Elden Ring: All bosses in order, base game and DLC

Every important boss you need to make sure you fight in Elden Ring, including Shadow of the Erdtree.

From Software/Bandai Namco

Elden Ring is a massive game with so many paths you can potentially take, but not much direction on which one is best. If you ride your noble steed in the wrong direction for too long, you can get lost in a high-level area and find yourself taken down quickly by the monstrous inhabitants. It’s best to take the game in a set order, only you’re never expressly told what order that is.

If you want to take things at a fair pace and beat bosses in order of their overall challenge, then you need our list of all Elden Ring bosses in order. We’ve listed all of the bosses you need to defeat over the course of the game, and we’ve outlined which order you should tackle them in, so you don’t beat your head against a wall that doesn’t need to come down yet.

We've updated this guide with the bosses from the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC too, so you can tick off all of the game's most important challenges.

Elden Ring base game bosses

This is a collection of main bosses, and big bosses that you should make sure not to ignore in your journey across The Lands Between. There are a bunch of other excellent encounters if you want to dig around for everything you can find, but these should be considered the essentials.

1. Margit, the Fell Omen

Margit, the Fell Omen / Bandai Namco

The first big boss you need to take down is surprisingly tough compared to your usual Souls game battles. You need to take down Margit in order to reach Godrick and claim his Great Rune. Margit is located in Stormveil Castle.

2. Godrick the Grafted

Godrick the Grafted / Bandai Namco

Yes, then comes Godrick. Arguably much easier to take down than Margit, but even more necessary for completion of the game. Godrick is deeper within Stormveil castle than Margit.

3. Red Wolf of Radagon

Red Wolf of Radagon / Bandai Namco

Found with the Academy of Raya Lucaria, the Red Wolf of Radagon is fast and shoots a lot of spells around the battlefield. You can adjust to and begin to predict its movements if you focus, but if you don’t have that patience, Spirit Ashes help too.

4. Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon

Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon / Bandai Namco

Another boss required to earn a Great Rune, Rennala is the final boss of the Academy of Raya Lucaria. After defeating them, Rennala allows you to reset your stats and change your build.

5. Royal Knight Loretta

Royal Knight Loretta / Bandai Namco

The final boss of Caria Manor, Royal Knight Loretta shouldn't be skipped. She's a ghost, though, so your bleed tactics won't work here.

6. Starscourge Radahn

Starscourge Radahn / Bandai Namco

Another Great Rune bearer, Radahn rules the wastelands of Caelid, and can only be fought after the start of the Radahn Festival in Redmane Castle. If you’ve already been to Redmane Castle, the event will start in the room where you beat the boss of the initial castle.

7. Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy

Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy / Bandai Namco

You only need two Great Runes to get an ending in Elden Ring, but Rykard has yet another, and can be found in Volcano Manor in the Northwestern portion of the Lands Between.

8. Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade)

Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade) / Bandai Namco

Godfrey is a mean and powerful boss, lurking in Leyndell. Except, this isn’t actually Godfrey, merely a shade, just a taste of his true power.

9. Morgot, the Omen King

Morgot, the Omen King / Bandai Namco

It’s Margit again! Sort of. Morgot is stronger, though looks very similar, and is another candidate for Elden Lord – or at least was, before becoming malformed and rejected by the Golden Order. Most of the moveset here will be familiar thanks to Margit, but Morgot is vicious and even stronger.

10. Fire Giant

Fire Giant / Bandai Namco

The Fire Giant has a big face in its stomach, and it’s a bit terrifying. This boss can crush you quickly, but if you’re a spellcaster, casting from horseback is the safest way to tackle this boss. Otherwise, you could stock up on arrows?

11. Godskin Duo

Godskin Duo / Bandai Namco

The Godskin Duo is gross, and worse than that, there are two of them. If you’ve been exploring diligently, you’ve probably already come across both of these bosses separately, but here they’re tougher, and necessary to beat. The best advice is to use Spirit Ashes to distract one of them, and then focus on whichever one you feel most confident in defeating.

12. Maliketh, the Black Blade

Maliketh, the Black Blade / Bandai Namco

This is one of the coolest bosses in the game, and will devastate you with incredibly swift attacks if you’re not careful. 

13. Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void / Bandai Namco

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, is an optional boss, but it's necessary if you're following Ranni's questline, and wish to access every area in Elden Ring.

14. Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing

Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing / Bandai Namco

While Gideon has been good to you in Roundtable Hold, he’s not so kind once you encounter him out in the open. He doesn’t believe a Tarnished can become Elden Lord, and won’t even allow you to try, attempt to end you before you get the chance. Bad news for him.

15. Godfrey, First Elden Lord and Hoarah Loux

Godfrey, First Elden Lord and Hoarah Loux / Bandai Namco

Godfrey’s true form looks incredibly imposing, with a ghostly lion chomping into his shoulder. But once you whittle his health away, he kills the lion, revealing that it was actually sapping his power, and his true, unbound form is Hoarah Loux, an incredible brawler that can piledriver you into the ground.

16. Radagon of the Golden Order

Radagon of the Golden Order / Bandai Namco

Another two-for-one boss battle, Radagon is the mysterious character you’ve been hearing about since the beginning of the game, and while he’s falling apart, he brims with the holy power of the Golden Order. But once he’s done, the true nature of the Elden Ring is revealed, and you must overcome the cosmic Elden Beast.

17. Elden Beast

Elden Beast / Bandai Namco

This manifestation of the Greater Will is incredibly fearsome, but a recent patch has actually added the ability to use Torrent when battling it, making going solo much easier when it decides to run away. Its sword swings are pretty easy to dodge through, so as long as you manage to dodge all the holy spells too, you will win. This is technically the final boss, but there's more to see and do.

18. Loretta, Knight of Haligtree

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree / Bandai Namco

Remember Loretta? She's back, in non-ghost form. Yes, this is the true Loretta, the last one being some kind of astral projection or spirit left to guard Caria Manor. This is where the real Loretta is, guarding the Haligtree.

19. Malenia, Goddess of Rot

Malenia, Goddess of Rot / Bandai Namco

But wait, there’s more! Yes we’ve skipped over a bunch of optional bosses, but you shouldn’t ignore Malenia who rests in the Haligtree, past Ordina to the North of the Consecrated Snowfield. Malenia is arguably the toughest boss in the base game, and shouldn’t be ignored under any circumstances. It has been proven that talented players can solo her, so there’s no excuse.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC bosses

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is out now, and is actually pretty light when it comes to essential bosses. To make the most of this DLC expansion you should make sure to dig through every catacomb and dungeon, and don’t miss any of the Nameless Mausoleums.

20. Divine Beast Dancing Lion

Divine Beast Dancing Lion / Bandai Namco

Likely the first boss you’ll encounter – after the Blackgaol Knight, of course – the Divine Beast Dancing Lion is a mysterious creature that seems to actually be at least two creatures connected by a thin cloth. If uses elemental attacks and swift swipes, and makes for a good introduction to the DLC.

21. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

Rellana, Twin Moon Knight / Bandai Namco

One of the coolest bosses in the DLC, Rellana can be missed entirely if you use the Castle Ensis skip. You probably shouldn’t do that, though, as Rellana is an awesome fight, and worth suffering through for the spectacle alone.

22. Romina, Saint of the Bud

Romina, Saint of the Bud / Bandai Namco

Romina defends the bud that you must burn using Messmer’s flames, and she’s a bit easier to take on, so go for her first.

23. Messmer the Impaler

Messmer the Impaler / Bandai Namco

Messmer’s fiery attacks and snake transformations will keep you on your toes, and will end up being one of the biggest challenges of the DLC.

24. Ancient Dragon-Man

Ancient Dragon-Man / Bandai Namco

Defeating the Ancient Dragon-Man is required to access the Jagged Peak, which hides a bunch more optional bosses, so make sure to take him down.

25. Putrescent Knight

Putrescent Knight / Bandai Namco

Found deep within the Stone Coffin Fissure, the Putrescent Knight is a volatile horse that has been cut in two and made to have each half function independently – I think. Regardless, it’s gross, and it must be destroyed to visit St. Trina with Thiollier. 

26. Scadutree Avatar

Scadutree Avatar / Bandai Namco

Found at the base of the Scadutree, you must fight three Scadutree Avatars in a row. Luckily, they’re not too tough, and take major damage when hit in the head.

27. Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame

Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame / Bandai Namco

Hiding in a manor deep within the Abyssal Woods, Midra is the Lord of Frenzied Flame, and he has the strength to prove it. Don’t get overconfident and take this battle one step at a time. It starts easy, but ramps up in difficulty fast.

28. Metyr, Mother of Fingers

Metyr, Mother of Fingers / Bandai Namco

Metyr, and our next boss Count Ymir, can only be fought if you complete the secretive Finger Ruins questline. Metyr is particular is unlike any other boss in the base game or DLC, making it an essential fight that you simply must experience.

29. Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers

Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers / Bandai Namco

Count Ymir is the final battle in the Finger Ruins questline – remember that you’ll need a secret emote to complete this questline.

30. Bayle the Dread

Bayle the Dread / Bandai Namco

The second toughest fight in the DLC goes to the great dragon resting at the top of the Jagged Peak, Bayle the Dread. A dragon so fearsome that other dragons and dragon worshippers want him dead. Make sure to guide Igon up the mountain and speak with the Dragon Communion Priestess for more help with this fight.

31. Needle Knight Leda

Needle Knight Leda / Bandai Namco

Needle Knight Leda will assault you before you can take on the final boss of the DLC, and she’ll come with a bunch of companions, too. How many companions actually depends on what character quests you completed during your time in the Land of Shadow, so make sure to get everything done before this fight in Enir-Ilim.

32. Radahn, Consort of Miquella

Radahn, Consort of Miquella / Bandai Namco

The final boss of the DLC, Promised Consort Radahn is Radahn’s spirit, heart stolen by Miquella, in the corpse of Mohg, Lord of Blood. It’s complicated and a bit gross, but the point remains: the Radahn Festival is not over yet, and it’s up to you to bring it all to a close.