Elden Ring: 12 Hardest Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses Ranked (2024)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is arguably one of the most difficult DLCs, boasting some of the hardest bosses we've ever seen in FromSoftware's portfolio. That was expected, though, as the game's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, said that they wanted to push players to their limits.

And the long-awaited DLC does just that. With a total of 80 bosses, the Land of Shadow challenged even the most seasoned of the Tarnished. Without further ado, here are the hardest bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, ranked from easiest to most difficult to beat.

12 Romina, The Saint Of The Bud

Meet The Lady Centiscorpede

Despite looking quite disturbing and lethal, Romina is one of the easier boss fights in Shadow of the Erdtree. That said, even bosses who are not that hard to beat can come up with surprise attacks that will drain your HP bar in the blink of an eye. That applies to Romina as well.

Lurking in the Church of the Bud, Romina is all about inflicting Scarlet Rot with his long-reaching spear combos and Rot-drenched stings. She also tends to grab you and deal one-shotting damage right after attacking with her stings.

When she initiates her slash combo, rolling towards the slashes is best to avoid them. If you don't have the necessary items to cure your Rot and defend against her attacks, dodging these slashes is even more important as they increase Rot buildup.

We suggest equipping the Immunizing Horn Charm as it offers a solid resistance against Poison and Scarlet Rot, which is critical for this fight.

11 Golden Hippopotamus

A Health Bar Worthy Of Demigods

Those acquainted with FromSoftware's games know that the most frustrating bosses in their games often lurk in narrow areas. The tradition continues with the Golden Hippopotamus, which is a large and agile beast with a health bar nearly equivalent to Lord Rykard's, an actual demigod we face in the base game.

Boasting a hefty health bar worthy of the gods is not the only problem with this hippo, though. It can easily throw its body mass around and quickly close the gap between itself and the player. In the meantime, his colossal mouth constantly snaps and bites, leaving nowhere safe in the arena.

Although most of his attacks are limited to bites and chin slams, the hippo tends to surprise the player with a sudden transition to a porcupine. Once its health drops to 65%, the hippo throws out a rain of needles and deals solid AoE damage.

Its most threatening move is the classic leap-and-crash, which deals immense damage that can one-hit your build despite boasting aScadutree Fragment . Since the area is pretty narrow, your best bet is to dodge forward as it's about to crash onto the ground.

With its unpredictable porcupine needles and huge gaping mouth that does not telegraph its attacks much, Golden Hippopotamus is one of the hardest optional Shadow of the Erdtree bosses. Taking it down rewards the Tarnished with the spiky Aspect of the Crucible: Thorns incantation.

10 Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame

Vulnerable Stance With Frenzy-Infused Attacks

Midra is one of the toughest and the most disturbing creatures in the Land of Shadow. It's easy to figure that out even before facing him, as even Torrent, can not be summoned before entering the woods because of being too frightened.

The path to Midra is filled with Lovecraftian creatures similar to the ones in Bloodborne, so Torrent's reaction is quite natural. Fortunately though, braving the woods and facing Midra's frenzied wrath is entirely optional. But those who want to explore the area and take down one of the hardest bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree will be in a run for their money.

Midra, also known as the Lord of Frenzy, comes in two phases, with the second one being much more challenging, filled with unpredictable, fast-paced moves and ranged attacks. Midra is also quite fast with his greatsword and can quickly close the distance to reach the player.

The Lord of Frenzy is also quite eager to introduce you to eternal chaos, as his Frenzy-infused attacks are relentless and are difficult to dodge. That's why it's a good idea to raise your Focus and add Clarifying Horn Charm +1 to your set to increase your build's resistance to Madness.

Moreover, Midra's stance can be broken in three successive parries. Unlike many other Shadow of the Erdtree bosses, he is also vulnerable against Bleed damage and tends to telegraph his greatsword attacks earlier in the fight.

9 Blackgaol Knight

A Bad, Really Bad Welcome To The DLC

Located in the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum, Blackgaol Knight is one of those Shadow of the Erdtree bosses to warn the players before fully dedicating themselves to the DLC. Although he seems like a humble knight, he is no pushover and can be incredibly difficult to beat.

For instance, his unending barrage of fire bolts is a nightmare for slow melee builds. He also tends to burst out powerful sword attacks in quick succession, not leaving any room to dodge.

The small boss arena also contributes to the fight's difficulty, as the knight tends to open suppressing fire that covers everywhere. He's also quite fast with his Greatsword, which sends out a wave of energy that is extremely lethal.

The key to taking Blackgaol Knight down lies in taking the aggressive position. Waiting for him to attack often results in dying to his barrage of firebolts or losing half of the HP after his Greatsword attacks.

It's a good idea to lunge towards him as soon as you go through the wall of fog. Attacking him while reloading his crossbow and rolling out as soon as he raises his sword is a good tactic.

While his moveset is not very versatile, mastering them can be a real pain, rendering the fight one of the hardest in the early stages of the DLC.

8 The Divine Beast Dancing Lion

Sets The Tone Right For The DLC

As one of the first bosses players are likely to face, The Divine Beast Dancing Lion serves as a caution to the Tarnished following Miquella the Kind. Consisting of two massive dudes hiding under a blanket, The Divine Beast Dancing Lion has a ton of unpredictable attacks with a large area of effect.

These rotating and swirling attacks also inflict cold and lightning damage, making the fight even more frustrating for those who have just set a foothold in the DLC. The lion also lacks some kind of weapon and uses its body to attack instead.

This requires players to analyze its dancing patterns and prepare beforehand to dodge its attacks. Its disproportionate body also does not telegraph much, since it's covered under a blanket.

Fortunately, though, the movements of the lion's head can give a heads-up on its next move. Despite its killer dance moves, watch the lion's head to gain the edge you will need.

It's also worth noting that the NPC Redmane Freyja can be summoned before entering the wall of fog, making the fight against one of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses a bit more manageable.

7 Needle Knight Leda and Miquella's Followers

Dreadful And Overwhelming

Fighting Needle Knight Leda and the faithful followers of Miquella is one of the most memorable fights in the entire game. Beating them is also required to advance further in the DLC. That's no easy task, however, as the Needle Knight Leda and her company are some of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses.

Unlike many other boss fights, the players must fight several combatants to further their quest in Enir-Ilim. Leda and her companions put up an overwhelming fight, often requiring players to summon ally NPCs.

For that reason, it's also one of the most controversial boss fights, since most players are adamant about beating the game without summoning Mimic Tear Ashes or other allies.

That said, it seems like this specific boss encourages players to depend on summons. Because Leda and her allies gang up on the Tarnished brutally, not giving them a brief moment to breathe.

Despite its unique difficulty, fighting against Leda and several other combatants can be easier with a weapon inflicting Hemorrhage, along with Talismans Lord of Blood's Exultation, and Winged Sword Insignia.

The former increases attack power by 20% for 20 seconds against enemies inflicted by Hemorrhage. Conversely, the latter is a highly effective Talisman that raises attack power with successive attacks.

Combined with an Ash of War that bursts out successive attacks, the chances of emerging victorious rise significantly.

6 Scadutree Avatar

Third Time's The Charm

Scadutree Avatar is one of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses due to the fight's unique nature and three-phased structure. Located in the Shadow Keep, the Avatar has a wide arsenal of powerful moves, slowly unraveling and getting more serious in every phase. It also deals solid Bleed damage and sends out orbs that inflict Holy damage.

What's more, the Tarnished has to deplete Scadutree Avatar's health bar three times before emerging victorious.

While the Avatar starts every phase with a slightly smaller health bar, fighting it is still painful due to its constant 360 attacks and the overly aggressive moveset in the third phase.

It's best to keep aiming for its head and avoiding its lethal charges every time a new phase starts.

5 Metyr, Mother of Fingers

Visually Stunning And Incredibly Frustrating

As one of the optional bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Metyr stands out as an eldritch nightmare shooting out laser beams and constantly bursting out AoE attacks.

She is an amalgamation of arms and fingers and tends to call them to her aid during the fight. Her unpredictable move set and helping hands make her one of the toughest bosses the DLC throws our way.

Despite having a ton of twisted fingers, Metyr can navigate her way around quite fast to eradicate the Tarnished. She comes up with extremely fast attacks that deal solid damage out of nowhere, too.

Although she can be frustrating to take down, aiming for her fleshy stomach is critical in eradicating this Lovecraftian horror. Since she consists of hands and fingers, Metyr also hates paper cuts. So ensure you're running with a Bleed-focused build to drain her health pool.

Otherwise, it will take much longer to take her down, since she can traverse the distance between herself and the player in the blink of an eye, constantly jumping to attack and stepping backward to shoot out laser beams.

Although difficult to beat by builds lacking a focus on Bleed, it's one of the most stunning boss fights in Shadow of the Erdtree, perfectly showcasing FromSoftware's talent in environmental design.

4 Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

Dark Souls 3's Dancer Meets Bloodborne's Orphan

Rellana is arguably one of the best bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, as it's a brilliant result of FromSoftware's experience at tailoring fast-paced one-on-one boss fights.

Fighting Rellana feels like fighting against the Dark Souls trilogy's Pontiff Sulyvahn, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and Artorias the Abysswalker simultaneously.

That's because Rellana is a master swordsman wielding dual swords and bursting out extremely aggressive attacks. Although incredibly powerful in close-quarters combat, Rellana is also dangerous at range. In fact, some of the most powerful attacks in her attack pattern are her ranged attacks.

Fortunately, those boasting a Frozen Lightning Spear will have a much better time during the fight, since Rellana is prone to lightning.

As the twin sister of one of the pushover bosses in the base game, Rennala, this moon-exploding knight is undoubtedly one of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses, for sure.

3 Messmer the Impaler

He Is The DLC's Frontman, After All

As the star of the long-awaited expansion pack, Messmer the Impaler is undoubtedly one of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses. He is extremely aggressive and has an incredibly wide arsenal of powerful and unpredictable attacks.

In close combat, Messmer heavily depends on her fiery spear and deals powerful damage with unrelenting spear combos. However, he's just as unforgiving when it comes to attacking from a distance, as his spear reaches pretty much anywhere in the boss arena.

Mastering to dodge his attacks, or being lucky enough to survive the first phase is far from easy. The fight gets even more brutal when Messmer transforms into a huge serpent and deals massive Elemental Damage.

FromSoftware designed Messmer to push the players to their limits. That's why it's essential to collect as many Scadutree Fragment as possible before facing Messmer and his sneaky moves.

2 Bayle the Dread

The Dragonlord of Extreme Damage And Camera Issues

Bayle the Dread is the culmination of FromSoftware's years of expertise in creating tough fights against dragons. Bayle might bag the prize as one of the hardest dragon battles in the entirety of the studio's games as well, including Dragonlord Placidusax in the base game.

The Bayle boss fight in Shadow of the Erdtree combines stellar presentation with annoying design choices. Although the anticipation is high and the arena seems amazing, Bayle's immense size invokes the classic camera issue that has troubled many FromSoftware games before.

In addition, almost every attack by Bayle causes players to lose half their health. But the crown goes to the notorious sweeping attack in the second phase, which nearly one-shots even the heftiest builds.

Bayle the Dread is easily one of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses, as it requires players to achieve near-perfection to emerge victorious.

1 Radahn, Consort of Miquella

Arguably The Hardest Fight in FromSoftware's History

The Promised Consort of Miquella, General Radahn, is the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree boss. It's also one of the most controversial bosses of Elden Ring, as the players believed that his link to Miquella the Kind was not signaled quite properly in the base game.

Although the lore is always open to discussion, probably everyone who faced Radahn would agree in unison, that his fight is probably the most difficult boss fight in Elden Ring and FromSoftware history.

Radahn initiates the fight with extremely fast attacks and ensures that no place in the arena is safe. After swinging his dual colossal swords, he uses his Gravity Magic to deal with strong long-range attacks.

But the difficulty and the sheer epicness of the fight reach new heights when he enters the second phase, embracing the support of Kindly Miquella on his back.

The second phase starts with a massive AoE attack encompassing the entire arena. On top of that, Radahn constantly uses a series of Holy-based abilities, giving you a tiny window to land a hit.

Everything about this fight is enough to call Radahn, Consort of Miquella, the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree boss.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Base Game

Elden Ring

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

June 21, 2024

Developer(s)

FromSoftware

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , FromSoftware

Genre

Soulslike , RPG

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

File Size PlayStation

16.502 GB