Bosses
Bosses are powerful enemies that can be encountered in Elden Ring. Bosses can be found roaming the overworld or inside one of the many locations in the Lands Between. There are in total 238 bosses.
Overview
Several key indicators can identify a boss fight. Firstly, the music changes to a more intense or dramatic score. A health bar and the boss's name appear prominently at the bottom of the screen. Bosses yield a larger amount of Runes when defeated, and their items rewards are added directly to the inventory. Unlike common enemies, bosses are not revived when the player rests at a Site of Grace.
If the player challenges the dungeon boss, they are trapped within the room by a fog wall until the boss is defeated. If the player is defeated, they may be required to pass through a fog gate to rechallenge the boss. Some difficult bosses may be encountered early on, which can drive player exploration.
Mandatory bosses
Over two hundred bosses are available to fight, but only a few must be beaten to finish the game. These bosses are encountered after acquiring two Great Runes and gaining access to Leyndell, Royal Capital. The boss fights that are not optional and must be beaten to progress include:
- Any two Shardbearers[1]
- Draconic Tree Sentinel or Fia's Champions
- Godfrey, First Elden Lord
- Morgott, the Omen King
- Fire Giant
- Godskin Duo
- Maliketh, the Black Blade
- Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing
- Godfrey, First Elden Lord
- Radagon of the Golden Order
- Elden Beast
Two bosses must be defeated in order to access the Shadow of the Erdtree:
Similarly, the bosses mandatory for completing the Shadow of the Erdtree are:
Shardbearers
Two or more Great Runes are required to break a seal and enter Leyndell, Royal Capital. Two Shardbearers must be defeated to complete the story:
Facing the shardbearers
Certain bosses or events must be completed before the shardbearers can be fought.
- Godrick the Grafted (Stormveil Castle, Limgrave):
- Defeat Margit, the Fell Omen and navigate Stormveil Castle
- Mohg, Lord of Blood (Mohgwyn Palace, Siofra River):
- Use the Pureblood Knight's Medal, given by Varre after completing his quest at Rose Church, or take the waygate in the Consecrated Snowfield
- Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon (Academy of Raya Lucaria, Liurnia of the Lakes):
- Defeat Red Wolf of Radagon and navigate the Academy of Raya Lucaria
- Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy (Volcano Manor, Mt. Gelmir):
- Speak to Tanith at the Volcano Manor after completing all three of her contracts, or take the waygate after defeating the Godskin Noble in the Volcano Manor
- Starscourge Radahn (Redmane Castle, Caelid):
- Speak to Jerren at Redmane Castle after reaching Altus Plateau or defeating the Crucible Knight & Misbegotten Warrior duo
Remembrance Bosses
Defeating a Remembrance Boss will award their corresponding Remembrance, which may be traded to Finger Reader Enia for one of two unique items. Additionally, the Remembrance is unlocked for Remembrance Duplication at any Wandering Mausoleum or Remembrance Duplication Coffin. Unlocked Remembrances do not carry over to New Game+ (NG+).
List of bosses
See also the Bosses category.
Notes
- The two ways into Leyndell are blocked by bosses:
- Route A: Defeat any two Shardbearers and then Draconic Tree Sentinel.
- Route B: Defeat any one Shardbearer, Starscourge Radahn, Mimic Tear, Valiant Gargoyles, and then Fia's Champions.