FromSoftware has made a name for itself for more than a decade by crafting carefully paced and extremely rewarding experiences. It is also recognized for its games being notoriously difficult, although never unfair, making victory that much sweeter once players manage to overcome an obstacle. All of these design principles reached a peak with last year’sElden Ring, a sprawlingfantasy open-world RPGwith a stunning environment to explore and countless mysteries to discover. It was lauded by critics and players alike, with some going as far as to consider it the developer’s magnum opus and the culmination of everything it had achieved prior.
Naturally, alongside its massive open world, FromSoftware still maintained its trademark difficulty inElden Ring. This high level of challenge permeates throughout the entire game, from random enemy encounters while exploring the world to terrifying death traps sprung on the player while exploring ancient tombs. Rather, the true danger in traversing the world ofElden Ringis coming face to face with any of its nightmarish boss battles. With so many brutal opponents to square off with, the question arises about which boss battle is truly the most difficult in all ofElden Ring. While the overall difficulty of a boss may range from player to player, the toughest battles inElden Ringare generally considered to be those listed below.
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Fire Giant
Although the character has a fairly generic name, it is the definition of not judging a book by its cover. Living up to the latter half of its name, the Fire Giant towers over the player like one of the manybosses fromShadow of the Colossus. Taking up so much space on the screen, Fire Giant’s attacks are slow but massive, resulting in a push-and-pull dynamic where the player needs to keep distance but also stay relatively close enough in order to land attacks.
As if its gargantuan shield being used as a blunt weapon wasn’t enough,Elden Ring’s Fire Giantis also capable of throwing a bevy of fire-based projectile attacks at the player. The sheer size of this boss is the reason for much of the challenge, as his attacks sometimes happen off-screen and his hitboxes to be susceptible to damage can be a bit finicky. However, if players keep trying, it results in a satisfying ‘David and Goliath’ triumph for overcoming such a colossal foe.
Malekith
Switching from a giant and slow boss to one that is smaller and infinitely faster, Malekith ranks as one of the most fast-paced encounters, not just inElden Ringbut for all of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games. Malekith’s move set is deceptively swift, and as he lurks around the battlefield, pacing toward the player, his attacks are purposely designed to throw gamers off guard. Building upon thetiming-based combat inSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Malekith’s many attacks require pitch-perfect reaction time and paying careful attention to his movements to properly dodge and counter.
Some of these attacks also have a purposeful delay, tricking players to dodge too early resulting in an even more punishing blow. The real kicker is that this is all just the first phase of the fight, with Malekith eventually transforming into an even deadlier second form. He is then able to leap all around the stage and toss red energy beams from his sword that scatter across the entire screen, leaving little wiggle room to evade and find an opening.
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Radagon of the Golden Order/Elden Beast
Technically speaking, these are two separate boss battles. However, players need to square off againstRadagon and Elden Beastback to back, resulting in a vicious one-two punch that essentially amounts to one extended confrontation. Radagon is up first, and he is a sadistically challenging boss to contend with, forcing players to utilize all they have learned in order to survive. He has a huge arsenal of attacks, ranging from simple melee combat to damaging moves that cover a great amount of space in the stage, all of which require an entirely new strategy to evade and counter against.
Although it may be tempting, it’s important not to use up all ofElden Ring’s healing itemshere, as there is still the second part of the fight against theElden Beast, who is no slouch either. The Elden Beast mostly attacks from a distance with devastating ranged attacks that can eat up the health bar if not dodged effectively. It’s a gauntlet, but hugely rewarding to defeat both of these bosses in a row.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Although an obvious inclusion for all those who playedElden Ring,Malenia’s status as one of the hardest bossesin any FromSoftware game should not be understated. She is the perfect storm of any individual component that players would claim as challenging from another battle. Malenia’s onslaught is not only lightning fast, but unfathomably vicious, with any one attack chewing up large chunks of the player’s health.
Similar to Malekith above, she also has deceptive combo attacks that can trick the player and open them up to even more damage, all while she is able to heal herself after landing every blow. Topping that all off is her signature move, the Waterfowl Dance Attack, a stunning sight to behold but simultaneously one of the most crushing attacks in anySoulsborne game. It’s unabashedly difficult and sums up FromSoftware’s design philosophies in what is often ranked as the single toughest boss battle in the entire game.
Elden Ringis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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