Elden Ring is many things but, really, it's about the bosses – taking on ginormous beasts, souped-up swordsmen and ghastly creatures from the depths of hell in blockbuster fights that push you to the edge of your limit.

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With hundreds of bosses to take down, Elden Ring is no joke. And now that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is out, there are even more fearsome foes to overcome. Unsurprisingly, the new additions have been heralded in critic reviews for their variety, inventive monster design and, of course, challenge.

Since there are so many Elden Ring bosses, it's just as difficult figuring out how many there are as well as the best way to approach them. So this guide looks to round up every main boss you will face in both the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

How many bosses are in Elden Ring?

There are 238 bosses in the Elden Ring base game with another 34 believed to be in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Miquella artwork in Elden Ring
Elden Ring. FromSoftware

These bosses range from smaller hidden boss battles to those required to earn specific achievements/trophies (30 of these particular bosses) and the 16 main story bosses.

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So yeah... that's a lot of bosses to defeat.

Elden Ring bosses order – list of main bosses

Monster with multiple arms in Elden Ring. Sky is grey and dark.
Godrick the Grafted. Bandai Namco

While there is no set order in which you have to defeat the main bosses in Elden Ring, there is an order that is widely accepted as the best route to finishing the game.

The suggested order to take on the main bosses in the base game of Elden Ring are as below:

If you're after the achievements/trophies, meanwhile, you need to defeat the following bosses in Elden Ring:

  • Ancestor Spirit
  • Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
  • Commander Niall
  • Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella
  • Dragonlord Placidusax
  • Elemer of the Briar
  • Fire Giant
  • Godfrey, First Elden Lord
  • Godrick the Grafted
  • Godskin Duo
  • Godskin Noble
  • Hoarah Loux, Warrior
  • Leonine Misbegotten
  • Lichdragon Fortissax
  • Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree
  • Magma Wyrm Makar
  • Malenia, Blade of Miquella
  • Maliketh, the Black Blade
  • Margit, the Fell Omen
  • Mimic Tear
  • Mohg, the Lord of Blood
  • Mohg, the Omen
  • Morgott, the Omen King
  • Red Wolf of Radagon
  • Regal Ancestor Spirit
  • Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
  • Royal Knight Loretta
  • Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
  • Starscourge Radahn
  • Valiant Gargoyles

Finally, if you want to play the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you have to defeat Mohg, the Lord of Blood in Mohgwyn Palace. Check out our guide on how to defeat Mohg and unlock Shadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring DLC bosses – full list of main story bosses

Messmer the Impaler, a boss in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC casting a spell and wielding a spear in their other hand.
Messmer the Impaler. Bandai Namco, FromSoftware Inc

As far as we're aware, there are 34 new bosses in the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with 10 of these being Remembrance bosses.

Just as with the base game, most of these bosses do not need to be defeated to complete the story - there's a list of main bosses that do need to be defeated, however.

The main story bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree are as follows:

Outside of this, there are 10 bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree that all drop a Remembrance item upon their defeat. These include:

  • Divine Beast Dancing Lion
  • Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
  • Putrescent Knight
  • Romina, Saint of the Bud
  • Messmer the Impaler
  • Commander Gaius
  • Scadutree Avatar
  • Metyr, Mother Of Fingers
  • Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
  • Promised Consort Radahn / Radahn, Consort of Miquella

If you're looking for every new boss in the Elden Ring DLC, it's worth checking out the Elden Ring Wiki for the full list.

Top tips for taking on Elden Ring bosses

Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring looking menacing among some ruins
Mohg, Lord of Blood. FromSoftware

Every boss is different and no hard or fast rule will work against them all, however, there are some key things to keep in mind.

If you want to give yourself the best possible chance against those tough Elden Ring bosses, it might be worth picking the sorcery-obsessed Astrologer class at the start and building a magical character that can help you out of tight spots. Plus, there is co-op in the game so if things do get too tough, rope in a friend and try to take on the foe together. It can still be a tough battle but you have a far better chance of emerging victorious if you have someone to fight by your side.

Bosses are part of the main story but they can also be stumbled upon outside of that in all manner of places - making a hasty exit and coming back once you have more firepower is definitely a smart play and one that we will be using frequently when we get started.

If you are really struggling, one of the best ways to give you an advantage in battle is by unlocking the Mimic Tear. Found in a chest in Night's Sacred Ground within Nokron, Eternal City, this Spirit Ash duplicates your Tarnished, including whatever gear or weapons you have attached. This essentially gives you a double of yourself to fight alongside. While not accessible until Scarscourge Radahn is defeated, it's without a doubt the best Spirit Ash in the game and can be a real game-changer for anyone trying to progress.

But what else can you take advantage of to make a brutal encounter a little simpler? Well, as we touched upon early, magic will be key! "Ashes" are things that can be attached to weapons that will give them a power boost, while there are various spells and summons you can try out to give you an edge. A lot to think about, but any way to make some of these fights easier is something we will take as some are guaranteed to be as brutal and as difficult as boss fights can get.

But above all, the thing to keep in mind with boss fights is key to many across all sorts of games – patterns. Bosses will have attack patterns, pretty scary ones, that will be coming your way and a large part of staying alive will be down to how well you can remember what is coming and when.

Be ready to die a lot if you take a boss on, and remember that practice and patience will be key. These bosses are tough, but they can all be defeated – it may just take you a while to learn the pattern and how to work around it.

Read more on Elden Ring:

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