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FromSoftware games such as Elden Ring, are famous for having many difficult boss fights as the games’ central focus. The bosses in these games can range from small duels against NPC characters, to a huge multiphase spectacle. As the latest and biggest FromSoftware game to date, Elden Ring contains the most bosses of any game in the series.
With so many bosses to find in Elden Ring, FromSoftware wasn’t afraid to add secret bosses in hard-to-find locations. One of the hardest bosses to find in Elden Ring is Dragonlord Placidusax.
Dragonlord Placidusax is one of the last bosses players are expected to face in the game, as they must first reach the Crumbling Farum Azula. The entwined dragon boss is so difficult to get to because it requires the player to lay down in a specific location, which prompts a journey back through time. Unsurprisingly, players won't want to make this trip more times than they have to, and so each attempt at the Dragonlord is tackled like a dramatic final fight. At least, this is how Reddit user _Jamez chose to face Dragonlord Placidusax.
The Reddit user shared a clip of the boss fight’s dramatic ending. With Dragonlord Placidusax only one hit away from being defeated, the clip shows both player and boss charging up their attacks. The player uses the popular Comet Azur spell, which is commonly called the “Kamehameha” by fans due to its visual similarity to the iconic attack from Dragon Ball Z. Dragonlord Placidusax also charges up its similarly anime-esq AOE lightning attack.
These two attacks having nearly the exact same amount build up does give the entire clip the sense of being from the final fight of a Dragon Ball Z style anime series. The player’s cape billowing from the power of the attacks also helps to perfectly punctuate the over-the-top action of the whole situation. Even for a fantasy series, Elden Ring does walk a unique line between a sort of gritty medieval realism and over-the-top action, which also allows players to wield huge anime weapons and face towering monsters. This should be no surprise since so much of FromSoftware’s games are inspired by the acclaimed manga and anime series Berzerk, which has a similar style.
For many players, Malenia is considered the hardest boss in Elden Ring, and will therefore be faced as the game’s final challenge. But a side quest that is required if the player wants to get out of the Frenzied Flame ending does ask the player to defeat Malenia before traveling to Dragonlord Placidusax’s boss arena. So perhaps in the eyes of the game, the Dragonlord is considered the final optional side boss in Elden Ring. It is certainly one of the game’s most cinematic areas, despite being so hard to find.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
