Throughout the years, FromSoftware has made a name for itself in the gaming community for creating rage-inducing enemies and bosses that have even forced players to quit. And, even though Elden Ring is a little more forgiving towards the newer audience, it doesn't mean that the bosses within the Lands Between are easy to beat (even if players use a detailed guide to help them out).
Fortunately, Elden Ring gives players the freedom to explore and choose their battles, especially for optional world bosses. But, some of the best items are guarded by these ill-omened creatures, which means players will need to face them eventually. And while some players have discovered ways to cheese certain world bosses, others have proven to be challenging even with cheese strategies.
Updated May 5, 2022 by Daniel Dilena: FromSoftware has significantly improved Elden Ring in recent patches, from improving certain Incantations to slightly buffing and nerfing World Bosses. And with these buffs and nerfs, some of Elden Ring's World Bosses have moved around on the difficulty scale. Moreover, some previously "easy" bosses have become some of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring, providing a more formidable challenge to the Tarnished in the Lands Between.
15 Spirit-Caller Snail
At first glance, the Spirit-Caller snail seems to hardly fit the category of hardest boss in Elden Ring, but the truth is it can put up a fearsome fight to players unaware of its unique skills, especially the one found in Spiritcaller Cave.
And that's because this world boss can summon Godskin Apostle and Godskin Noble, both of which are among the hardest bosses in Elden Ring. Players can avoid fighting the Godskin Duo by killing the Spirit-Caller Snail, but the only issue is that the Spirt-Caller Snail is invisible for most of the fight.
14 Black Blade Kindred
Players have probably seen the Black Blade Kindred world boss in front of the Bestial Sanctum, simply standing there, not even trying to attack the player, even if they pass in front of it. But, everything changes as soon as the player initiates the fight, and at that point, the Black Blade Kindred will show the player why it's the guardian of the Bestial Sanctum.
The Black Blade Kindred starts with short-ranged sword attacks but quickly switches over to its powerful Halbred that can insta-kill most players. Fortunately, players familiar with Scarlet Rot Incantations will do away with this world boss with relative ease.
13 Ulcerated Tree Spirit
Even though the Ulcerated Tree Spirit isn't the hardest boss in Elden Ring, it can be difficult to beat since it's the first optional world boss that players can encounter (if they chose the Stonesword keepsake) in Fringefolk Hero's Grave, which is located after completing the tutorial area of the game.
For the most part, players can avoid most of its attacks with well-timed dodges. But, the main reason the Ulcerated Spirit is among the hardest bosses in Elden Ring is that if one of its attacks lands, then its game is over.
12 Bell Bearing Hunter
One aspect of Elden Ring that makes it stand out from previous titles is that of random events that occur throughout a player's journey through Lands Between. And one event that players will most likely not forget is facing the Bell Bearing Hunter since this world boss only appears at night in specific Sites of Grace (Warmaster's Shack, Church of Vows, Hermit Merchant's Shack, or Isolated Merchant).
The Bell Bearing Hunter can be challenging to fight since he's an extremely aggressive world boss that'll punish any mistakes players make while facing him. The best tactic against the Bell Bearing Hunter is to use the Brass Shield since it can negate all of his attacks.
11 Runebear
Without a doubt, Lesser Runebears can be equally challenging (and annoying) as some of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring, so players can expect the world boss version to prove even more difficult. For the most part, the Runebear has the same move sets as its lesser counterpart, with the only difference being that it has more health and hits harder.
But, the reason why it's not ranked higher is that there's a rare bug that can occur during the fight that will make the Runebear fall through the floor, killing it instantly. In order to replicate the bug players will need to button mash while it grabs them, but players should keep in mind that it doesn't always work.
10 Necromancer Garris
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Necromancer Garris may seem like an easy fight, mostly since he doesn't look like the other grotesque-looking world bosses, but appearances can be deceiving. This world boss has several ranged magic attacks that can stagger to oblivion an unsuspecting player. For example, one of these attacks spawns skulls that'll hone into the player, causing massive damage.
Moreover, Necromancer Garris is constantly summoning skeletal warriors that'll catch players by surprise if they're not careful. But beating him will grant the player the powerful Family Heads Flail, one of the few weapons that scale well throughout the game. Fortunately, FromSoftware slightly nerfed his summoning attacks in patch 1.04, which makes his fight a lot more manageable than before.
9 Decaying Ekzykes
Fighting a dragon is already a challenge since players need to dodge an onslaught of flying-type attacks, but Decaying Ekzykes brings another type of attack into the mix: Rot Breath. And for players already acquainted with Scarlet Rot, they know that once the meter is full, they'll lose a huge chunk of HP.
But, the real issue with Decaying Ekzykes is that it has three different Rot Breath attacks: Rot Breath (Straight), Rot Breath (Ground), and Rot Breath (Sweeping). But, players who manage to defeat Decaying Ekzykes will obtain a Dragon Heart, which allows them to purchase powerful skills.
8 Godskin Apostle
Godskin Apostle is the bane of most melee builds since some of his skills trigger if the player is within a certain distance. Moreover, his Black Flame attack (which is his bread and butter as he'll spam it a lot) is a fast fire-based projectile that'll damage not only the player but also cause DoT (damage over time) for a couple of seconds.
And once this world boss's HP falls below 60%, he'll gain a whole new set of attacks, the worse of them all being Black Flame Whirlwind. Players who would like to mimic some of his attacks should look for the Godskin Prayerbook, which imbues a weapon with Black Flame.
7 Crucible Knight
One of the reasons why Crucible Knight is among the hardest world bosses in the FromSoftware universe is that it has an absurd amount of Resistances. On top of that, the Crucible Knight is immune to Hemorrhage, making Bleeding-type builds ineffective.
Seismic Wave is one of the Crucible Knight's most powerful attacks, which is quite difficult to dodge since it's an AOE attack that breaks poise and staggers the player. The only way of successfully beating this world boss is to study his attack patterns or read a detailed guide about beating him.
6 Godskin Duo
What's worse than fighting a Godskin world boss? Fighting two Godskin bosses that resurrect each other until their HP bar is depleted. The Godskin Duo is among the toughest multi-boss fights in Elden Ring since they'll relentlessly pin down a player with their combos. And because of their difficulty, players will need to use Spirit Summons to beat them as trying to face them through conventional methods will only lead to death.
Fortunately, the Mimic Tear Ashes can get the job done, so players should prioritize finding this item before facing the Godskin Duo. But, with the help of the guide created by PowerPyx, players can study their attack patterns and learn how to defeat them without rage-quitting.
5 Fallingstar Beast
Even though the Fallingstar Beast is easier to beat for magic wielders, due to its Magic and Incantation weakness, it's still quite a formidable world boss to encounter, even more for melee players. Players who fight the Fallingstar Beast in the Sellia Crystal Tunnel will struggle to dodge most of its attacks since the tunnel is cramped.
Moreover, the Rock Throw attack is among its most lethal attacks since it'll summon a giant rock that'll hone in on the player no matter how far they are. But beating this boss will grant the much desired Smithing Stone 7, one of the many ways to obtain one.
4 Trio Crystalians
Even though players may have encountered and beat a single Crystalian boss while traversing Raya Lucaria, nothing compares to fighting a trio of Crystalians in Sellia Hideway. This trio comprises a Crystalian wielding a Spear, a Ringblade Crystalian, and a magic caster Crystalian, which means players will need to adapt to range and melee attacks.
But, FromSoftware didn't think that was enough since they also made each attack deal Scarlet Rot, which is why they're among the hardest world bosses to fight. So, players who want to take up the challenge of beating these bosses will need to understand how to cure Scarlet Rot or die to it.
3 Draconic Tree Sentinel
Players most likely remember fighting (or avoiding) the optional world boss Tree Sentinel when they first arrive in the Land Betweens. But, this version of the Tree Sentinel is far stronger and has even more powerful attacks and counters. The DraconicTree Sentinel is extremely powerful against melee users since he can use Horse Stomp and Shield Smash to stagger a player quickly.
Worse yet, the Draconic Tree Sentinel has a long-ranged attack (Lightning Wave) that he ends with a Thunderous Smite, both of which are difficult to dodge. Before patch 1.03, the Draconic Tree Sentinel was far from being the hardest boss in Elden Ring since players were able to cheese the fight from a safe distance, but after the 1.03 patch, FromSoftware changed the boss's fighting mechanics which no longer allows players to face him from a safe distance.
2 Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader
Some players argue that Spirit Summons are too OP in Elden Ring since they can distract a boss from attacking the player, but when fighting Alecto Black Knife Ringleader, those players surely wish they could use Spirit Summon. Apart from not being able to use Spirit Summons or Co-op Multiplayer, this world boss will barrage players with quick attacks that even the most seasoned player will not be able to block.
Furthermore, her Blade of Death attack applies a powerful DoT effect and reduces the player's maximum HP. These are only a few reasons why this world boss is the second most difficult to beat in Elden Ring. But beating her will allow players to use one of the most powerful Spirit Summons in the game: Black Knife Tiche.
1 Malenia Blade Of Miquella
Malenia Blade of Miquella was the first Elden Ring boss fans saw in E3 2021, but surprisingly enough, this world boss is completely optional even if she was FromSoftware's mascot for Elden Ring. But, this world boss is by far the most difficult encounter in the entire game since she has two fight phases, both of which have powerful attacks.
And to make matters worse, many of her attacks are AOE, so players will need to perform well-timed dodges to avoid getting staggered. Moreover, during her second phase, she flies up in the air and creates phantom versions of herself that'll track the player's movement. Hopefully, with the help of xHolmesWalkthroughsx7's video guide, players will be able to defeat her.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.