Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduces multiple bosses to the game, and some are considered the hardest in any FromSoftware game.
The Shadow of the Edtree DLC for 2022’s Game of the Year winner Elden Ring was hyped up to the max, and for good reason. With FromSoftware’s proven track record of delivering excellent DLCs, the fandom was collectively anticipating the DLC’s release. Most agree it delivered.
In addition to letting players explore a new area in the Land of Shadows, the DLC’s success is largely thanks to the new bosses. FromSoftware games are known for having difficult bosses, and many players agree Shadow of the Erdtree has some of the hardest yet. From remembrance bosses to other notable challenging opponents, here are all the major boss fights players can look forward to in the Land of Shadows.
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Mandatory remembrance bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring is unique in that it has dozens of bosses, but just a handful of them are truly mandatory to beat the game. Elden Ring’s DLC doesn’t offer that level of freedom, with many of its biggest boss fights being mandatory. That’s necessarily a bad thing though, as FromSoftware upped its game in Shadow of the Erdtree by making each of the biggest battles a memorable one.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion was one of the most eye-catching enemy of the Elden Ring DLC trailers, and it’s not just going to be a common mob. The creature was intriguing not just because of its intimidating looks, but the extra wrinkle that it was actually several men in a lion suit.
While this might sound like a comedy act, the laughs end when the fight starts. The boss lives up to every word in its name with a high-flying and elegant moveset that combines beastly melee attacks and lightning bolts aplenty.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss fight serves as the Father Gascoigne or Iudex Gundyr “skill check” for the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Even if players have beaten the game already, they’re in for a steep challenge here.
Romina, Saint of the Bud
While not nearly as proficient with rot as Malenia, Romina is another boss the Shadow of the Erdtree adds who utilizes the dangerous ailment. She used to be a regular member of a nameless church deep in the Ruins of Rauh, where the player finds and challenges her.
The church used the buds she wields as a symbol, but they were natural and without the tainted scarlet rot. Everything changed when the church was burned to the ground, presumably by Messmer’s flames.
Alone and without a purpose, Romina found a bud of divine origin which she infected with scarlet rot in hopes of reviving her fallen church. The church’s buds, once beautiful and representing life, became tainted with the twisted rot that plagued the area where the church used to be.
Messmer the Impaler
Messmer is going to be a big deal, one way or the other. Though Miquella will seemingly be a central figure, Messmer appears on the game’s key art and is getting the same “collector’s edition figure” treatment that Malenia did for the base game. With his red hair and name that starts with the letter “M,” it can safely be assumed that Messmer is a demigod, but how he fits into things beyond that is uncertain.
Messmer seems to be directly in opposition to a Tarnished becoming the Elden Lord, which would put him at odds with the player. He is covered in snakes, but seemingly isn’t the same person as fellow demigod ophidiophile Rykard. Filling the same role as Malenia for the physical release of the DLC strongly suggests that he will be the game’s super-boss, but that’s not guaranteed.
Promised Consort Radahn
Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed that beating Starscourge Radahn was mandatory for starting the Elden Ring DLC. Suddenly, it makes a lot more sense. The final boss of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is Promised Consort Radahn.
A staple trope in FromSoftware games is that there’s always one character who is established as “legendary warrior who is past their prime now, but would’ve destroyed you back in the day.” Sometimes the “back in the day” version of the character appears in the game, like with Sword Saint Isshin. Other times, players simply have to wonder about how cool they used to be, like with Artorias of the Abyss and King Vendrick.
Starscourge Radahn filled that niche, and was likely the strongest character in the game’s canon. Even with his brain half-liquefied from Scarlet Rot, he was still strong enough to jump into space to ride a meteorite into his boss arena. The Elden Ring DLC closes with players fighting Radahn at the height of his power, and then some.
Optional remembrance bosses in the Elden Ring DLC
Gathering boss weapons is a tradition in FromSoftware games. Rather than collecting souls, Elden Ring players get remembrances for the biggest boss fights. Even though these boss fights are a big deal, not all of them are required to beat Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Here are the bosses that drop a remembrance that players can skip past.
Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
The Elden Ring family tree got a bit bigger with the introduction of Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Rennala of the Full Moon has a sister while Ranni, Rykard, and Radahn have an aunt. Or at least, they did.
She has some particularly interesting lore implications, despite her lineage.
While much of Elden Ring’s backstory is left open for interpretation, Rennala and her demigod children generally don’t get along with everyone else. Ranni is known to have killed one of her siblings, Rykard is explicitly labeled as “Lord of Blasphemy,” and Radahn is canonically more reverent of Godfrey than his actual father.
Despite this, Rellana went in the opposite direction. She chose to be the right-hand man of Messmer during his crusade into the Land of Shadows, divorcing herself from the rest of her family. Much like Count Ymir, she seems to be directly based on a Dark Souls 3 boss. Her mix of magic and red and blue broadswords conjures up the image of a knightly Pontiff Sulyvahn.
Commander Gaius
Commander Gaius charges into the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC to take Commander Niall’s place as the hardest commander boss. Not much is known about this specific boss, besides the fact that he worked with Messmer, as shown by how he resides in the Shadow Keep, which is the same place Messmer rules.
Messmer isn’t the only Demigod Gaius has ties with, as he’s also likely tied with Radahn. In addition to riding a mount, another thing that links the two bosses is that they both utilize gravity magic. While Radahn hurls giant boulders at players, Commander Gaius instead opts to throw small but deadly rocks.
Putrescent Knight
The Putrescent Knight is an eerie combination of a skeleton knight riding a normal-looking horse. While it’s unknown what role this duo played before, the Putrescent Knight somehow came in contact with St. Trina’s nectar long after their death when their flesh had already rotted.
It’s suggested that the “nectar” the knight came in contact with was Ghostflame, a type of bluish flame that was utilized to conduct necromantic rituals long before the age of the Erdtree. Similar to Ghostflame Deathbirds, the Putrescent Knight combines this flame with its flesh-based attacks to deal devastating damage.
Referred to as a putrescent lump of flesh, the Putrescent Knight serves St. Trina, who is speculated to be an alias of the Demigod Miquella. Players can find this tough boss in the Stone Coffin Fissure area, which is fitting as the area is also filled with death.
Metyr, Mother of Fingers
One of the strangest things in Elden Ring’s story is the lore surrounding fingers and hands. There are the two Fingers that guide tarnished warriors and demigods, as well as the Three Fingers that serve as the harbinger for the Frenzied Flame. While things aren’t completely spelled out in the DLC, fans at least know where the fingers actually came from and how they work.
Metyr, Mother of Fingers has a literal name and enormous lore implications.
This optional Elden Ring DLC boss is a mass of enormous hands that has a broad assortment of attacks including both sorcery and incantation. Item descriptions reveal that Metyr was the first cosmic figure to arrive in the world, spawning the many Two Fingers across the Lands Between and guiding them according to the Greater Will.
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
One of the most striking sights of the DLC’s reveal trailer was a skeletal figure pulling what looks to be a smashed Ripple Blade out of its own head. That figure, it turns out, had inherited the Frenzied Flame and was punished for this with a uniquely brutal form of impaling.
He eventually breaks free from this by yanking the weapon out and popping off his own head in the process. Thankfully, he has an enormous ball of fire there to replace it.
Players can become the Lord of Frenzied Flame themselves during the process of an Elden Ring playthough. Showing what this actually looks like from a boss fight perspective makes for an excellent addition to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Scadutree Avatar
Elden Ring is widely regarded as a masterpiece by many, but that’s not to say it’s perfect. The game’s biggest problem is the sheer number of bosses that get recycled with slight tweaks between them.
One of the greatest offenders on this front is the Erdtree Avatar, a recurring field boss that drops new tears for use in Wondrous Physicks. The Scadutree Avatar ain’t that, though. This sentient plant is prickly in every sense, and will tear players apart with brambles.
Other notable bosses in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
Remembrances aren’t the only thing players care about when it comes to boss fights. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has several big boss fights that either don’t yield a remembrance or have story implications or significance to the player.
Needle Knight Leda
Waiting near Miquella’s cocoon at Mohgwyn Palace, Needle Knight Leda is the first DLC character players meet. Like other followers of Miquella, Leda worships the Demigod faithfully, saying she follows the honorable and faithful path laid out for her.
Throughout the DLC, Leda guides players by telling them what to do in person or leaving letters near points of interest. It’s eventually revealed that Leda, like most other Miquella devotees, was under Miquella’s enchantment, which gets broken alongside the shattering of the Great Rune during the story.
Instead of questioning her faith, Leda reaffirms her devotion by aggressively proclaiming she’d do anything to protect her lord, even cull those from her group she considers unworthy. Players get different paths to take from this point, and the culmination of how they tackled the various NPC questlines in the game bears fruit in the later stages of the DLC.
Needle Knight Leda’s fight is one of the only ones in Elden Ring affected by how players play the game, as the number of enemies and allies depend on decisions taken in the NPC questlines.
Golden Hippopotamus
The Golden Hippopotamus will likely be among the toughest bosses in the Elden Ring DLC for some players, but will be over in a jiffy for others.
This hippo may or may not be Messmer’s pet, serving as the guard dog for Shadow Keep’s front door. Players who happen upon it with a dexterity build will likely have an absolutely dreadful time dealing with its constant, flailing offense. Those wielding heavy weapons might not even get touched, due to its comparatively low poise.
Either way, players will be seeing a lot of this boss. Alongside the major boss version, there are an abundance of field boss versions of the Golden Hippopotamus scattered across the Elden Ring DLC. Each one drops a Scadutree Fragment, making them a must-find.
Count Ymir
Count Ymir was one of the new characters that appeared in the first Elden Ring DLC trailer and there was little context for who they were or where they came from. The character pans out to be something of a Sister Friede from Dark Souls 3 figure. He has a grumpy knight bodyguard, looks to steer people away from the dark secret living in their basement, and winds up absorbing their powers.
Unlike Sister Friede, Ymir is also a merchant. He sells a variety of different sorceries, most notably Miriam’s Vanishing. This spell works the same way as those pesky noble mages that hang out around ruins. Players can use it while moving to disappear and then reappear in a different location shortly thereafter.
Ancient Dragon-Man
A FromSoftware tradition is letting players transform their characters into some sort of anthropomorphic abomination. Elden Ring didn’t have this for whatever reason, but that changes in the DLC.
Instead of the horrible jellyfish-like Kin creature players can turn into in Bloodborne, Elden Ring goes with the tried-and-true dragon character. The Ancient Dragon-Man gives players a taste of what this offers in action. The character appears as both an invader and as a mandatory boss for advancing in the Elden Ring DLC.
As with previous FromSoftware games, unlocking dragon form is a bit of an ordeal and offers extra synergy with dragon sorceries and incantations. Also like previous FromSoftware games, it’s not necessarily any better than just playing with any other build.
Bayle the Dread
Located at the end of the Jagged Peak area in the Land of Shadow, Bayle the Dread is an optional remembrance boss and the forefather of the drakes. While defeating him isn’t necessary to progress the DLC’s story, players will want to challenge him to experience one of the best boss fights in the Elden Ring DLC, and arguably FromSoftware’s best dragon boss ever.
Speaking of Placidusax, Bayle is why the drakes and dragons are at odds. Before the age of the Erdtree, Bayle turned on the Dragonlord, resulting in a fight that ended in a stalemate thanks to their mutual injury. Even now, the Dragonlord’s heads are seen chomping on Bayle’s neck. In addition to the dragons, Bayle also has a one-sided rivalry with Igon, one of the most beloved NPCs in the game.
Nameless Mausoleum bosses
In addition to grand bosses, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC also introduces a handful of memorable mini-bosses players can discover in the Land of Shadows’ Nameless Mausoleums. These bosses have the appearance of an invader, appearing similar to a player character. Upon defeat, they will drop unique armor or weapons.
Many players got a rude awakening from the Blackgaol Knight, who looked unremarkable but was able to kill players with just one or two hits. The lineup of Nameless Mausoleum bosses includes:
- Blackgaol Knight
- Dancer of Ranah
- Red Bear
- Rakshasa
NPC questline bosses, invaders
Depending on player decisions throughout the Elden Ring DLC, players can make enemies or allies of multiple quest-related NPCs. The conditions for starting these fights vary. Some are initiated by the player while others can see the NPCs turn hostile through actions outside of directly attacking them.
Questline NPCs that players can fight, aside from Needle Knight Leda, who’s a mandatory boss fight to continue, include the following.
- Sir Ansbach
- Dryleaf Dane
- Redmane Freyja
- Thiollier
- Hornsent
- Sir Moore
