Progression in Elden Ring can be tough. While the start of a player's journey in the Lands Between will likely see them rolling through the mobs of basic enemies with ease, all that it takes is one tricky boss to start a difficulty spike.
Elden Ring: Best Weapons For Crowd Control
Players who want to effectively control crowds of enemies in Elden Ring may want to consider the following weapons.
Players will often have to roam around, looking for places to get stronger before they continue to tackle the main path. The open world lends itself to facing enemies in an order controlled by players, so it can be helpful to know which bosses yield the greatest rewards. Here are the bosses that drop the most runes, ranked in order of their rewards.
13 Rykard, Lord Of Blasphemy
130,000 Runes
- Health: 89,613
- Strong Vs Fire
- Also drops Rykard's Great Rune, Remembrance of the Blasphemous
The heretical son of Rennala and Radagon, Rykard has become part of an immortal snake and is the Shardbearer residing in Volcano Manor. As players can choose which Shardbearers to defeat while on their journey, some fans may never fight, or even discover the location of Rykard.
This can be a challenging boss fight, but the Serpent Hunter Greatspear that can be found earlier in Volcano Manor will make the battle much easier with its unique effects against this boss.
12 Godskin Duo
170,000 Runes
- Health: 26,350
- Strong Vs Holy & Fire
- Also drops Smithing Stone Miner's Bell Bearing (4)
A boss that is required to progress through the story, the Godskin Duo is an uneven fight. Located in the Crumbling Farum Azula, a Godskin Apostle, and a Godskin Noble - both fights that players could have encountered earlier in the game - fight together with a shared health bar.
If either of the pair dies in the combat, they can be brought back to life by their partner, which can make this fight quite tricky. If the attacks line up awkwardly, players can have a really hard time, but the runes that this fight rewards make progression from this point inevitable.
11 Great Wyrm Theodorix
180,000 Runes
- Health: 25,649
- Strong Vs Fire & Frostbite
- Also drops 3 x Dragon Heart
Although it can be tempting to avoid the trickier optional bosses, Great Wyrm Theodorix gives a worthy reward for such a challenging boss fight. In the frozen river at the Consecrated Snowfield, the wyrm will pose a threat to any who is near him with his flaming attacks.
A troll soldier who was transformed into his bestial form after he engaged in dragon communion, he attacks the same way as a magma wyrm boss, but with much more health and much more potential damage output. If players find him, he could be an effective early windfall of runes.
10 Fire Giant
180,000 Runes
- Health: 42,363
- Strong Vs Fire & Frostbite
- Also drops Remembrance Of The Fire Giant
In one of the most important parts of Elden Ring's story, the Tarnished must acquire the fire, protected by a lone giant, to burn the Erdtree. The defender giant is a mandatory boss to further the story, but the 180 thousand runes that he drops make the fight more than worth it.
To beat this boss, players should remember to use their steed, Torrent, intelligently. Many of the Fire Giants attacks are slow but do massive damage, so low-vitality characters should take extra care.
9 Gideon Ofnir
180,000 Runes
- Health: 6226
- Strong Vs Slash and Immune to Death Blight
- Also drops the All-Knowing Armor Set and Scepter
An ally who turns against the player, Gideon Ofnir is a necessary boss fight, but players have a lot of freedom when they actually choose to combat him.
Gideon is a caster with a bevy of projectile attacks that can quickly shred through player health, so it is important to use the pillars in the boss room as cover and to close any distance so that he can be interrupted when he tries to cast his bigger, more potent spells.
8 Loretta, Knight Of The Haligtree
200,000 Runes
- Health: 13,397
- Strong Vs Magic, Fire, Hemorrhage & Frostbite
- Also drops Loretta's Mastery and Loretta's War Sickle
Loretta can be missed entirely unless the Tarnished wants to fully explore the Haligtree and get to Malenia. For any who do challenge Loretta, the warrior will ride into battle atop a fierce steed and will attack using both magical arrows that can track the player and a large sickle that she can also imbue with magic.
The fight can be difficult, but for most players who have gotten to the Haligtree it will not be too much of a challenge; any players who can keep some space between themselves and Loretta will be at an advantage.
7 Maliketh
220,000 Runes
- Health: 10,620
- Strong Vs Holy & Sleep
- Also drops Remembrance of the Black Blade
Queen Marika's Shadow-bound beast himself, Maliketh the Black Blade reveals himself after players have dealt enough damage to the Beast Clergyman. This is an important boss fight in the story, as Maliketh protects the Rune of Destined Death which players must acquire.
A very tricky fight that can be punishing for any playstyle, fans should remember to use the terrain to their advantage when dodging Maliketh's slashing projectiles. It may also be useful to use the Blasphemous Claw, a unique item that allows for special parries exclusively in the fight against Maliketh.
6 Death Rite Bird (Snowfield)
220,000 Runes
- Health: 17,625
- Strong Vs Lightning & Pierce and Immune to Hemorrhage, Frostbite & Poison
- Also drops Explosive Ghostflame
Rewarding the same colossal amount of runes as Maliketh, the Death Rite Bird closest to the Apostate Derelict is a winged skeletal creature that can fly overhead, slash at the Tarnished, and spew ghostflame magic that can be hard to avoid.
The huge pay-off can make this a tempting boss to seek out, despite it being entirely optional. To make the fight a little easier, Holy Water pots can be used effectively against the undead enemy. The enemy's range and large attacks can still pose an issue, so players should think carefully about whether to fight the strongest Death Rite bird or not.
5 Dragonlord Placidusax
280,000 Runes
- Health: 26,651
- Also drops Remembrance of the Dragonlord
Hidden in the heart of Crumbling Farum Azula, Dragonlord Placidusax is a brutal boss. His imposing arena means that the Tarnished may struggle to find safety during the battle and the previous Elden Lord will use a variety of techniques to take out the player. Placidusax uses lightning attacks, flame breath, hulking swings, and stomps, and even spits golden flame as he tears around the map.
This is an entirely optional boss fight, which means that for some players this tricky combat will not be worth it; some of the other optional bosses on this list are much simpler to defeat. However, his special remembrance drop, Remembrance of the Dragonlord, can be forged into a powerful weapon that could make this a worthy challenge.
4 Godfrey, First Elden Lord
300,000 Runes
- Health: 21,903
- Strong Vs Holy & Sleep
- Also drops Remembrance of Hoarah Loux
The first husband of Queen Marika, Godfrey is one of the final bosses in the main route of Elden Ring. He defends the Erdtree, blocking the player from making their way inside. The fight against him is split into two phases: one against Godfrey and one against his berserker alter ego, Hoarah Loux.
The 300,000 rune reward can make a huge difference in the following battles, but the fight itself can be a challenge. Players should ensure they try to jump over any of this boss's slam attacks with areas of effect and learn the patterns in Hoarah Loux's nasty grabs.
3 Mohg, Lord Of Blood
420,000 Runes
- Health: 18,389
- Strong Vs Fire
- Also drops Mohg's Great Rune & Remembrance of the Blood Lord
A completely optional boss hidden underground, where players can find Miquella - who will be a central character in the Shadow of The Erdtree DLC - Mohg, Lord of Blood awaits the Tarnished. Mohg is one of the shardbearers needed to finish the story, but he can be quite separate from the rest of the game and some players will not even be aware of the blood sorcerer's presence under the Lands Between.
Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear can be unlocked after defeating him, but the heap of runes is the bigger reward. His blood loss effect can be devastating but if players can collect Mohg's shackle, the item can be used to halt him completely for a few moments, giving players a chance to get in a good few hits.
2 Malenia the Severed
480,000 Runes
- Health: 33,251
- Strong Vs Poison, Rot & Holy
- Also drops Malenia's Great Rune & Remembrance of the Rot Goddess
Malenia has become an infamous boss and is undoubtedly one of the hardest bosses in any of FromSoftware's titles. A sorrowful, plague-ridden warrior who strikes with rapid swipes from her saber and transforms in a second phase into a winged goddess who inflicts scarlet rot on many of her attacks.
As Malenia heals from every attack that she lands, the huge rune reward may be insufficient compared to the number of attempts that many fans may take to learn her moves and finally defeat her. Some of her more powerful attacks are best to flee from, and when she enters her second phase she will test even the hardiest of 'Souls-like' veterans.
1 Elden Beast
500,000 Runes
- Health: 22,127
- Strong Vs Holy
- Also drops Elden Remembrance
The final boss in Elden Ring's epic story, the Elden Beast fight actually begins as a battle against Radagon of the Golden Order, the consort of Queen Marika, inside the Erdtree. When the player defeats Radagon, though, the real enemy emerges. The Elden Beast is a colossal cosmic horror that oozes across the void-like arena with a flurry of tracking magic bolts, sweeping projectiles, and heavy slam attacks.
Given that he is the final boss, the runes he rewards on defeating him can set the player up happily to continue to explore the Lands Between after the ending cutscene to see anything that they missed. If the Tarnished can stay close and stagger the beast, they can even stop him from ever going into the air where he will deliver some of his most devastating attacks.
Elden Ring
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software
