Elden Ring Boss Guide: Toughest Bosses and How to Beat Them

FromSoftware’s 2022 masterpiece Elden Ring presents players with an extraordinary array of demanding boss encounters throughout the Lands Between. These formidable opponents test your adaptability, reaction speed, and strategic thinking at every turn.

Each confrontation demands precise execution where single missteps can prove fatal, regardless of weapon strength or NPC assistance. The bosses featured here represent the game’s most punishing challenges, each possessing diverse move sets that will repeatedly send you back to Sites of Grace. Proper preparation with upgraded equipment and strategic loadouts becomes essential for survival.

This guide covers five of Elden Ring’s most demanding encounters, providing location details and battle-tested strategies for overcoming each.

Widely recognized as Elden Ring’s most formidable opponent, Malenia presents a unique challenge by breaking FromSoftware conventions with her health regeneration on every successful strike. Located deep within Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, her arena sits directly below the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace.

Approaching this fight requires reaching at minimum level 120 with optimized gear. She demonstrates particular vulnerability to frostbite, fire damage, and hemorrhage effects, making weapons and spells specializing in these damage types highly effective.

Her combat style combines relentless aggression with deceptive retreat patterns, creating minimal attack windows. The infamous Waterfowl Dance attack stands as her most lethal technique, capable of completely depleting health bars if caught in its full sequence.

Phase One Strategy: Focus on creating stun-lock opportunities through perfectly timed attacks while utilizing spirit summons to distract her attention. Position yourself behind her during summon engagements to maximize damage output safely.

Waterfowl Dance Counter: When she leaps airborne and begins spinning, time your dodge to roll into her after the second slash sequence completes. This positioning avoids subsequent strikes while opening counter-attack windows.

Phase Two Adaptation: Her new wings obscure attack animations, making pattern recognition more challenging. Maintain distance when uncertain about her next move and capitalize on stun opportunities when they present themselves.

Accessing Maliketh requires progressing through Crumbling Farum Azula after conquering the Mountaintop of Giants, defeating the Fire Giant, and igniting the Erdtree. This confrontation represents one of Elden Ring’s most punishing tests, demanding character levels between 110-130 with maximized weapon upgrades.

Both phases feature extreme aggression with most attacks capable of eliminating you in one or two hits, leaving minimal margin for error.

Essential Preparation: Acquire the Ash of War: Flame of the Redmanes from north of Fort Gael in Caelid. Equip a 100% physical defense shield for phase one survival. Initial attempts should focus on learning his limited but devastating move set rather than immediate victory attempts.

Phase Execution: Deploy your spirit summon to draw aggression, then play defensively while waiting for openings. Execute Flame of the Redmanes twice rapidly to trigger stun states, enabling critical eye strikes.

Advanced Stun-Lock Technique: Once stunned in phase two, maintain continuous Flame of the Redmanes casting to perpetuate the stun state indefinitely. This approach requires only initial stun achievement to maintain control throughout the remainder of the encounter.

Mohg presents unique accessibility challenges as a concealed boss requiring specific item acquisition before engagement becomes feasible. His location within Mohgwyn Palace beneath Siofra River becomes accessible through a portal west of Consecrated Snowfield.

Mandatory Counter Items: Secure Mohg’s Shackle and Purifying Crystal Tear before attempting this battle. These items dramatically alter encounter difficulty and survival probability.

Phase One Combat: Mohg employs limited but deceptive attack patterns. His trident strikes feature variable timing but remain blockable with proper shields. The Blood Claw technique manifests in two distinct forms requiring different evasion approaches.

Critical Observation: Monitor his left hand for attack telegraphing. The front-handed Blood Claw strike’s slower animation makes avoidance straightforward, typically followed by trident swipe combinations.

Flask Conservation Priority: Minimize healing item usage during initial phase to preserve resources for the significantly more demanding second stage.

Phase Two Escalation: Mohg grows wings, enhancing all attacks with blood and fire damage components. His new trident combo introduces floating blood shower initiation before dash attacks and ground explosion finishes.

Advanced Dodge Sequencing: Execute roll towards him during initial dash, side roll for subsequent swing, and double backward dodges to avoid trident plant detonations.

The culminating battle against Radagon and Elden Beast represents your final obstacle to becoming Elden Lord. This sequential encounter unfolds within the Erdtree at Leyndell’s Ashen Capital (Elden Throne).

Radagon Engagement: Characterized by extended, delayed attack chains and multiple area-of-effect abilities. His triple hammer ground slam presents the greatest threat, telegraphed by raising his right hand overhead.

Pattern Recognition: The first two hammer impacts occur rapidly while the third strike features significant delay. None should connect with proper directional dodging into his positioning.

Critical Evasion: Dodge directionally toward Radagon during his attack animations to position behind him safely. Both bosses possess lethal grab attacks requiring specific counter measures.

Elden Beast Tactics: Remain positioned beneath the creature during combat or behind it when area-effect abilities activate.

Arena Navigation Challenge: The Elden Beast frequently relocates across the battlefield, demanding constant positional adjustment. Its grab attack telegraphs with left hand illumination forming distinctive yellow sphere with dark core.

Grab Counter Options: Maintain distance from the attack initiation or execute dodge directly into the boss to avoid capture. This extended engagement requires patience and repeated pattern practice for mastery.

Accessing Starscourge Radahn requires portal travel to Redmane Castle in Caelid after initiating the Radahn Festival event.

Damage Vulnerability Profile: Effective against pierce damage, magic attacks, fire elements, scarlet rot applications, and lightning strikes.

Initial Phase Strategy: Dodge his opening arrow volleys precisely before impact. Depending on previous character interactions, up to five NPC summons become available initially for distraction purposes.

Mounted Combat Approach: Utilize Torrent for hit-and-run tactics, maintaining mobility against his surprising agility despite massive size.

Phase Transition: Radahn vanishes concluding phase one, reappearing as meteor impact with enhanced aggression and magical potency.

Summon Management: While he focuses on NPC allies, maintain aggressive mounted assaults. These summons eventually perish but remain resurrectable throughout the encounter.

Advanced Evasion: Immediately retreat when observing purple energy weapon charging animations. His strikes deliver tremendous force regardless of defense levels, making avoidance paramount throughout this extended confrontation.

No reproduction without permission：OnLineGames Guides » Elden Ring Boss Guide: Toughest Bosses and How to Beat Them Master Elden Ring's toughest bosses with expert strategies, phase breakdowns, and actionable combat checklists