Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s biggest game yet, and with that scale and ambition comes more bosses than ever before. There are, I believe, at least 83 bosses in Elden Ring that we currently know about, with one or two more doubtless hiding in the shadows yet to be discovered.
But not all of them were created equal. Some are pushovers. Others are infuriating. One or two are genuinely quite funny. Today, I’ve rounded up the 10 deadliest bosses for you to be on the lookout for when roaming The Lands Between, mostly ranked via a mix of how genuinely hard they are to beat and how much I cried in the shower after I was done with them.
I would also like to stress before the internet comes at me that the difficulty of various bosses is very much a subjective thing in Elden Ring. How you approach bosses can vary wildly depending on your build and strategy, meaning a fight I really struggled with might have been an absolute cake-walk for you - or vice-versa! Okay? Okay. Let’s dive in.
Starscourge Radahn
I know a lot of my fellow Elden Ring players really struggled with Starscourge Radahn. I found it to be a simple enough fight. Maybe this is because I finally came to it much later than I was probably supposed to, or maybe it’s because I’m one of those normal people who doesn’t think summoning NPCs is cheating.
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Either way, once you work out how to dodge those pesky ranged attacks it’s just a simple matter of getting in close (summoning allies as you go) before all diving in for the attack. The only real pain is working out where the apocalyptic meteor attack is going to crash down and ensuring you’re well clear before it wipes you out.
Godskin Duo
If you’ve explored Elden Ring thoroughly instead of just ploughing through the game’s main path, you’ll have fought the Godskin Apostle and the Godskin Noble separately at various points in the game. Alone, they’re not too much trouble. But it wouldn’t be a FromSoftware game if we didn’t have at least one boss fight that throws you into a room with two vaguely irritating enemies at the same time to create something much worse.
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The Godskin Duo are like the Chuckle Brothers of pain, combining their unique talents and attacks to utterly dominate unprepared enemies. The only reason they aren’t higher on this list is because I was able to smash through them easily enough with some well-placed magic, but melee builds will inevitably have a much worse time here.
Maliketh, The Black Blade
I vividly remember dealing the killing blow to Maliketh, because he got one last hit on me at the same time and killed me. I recall being terrified that this meant I’d have to do the fight again, a fight that had me stumped for well over an hour.
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Maliketh’s first form is easy enough, but as soon as he sprouts wings and starts darting around firing off a relentless flurry of bleed attacks, it’s very much on like Donkey Kong. Yes, this harder phase of the fight only requires you whittle away half a health bar, but that doesn’t make it any less deadly - or infuriating.
Mohg, Lord of Blood
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As a Shardbearer, Mohg is obviously a cut above most of your standard bosses. The Lord Of Blood specialises in bleed attacks, as the name implies, making for an incredibly frustrating fight that only gets harder as it goes on.
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Much like Maliketh, Mohg also has a delightfully OP second phase that involves the newfound ability to fly and rain down misery in the form of massive attacks that are a pain to dodge and heal him. Not a fan of this one at all.
Astel, Stars Of Darkness
If you thought Astel, Naturalborn of the Void was tough, wait until you meet its variant. Tucked away underground in a corner of the Consecrated Snowfield, this eldritch horror waits patiently to rustle your jimmies.
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Assuming you can dodge the powerful laser beam and crushing tail, there’s every chance that Asshole, Stars Of Darkness will simply teleport away. If you’re lucky, it’ll reappear on the other side of the map and you’ll have to dodge its attacks again as you make your way back over. If you’re unlucky, it’ll teleport above your head and flatten you.
Draconic Tree Sentinel
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Assuming you don’t run off in completely the wrong direction, the Tree Sentinel is the first boss you’ll encounter in Elden Ring. And it is a punishing lesson in what to expect from the rest of the game.
But as rough as the Tree Sentinel is for early game players, the terrifying Draconic Tree Sentinel makes him look like a substitute geography teacher by comparison. The Draconic Tree Sentinel has all the same devastating attacks as his little brother, plus a horse that breathes fire, and a staggeringly powerful series of lightning attacks that are nigh-on impossible to dodge that can kill players in one hit. He also shows up again later on as a regular enemy, just to really screw with you.
Commander Niall
I can tell you now with some confidence that if I hadn’t managed to summon two powerful allies to help me out in this fight, I’d still be stuck on it. Commander Nial himself isn’t a huge threat, but the two knights he summons at the start of the encounter are maddening. You’re essentially trapped in a small arena with three enemies that all boast powerful melee weapons with great range, making it all too easy to end up cornered and kebabbed in seconds. A real bullshit fight, this one.
Radagon of the Golden Order/Elden Beast
Taken separately, I’d argue either one of these bosses would be fairly manageable. The issue is that to fight the dreaded Elden Beast - the final boss of the game - you first have to take down Radagon. No checkpoints, no refilled health or flasks, just a gruelling two-boss run.
Radagon is easy enough, with a series of attacks that are actually quite simple to read and avoid with practice. The Elden Beast, however, is an agent of pure chaos. The last monster standing between you and the credits puts up one hell of a fight, flying across a massive arena whenever you get close, before bombarding you with a string of powerful long-range attacks, many of which are seemingly only possible to completely dodge through sheer luck. I’m fairly certain I only managed to beat it because I got lucky and it actually stayed in one spot long enough for me to give it a good whack. Not a fight I look forward to doing again.
Fire Giant
I’ve actually dedicated an entire article to how much I hate the Fire Giant, so I’ll direct you to that for my full thoughts on the scabby prick. The TLDR of it is that this bastard combines devastating AOE attacks with equally devastating ranged attacks, meaning that getting in close or keeping your distance is riskier than farting when you need a poo. He also has a massive health bar, and can take you out in one or two hits, making the whole experience an absolute slog.
Malenia, Blade Of Miquella
Malenia, Blade Of Miquella is undoubtedly the hardest boss in Elden Ring - and arguably the most challenging foe in any FromSoftware game to date. Sam Greer recently wrote an excellent piece for us explaining what makes Malenia such a special fight, which I would urge you to read.
More than just being a pain in the ass, Malenia is a beautifully designed test of rhythm and patience, a deadly dance that will challenge even the most dedicated FromSoft veterans. It falls apart a little bit in the second phase with more unpredictable and powerful attacks, but nothing can take away from the initial duel.
Featured Image Credit: Bandai Namco EntertainmentTopics: Elden Ring, Fromsoftware, Bandai Namco