Elden Ring’s open-world element is certainly exciting, but it can be a little overwhelming. After all, you could be strolling along, enjoying a few good fights, using your Jellyfish Mimic to help you out, and dodging like a pro, but all of a sudden you stumble upon someone that brutalizes you in one hit. A little demoralizing, right? Well, we’ve put together a quick guide that should help you know what main bosses you should fight in which order so that you don’t find yourself overwhelmed as you work through the world.
The main bosses
These guys are the bosses you have to fight and are a part of Elden Ring’s main story, so they are your main focus for most of the game. However, being a Souls game, even their plot importance doesn’t mean that you have to do them in order. It’s the Dark Souls way. So, here’s the order we recommend based on who’s easier to fight and what makes the most sense:
- Margit, the Fell Omen
- Godrick the Grafted
- Red Wolf of Radagon
- Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
- Godfrey, First Elden Lord
- Morgott, the Omen King
- Fire Giant
- Maliketh, the Black Blade
- Godfrey, First Elden Lord
- Hoarah Loux, Warrior
- Radagon of the Golden Order
- Elden Beast
Now, while Elden Ring gives you more freedom than any other Souls game, there are some bosses that require objects from other bosses for you to fight them. The important bit is that you need to acquire two Great Runes before you can go to Leyndell and fight Draconic Tree Sentinel. You can get those runes from Godrick, Renalla, or Starscourge Radahn. You’ll also need to best Margit to fight Godrick and Red Wolf to take on Renalla. So, keep things like that in mind as you make your way through the main bosses of Elden Ring.
All the others
While there are a collection of main bosses that you normally have to fight to progress the story, there are, of course, a bunch of others wandering around the game. Over a hundred, actually, so there are a lot of scary, fantastic, Souls-esque monsters for you to find. Below, we’ve broken them out into general level-and-location-based rules to help you figure out which optional bosses you can fight.
Limgrave: Level 1-20
- Soldier of Godrick
- Tree Sentinel
- Ancient Hero of Zamor
- Beastman of Farum Azula
- Black Knife Assassin
- Bloodhound Knight
- Burial Tree Watchdog Darriwil
- Cemetery Shade
- Crucible Knight
- Demi-Human Chief
- Flying Dragon Agheel
- Grafted Scion
- Grave Warden Duelist
- Mad Pumpkin Head
- Night’s Cavalry
- Patches
- Stonedigger Troll
- Lion Guardian
- Demi-Human Queen
- Bloody Finger Nerijus
- Guardian Golem
- Recusant Henricus
- Tibia Mariner
- Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater
- Bell Bearing Hunter
- Deathbird
- Old Knight Istvan
- Ulcerated Tree Spirit
Weeping Peninsula: Level 30-40
- Burial Tree Watchdog + Imps
- Runebear
- Night’s Cavalry
- Deathbird
- Cemetary Shade
- Erdtree Avatar
- Scaly Misbegotten
- Miranda The Blighted Bloom
- Ancient Hero of Zamor
- Leonine Misbegotten
Liurnia of The Lakes: Level 40-50
- Cleanrot Knight
- Royal Knight Loretta
- Burial Tree Watchdog
- Tibia Mariner
- Night’s Cavalry
- Perceptor Miriam
- Godskin Noble
- Deathbird
- Adan, Theif of Fire
- Alabaster Lord
- Bloodhound Knight
- Bols, Carian Knight
- Crystalians
- Ring Blade Crystalian
- Bell Bearing Hunter
- Erdtree Avatar
- Deathbird
- Erdtree Avatar
- Glintsone Dragon Smarag
- Magma Wyrm Makar
- Omenkiller
- Royal Revenant
- Spirit-Caller Snail
- Death Rite Bird
- Edgar The Revenger
- Omenkiller
- Dragons
- Red Wolf
- Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader
- Great Horned Tragoth
- Ravenmount Assassin
- Moongrum, Carian Knight
Ainsel River: Level 50-60
- Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella
- Baleful Shadow
- Dragonkin Soldier
- Putrid Tree Spirit
- Astel, Naturnborn of The Void
Caelid Wilds: Level 60-70
- Starscourge Radhan
- Cleanrot Knights
- Commander O’Neil
- Magma Wyrm
- Erdtree Avatar
- Erdtree Burial Watchdog
- Mad Pumpkin Head
- Knights of The Great Jar
- Frenzied Duelist
- Decaying Ekzykes
- Cemetary Shade
- Night’s Cavalry
- Death Rite Bird
- Millicent
- Nox Swordstress & Nox Priest
- Fallingstar Beast
- Battlemage Hugues
- Elder Dragon Greyroll
- Crystalians
- Godskin Apostle
- Bell Bearing Hunter
- Beastman of Farum Azula
- Flying Dragon Greyll
- Black Blade Kindred
- Gurranq
- Misbegotten Warrior & Crucible Knight
Atlus Plateau: Level 60-80
- Ancient Dragon Lansseax
- Misbegotten Warrior & Perfumer Tricia
- Godefroy The Grafted
- Night’s Cavalry
- Demi-Human Queen Gilika
- Tibia Mariner
- Necromancer Garris & Black Knife Assassin
- Erdtree Burial Watch Dog
- Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger
- Stonedigger Troll
- Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan
- Elemer of The Briar
- Rileigh The Idle
- Sanguine Noble
- Wormface
- Godskin Apostle
- Crystalians
- Black Knife Assassin
- Omenkiller & Miranda The Blighted Bloom
- Fallingstar Beast
- Tree Sentinel
Siofra River (50-60) and Mohgwyn Palace (110-140)
- Mimic Tear
- Ancestor Spirit
- Regal Ancestor Spirit
- Dragonkin Soldier
- Valiant Gargoyles
- Nam,less White Mask
- Mohg, Lord of Blood
Deeproot Depths: Level 80-90
- Minor Erdtree
- Crucible Knight Siluria
- Fia’s Champions
- Lichdragon Fortissax
Mt. Gelmir: Level 80-100
- Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater
- Grafted Scion
- Demi-Human Queen Margot
- Ulcerated tree Spirit
- Kindred of Rot
- Red Wolf of The Champion
- Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast
- Wormface
- Fire Prelate
- Magma Wyrm
- Demi-Human Queen Maggie
- Abducted Virgin
- Inquisitor Ghiza
- Godskin Noble
- Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
- Tanith’s Knight
Leyndell, The Capital: Level 90-110
- Ulcerated Tree Spirit
- Twinblade Gargoyle
- Margit, The Fell Omen
- Bell Bearing Hunter
- Deathbird
- Onyx Lord
- The Loathsome Dung Eater
- Draconic Tree Sentinel
- Grave Warden Duelist
- Crucible Knight Ordovis & Crucible Knight
- Erdtree Avatar
- Gargoyle
- Vargram & Wilhelm
- Black Knife Assassin
- Fell Twins
- Mohg, The Omen
Mountaintops of the The Giants: Level 100-120
- Night’s Cavalry
- Black Blade Kindred
- Ancient Hero of Zamor
- Ulcerated Tree Spirit
- Erdtree Avatar
- Juno Hoslow
- Death Rite Bird
- Tibia Mariner
- Commander Niall
- Vyke, Knight of The Roundtable
- Chief Guardian Arghanthy
- Borealis The Freezing Fog
- Spirit-Caller Snail & Godskin Apostle
- Bloody Finger Okina
- Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
- Astel, Stars of Darkness
- Sanguine Noble
- Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater
- Great Wyrm Theodorix
- Misbegotten Crusader
- Putrid Avatar
- Death Rite Bird
- Black Knife Assassin
- Loretta, Knight of The Haligtree
- Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Crumbling Farm Azula and Leyndell, Ashen Capital: Level 120-150
- Mad Tongue Alberich
- Ensha of The Royal Remains
- Ancient Dragon
- Wormface
- Godskin Duo
- Recusant Bernahl
- Draconic Tree Sentinel
- Dragonlord Placidusax
- Beast Clergymen
- Sir Gideon Ofnir
