Elden Ring - Ranking the Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses: Tier List
Jul. 17, 2024Elden Ring – Ranking the Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses: Tier List
In thisShadow of the Erdtreearticle, I will rank all the major bosses in theDLCbased on my personal opinion. This ranking is informed by my extensive experience with eachboss, including hours spent on boss guides, testing different builds, exploring theirlore, and enjoying their original soundtracks.
We have ranked all major DLC bosses based on their Desing, Moveset, Difficulty and Music Score. We skipped the minor and field bosses or regular enemies, but made sure to add the impressive non-remembrance dragon battle that everyone loves. Make sure to check out ourShadow of the Erdtree Reviewand ourElden Ring Review, as well as our extensive list ofBuilds, such asBest Faith BuildsandBest Dexterity Builds.
DesignB
MovesetB
DifficultyC
MusicC
LoreB
Starting this list at number 11, we haveCommander Gaius, who is arguably the most disliked boss in this DLC. Despite his low ranking, I don’t have too many issues with him. His design is quite intriguing, resemblingGyoubu Oniwabut riding a boar. His moveset is diverse, incorporating gravity moves that make him feel complete. The first time I saw him rise into the air and barrel roll into me at Mach 12 speed was both hilarious and terrifying. Unfortunately, beyond that, there isn’t much positive to say. His difficulty would be acceptable if not for one move—his charge attack—which has a strange after-effect hitbox that is extremely hard to dodge. His lore, while somewhat interesting asRadahn’sfriendly rival and anAlbinauric, is rather shallow. The music in this fight is also basic and uninspiring. For these reasons,Commander Gaiusis at the bottom of my tier list, though he is not the worst boss FromSoftware has ever created.
DesignA
MovesetB
DifficultyC
MusicB
LoreS
Next up on the list at number 10, we haveMetyr, Mother of Fingers. This boss’s design is very well done, making you feel creeped out by its weird fingers and spider-like movements. It is somewhat reminiscent of theElden Beastin both its arena and strange form. Its moveset is somewhat lackluster in phase 1 and is generally unfun to fight against. She spawns tiny little hands to annoy you and has some relatively hard-to-dodge attacks that can be frustrating. There’s just not much in her kit that you can dodge and feel satisfied for successfully countering, making the fight feel like a bit of a chore.
The music is a bit better, being a cosmic horror type theme that really captures the atmosphere of this boss. The lore of this creature is actually very interesting, withMetyrbeing the abandoned daughter of theGreater Willand interconnected with the origins of theTwo Fingers. She is definitely one of the highlights in the DLC’s lore, but she is still an overall mediocre boss fight that probably won’t be your most memorable.
DesignA
MovesetB
DifficultyS
MusicB
LoreC
Moving on to number 9 in our best boss tier list in the DLC isScadutree Avatar. This boss was a complete curveball on multiple fronts, being the firstSunflowerboss in aDark Soulsgame, having a rare 3 health bars, and featuring a nuclear explosion attack, making it one of the most memorable boss fights. The design of a heavily wiltedSunflowerhurling its prickly root arms at you is certainly creative, and its moveset is also well-matched with the design, featuring a motif of thorns and bleed along with the cinematic explosion attack.
In terms of difficulty, this is one of the most perfectly balanced bosses inShadow of the Erdtree. The moves are easy to learn and counter, and the boss doesn’t feel like a chore despite the triple health bar, due to the massive damage payoff when hitting its head. However, the music for this boss is unfortunately quite forgettable, and the lore is too shallow to give the fight more impact when you have the context. Nevertheless, it can still be a fun fight to master, as the attacks aren’t super frustrating and offer just the perfect level of difficulty for aFromSoftwareboss, in my opinion.
DesignA
MovesetA
DifficultyB
MusicA
LoreA
Next, we haveRomina, Saint of the Budat number 8. Much like theScorpioness NajkafromDark Souls II, her design is that of a half-anthropod, half-humanoid creature, making for a very unique design compared to the humans and dragons we often see as bosses inFromSoftwaregames. As a result, her moveset is also quite distinctive, utilizing the creepy centipede legs to roll around the arena and pierce you with needling plunge attacks. She also has some glamorous attacks like the butterfly explosion or her variousScarlet Rotpull blade attacks.
In terms of difficulty, she is definitely on the easier side of the bosses in this DLC, only providing a little bit of a challenge due to her low health pool and weak attacks. That being said, I much prefer a boss to be a little too easy rather than being too frustrating. Her soundtrack is great, with aMaleniamotif perhaps inspired by their similarity withScarlet Rot, and the lore is exceptionally horrifying, withRominapreviously being a normal human until she fully embraced herself as a vessel of theGod of Rot, and became an amalgamation of scorpion, centipede, butterfly, and human. Overall, this is a beautiful boss that is held back by how forgettable it is once you first try it with a boss build.
DesignS
MovesetB
DifficultyA
MusicB
LoreA
At number 7 on the list, I havePutrescent Knight. The design of a mass of putrescents clumped together to form a ghostly melting horse and a bony guillotine-wielding knight is just about one of the most creative things I’ve seen in theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. The moveset is fittingly irregular, with the knight rotating its congealed body around to perform rotating chop attacks with its guillotine and casting putrescent spells that are actually a nice change of pace since you jump them instead of roll.
In terms of difficulty for this fight, I’m of the unpopular opinion that this boss was actually quite well done. I think a lot of people are thrown off by this bizarre moveset and body language, but the moveset is quite easy to master without any super frustrating attacks. In terms of music, the soundtrack is good but nothing too special, and the origins behind this boss are really intriguing, literally being a clump of old flesh bound bySt. Trina’snectar and sworn to be her faithful knight. I do wish that there was more lore, however, behind thePutrescent Knight, as we don’t seem to know much else about it. Overall though, it’s a very solid boss which I think is overhated since it has great design and an overall decent fight.
DesignS
MovesetA
DifficultyB
MusicA
LoreA
At number 6, we have theDivine Beast Dancing Lion. For this tier list, I think this boss signifies the beginning of the top-tier, most memorable bosses of the DLC. The design is awesome, taking direct inspiration from the Chinese Lion Dance with its bizarre movements and dislodged jaw. What’s even cooler about the design of this boss is that if you take a closer look, you can see two different people, probablyHornsent, controlling the boss just like the Chinese Lion Dance.
Its moveset is similarly unique, shifting through three different elemental phases that are reused later in the game with normal enemies, showcasing some fancy frost moves sprouting icicles from the ground, raining lightning bolts, and massive tornadoes. There are some problems with the difficulty of this fight, mainly the frustrating RNG lightning bolts in the second phase, but the boss easily makes up for that with a great soundtrack that follows the boss’ rhythm, and the very interesting lore behind theHornsentpuppeteering the corpse of their worshipped god afterMessmer’spurge. All in all, a very well-done boss with some frustration caused by RNG, but otherwise phenomenal.
DesignS
MovesetA
DifficultyB
MusicS
LoreB
Moving on to the first of our top 5 bosses inShadow of the Erdtree, we haveRellana, Twin Moon Knight. This boss’s design is obviously a throwback toPontiff SulyvahnfromDark Souls 3with the double elemental swords, but now inElden RingasRennala’ssister. Even though it’s a reused concept, the design is still badass, and theCarian Knightarmor along with it just fits perfectly.
The moveset is almost like a dance, withRellanaspinning around in 360s multiple times in her attack strings and twirling throughout the fight, almost forcing you to dance with her. She doesn’t have too many standout attacks in phase 1, but the phase 2 special moves like her fire AOE explosion attack or the moon rising combo are pretty amazing. I loved that moment when I first saw the moon and expected it to come towards me, just likeRennala’s, only for it to crash down into the floor and absolutely destroy my character.
In terms of difficulty, some things are a bit cheesy, like the very tiny openings between her attacks and the one-shot from the moon combo, but overall it’s a fun fight to learn and master. The music is also great, takingRennala’stheme as a motif for the soundtrack, which is one of those niche things you love to see from From Software. Unfortunately, in terms of lore, there’s not much to say; it’s quite shallow. She servesMessmerinstead of her royal lineage because she crushes on him. But that’s about it. All in all, a great boss fight that’s fun to learn and satisfying to master.
DesignA
MovesetS
DifficultyD
MusicS
Lore?
Next at number 4, we havePromised Consort Radahn. This boss is a bit of an enigma for me, with some aspects I love and some I just hate, definitely making it my most memorable fight. The design ofRadahnin the first phase is great, showcasing a primeRadahnwe’ve never seen before with his fancy cape and all his glory, with phase 2 adding to that by giving him a bright godly glow fromMiquella.
Looking at the moveset, the first phase has a few basic physical combos whereRadahnballerinas around, as well as an interesting blood flame attack tying into how he’s technicallyMorgott’scorpse, and his signature gravity moves from the base game, except now on a different scale. The phase 2 attacks get absolutely ridiculous, with some of the flashiest, most anime-like stuff you could possibly see from a Souls-like boss. It almost looks like you’re fighting aDevil May Cryboss with his crazy light beams after every attack, consecutive afterimages, holy nuclear explosions, and meteor crash attacks.
The moves at face value are awesome to just watch, and it can be fun to play against once you master it. That being said, I do have problems with the difficulty in this fight. There are so many issues with the damage, hitboxes, and timings that the boss feels cheap. For example, the holy nuclear explosion has absolutely no forgiveness in timing if you miss even a millisecond before running away. Any of the second phase special combos will flashbang and insta-kill you in 2 seconds if you don’t know how to dodge them, and the infamous cross-slash move is impossible to consistently dodge without light rolling or specific equipment.
But despite that, I still love this boss for those moments where you perfectly roll through all the chaos while the amazing soundtrack reaches its climax, and it feels like you’re going toe to toe with a god. In terms of lore, I personally am on the fence about it, but from what I’ve seen, it’s either you love it or you hate it, and you’ll feel both ways while fighting this boss. In summary, this boss is amazing for spectacle but is unnecessarily cheap, which unfortunately puts it at number 4 for me despite being the final boss.
DesignS
MovesetA
DifficultyA
MusicS
LoreS
Now onto our top 3, we haveMidra, Lord of Frenzied Flame. This boss was so well-designed that there’s a whole horror section taking up a good fifth of the map dedicated to creating the perfect buildup to face him. When you finally meet him, you get this bone-chilling cutscene of him removing theGreatsword of Damnationand decapitating himself in the process, leading to him becoming the Lord of Frenzy. I think FromSoftware noticed how cool their design was for a humanoid being with a yellow flaming ball of light for a head and decided they had to make a boss for that concept, and it just works.Frenzywill always be an awesome concept, and it also provides the best-looking ending.
In terms of the fight itself, his moveset is great, with his body language perfectly conveying a feeling of graceful chaos as he spreads his arms out and performs ranged frenzy attacks, as well as simple, elegant slashes with his greatsword. The explosion in phase 2 is a huge shock when you see it for the first time, but I do wish he had one more cinematic move to round out the moveset since it’s a little lacking in variety.
In terms of difficulty, there are no cheap attacks or BS that I encountered, and if anything, he’s a bit too easy for being theLord of Frenzied Flame. The music is fantastic as well, with a dread-inducing track that immerses you in the fighting and eldritch horror atmosphere. It is absolutely one of the best tracks in the DLC.
Lore-wise,Midrais also well explored, being a sage who wanted to rid the world of theGreater Will’smistakes but was forced to restrain theFlame of Frenzywithin him because it would drive him mad and destroy all life. He was condemned to an eternity of sealing from theGreatsword of Damnationand was tortured by the words of his lover, “Endure”. This boss is simple in concept from what they had in the base game, but so well executed it goes into my top 3 best bosses ofShadow of the Erdtree.
DesignS
MovesetS
DifficultyA
MusicS
LoreS
Next, we have our runner-up at second place:Bayle the Dread. This boss isn’t even aRemembrance Boss, but he basically counts as one with two options of spells and the fantastic execution of this beast of a dragon. This is one of the most unique dragon designs I’ve ever seen in a Souls game, and probably the best overall dragon boss FromSoftware has ever done. His dragon head shape is so distinctive from the other dragons with the curled horns making him look like a satanic demon boss, and his scars from the devastating fight between him and theDragonlord Placidusaxare easily missed if you don’t know the context, and make the fight feel completely different when you do. He tosses you around like it’s no one’s business while missing a leg, having his wings torn off, and still holdingPlacidusax’ssevered head biting down on his back.
At the start of the fight, he has a pretty normal moveset utilizing his lightning claw, some headbutt moves, and fire breath attacks, but phase two is where the boss fight goes from great to absolutely phenomenal. He stops moving, you wait in anticipation, and he suddenly explodes in fire, growing fiery wings to replace his broken ones out of pure hatred.
He flies around the arena throwing fire boulders at you while the soundtrack blasts this amazing final-boss-like music to make you feel completely doomed. His moveset becomes godly levels of cinematic in this phase with two new special moves completely blowing up the entire arena while he roars blasphemous dragon profanities at you, and an attack where he rises up and sweeps across the entire arena with a line of flames, and breathes one more concentrated beam onto you.
These attacks are thankfully not cheap, and are perfectly fine to learn to avoid with practice, making this moveset one of my favorites in the entire game. It’s a tiny bit frustrating when he jumps away and robs you of damage after dodging sometimes, but other than that, the difficulty is pretty well done. And of course, how could I not mentionIgon, Bayle’s number one hater, who gives a grand speech for every attempt against this boss? All in all, an absolutely spectacular boss who’s probably going down as the most memorable disabled dragon boss fight of all time.
DesignS
MovesetS
DifficultyS
MusicS
LoreS
And lastly, for the best boss inShadow of the Erdtree, we haveMessmer the Impaler. From his various trailers, we already knew he was going to be the highlight of the DLC, and he certainly stole the spotlight fromRadahn. His design is perfect, as a tall, slender humanoid being with a heavy motif of snakes and fire, stemming from his lore of being cursed by theAbyssal Serpentfrom birth. His character is terrifying and intimidating, and his voice actor perfectly replicates the tone of a reluctant villain who sacrifices everything for his mission. He goes as far as to gouge out his own eye, acting as a source seal for theAbyssal Serpent, and succumbs to the cursed serpent just because he cannot accept aTarnisheddevoid of light as theElden Lord.
His moveset is also top-tier, starting off with a huge fireball explosion and fire moves that just work so well with his character design. His special attacks are no different, with his best move in phase one being where he spins towards you, thrusts four times in quick succession, and falls down, summoning spears to erupt from the ground. It’s one of the most stylish attacks I have seen inElden Ring.
And to make it even better, you can actually learn this move without feeling like it’s cheap or frustrating, a common theme with every move in his kit. It only gets better in phase two, where he embraces a serpentine attack style, slithering around and summoning various snakes in epic, but not frustrating attack patterns. His cinematic move in this phase is also awesome, allowing him to be consumed by theAbyssal Serpentin a pool of miasma, as multiple serpents dive onto you while he delivers a finishing blow with his spear.
In terms of the music, it’s my personal favorite soundtrack in the DLC, with the final section of it sounding so grand and somber, perfectly encapsulating his tragic character as an all-powerful demigod, abandoned by his mother, left with the sole duty of committing massacres in her name. He is by far the most ruthless yet tragic and understandable character in the lore, which just adds to the impact you feel fighting him, especially when he finally curses his mother with his dying breath for his fate. All in all, a fantastic boss who is for sure one of the best bossesFromSoftwarehas ever designed.
And with that, we wrap up our tier list of bosses forShadow of the Erdtree. I feel like a lot of people have the same opinions on those top 3, but let us know in the comments how much your personal top 11 looks compared to ours.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
