15 Boss Fight Tropes That Are Not Going Away Anytime Soon

Every boss has a certain set of mechanics and traits that define it. This goes beyond, say, every boss in a From Software Souls title being classified as “hard”. You could break these down into tropes which have been a part of boss fights since time immemorial. They’re not disappearing anytime soon though so let’s go through 15 such tropes. It’s also important to note that we’re not outright criticizing all of these (just a few) as much as pointing them out.

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Bullet Sponges

The Division was infamous for having even regular enemies with too much health. Destiny’s first year was roundly criticized for bosses with huge HP pools but nothing by way of tactics. While it can feel extremely liberating to one-shot epic behemoths when you’re strong enough, it sucks when that’s their only claim to fame. Then again, it does provide time for compelling conversation topics about the weather, your teammates’ interest and also, “How much health does this yokel even have?”