And what was already difficult has become even more so! Since the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the Elden Ring game has received a significant number of new enemies that are making many fans think of ways to defeat them. This game has been one of the most popular in the genre since its release in February 2022 due to the insane difficulty of its challenges.
Wondering who the hardest bosses in Elden Ring are, even after the new update? You've come to the right place! Here in this article you'll find a compilation of the eight most important bosses in Elden Ring in ascending order of difficulty! Is that boss you like so much among the top of the list? Come and find out!
Hoarah Loux
Considered by many players to be the owner of the most beautiful battle in the entire game, it is the boss Hoarah Loux who opens the list of Elden Ring's most difficult bosses. He is Godfrey's second form and serves as the penultimate boss in the game's official history, offering the player a considerable level of difficulty due to his long-range attacks.
The fight between the player-controlled character and this boss takes place in the Morgott arena, but if by some chance the player has not yet defeated the Maliketh character in the Farum Azula area, this battle will not start. So if you're after a showdown with Hoarah Loux and haven't finished this stage of the game yet, go back to Farum Azula and finish the job there!
Fire Giant
We can consider the Fire Giant the next member of the list of the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring. It's frighteningly large and its blows, when they hit the character controlled by the player, take away such a large amount of life that they can be quite frightening on first contact.
It is the Fire Giant who guards the Giant's Forge and the battle against him takes place in this area. However, when the fight starts, the map changes considerably so we advise you to explore the area well before lighting the furnace and starting your battle against him.
Radahn
Although only mandatory for those who want to get the "Age of Stars" ending, Radahn is considered one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring. In the game's mythology, the character is a demigod who figuratively lost his mind after the red rot of Malenia took him over completely.
You can find it in the Caelid region, but you'll have to clear Radahn's festival first so that the battle against it can begin. There are two ways to defeat this boss: ignore the summons and face the fight with what you have, or do it the easy way and pay attention to the ground so you don't end up missing the summoning marks that appear. With them you can summon spirits to help you in the fight.
Astel
Of all the strongest bosses in Elden Ring, Astel is the most physically different. His bizarre appearance is quite frightening at first glance and as his blows deal a lot of damage, the fear is quite justified. In the story, he's known as a sort of "Natural Son of Darkness" and isn't really a mandatory boss to advance the plot of the main quest.
However, to find it, you have to go to Renna's Shining Tower and wait for Ranni Leave this location to get to a teleport at the top. Once inside, look for an elevator that will take you down to a lake to see the boss. When it comes to the actual fight, there are talismans that can help you beat him, including the Talisman of the Claw, the Axe and the Blue Dancer.
Maliketh
Maliketh is another of the game's obligatory bosses who can be considered one of the most difficult in Elden Ring. The change of map from Leyndell to a region later known as the "Grey Capital" depends solely on defeating him and, in order to progress in the story, it is extremely necessary.
This boss is one of the biggest challenges in the game, even if you have a few tricks up your sleeve, but you can still try to make things easier by taking some props into combat. Strong spirits, life-boosting talismans and the Blasphemous Claw are the best options against the enemy. It's worth noting that this last item is only given once you've completed Bernahl's quest, so make sure you finish it before you set off to fight Maliketh!
Rykard
Rykard isn't an indispensable boss for the progress of the story, but he does leave a generous reward once defeated in the form of a rune. Even though it's not mandatory, it's still one of the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring and the player will have a hard time facing it. The boss is a demigod, just like Radahn, and is also very difficult to fight.
It is located in the Volcanic Mansion on Mount Gelmir and can be unlocked by completing quests given by the NPC Tanith. During the fight, the arena itself will offer the player resources such as the Snake Hunter item. We advise you to use it if you don't want the fight to be so difficult, but if you don't want to use it and go on faith, feel free too. We wish you luck!
Radagon (Pristine Beast)
Despite being two different characters, Radagon and Fera Pristina need to be defeated in the same battle, so they end up taking the silver medal together among the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring. Here, the player will have nowhere to run and there will be no shortcuts; the best you can do is get all your equipment to the highest possible level before the fight.
It's also important to note that even if you're eliminated by the second part of this boss, it will return to the beginning and you'll need to eliminate the first part again, so watch out for excessive item consumption! You'll also only be able to start this fight after Hoarah Loux, located in the Grey Capital, is finished, so take care of that other boss before you start worrying about this one!
Malenia
The gold medal among Elden Ring's most difficult bosses could not go to a character other than Malenia. She can also be considered one of the most important bosses in Elden Ring because of how much she interferes with the main lore and even that of other characters, since her rottenness has a very negative effect on various other elements of the game's story.
During the fight itself, Malenia regains life with each attack she hits the player with, so the best way to defeat her is to dodge and not block her attacks. In the end, when you finally manage to defeat her, she still reappears in a new form called the "Goddess of Rot" and you have to battle this version of her too.
Malenia also takes a bit of work to unlock as a boss, as you'll need to unlock an area known as the Consecrated Snowfield before your encounter with her. This location becomes available after you have completed the quest for the two parts of the "Secret Medallion of the Tree". When Malenia finally stands in your way, you'll have an idea of why she's considered one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring, but if you can get past her, you can certainly get past any other boss in the game!
Conclusion
Although the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring are very challenging, with patience and good strategies the player will surely manage to defeat them at some point. But what about you? Were you able to teach these bosses a lesson with ease or did it take a while? We want to hear about your experience, so let us know in the comments! We also think that the list of the best games of the new generation and the video below might interest you!
