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It’s a good thing most of the bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will chew you up, spit you out, and smear your Tarnished paste on the pavement; because this is the first and last Elden Ring DLC. So it would do you well to savor all those crushing defeats and humiliations you endure from the gods. It’s not like you have a choice, though, the following 10 hardest DLC bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will ensure that you spend a long time getting to know them (and what makes them angry).
10. Metyr, Mother of Fingers
By the time you reach Metyr, Mother of Fingers, you probably have your Scadutree Blessings at 10+. Hence, the fight is manageable. She hits hard, but she hits slow and is also highly vulnerable to Hemorrhage. Surprisingly, the camera for this boss fight is decent despite the boss’ size.
That makes the fight fairer compared to the other larger bosses. The boss design, however, should add to that fear factor and the fact that she’s the one responsible for all those creepy hand monsters. But it’s your job to make sure that the Mother of Fingers doesn’t reproduce ever again with the Father of Toes or something.
9. Romina, Saint of the Bud
As the third to the last boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s main quest, Romina, Saint of the Bud, has a lot riding on her shoulders. However, if you already have a fast weapon build, patience, and your fair share of Scadutree Blessings, you might find her on the easier side of the hardest DLC bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Most of her weapon attacks miss, and you only really have to worry about the two tails and the Scarlet Rot butterflies. Occasionally, you might make mistakes since the boss is too large and the arena isn’t big enough, but as a late-stage boss, Romina is more forgiving than the others.
8. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
She’s a Malenia PTSD trigger with the grace of Rennala and the resourcefulness of Loretta; in short, Rellana is a 10/10– in difficulty. Why is she so low on the list? Well, because the other bosses are well over 10 in my difficulty scaling and because you typically fight Rellana while having just a handful of Scadutree Blessings.
In hindsight, she’s not really that impossible once you realize that you can skip her to collect those pesky Scadutree Fragments. Still, it makes you question what kind of Stamina bar Rellana has after she chains her greatsword spins like a ballerina on crack. Beautiful fight nonetheless.
7. Divine Beast Dancing Lion
You didn’t expect a Chinese New Year lion dancer to turn your fortune cookie negative in Elden Ring, did you? Because Miyazaki obviously took one look at them and said, “What if that thing made my fans miserable?” so now we have this abomination. around half of its difficulty is due to the abhorrent boss fight camera.
In truth, this thing would’ve ranked lower than Rellana if only the camera zoomed out a little bit, but no, those manes have to be in your face. That isn’t to say it’s a poor boss fight. It’s also grand and astonishingly creative, especially with how the Dancing Lion changes elements to throw you off.
6. Messmer the Impaler
There was no doubt that Messer the Impaler was going to be one of the hard ones. He’s the poster boy of the DLC, after all, and Messmer even looks like a male version of Malenia. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of Elden Ring‘s most consistent haters and gatekeepers, because you can’t progress without beating him.
The guy simply won’t accept defeat and would rather pluck out his own eye and turn into a snake just to bring you down with him. It’s also refreshing to see a boss who doesn’t showboat too much because as soon as you enter the boss arena (and as soon as Phase 2 starts), Messmer will whip out his most devastating attack.
5. Commander Gaius
As an optional boss, Commander Gaius had no business being this tough. But he’s a necessary fight since he’s guarding a bunch of Scadutree Fragments. That very well means you have to grit your teeth and fight this dollar-store version of Starscourge Radahn (though he’s just as ferocious).
You’re not safe no matter which angle you attack Commander Gaius since his boar buddy will kick you if you prefer to backstab. And when his melee shockwave attacks don’t work, he’ll start using his Gravity Sorcery attacks to spite you. If you thought you were safe after backing off a good distance, that mistake will cost you dearly, as Commander Gaius and his lightspeed boar will be happy to prove you wrong.
4. Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame
The lurker god finally rears its ugly head in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and he’s as magnificent as expected. He’s also mad, and he’ll liberally share that madness with you. Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame is a quintessential Souls boss– tough but fair and will inflict upon you a few hours of temporary insanity.
His weapon has deceptive range, and the whole arena will be covered with fiery madness that will take huge chunks of your HP if you ignore it. That’s why a lot of easy strategies and cheese tactics, such as the Greatshield turtling, won’t work as well with Midra. You don’t want to get hit with this boss’ attacks, lest you go insane.
3. Putrescent Knight
Speaking of going insane, the Putrescent Knight elicits another level of vexation as far as frustrating Souls bosses go. He’s one of the few bosses in the game who will gank you, except he’ll do it randomly with his horse. Any Souls game veteran will know that fighting two enemies at once is too chaotic for comfort.
It doesn’t help that every time you die and have to restart the fight, you have to go through a long, mandatory falling scene. Come Phase 2, you’ll be dealing with multiple attack sources thanks to his blue frost flame, horse, and himself– and you also have to learn to incorporate jumping as a way to avoid damage. Thus, Putrescent Knight might just be the sum of all FromSoftware boss designs from Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
2. Bayle the Dread
Oh, but it becomes even harder from this point on. Bayle the Dread might just give Malenia a run for her Runes. This Bayle the Dread is an even harder dragon fight than Dragonlord Placidusax (who also happens to be his mortal enemy). He’s huge, he’s relentless, and all his attacks have AoE, making him the toughest dragon boss not just in Shadow of the Erdtree but in all of Elden Ring.
On top of that, he can even call on orbital lighting just because he hates your guts for attacking his broken leg. The beauty in this fight, however, is that no matter how frustrating it can get due to the camera angles and overwhelming attacks, you’ll still find time to feel awe and inspiration– it’s by far among the most spectacular boss fights FromSoftware has crafted.
1. Promised Consort Radahn / Radahn, Consort of Miquella
It is FromSoftware tradition to re-use bosses, but Promised Consort Radahn is at least backed up by the lore. If you’ve ever wondered how it is to fight Radahn in his prime, that’s what awaits in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s ending. And let me tell you, you probably can’t handle it. He’s among the hardest bosses not just in Shadow of the Erdtree or Elden Ring, but also in all Souls games.
The only cheese strategy that works reliably is tanking him with a Greatshield and a Thrusting Weapon. His attack combos are devastating and deceptive. On the off chance you get lucky, either Miquella will charm you to death, or Radahn will turn into a meteor and wipe out your existence. That’s what you get for ruining their brotherly honeymoon.
