As I’m sure everyone expected from a game with Dark Souls in its DNA, Elden Ring can be really, really difficult at times, and nowhere is this more apparent than in its boss fights. Fighting bosses in Elden Ring is all about gradual progression. You almost never win on the first try, so every attempt is about learning a teensy bit more, memorizing more of their patterns, optimizing your equipment. Even when you learn the patterns, though, there are a couple of bosses that, sometimes, you just have to get a little lucky to win, because they ain’t letting you have it for free. So, what’s the hardest boss in Elden Ring?
What’s the Hardest Boss in Elden Ring?
Obviously, the boss that you consider the hardest in the game will probably be a little different from others. No two people experience Elden Ring the same way, after all. But based on consensus (and pained wailing) from the game’s community, the majority consensus is that one of the hardest fights in the game, if not the hardest, is Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
Frequently in this game, the closer a boss is to human-sized, the more difficult they are, because they’re faster and have a smaller hitbox. Malenia is a good example of this. She seems like a straightforward opponent at first, only using basic sword slashes, but as you wear her down, her attacks become even faster, more elaborate, and further-reaching. That’s bad enough on its own, but every time she successfully smacks you, she gets a chunk of health back.
Even after you empty out her health bar, she just changes phase, evolving into Malenia, Goddess of Rot, and peppering the entire arena with gigantic, explosive pools of Scarlet Rot, all while still employing her light-speed sword technique. The only upshot to this fight is that it’s completely optional, and you don’t have to do it to finish the game’s story, but I’m willing to bet any of you who didn’t already know about Malenia are going to go try to fight her now just to say you did. Have fun with that, I guess.
