Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree features some of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, bosses in any Souls game. From demi-human monsters to revived warriors from the base game, you will face a plethora of soul-crushing rage-inducing bosses that will make you want to launch your controller into the wall.
If you are curious about what to expect, you have found yourself at the right place. We are going to be talking about all of the major bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree so you know what you will be going up against throughout your journey.
Spoiler Alert: This is going to be a very spoiler-heavy guide. Make sure you proceed with caution and only if you wish to learn about every major boss you will be up against in Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: All Main Bosses
There are 11 major bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree. Every boss brings a unique new experience to enhance your palette. It took us quite a few tries to defeat most of them. Your experience may vary based on your expertise, though one thing is certain: none of the battles were bland or repetitive.
Every boss kept us on our feet. If you stand there and formulate a strategy, you will be done for in the meantime. So without further ado, let’s look at every major boss in Elden Ring DLC.
1. Divine Beast Dancing Lion
Location: Belurat, Tower of Settlement Dungeon
The Diving Beast Dancing Lion going to be the first major boss you will face in Shadow of the Erdtree unless you decide to take a very unconventional path. You will face him at the end of the dungeon while clearing Belurat, Tower of Settlement and it is not going to be an easy fight by any means.
The beast is quick and follows up every attack with a combo which you are not going to expect. It takes pride in its wide range of elemental attacks that are largely used during the second phase of the battle. It is weak against fire so be sure to prepare accordingly.
2. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
Location: East Wing, Castle Ensis
Rellana, Twin Moon Knight is a fitting name because of the two Light Greatswords that she wields. She is the younger sister of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, whom you already have fought in the base game in Raya Lucaria Academy.
Rellana is the quintessential soul boss who makes you rage and quit. She is fast and her attacks hit like a train. During the second phase, she imbues one of her swords with Messemer’s Flame and the other with Glintstone.
The best way to take her down is to use a summon that will take the aggro off you giving you a chance to land some hits.
Luckily, you can break her stance and land critical hits, which, if you are not careful, will get you killed.
3. Putrescent Knight
Location: Stone Coffin Fissure, Cerulean Coast
The undead skeleton monster, Putrescent Knight, is another major boss you’ll face in the Elden Ring DLC. This horse-mounted monster uses a variety of close-range, ranged, and AoE attacks. The giant weapon he wields also works like a boomerang and he uses it quite often.
The worst attack to counter is when he unmounts his horse and both of them run at you from different directions at the same time. You will have to constantly be on your feet and time your attacks perfectly to deal damage and take him down.
He is weak against Scarlet Rot and Holy Damage. Defeating him is a matter of learning his attack patterns and countering them at the perfect moment.
4. Commander Gaius
Location: Shadow Keep
We have yet another boss who rides around on its animal of choice, and this time, it’s a Boar. Commander Gaius and his mighty boar stand right outside the back gate of Shadow Keep. The giant warrior uses a mix of magic and physical attacks.
This multi-phase battle will get progressively tougher. If you run away, it will use Gravitation magic and if you try to get up behind it, you will get slammed beneath the humongous boar. Either way, you are going to sweat hard while trying to take it down.
5. Scadutree Avatar
Location: Scadutree Base
The fight against Scadutree Avatar might turn out to be the longest battle till this point because you technically have to kill it three times before it finally turns into ashes. Though the healthpool might be smaller than most enemies, the moveset becomes more and more unpredictable with each passing phase.
Its AoE attacks can cover almost the whole arena and you have only a small window before your health drops to zero. The Scadutree Avatar is weak against fire so best prepare your arsenal accordingly. It is going to be a long battle so better keep tons of potions handy.
6. Romina, Saint of the Bud
Location: Church of the Bud
Romina is one of the last non-optional bosses you will have to eliminate to advance in Shadow of the Erdtree. The boss itself looks like a fusion of a scorpion, centipede, butterfly, and human. This multi-faceted half-insect, half-human monster uses a poleblade as its main weapon.
That’s not all, if you are going up against Romina, you should be ready to put all those immunity potions to use because almost every attack is going to include Scarlet Rot. The best way to take it down is to stay close, use Holy Attacks, and inflict bleed if you can.
Once you have taken it down, you should be able to take on the final boss in Elden Ring DLC, Radahn.
7. Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
Location: Midra’s Mance, Abyssal Woods
The fight that starts off easily by taking down a lifeless and frail Midra quickly turns out to be one of the most challenging battles in Shadow of the Erdtree. Midra, Lord of the Frenzied is quite possibly the most unpredictable boss in the whole DLC.
The first phase is simple where you kill a near-death Midra. The real challenge is the second phase where he transforms into this madness-breathing monster with the ability to one-shot you from a distance.
Chances are that you will die more than a few times before you get a hang of the mechanics and you are able to take him down.
8. Metyr, Mother of Fingers
Location: Finger Ruins of Miyr
The creepy crawler a.k.a Metyr, Mother of Fingers is one of the oldest creatures by lore in Elden Ring. Its body is entirely made up of as you can guess, Fingers. It does have two complete hands at the front that have the ability to smack the living soul out of you.
Getting to the boss might even be harder than actually taking it down but by no means the battle is simple. You can’t attack from the sides due to the sheer amount of fingers protecting it. The tail can do magic attacks.
Its underbelly is the weakest spot and if you inflict bleed, you can make a quick work of Metyr.
9. Bayle the Dread
Location: Jagged Peak
Bayle the Dread is a monstrosity that will put your souls experience to the test. The sheer amount of attacks, back-to-back combos, and AoE attacks that cover nearly the entire arena, makes the fight every bit as interesting as it can be.
It is recommended to use the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana against Bayle. Use its skill to inflict the most damage.
You can stay close to its tail and keep attacking while occasionally running away to save yourself from the AoE attack.
10. Messmer the Impaler / Base Serpent Messemer
Location: Shadow Keep
Messemer The Impaler, Hidden Son of Marika, is an interesting boss. The fight is two-phased but it seems like you are fighting two different bosses in each one. The first phase is mostly long and complex combos of fire attacks. These include both long and short-range.
The second phase is when Messmer turns into a Serpent, and most of its attacks during this phase resemble those of a serpent. Always be ready to dodge as he can close the distance very quickly. The fire attacks aren’t going to stop so keep an eye out for them as well.
11. Promised Consort Radahn
Location: Enir Ilim
Promised Consort Radhn is the true test of your skills and patience. Miquella brought together every enhancement she could gather and juiced him up to become arguably the most difficult boss in Elden Ring. Period.
The first phase is just Radahn showing off his gravitational magic and sword attacks that will bury you deep underground.
If that wasn’t enough, the second phase is full of Holy Attacks that are nearly impossible to deal with and deal an obscene amount of damage. Take as many tries as you want to learn the attack pattern. Look for an opening to attack and avoid taking damage where you can.
This covers every major boss in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Happy Hunting!