable of ending your dreams of reaching the Forge with a ring of its bell. The most experienced players will tell you the Mine Flayer isn’t that bad. It stays in the middle of the room, and its attacks are predictable. What makes the Mine Flayer so troublesome for new players has to be its massive HP pool. The longer the fight draws on, the easier it is to get hit. The third floor is also where the game starts picking up speed. It’ll take a lot of practice before you can get to the boss with any respectable amount of HP left.
13. Ammoconda
The Ammoconda has become a meme among Enter the Gungeon fans for its difficulty. I mean, “Gun snake bad,” right? Well, more or less. There’s a fair bit of randomness to the fight, making it harder to reliably finesse the boss without taking damage. The spherical turrets it summons can be pretty annoying, too – and if you don’t kill them, the Ammoconda will eat them to regenerate health. On the other hand, its patterns and attacks aren’t that hard to dodge by themselves. Even its serpentine shots can generally be evaded with a well-timed dodge roll.
12. The Kill Pillars
The Kill Pillars were a monolithic obstacle on my way to the Forge back when I was still a newbie. These ancient stone statues can deal a lot of damage in a short time, thanks to their jammed bullets. You’re forced to stay close if you want to avoid them, which is dangerous in its own way. Don’t worry, though. The more you play, the easier it becomes to dodge their pattern-based attacks. You’ll get used to them sooner or later. Still, make sure you always kill the last two pillars simultaneously. If you don’t, the last standing statue will heal up and enter a new phase that can easily ruin your flawless victory.
11. Dr. Wolf’s Monster
The first boss from the Gungeoneers’ pasts to make the cut is Dr. Wolf’s Monster, found at the end of The Hunter’s story. This occult machine got the best of the dog-taming gunslinger the first time around, and it’s easy to see how. The monster’s lightning bolt shots and random bullet spewing are pretty hard to dodge by themselves, but with Dr. Wolfenclaw’s buffing, the whole thing becomes impossible. A good rule of thumb is to shoot at the mad scientist at every available opportunity.
10. Interdimensional Horror
If you’ve ever played DOOM, The Marine’s past should feel familiar. After the scientists of Primerdyne unwittingly open the doors to this abomination, it’s up to The Marine to slay it and save his squadmates. He ran away the first time, but after conquering the Gungeon, this should be a walk in the park. Except it isn’t. The minions it summons are pretty much bullet sponges. And I’ve yet to meet someone who wasn’t caught off-guard by the toxic floor.
9. The Last Human
Looking at how cute The Robot is, you wouldn’t guess his reason for going to the past is to kill The Last Human – making him the Gungeon’s version of Terminator. This boss is basically Sarah Connor, leading the resistance against the machine empire. She’s buff to the point where she looks like a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure character, and she’s about as powerful too. Her bullet spirals and bursts of random shots can be hard to dodge, and the grenades can easily catch you off guard. She’ll also fill a large part of the arena with green poison, limiting your maneuvering area.
8. High Dragun
As a newbie, the ancient and venerable High Dragun seems like an insurmountable obstacle. It’ll probably take you several successful runs before you can finally kill it. The High Dragun’s difficulty lies mainly in the vast amount of projectiles and how much effort it takes to actually get there in the first place. The first few times, you’ll get there with half a heart and a bunch of empty weapons – but you’ll eventually learn to manage your resources and get there with more than enough firepower to combat the High Dragun’s tanky HP.
7. Agunim & Cannon
Agunim & Cannon are the two bosses of The Bullet’s past. And since you fight them in quick succession, it’s basically a single fight. One thing that sets this fight apart from the rest is that you fight them with a sword. As a melee weapon, it forces you to stay close, contrary to what you’d typically do. These two are clear references to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991), where the heroic Link has to fight the evil wizard Aghanim, and eventually, the dark lord Ganon.
6. High Priest
The High Priest is an uncommon boss you’ll find in the Hollow from time to time. This robed figure will fire massive amounts of bullets at you – and a ton of those will be entirely random rather than pattern-based. It’ll also dash in unexpected directions, further confusing the player. So much randomness in a fight makes it hard to finesse even to Gungeon veterans. You’ll get to a point where you can reliably win the fight eventually. But it’ll take some real skill to do it without getting hit for the Master Round.
5. Door Lord
Some doors are too heavy to open on the first attempt. The Door Lord is possibly the rarest of Gungeon apparitions. You’ll fight it one out of every 100 times you challenge the second, third, or fourth-floor bosses – and when you do, you can generally kiss your run goodbye. Even if you were doing fantastic up until that point, the Door Lord could disorient anybody. It’s fast, unpredictable – and most importantly, it’s impossible to practice given how seldom it shows up. You might have a chance at vanquishing this door mimic with heavy-duty equipment on the fourth floor. But if he turns up in the Gungeon Proper, you might as well restart the run.
4. Resourceful Rat
The Resourceful Rat has the most foreshadowing out of all the bosses. You slowly grow to hate it with every stolen item and ammo crate. So when you finally meet it, you’re raring to go. Still, it might take a while before you can finally get your revenge. As its name suggests, the Rat is resourceful. Not only does it have rapid patterns and a lot of range, but it’ll even set up traps to restrict your movement. Eventually he’ll even board a bad-ass mecha to try and dominate you with firepower. Survive all that, and you’ll finally get your revenge – a fistfight, one on one against the Rat. For some, it’s the hardest part. But it’s also the most satisfying for sure.
3. Old King
The Old King keeps a low profile among Gungeon bosses. With an appearance almost identical to the easiest boss in the game, you don’t really expect much of him… until you actually fight. This eternal warrior may have similar attack patterns to the Bullet King, but its black jammed bullets can take your HP down to zero after only a couple mistakes. As if fighting to stay alive in this hostile environment wasn’t enough, the Old King has a ton of HP. Unless you’ve got mad skills or a great weapon, you’re on the losing side in this war of attrition.
2. Lich
As the true Master of the Gungeon, hiding in the farthest reaches of the Bullet Hell, the Lich is the main challenge to overcome if you want to say you “beat” Enter the Gungeon. This fight is no walk in the park, regardless of what diabolical equipment you might have collected. That’s partly because it feels like three fights in a row and partly because each of those phases is hard as nails. The patterns can be learned but are extremely hard to dodge – and only those with the fastest reflexes have any chance at winning without a lot of practice.
1. Advanced Dragun
I think it’s respectable to say you cleared EtG after beating the Lich. But if you really want to master these halls of lead, there’s one last challenge waiting for you. Even getting to this secret boss is a lot of effort. You’ll have to find and hatch a Weird Egg, then escort your newborn snake companion to the High Dragun’s battle, where it’ll fuse with the beast to create the Advanced Dragun. Now covered in gold and an eerie green glow, this ancient beast is genuinely overpowered. It roars fireballs, throws knives, follows you with an evil eye… There’s so much going on simultaneously, it’s hard to even keep track – let alone win the fight. If you’ve beaten the Advanced Dragun, you’re a true bullet hell hero.
