Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (2024)

Elden Ring

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Elden Ring

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Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (6)

Summary

  • Elden Ring is a critically-acclaimed title known for, among other things, a number of very difficult boss fights.
  • The game's expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, introduces even more challenging bosses.
  • Most of Elden Ring's hardest bosses are some of the more famous characters in the Lands Between, but hidden or secret bosses, as well as some boss duos also qualify.

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Developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a critically-acclaimed title that is effectively a successor to the Dark Souls series, inheriting many of its signature features, including the developer's penchant for difficult boss fights. Created in collaboration with George R.R. Martin, a high fantasy author most famous for A Song of Ice and Fire, Elden Ring is known for its deep RPG systems, fascinating open world, nebulous story, and – perhaps most of all – its difficulty. As with many of FromSoftware's most recent offerings, there are plenty of hard boss fights to be found.

FromSoftware's Elden Ring finally arrived in February 2022 after years of speculation and hype, a lead-up that repeated itself with the long wait for the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring's first and only DLC, which came out in June 2024. Shadow of the Erdtree ramps up the difficulty, introducing some of the game's toughest bosses and regular enemies alike. With consideration for where they appear in the base game and DLC, below are the 15 hardest bosses players can encounter in Elden Ring.

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Technically, Elden Ring doesn't have an easy mode. That said, there are several character builds you can create to make certain boss fights easier.

15 Margit, The Fell Omen Is A Difficult First Hurdle

Stormveil Castle

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (8)

The first main boss most Elden Ring players will likely face is Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (9)Margit, the Fell Omen, who guards the entrance to Stormveil Castle and essentially demands that new players hone their skills in order to continue on – a skill check prior to entering the game's first Legacy Dungeon. While it's technically possible to bypass Margit, defeating him is required to face Godrick the Grafted, one of the game's easier demigods, two of which are required to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital.

Margit may not technically be the most difficult boss in Elden Ring, but given how early on he is encountered, he can certainly be pretty tough. The most challenging aspect of his boss fight is a number of delayed attack patterns, maneuvers with tricky timing that many later bosses in the game utilize as well. That makes Margit, while difficult, an excellent introduction to the boss mechanics of Elden Ring.

14 Romina, Saint Of The Bud, Brings Scarlet Rot To Shadow Of The Erdtree

Church Of The Bud

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (10)

Romina, Saint of the Bud, is secreted away in the deepest recesses of the Rauh Ruins. Romina is a giant, partially insectoid enemy, combining biological elements of scorpions, centipedes, butterflies, and humans. She uses her multiple mouths, stingers, and spears to create a confusing blur of damaging strikes.

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Much like Malenia before her, Romina requires the Tarnished to deal with Scarlet Rot. She inflicts the deadly status effect rapidly, basically necessitating the use of Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (11)Preserving Boluses or some Rot-resistant piece of equipment. Although the player has ample time to prepare for an encounter with Romina, she's still a worthy challenge whenever they arrive.

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10 Hardest Bosses In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, Ranked By Difficulty

Shadow of the Erdtree is full of difficult bosses, but this set of 10 takes that to another level, posing extreme challenges for the Tarnished.

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13 Astel, Stars Of Darkness Poses A Dual Challenge

Yelough Anix Tunnel

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (13)

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There are two fights against Astel in Elden Ring, the first against Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and the second against Astel, Stars of Darkness. Naturalborn of the Void is the final hurdle in Ranni the Witch's questline, but Stars of Darkness appears later in the game, has more HP, and an additional attack.

Astel has plenty of magical spells under its belt, and it's capable of launching meteorites, casting gravity magic, and even teleporting. Anyone who gets close to this beast will be ravaged by a shockwave, but keep some distance, and the Elden Ring boss will fire a damaging laser beam. With these moves, players will have to battle this creature both at close range and from a distance.

12 Bayle The Dread Demands Persistence

Jagged Peak Summit

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (14)

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As the player travels through the Land of Shadow in Elden Ring's DLC, they're likely to encounter an NPC named Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (15)Igon, who furiously curses the name of an unknown nemesis, Bayle. Igon points the way to Jagged Peak, an optional region that involves a sustained, treacherous climb up a rocky slope, beset by roaring winds and deadly lightning. When they make it to the top, they'll find that Bayle is an ancient dragon who once tried to usurp the throne of Placidusax.

Bayle is tough - he breathes deadly fire at the Tarnished from across the arena, jumps in the air, and slams back down with an incredible damage output. Much as Igon regales the player with tales of his repeated battles against Bayle, this fight seems designed to take multiple tries. Defeating him isn't necessary to progress in the game, but is incredibly rewarding: Bayle is tied to Igon's questline, and the drake warrior can be summoned as an ally against him, finally getting revenge on his eternal enemy.

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11 The Draconic Tree Sentinel Blocks The Way Into Leyndell

Capital Outskirts

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (16)

Players will encounter the Tree Sentinels multiple times throughout their adventures in Elden Ring's Lands Between, but while the most infamous fight stands just outside the game's tutorial area, another particularly fearsome Elden Ring boss guards the back entrance to Leyndell, Royal Capital. Found before a fog gate, the Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (17)Draconic Tree Sentinel (Capital Outskirts) is typically a massive challenge relative to almost anything that's come before.

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Elden Ring: How To Beat The Draconic Tree Sentinel (Leyndell)

To defeat the Draconic Tree Sentinel guarding Leyndell in Elden Ring, Tarnished must "respect" the Field Boss's unique ability to cast ranged attacks.

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Agile, tough to hit, and capable of launching lighting strikes that require almost frame-perfect precision, the Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight represents a serious barrier to progression, playing a similar role to Margit. Once players get past him, they can enter Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (19)Leyndell, Royal Capital, an important step on the path to the final boss.

10 Rellana, Twin Moon Knight Is A Grueling Duel

Castle Ensis

After the reintroductory wake-up call provided by Shadow of the Erdtree's first mandatory boss, Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (20)Divine Beast Dancing Lion, the dungeon ends abruptly, and players are encouraged to seek out Castle Ensis as they continue to follow in Miquella's footsteps. At the end of that much smaller dungeon, they encounter Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (21)Rellana, a former princess of the Carian Royal Family. She fights with a pair of swords, one made of magical glintstone, and the other coated in a roaring fire. The battle against her is reminscient of the one against Malenia, as she leaps across the battlefield, cutting wide arcs in inscrutable combos. She'll also coat the battlefield with arcane AoEs. Thankfully, there's no Scarlet Rot involved this time.

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Rellana is hard, but the fact that her worst attacks deal fire damage makes it a little easier to mitigate her damage in the long run. That said, she still deals a lot of it, and the length of her combos can be intensely frustrating. She's the first major obstacle to progress in the player's journey towards the Shadow Keep.

9 Radagon Of The Golden Order Is The Harder Of Elden Ring's Two Final Bosses

Inside The Erdtree

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (22)Radagon of the Golden Order happens to be the first half of Elden Ring's two-stage final boss fight alongside the the mysterious Elden Beast. Radagon's short-ranged melee attacks may seem simple for the most part, but they're also very strong and can give players a headache. In addition to those melee moves, Radagon can also fire beam projectiles and pull off slam moves, and his attacks are often as difficult to withstand as they are to dodge.

It seems a bit counterintuitive that Radagon would be more difficult than the Elden Beast (which doesn't even crack the top 15), but the latter has attacks that are much easier to dodge, even if the fight does generally take longer. Radagon leaves very little room for error, and punishes mistakes with tremendous damage and devastating combos.

8 Mohg, Lord Of Blood Gives No Quarter

Mohgwyn Palace

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (23)

Elden Ring's Mohg boss is fairly out of the way, and those who don't seek out Varre or venture across the Consecrated Snowfields likely won't find him. He utilizes magical spells that can be easily dodged, but they deal an incredible amount of damage when they connect. It's not until his health is half depleted that he kicks things into high gear and casts an unblockable blood spell across the screen.

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Mohg is one of two bosses players must defeat in order to begin Shadow of the Erdtree.

Mohg takes on a winged form in the second phase of the fight, giving him more speed. Moreover, his attacks can cover more ground. Mohg is certainly not the most difficult optional boss in Elden Ring, and there are ways to cheese the Mohg fight, but those who seek him out legitimately ought to be prepared for a fight.

7 The Godskin Duo Teams Up Against The Tarnished

Crumbling Farum Azula

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (24)

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Dealing with the Godskin Apostle and Godskin Noble Elden Ring bosses individually can be irritating enough, but dealing with them both in the same fight can make for a terrible experience. In fact, it is arguable that these two are among the most reviled bosses in all of FromSoftware's catalog.

Both the Apostle and Noble are very fast, and their speed kicks up a notch when they enter their second phase. They can both shoot projectiles, meaning they often engage the player from different ranges. Worst of all, these Elden Ring bosses must be fought multiple times, as they'll continually resurrect until their whole health bar is completely depleted.

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6 Godfrey, First Elden Lord Is The Hardest Boss In Elden Ring's Final Chapters

Leyndell, Ashen Capital

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (26)

Godfrey became the first Tarnished after being exiled from the Lands Between, but he returns to the Ashen Capital when the player is on the brink of toppling the Golden Order. He is very aggressive in his boss fight, wielding a battleaxe that can deal tons of damage. In his first phase, the Elden Ring boss moves slowly, but his cadence can make him tough to track, and he frequently produces debilitating shock waves by stomping the ground.

Godfrey's second phase sees him reverting to his alter ego, Hoarah Loux, Warrior, a title previously held when he conquered the giants, prior to becoming First Elden Lord. To do this, Godfrey removes Serosh, the Lord of Beasts, from his back, who was suppressing Godfrey's bloodlust so he could act according to his lordship. Now shirtless and coated in blood, Hoarah Loux shirks his axe, fighting bare-fisted and even more aggressive. Outclassing Radagon, Godfrey is the toughest boss in Elden Ring's final stretch.

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5 Dragonlord Placidusax Is The Toughest Dragon In Elden Ring

Crumbling Farum Azula

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (27)

A secret boss encountered only by diligent players in Crumbling Farum Azula, Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (28)Dragonlord Placidusax has to be the hardest of Elden Ring's many boss dragon enemies. An ancient, towering beast that boasts massive, punishing AoE attacks, this is a tough fight that's overshadowed only by the final boss of Crumbling Farum Azula. Able to fly, teleport, and perform intimidating diving attacks that can be difficult to avoid, Dragonlord Placidusax is a worthy end-game Elden Ring boss and can be truly dangerous for characters either slightly under-leveled for late-game areas, or with unoptimized builds.

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4 Maliketh, The Black Blade Boasts Two Powerful Phases

Crumbling Farum Azula

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (29)

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (30)Maliketh, the Black Blade is a two-part Elden Ring boss battle that takes place at the end of the Crumbling Farum Azula. The first part involves Maliketh's alter ego, the Beast Clergymen Gurranq, a giant creature with a penchant for firing projectiles and using a lot of area-of-effect attacks. Once the player gets the beast's health down to around fifty percent, Gurranq is revealed to actually be Elden Ring's Maliketh, the Black Blade, and Shadowbound Beast of Queen Marika. Maliketh's prowess extends to Elden Ring lore; he defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen, the mysterious leader of the Godskin Apostles.

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Maliketh is much more violent and agile than in the Beast Clergyman phase; he moves around the stage belligerently, unleashing combos that, even if dodged perfectly, can sap a player's entire stamina bar. Additionally, he's able to launch devastating arched projectiles and close the gap between himself and the player almost instantly. Crumbling Farum Azula is arguably the most difficult region in Elden Ring, with Maliketh capping off a grueling set of bosses that includes the Godskin Duo and Dragonlord Placidusax.

3 Malenia, Blade Of Miquella Is The Hardest Boss In Elden Ring's Base Game

Elphael, Brace Of The Haligtree

Found at the bottom of the Haligtree, another long and incredibly taxing area, is Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (31)Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Her reputation puts her in the highest echelon of difficult FromSoftware bosses alongside Bloodborne's Orphan of Kos and Dark Souls 3's Sister Friede. Malenia not only crushes players who challenge her, but devastated the entire region of Caelid, turning it into the wasteland seen in Elden Ring, by unleashing the Scarlet Rot in a duel against Radahn during Elden Ring's Shattering.

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Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (32)Malenia's first phase is tough, yet manageable; it's her second phase, in which she's transformed into Malenia, Goddess of Rot, that is harrowing. Lightning-fast combos, massive AoE attacks, an onslaught of phantom clones, and the near-inescapable Scarlet Rot combine for a whirlwind of punishing attacks. Worst of all, she has the ability to leech health from the player with every hit she lands, which means that some Spirit Ash summons will do more harm than good. Malenia may be an optional boss (just as the entire Haligtree is an optional area), but that doesn't stop her from being the hardest boss fight in the base game.

2 Messmer Lives Up To His Reputation

Shadow Keep

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Much of Shadow of the Erdtree's plot hinges on claiming Messmer's Flame, which ultimately unlocks the way to the DLC's final dungeon. In doing so, players must go up against Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (33)Messmer the Impalerhimself, traveling to his base of operations in the Shadow Keep. As the destruction he's wrought across the Land of Shadow implies, Messmer is an incredibly aggressive boss. Even the quickest players can scarcely get a hit in edgewise amid his incessant successions of strikes.

Because of his incredible speed, it's best to fight Messmer at close range, but he won't make that easy. With a combination of short-range spear attacks, long-range fire magic, and devastating aerial strikes, Messmer can retaliate against any number of different tactics. In case that wasn't enough, Messmer's attacks are also imbued with fire damage for that little extra bit of oomph.

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1 Promised Consort Radahn Is The Hardest Boss In Elden Ring

Enir-Ilim

Not to be outdone by the final boss of the base game, the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree, Radahn, is the hardest boss in all of Elden Ring. After a thrilling, but ultimately fairly easy fight against Radahn in the base game, the Tarnished faces an alternate incarnation of the storied warrior again at the end of the DLC. Now empowered by a demigod, Radahn has two phases: Promised Consort Radahn and Radahn, Consort of Miquella. He has no weaknesses, so there's no way to cheese this fight: it'll be a fair duel between two hardened warriors.

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Radahn won't pull any punches, either. He's an incredibly aggressive boss, and his attack patterns can be difficult to read. Couple that with his massive stature, and the simple fact that his attacks do enormous amounts of damage, and Radahn has everything that makes an all-time FromSoft boss hard. He more than earns the honor of most difficult boss in Elden Ring, leaving many a player hopelessly stuck on his final boss fight.

Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked (35)
Elden Ring

RPG

Action

Platform(s)
PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released
February 25, 2022

Developer(s)
From Software

Publisher(s)
Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

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