9 Best Elden Ring Bosses, Ranked By Most Satisfying To Beat

Summary

• Elden Ring surpasses the Dark Souls franchise with Greatsword Talismans, armor sets, & powerful weapons.
• Margit, Starscourge Radahn, Rykard, & Malenia are challenging, satisfying bosses with unique mechanics.
• Maliketh, Rellana, Mohg, & Radahn are considered the hardest bosses, offering intense gameplay.

Although the Dark Souls franchise is widely popular and has garnered a huge following over the years, many players agree that Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s best work to date, thanks to the various Greatsword Talismans, armor sets and weapons that players can use to create their builds.

While powerful Faith builds are usually not that popular, some players combine them with their Strength or Dexterity weapons for maximum damage output to decimate enemies and take down powerful bosses as they explore The Lands Between. Many bosses are too frustrating or don’t pose enough of a challenge to give players a sense of accomplishment, but others do. Here are the best Elden Ring bosses ranked based on how satisfying it is to beat them.

This article contains spoilers for some of Elden Ring’s bosses, so players who have not yet completed the base game or the DLC should read with caution.

9

Margit, The Fell Omen

The First Skill-Check Along Players’ Journeys

Margit, The Fell Omen is hated by many players, as he’s the first real skill-check they’ll encounter during their playthrough. Found in Stormveil Castle, this enemy will put players to the test and prevent them from advancing until he is beaten.

Granted, there are other ways to go around Stormveil Castle and skip this boss fight, but it will only work to hinder players’ progress, as it’s important that they take this boss on to hone their skills and prepare for the considerable challenges that lie ahead. Margit, who in reality is Morgott, the Omen King, is one of the most tragic figures in Elden Ring’s lore.

8

Starscourge Radahn

Extremely Powerful Due To Long-Range Attacks

When players first arrive at Redmane Castle, they’ll quickly feel a sort of heaviness in the air, as the music and the design of this location are quite well crafted. Not to mention that the castle is located in Caelid, one of the most hated areas of the game.

Beating Starscourge Radahn is extremely satisfying, as he’s quite formidable and will start firing powerful giant arrows at players from a distance. While it’s recommended to take him on using a Greatsword or something similar for close-range combat, using some of the best bows in the game can sometimes also work wonders.

7

Godskin Duo

A Mandatory Boss Fight That Can Be Really Frustrating

The Godskin Duo are probably one of the most frustrating bosses in the entire base Elden Ring game, as they can quickly overwhelm players and keep respawning until their HP drops to zero. Throughout their playthrough, most people will have already faced the Godskin Noble and the Godskin Apostle, but taking on both of them at the same time is no easy task.

Using Spirit Ashes in this boss fight is recommended to even out the odds and make the encounter less daunting. Those who love FromSoftware games are always up for a challenge, but many fans agree that making the Godskin Duo mandatory was not the right call. If players want to keep their distance, using some of the fastest spells against this pair can simplify things and keep the Tarnished away from danger’s reach.

6

Rykard, Lord Of Blasphemy

Massive And Quick To Attack Players

Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy can be extremely challenging due to his massive size and quick attacks. He also has some AoEs that players will have to avoid once his second phase is reached. While he’s an optional boss, he drops both his Great Rune and the Remembrance of the Blasphemous, which can be traded with Enia at the Roundtable Hold for the Blasphemous Blade, a formidable weapon with an interesting skill.

Like Yhorm the Giant from Dark Souls 3, defeating Rykard requires players to use a special weapon, which in this case is the Serpent-Hunter

. He can be defeated through other means, but it’s much more challenging. Those who want to put themselves to the test can use some of the best Intelligence spells in Elden Ring to try to hit him from a distance and avoid the pool of lava around him.

5

Mohg, Lord Of Blood

Behind Him Lies The Entrance To The Land Of Shadow

Mohg, Lord of Blood, like his twin Morgott, was cursed from birth, which resulted in him being shunned and sent to Moghwyn Palace, a place that should only exist in players’ darkest nightmares.

He’s completely optional if players are not interested in playing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but in any other case, they’ll have to work on their patience and take on this formidable foe time and time again until he falls. Hearing him say his final words is one of the most satisfying things in the entirety of Elden Ring, and any player who’s managed to beat him should feel proud.

4

Maliketh, The Black Blade

Devastating Attacks That Come At Players With Formidable Speed

When players first encounter Maliketh, the Black Blade, he doesn’t appear to be much of a challenge, as he seems to simply be a Beast Clergyman with a few tricks up his sleeve. However, when his second phase is reached, he will start unleashing some of the most devastating and quick attacks in the entirety of Elden Ring, putting players’ skills to the test and forcing them to learn his patterns to strike at the right moment.

Using the Blasphemous Claw

to parry some of his attacks can be of great help, so anyone struggling with this boss fight should definitely try it out.

3

Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

One Of The Most Challenging Bosses In Shadow Of The Erdtree

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduced many interesting new things for players to discover, and this includes formidable bosses that will make most in the base game seem like pushovers. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, is a great example of this, as she has tons of devastating attacks in her arsenal and leaves almost no window of opportunity for players to strike back at her.

The number of players who’ve defeated her in their first try can probably be counted on one hand, so beating her after several attempts is definitely satisfying.

2

Malenia, Blade Of Miquella

The Hardest Boss In The Base Game

Malenia, Blade of Miquella is probably the most famous boss in the entirety of Elden Ring, and with good reason, as she’s, arguably, the hardest boss in the base game. Thankfully, she’s optional, so players don’t have to take her on if they don’t want to spend hours trying to defeat her.

However, learning her attack patterns and dodging at the right moment after careful observation is always rewarding, and hearing her say that the Tarnished’s strength is extraordinary is one of the best parts of her boss fight. Not to mention that defeating her will reward players with her weapon, the Hand of Malenia

, which has great range and allows players to use the mighty Waterfowl Dance skill, albeit, a much less powerful version than the one she uses against them.

1

Promised Consort Radahn

The Ultimate Elden Ring Challenge To Date

Lastly, there’s Promised Consort Radahn, who is agreed by many to be the hardest boss in both the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. This version of Radahn is much more powerful than the one players face in Redmane Castle, as he’s in his prime and gets help from Miquella.

While there are many strategies to beat Promised Consort Radahn, using one of the best Strength weapons obtained in Shadow of the Erdtree can go a long way in making this challenging encounter easier. Once Radahn is defeated, players will feel an unmatched sense of accomplishment that will last for days.