Elden Ring boasts a massive catalog of bosses, so much so that it nearly doubles the number of bosses that From Soft had even made in the Souls genre until the game’s release.
That said, it might be difficult to pinpoint exactly which ones are of higher quality than others, and that might even vary from player to player, depending on what they enjoy about each fight.
The following article is my attempt to list the top ten best bosses in Elden Ring according to their balanced difficulty and moveset, visual design, musical scores, and boss arenas. This doesn’t mean they are necessarily easy or hard, but rather more enjoyable to fight in one way or another.
10. Regal Ancestor Spirit
Of all the featured bosses in the game, the Ancestor Spirit and his Regal brother rank amongst the easiest in terms of avoidable damage. This did not prevent both of them from being a joy to fight, however, as their musical score combined with the mystical arena, you fight them in providing for one of the best boss atmospheres of the entire experience.
The way the beast slowly saunters toward you before beginning his first set of attacks is mesmerizing, and the way he gracefully dashes through the air makes you almost forget about the deadly mist he is spewing back to earth.
Even the way you find these secret fights adds to the mystery and intrigue of their lore within the Eternal City side quests, although I wish that From Soft had not just done a simple copy/ paste job for the Regal variant later on.
Quality Rating: 8.75 out of 10
9. Radagon of the Golden Order
This may end up being very polarizing, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this fight and taking on the “bipolar” founder of the Golden Order. His AOE attacks attached to most of his hammer slams did get a bit frustrating sometimes, but overall I enjoyed his slow gate toward the player mixed in with his fast tells and quick strikes.
I have always enjoyed Souls-borne bosses that feel more like dances than fights; this battle is a great example. There is just enough reprieve between attacks to heal and prepare for what he is doing next and just enough time during his tells to correctly identify the attack coming and make a decision for evasion.
If Radagon was not the first part of a double-header, I feel he would get his due more often.
Quality Rating: 9 out of 10
8. Malenia, Blade of Miquella/ Malenia, Goddess of Rot
Once again, I see many players hating on Malenia for her “unfair” boss design in that she can heal with each successful attack. Still, it has also been my experience that very few players want to shake up their game plan when it comes to fighting her and that is entirely on them, not bad boss mechanics.
Yes, she is dodge-able, yes, you can win the DPS (damage per second) battle against her, and yes, you can even solo her with enough patience and practice. Often it seems when players feel she is unfair, they have come to fight her far too early.
She is a secret endgame boss for a reason. Ideally, you will have already completed the main story and come to the Haligtree as the last foray before beginning NG+, otherwise, it will just be harder, and that’s your choice, not the games.
Her arena is stunning, her fighting style is incredible, her cutscenes are beautiful and terrifying, and to me, she deserves to be mentioned among the best bosses of this game
Quality Rating: 9 out of 10
7. Godrick the Grafted
Even though Godrick is the second easiest fight on this list, save only for Regal Ancestor Spirit, that still does not keep his fight from feeling epic and pushing players to reach new heights in their combat adaptiveness.
His dialogue, however, like many others on my list, stands out in my mind, raving like a madman lost to the awareness of what has happened to his kingdom around him. The transitional cutscene to phase two is also incredible and memorable, allowing him to live up to his grafted name.
Quality Rating: 9 out of 10
6. Godfrey, First Elden Lord/ Hoarah Loux
Godfrey is a boss that many will find difficult simply due to his spamming (or overuse) of stomp followups after his attacks accompanied by AOE damage. It is enough to drive a player mad on his first few attempts and I definitely understand the frustration.
The secret with this particular boss is the jump button, also utilized to great effect is the follow-up heavy attack while leaping through the air.
His second phase transition to Hoarah Loux can simply be dealt with by giving him space at all times and rolling back at the slightest sign of his now infamous grab attacks, chipping away at his health with small, calculated strikes.
His reference to his friend and the previously defeated boss Morgott is awesome and his transitional cutscene, while a bit cheesy, is also sure to be stuck in my head for years to come.
Quality Rating: 9.25 out of 10
5. Morgott, the Omen King
When I first saw Morgott coming down the stairs, I audibly groaned as I thought From Soft had simply re-skinned Margit and made him slightly more difficult. Boy, was I wrong. This fight is amazing for so many reasons, his ability to mix up slow high, damage slams with quick strikes, his ability to summon various holy weapons to keep you on your toes, and his AOE attacks that feel fair yet difficult at the same time.
Morgott’s entry cutscene is legendary, and even though it is the same arena you will fight Godfrey in later, it is still a lot of fun to fight where the Shardbearers once sat. Morgott’s musical score also sits among the best this extensive game offers.
Quality Rating: 9.5 out of 10
4. Starscourge Radahn
Even though two of his mechanics are a bit unfair on the part of the players who like to experience the game blind, Radahn still stands tall (very tall) among the very best experiences that From Software has ever allowed a boss to be.
The festival beforehand and the celebration of his honorable death afterward make Radahn feel like a much bigger part of the picture than he ended up being.
His combat is frantic and barbaric, his roars are menacing and foreboding, and his lore is legendary. The more I learn about this corrupted general the more I almost cheer for him and his faithful steed in their fight against me and my “crew”
Quality Rating: 9.5 out of 10
3. Mohg, Lord of Blood
Honestly I don’t want to write too much about Mohg here as he was my favorite discovery and definitely my favorite boss in terms of fun and fair combat. Lore pursuers will not only enjoy this fight much more but will also have a much easier time with it as well. (Read your item descriptions!)
The way his voice and attitude change as he turns away from the object of his affection to deal with his “honored guest” is bone-chilling and awesome. The way he slowly makes his way over to you, knowing full well what secrets he has his hidden up his “sleeves”, is terrifying in your nearly inevitable second attempt.
I love this fight so much and will always go way out of my way to fight him even if it isn’t required at all to finish a playthrough. Genuine terror and awe each time.
Quality Rating: 9.5 out of 10
2. Beast Clergyman/ Malekith the Black Blade
Crumbling Farum Azula is a literal paradox to me when it comes to its boss selection, as I believe it to be the home of the best two boss fights in the game but also the home of one of the worst as well. (Looking at you, Godskin Duo)
I see that Malekith the Black Blade gets a lot of hate here and there from strength builds, as he likes to jump around a lot and has very few windows for players’ slow-moving heavy attacks. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth, as I enjoyed every second of learning about this amazing boss encounter.
Learning the role timings for his black blade slashes and finding the perfect opportunities to punish without taking damage myself was difficult, but it never felt impossible at any point. He behaves like a cross between Artorius the Abysswalker and Ludwig the Accursed, which may have played into his visual design a bit. I couldn’t wait to spar with Marika’s shadow again in NG+!
Quality Rating: 9.75 out of 10
1. Dragonlord Placidusax
Wow. Where to even begin with this marvel of a boss fight. The intrigue that led me to explore the path leading down to him, the shock of a cutscene starting after lying down in an empty grave, the cutscene that ensued itself, the arena that you find yourself in, the way he is presented as some sort of dragon god whose eternal rest you have just interrupted, all of it culminating in an incredible endurance fight that felt difficult yet beatable at the same time.
His second phase is maybe the purest fun I had in the entire game, scanning the arena frantically after he would disappear to see where he would swoop in and strike from next. The combination of AOE and swiping attacks is nearly perfectly balanced, in my opinion, and I never thought it was unfair when I died against him in any of my playthroughs.
Move over, Midir; I have a new best From Soft dragon fight.
Quality Rating: 10 out of 10