Elden Ring: 15 Hardest Boss Battles, Ranked

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.

15 Margit, The Fell Omen Is A Difficult First Hurdle

Encountered At Stormveil Castle

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The first main boss most Elden Ring players will likely face is 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. Ultimately, just how much of a challenge he is will largely depend on familiarity with FromSoft games overall, as Dark Souls veterans are likely to adapt much more quickly than total newcomers.

The most challenging aspect of his boss fight is the 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

Encountered At Church Of The Bud

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Romina, Saint of the Bud, is secreted away in the deepest recesses of the Rauh Ruins. Like many Shadow of the Erdtree bosses, Romina builds on players' mastery of mechanics initially established in the base game. While she might not stand out to everyone in the DLC — there's plenty of room to argue that some other bosses not mentioned here prove to be harder — she's certainly capable of tripping up players.

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.

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 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.

13 Astel, Stars Of Darkness Poses A Dual Challenge

Encountered At Yelough Anix Tunnel

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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.

12 Bayle The Dread Demands Persistence

Encountered At Jagged Peak Summit

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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 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.

11 The Draconic Tree Sentinel Blocks The Way Into Leyndell

Encountered At Capital Outskirts

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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 Draconic Tree Sentinel (Capital Outskirts) is typically a massive challenge relative to almost anything that's come before. Whether you choose to mount up yourself or stay on foot, this is an overwhelming joust.

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 Leyndell, Royal Capital, an important step on the path to the final boss.

10 Rellana, Twin Moon Knight Is A Grueling Duel

Encountered At Castle Ensis

After the reintroductory wake-up call provided by Shadow of the Erdtree's first mandatory boss, 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 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 reminiscent 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.

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

Encountered At Inside The Erdtree

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.

Bring Holyproof Dried Liver or the Lord's Divine Fortification incantation, since either one cuts a good deal of Radagon's damage potential. The final boss of Elden Ring is basically two fights stacked on top of each other, and once Radagon dies, you'll have to face the Elden Beast, so save enough resources for the second half.

8 Mohg, Lord Of Blood Gives No Quarter

Encountered At Mohgwyn Palace

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While you can encounter his Omen illusion in the Cathedral of the Forsaken, the actual Lord of Blood fight kicks things up another notch, so don't get too confident after beating the Omen.

Mohg, Lord of Blood 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.

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. Moreover, the fight is required to access the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, so it's no longer quite as optional as it was at launch.

7 The Godskin Duo Teams Up Against The Tarnished

Encountered At Crumbling Farum Azula

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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. Duo boss fights are the frequent subject of complaints, and this powerful pair is no exception.

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.

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

Encountered At Leyndell, Ashen Capital

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.