ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition Boss List: Major Fights Guide

Every Tarnished eventually hits the wall: you step through the fog gate, the boss bar appears, and within seconds you are dead. That is why having a reliable elden ring boss list matters more than any weapon upgrade. Knowing which fights gate the main story, which ones you can skip, and what level you should be before engaging saves you hours of frustration. This guide breaks down the full elden ring all bosses lineup for the Tarnished Edition, from the opening gauntlet at Stormveil to the final clash with the Elden Beast, while giving you concrete strategies for the three fights that stop most players cold: Margit, Godrick, and Radahn. For more detail, see our boss cheese strategies, covered in our related guide.

The Tarnished Edition bundles the base game with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which means the boss roster now exceeds 100 encounters when you count field bosses, catacomb guardians, and optional legends. According to the official Bandai Namco page, the key story bosses that gate progression are Margit, Godrick, Rennala, Radahn, Morgott, Rykard, Maliketh, Godfrey, and the Elden Beast, with Malenia standing as the hardest optional fight in the entire game. Community reports from the Elden Ring subreddit consistently rank these same encounters as the most punishing, which tells you exactly where to focus your preparation. Whether you are chasing a completionist run or just trying to reach the credits, this elden ring boss list gives you the roadmap, the recommended levels, and the tactical breakdowns you need to keep moving forward.

Understanding the ELDEN RING Boss List Structure

The elden ring boss list is not a linear gauntlet like older Souls games. FromSoftware designed the Lands Between as an open world where you can tackle major shardbearers in multiple orders, which means your actual boss order depends on your exploration choices. That flexibility is both a blessing and a curse, because it is easy to wander into a region where you are severely underleveled and get flattened by a field boss that should wait until later.

To make sense of the full elden ring all bosses roster, you need to understand the three tiers that structure the game: the mandatory story bosses that gate your progression through the Lands Between, the optional Great Enemy and Field Bosses that reward you with crucial upgrade materials like Somber Smithing Stones, and the hidden mini-bosses that often drop unique Ashes of War. This hierarchy matters because it directly dictates your build's power curve—for instance, tackling elden ring how to beat margit requires a +3 weapon and roughly 20-30 Vigor, whereas elden ring godrick the grafted demands a +5 upgrade and spirit summons like the Spirit Jellyfish to split his aggro. Understanding which tier you are facing tells you whether you can brute-force the fight or need to respec your Flask allocations and equip specific talismans for elemental resistances, preventing the common pitfall of wandering into a late-game boss like Radahn with underleveled gear.

• Main story bosses — the shardbearers and final encounters required to reach any ending. These include Margit, Godrick, Rennala, Radahn, Morgott, Rykard, Maliketh, Godfrey, and the Radagon/Elden Beast finale.

• Optional legendary bosses — powerful encounters that are not required but drop unique rewards, including Malenia, Astel, the Dragonlord Placidusax, and the Glintstone Dragon Adula.

• Field bosses and dungeon guardians — the roaming giants, erdtree avatars, and catacomb bosses that fill the overworld. These are the bulk of the 100+ total encounters and often reward upgrade materials or unique ashes of war.

The Tarnished Edition adds the Shadow of the Erdtree content, which introduces a separate but connected boss list in the Land of Shadow. That expansion features its own set of major fights, including Messmer the Impaler and the Promised Consort Radahn, which we cover in a separate guide. For this article, we are focusing on the base game progression because that is what most players need to understand first.

Recommended Level by Region

Your level relative to the region determines how forgiving each fight feels, and the gap widens dramatically at specific breakpoints. Community testing across multiple playthroughs has produced a reliable level curve that most players agree on—aim for roughly 30–40 before Margit the Fell Omen in Stormveil, 50–60 for Godrick the Grafted, and 70–90 before Radahn in Caelid—though your build and weapon upgrade level can shift these numbers significantly. A +12 Heavy Greatsword with 40 Strength will melt Margit far faster than a +3 straight sword, even at the same rune level, because weapon scaling and damage negation compound with your stat investment. Conversely, neglecting Vigor below 30 makes even the "correct" level feel punishing, as Margit's Phase 2 dagger combos can one-shot players with less than 700 HP. Use the table below to cross-reference your current level, weapon upgrade, and Vigor against each boss's recommended threshold.

These numbers come from aggregated player reports on the Fextralife wiki and the Elden Ring community subreddit, and they assume a standard vigor investment of at least 40 points by the late game. If you are running a glass cannon build, you will want to be on the higher end of each range because your margin for error shrinks dramatically.

How to Track Your Progress

The game does not give you a built-in boss checklist, which is why many players maintain their own tracking method. The simplest approach is to check the Enia shop in the Roundtable Hold, because she sells unique items for each Great Rune you collect. If you can buy a new talisman or item from her, you have confirmed that you killed the associated shardbearer. For optional bosses, the Mausoleum system lets you duplicate their remembrances, so checking which mausoleums are still available tells you which fights you have completed.

Margit the Fell Omen: Your First Major Wall

Margit the Fell Omen is the first boss that forces most players to actually learn the game's combat rhythm. He sits at the entrance to Stormveil Castle, and his aggressive moveset punishes panic rolling harder than any early enemy. The elden ring how to beat margit question dominates new player discussions because he appears so early, often catching players who skipped the optional content in Limgrave.

His moveset includes a delayed overhead slam, a three-hit combo with a dagger follow-up, and a holy light hammer that he summons for wide sweeping attacks. The delayed attacks are the real killer, because your instinct to roll on sight will get you caught by the second hit every time. According to community data, most players who struggle with Margit are underleveled and under-upgraded, not mechanically deficient.

The recommended level for Margit is 20-25 with a +3 or better weapon, but the more important factor is your Vigor stat. Players who arrive with less than 20 Vigor get one-shot by his phase two hammer slam, which makes the fight feel impossible regardless of skill. If you are struggling, the Marga's Shackle item, purchasable from the merchant near Murkwater Cave, pins him to the ground twice during the fight and gives you free damage windows.

Spirit Summons and NPC Help

You can summon Sorcerer Rogier outside the fog gate if you talked to him in the Roundtable Hold, and his magic attacks draw aggro while you deal damage. Spirit summons like the Jellyfish or Lone Wolf Ashes also work well because they split Margit's attention. The key is to let your summon tank while you attack from behind, then retreat when Margit switches targets. This fight is designed to teach you that using every tool available is not cheating, it is playing smart.

Godrick the Grafted: Stormveil's Lord

Once you clear Margit, Godrick the Grafted waits at the end of Stormveil Castle, and he represents a different kind of challenge. Where Margit tests your reaction speed, Godrick tests your ability to manage a large arena and deal with phase transitions. The elden ring how to beat godrick strategy revolves around staying close and punishing his telegraphed attacks rather than trying to create distance.

In his first phase, Godrick uses a wind-powered axe that creates wide sweeping arcs, plus a ground slam that sends out a shockwave. His most dangerous move is the Storm Call, where he spins with the axe extended and drags you along the ground. The counter is simple: roll into him as he starts the spin, then attack his back while he recovers. The elden ring godrick the grafted fight becomes significantly easier once you realize that his attacks all have long recovery windows that you can punish with two to three hits.

His phase two transformation grafts a dragon head onto his arm, giving him fire breath and a long-range grab that deals massive damage. The fire breath sweeps in a wide arc, so the counter is to roll under it and get behind him while he is locked in the animation. The grab attack is telegraphed by a long wind-up, and you can interrupt it with enough damage, which is why aggressive play works better than passive waiting.

Recommended Approach

The recommended level for Godrick is 30-35 with a +5 weapon, and you should have at least 25 Vigor to survive his phase two grab. Nepheli Loux can be summoned outside the fog gate if you talked to her in the castle, and she is a tanky summon that draws aggro effectively. The Banished Knight Oleg spirit ashes are also excellent here because his aggressive AI keeps Godrick occupied while you deal damage. If you are using magic, the Rock Sling spell deals massive poise damage and can stagger Godrick multiple times during the fight.

Starscourge Radahn: The Festival of War

Starscourge Radahn is the most unique boss fight in the base game because it is designed as a festival, with multiple NPC summons available and a massive open arena. The elden ring how to beat radahn question has a different answer than the other major bosses, because the fight is less about learning a moveset and more about managing the chaos of a large battlefield.

Radahn uses a massive curved greatsword and gravity magic, and his moveset includes a meteor dive, gravity wells that pull you toward him, and a four-hit combo that covers enormous ground. His arrows in the opening phase can one-shot underleveled players, which is why the recommended level for this fight is 50-60 with a +10 weapon. The fight is split into two phases, with the second phase triggering when Radahn reaches roughly half health and crashes down as a meteor.

The festival mechanic means you can summon up to six NPCs during the fight, and they respawn after dying, which makes this a war of attrition. The most effective strategy is to summon everyone, let them engage Radahn while you deal damage from range, then retreat when he targets you. For melee builds, the Rotten Breath dragon incantation deals massive damage over time and can carry you through the fight if you can stay alive long enough.

The Scarlet Rot Strategy

One of the most popular community strategies for Radahn involves applying Scarlet Rot and then running away while the status effect drains his health. The Rotten Breath incantation requires 15 Faith and 12 Arcane, which is achievable with a small stat investment even on melee builds. Apply the rot twice during the fight, then focus on survival while the damage ticks. This strategy is slower than direct combat, but it is far safer and works even at lower levels.

The Complete Major Boss Order

Now that we have covered the three fights that stop most players, let us map out the full elden ring boss list in the order most players will encounter them. This is not a mandatory sequence, because the game allows you to tackle several of these in different orders, but it reflects the natural progression curve that most playthroughs follow.

This elden ring boss list covers the mandatory progression, but the game has far more content beyond these eleven fights. The optional bosses include Malenia, Blade of Miquella in the Haligtree, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void in the Lake of Rot, and Dragonlord Placidusax in Farum Azula. Each of these optional encounters drops unique rewards that can define a build, which is why completionist players eventually tackle all of them. ee, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void in the Lake of Rot, and Dragonlord Placidusax in Farum Azula. Each of these optional encounters drops unique rewards that can define a build, which is why completionist players eventually tackle all of them, though their difficulty varies wildly—a reality that becomes starkly apparent when comparing them against the brutal gauntlets in our Elden Ring Hardest Bosses Ranked breakdown.

Rennala and Rykard: The Gimmick Fights

Two of the major bosses break the standard combat formula. Rennala in Raya Lucaria has a first phase where you must find and kill the singing students while she floats invulnerable in a bubble, then a second phase where she becomes a standard mage boss with powerful spell combos. The Comet Azur spell can melt her phase two if you time it correctly, but melee builds should focus on closing distance and staying aggressive.

Rykard in Volcano Manor requires the Serpent-Hunter spear, which you find in the boss arena itself. The spear deals massive damage during this fight, and the strategy is to use its weapon art to stagger Rykard repeatedly. This is one of the few fights where your normal build matters less than your ability to use the gimmick weapon effectively.

Hardest Bosses Ranked by Community Consensus

The elden ring hardest bosses ranked discussion is a perennial topic in the community, and while individual experiences vary, there is a strong consensus about which fights sit at the top. According to aggregated player reports from the Elden Ring subreddit and the Fextralife wiki, the following ranking reflects the general difficulty curve as of 2026.

Malenia consistently ranks as the hardest fight in the game, and the community reports that her Waterfowl Dance attack is the single most complained-about move in the entire elden ring boss list. The attack is a multi-hit flurry that can one-shot players at full health, and the only reliable counter is to create distance or use a shield with high stability. The Bloodhound Step ash of war is the most popular counter because its extended invincibility frames let you dodge through the entire flurry.

Why Difficulty Perception Varies

Your build dramatically changes how hard these fights feel. A player with a Bleed build using dual katanas will shred most bosses in seconds, while a pure strength build with a slow greatsword will struggle with fast enemies like Maliketh. The community reports that Mimic Tear spirit ashes trivialize most boss fights because the summon copies your build and draws aggro, which is why many players consider it the strongest tool in the game. If you are stuck on a specific boss, adjusting your build or summon strategy often matters more than grinding levels.

Practical Tips for Every Major Boss

Beyond the specific strategies for Margit, Godrick, and Radahn, several universal principles apply to every fight on the elden ring boss list. First, maintain a medium equip load to keep your roll at medium weight, ensuring the invincibility frames (i-frames) are maximized for dodging combos. Second, summon Spirit Ashes like the Mimic Tear or Black Knife Tiche to split aggro, giving you windows to heal or cast spells. Third, study each boss's Phase 2 transition—most, like Godrick's dragon arm or Radahn's meteor dive, introduce new attacks that require a revised positioning strategy. These tips come from aggregated community experience and apply regardless of your build or playstyle.

• Level Vigor first — Every point of Vigor increases your survivability more than any damage stat. The community consensus is that 40 Vigor by the late game is the minimum for comfortable progression, and 60 is the soft cap where returns diminish.

• Upgrade your weapon before leveling damage stats — A +15 weapon with minimum stat requirements outperforms a +5 weapon with 60 in your damage stat. The Smithing Stones are the real gate, so explore mines and catacombs to stockpile them.

• Use Spirit Ashes liberally — The game gives you this tool for a reason. Even the basic Lone Wolf Ashes can draw aggro and create openings, and the Mimic Tear you find in Nokron is the strongest summon in the game.

• Learn to jump attacks — Jump attacks deal massive poise damage and are safer than charged heavy attacks because they have less recovery. Most bosses stagger after three to four jump attacks, giving you a free critical hit.

• Carry a shield with 100% physical block — Even if you do not use shields as your primary tool, having one equipped for panic situations can save you from one-shot combos. The Brass Shield dropped by soldiers in Limgrave is the best early-game option.

• Check the wiki before each major fight — The Fextralife wiki maintains detailed boss pages with moveset breakdowns and strategy discussions. Knowing what a boss does before you enter the fog gate saves you death after death.

Build Recommendations by Boss

Different bosses punish different weaknesses, so having a flexible approach matters. The Blasphemous Blade from Rykard's remembrance is widely considered the best PvE weapon in the game because its weapon art heals you on hit and deals massive fire damage. The Moonveil katana is the best intelligence weapon, with a weapon art that deals high poise damage and has excellent range. For pure strength builds, the Giant-Crusher hammer with the Lion's Claw ash of war can stagger most bosses in three to four hits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the complete elden ring boss list in order?

The mandatory boss order is Margit, Godrick, Rennala, Radahn, Morgott, Rykard, Fire Giant, Maliketh, Godfrey, Radagon, and the Elden Beast. Optional bosses like Malenia and Astel can be tackled at any point, but the recommended levels vary from 50 for early optional fights to 150 for the Haligtree.

How do I beat Margit the Fell Omen as a beginner?

Level up to at least 20 with 20 Vigor, upgrade your weapon to +3, and use the Margit's Shackle item to pin him down twice. Summon Sorcerer Rogier and your Spirit Ashes to split his aggro, then punish his recovery windows after his delayed attacks.

What level should I be for Godrick the Grafted?

The recommended level is 30-35 with a +5 weapon and at least 25 Vigor. Summon Nepheli Loux outside the fog gate and use aggressive play to interrupt his phase two grab attack. Stay close and roll into his attacks to punish his recovery windows.

Is Starscourge Radahn optional?

Yes, Radahn is technically optional because you only need two Great Runes to enter Leyndell, and you can get them from Godrick and Rennala. However, his Great Rune and the Starscourge Greatsword are valuable, and the festival fight is one of the most memorable encounters in the game.

What is the hardest boss in the elden ring boss list?

Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is the hardest boss in the Elden Ring boss list. Her Waterfowl Dance can one-shot most builds, and she heals on every hit, punishing passive play. She is optional but drops the Hand of Malenia katana and her remembrance, making the fight worthwhile for dedicated Tarnished.