Top 10 Best Shadow of the Colossus Battles

Shadow of the Colossus is a downright beautiful game, with its boss battles being one of its best features. With only one or two exceptions, these "colossi" are so epic I can barely put it into words.

There are 16 in total, but only ten can make this list. I would throw out some honorable mentions, but that would spoil the list.

Enjoy! Also, spoilers ahead.
The Top Ten
Avion (5th Colossus) Avion, known as the soaring bird colossus, resides on a series of ruins in a lake. Wander must leap onto its wings mid-flight to reach its sigils.

When you reach the lake where it resides, you will discover it is a giant bird-like colossus that won't attack you until you attack it. When you get things moving, head to one of three tiny platforms on the lake.

When Avion appears and rushes towards you, GET READY TO JUMP ON ITS HAIRY WING. This is where the fight really shines, as you attack its sigils while being flown high above the lake on a massive bird that's trying to shake you off with turns and BARREL ROLLS.

What makes this fight so memorable is the sheer thrill of bringing this bird down.

Phalanx (13th Colossus) Phalanx, the largest of the colossi, glides through the desert sands with large air sacs on its body. To mount it, Wander must shoot its sacs and climb its wings as it surfaces.

Phalanx might be docile, but the best part of fighting it is when you have to ride Agro to shoot its belly, and then catch up to it to reach its fins or wings. It's amazing. I feel like Agro knows exactly that she has to run faster to keep up with Phalanx's speed. When you finally have to jump but fail, Agro is there, ready to run again and help you.

This battle makes me feel connected and attached to Agro. Then, before the final battle, when Agro has to fall, it just feels so sad. After all that happened, she had to go down. Therefore, Phalanx's battle is the best part.

Kuromori (8th Colossus) Kuromori climbs the walls of an arena, shooting poison clouds to deter Wander. It must be forced to fall from the walls to expose weak points.

Is it just me, or is this thing freaky? After a lengthy journey to its lair, you will find a giant lizard or salamander of some sort sitting way below you. After awakening it and starting the fight, things get real. It begins to climb the walls and shoot highly damaging poisonous bolts at you through its mouth (and really creepily starts waving its head around while doing so).

Your goal is to shoot two of its legs while it's on the walls and then get onto its belly when it's on the ground. This fight is good because of the tension and challenge surrounding it.

Dirge (10th Colossus) Dirge, a serpent-like creature, hides beneath the desert and chases Wander aggressively. It must be baited and shot in the eye to be defeated.

The arena is bland, but the fight is anything but. When you reach a giant room filled with sand, Dirge pops out as your welcoming party. This fight ranks high because of how frighteningly intense it is. After roaming around in the sand for a bit, Dirge will begin to hunt you down.

As your horse (Agro) is a necessity in this fight, it is the only thing fast enough to outrun Dirge. Eventually, its two massive eyes will pop out of the sand. You must balance between riding Agro and using your bow to shoot Dirge in its soul-burning eyes and make it crash into the wall. From there, you must stab it.

What makes this fight so amazing is the intensity of being chased by Dirge at high speeds, set to its own unique and amazing theme song.

Argus (15th Colossus) Argus, a powerful warrior colossus, is found in a ruined cityscape. Using his weapon, Wander must create paths to reach vulnerable areas on his body.

I love his theme - it gives an incredible boss fight! It's like, "Wow wow wow, what will the last one be if this is the 15th?"

Barba (6th Colossus) Barba, a bearded colossus, is encountered within a cavern-like temple. Wander must use the structure to outmaneuver it and reach its back.
Basaran (9th Colossus) Basaran, resembling a tortoise, roams a geyser field where it can be destabilized. When positioned correctly, geysers knock it over, allowing Wander to climb.

A great battle. While not being all that innovative since a similar strategy is used in beating Quadratus, it's fun to need Agro and dodge lasers to get on a turtle.

This one is fun because you have to constantly keep moving on Agro. Lure Basaran over a geyser and watch it crash to the ground!

Gaius (3rd Colossus) Gaius, the armored giant with a stone sword, waits on a raised platform in a lake. Wander must use the environment to shatter its armor and access its weak points.

You first gaze upon its arena from the shores of a lake. After a lengthy swim and climb, you find yourself in a circular arena high in the sky. When Gaius rises up, you realize it is REALLY TALL and has a giant club-sword thingy as well.

When you look around the arena, you will notice a metal circle in the ground. Get Gaius to give it a smack with its sword, and you will then be able to climb up onto its head and strike it down. This fight is memorable because of Gaius' sheer size and the fact that its simplicity really works.

Valus (1st Colossus) Valus is the first colossus, a towering figure that wanders a grassy area. To reach its sigils, Wander must scale its legs and torso.

I actually thought, "This is probably the smallest of all the Colossi. This is going to be amazing!"

Oh, how wrong I was - about the size, at least. The game was still amazing.

Solid fight, great tutorial level, and a good start to the game.

Cenobia (14th Colossus) Cenobia, a lion-like colossus, attacks Wander in a ruined area and can destroy pillars in the environment. It must be lured into collisions to create opportunities for mounting.

Getting to this colossus is quite a chore, and it leads you to a majestic, ruined city. When you finally get there, you are greeted by the smallest colossus in the game (but far from the weakest). Resembling a lion of sorts, it charges you like a bull. In order to progress with Cenobia, you must climb an overturned pillar to get to a standing one. It will ram the pillar, and you jump to the next one.

After doing this for a while, you must then climb onto a roof and get Cenobia to ram that. It will collapse on it and remove the thick armor surrounding it. Then you jump on its back and do your thing.

The word to describe this fight is COMPLETE. It is challenging, and the puzzle to defeat it is well thought out. On a side note, it's ironically the most terrifying colossus despite being the smallest.

The Contenders
Hydrus (7th Colossus) Hydrus, an aquatic colossus, swims beneath the surface of a lake and has electric spines. Wander must swim close, grab onto it underwater, and disable its spines.

When you reach the lake where this thing resides, and that cutscene plays, you don't know what it is. Stick around for a bit, and you will find out it's a massive eel with electric spikes to boot. It takes a bit, but eventually, it surfaces to get you, and you have to grab onto its rear end and hold on for dear life as it drags you in and out of the water.

Your goal is to work your way up its body while dealing with its highly damaging electrical spikes on the way up to its head. This fight is epic because of its size and the fact that it takes you underwater.

Malus (16th Colossus) Malus, the final colossus, towers over a cliffside fortress and attacks with ranged projectiles. Wander must traverse a series of barriers to get close enough to climb it.

Yes, I think the final boss is the best one. If it wasn't for Phalanx, I would call my choice unoriginal. The way there is very unfortunate. As you are trekking across a bridge, it begins to break, and at the last second, your horse (Agro) bucks you off and sacrifices itself. After that, it's a very long climb to the top. When you get there, it's not big, it's not huge - it's gigantic. Standing at 200 feet, you can barely see its face because of the dark storm brewing.

Malus wastes no time and begins firing at you. By the time you get to him, it's another climb. You climb up and up, then go from his hand to his arm, to his other hand, and finally to his head to bring the hulking titan down.

What makes this fight the best in the game is the emotion surrounding it. You have fought colossus after colossus, you lost your only companion, and you are so close to reviving your girlfriend. But this 200-foot giant stands in the way, not to mention the sad but amazing theme that plays in the background. Malus is truly a colossus among boss battles.

Quadratus (2nd Colossus) Quadratus, resembling a massive bull, appears in a sandy canyon. Wander can climb its legs after destabilizing it with arrows.

While Valus (the first colossus) was a pretty good first fight, Quadratus would have done it much better. After making your way down to the seaside cave, you find the great beast. Resembling a mammoth of sorts, it moves very slowly.

While still an easy fight, it requires all methods of attack. You must shoot it in the foot when it rears up to stomp you, and when it's down, you must climb its back and finish it. While it's low on the list because it's really easy, it does a great job of preparing you for the fights ahead.

Phaedra (4th Colossus) Phaedra, a horse-like colossus, occupies an open field and must be lured to descend into a trap. Wander can then climb its hind legs to reach its back.

When you arrive, it looks like a field with ruined entrances all over the place. Travel to the other end, and you will meet the giant horse with crab legs. It moves very slowly, but what makes this fight interesting is the gimmick it brings with it.

You have to use those ruins, a.k.a. the environment, to lure Phaedra above you. It will look down, and you can grab onto its weird chin beads, climb up its face, and start hacking at its head. Using the environment around you against a colossus was a very smart idea.

Pelagia (12th Colossus) Pelagia is a large, platform-headed colossus that fires energy bolts and can be redirected. Wander must maneuver it near ruins to create climbing points.

This colossus has multiple ways of getting on him and defeating him. Not to mention, he's big enough that he stands on the bottom of the lake!

Pelagia is the best Colossus. Change my mind. Avion is nothing special - he's boring crap. Pelagia is very unique, having no eyes, instead having tusks for eyes, those teeth on his head, and the body of a turtle but a bull's head. Pelagia does not disappoint!

Vote Pelagia. More votes for Pelagia. P L E A S E.

Celosia (11th Colossus) Celosia, a small but aggressive colossus, guards a shrine and charges at Wander on sight. It can be guided toward fire to expose weak points.

The only fight that frustrated me, mostly because he can stun-lock you very easily.

Being able to one-shot him with a jump-stab always makes me smile.