Summary

  • Shadow of the Erdtree offers more of what made Elden Ring great, with new content and a large map to explore. The DLC introduces new bosses, some familiar fights, and others completely new. Here are some key takeaways about the bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree:
  • Exploration is a major part of Elden Ring, and Shadow of the Erdtree continues this with a new map and new enemies to battle.
  • Bosses are a central part of the Soulsborne games, and Shadow of the Erdtree introduces even more, testing players' abilities.

To no one's surprise, Shadow of the Erdtree has taken the world by storm, offering more of what made Elden Ring so great in the first place, while adding a ton of new content. Obviously, a major part of Elden Ring is the exploration factor, and Shadow of the Erdtree continues it, with a large new map to explore and new enemies to battle.

As Elden Ring is a Soulsborne game created by FromSoftware, bosses are a central part of the game, with many examples players can encounter. Shadow of the Erdtree introduces even more bosses; some are familiar fights, and others are completely new. As the Gravesite Plain is the first area players will explore, there are many bosses to battle in that area, most of which will test the players' preconception of how powerful they themselves are.

11 Chief Bloodfiend

A New But Simple Fight

Elden Ring Chief Bloodfiend using blood incantations fighting the player
  • Found in the Rivermouth Cave
  • Drops the Bloodfiend Hexer's Ashes

Given Mohg has an influence on both Miquella's story and getting to the DLC, it would make sense for blood-aligned enemies to appear in the new area. Chief Bloodfiend is a boss in this new area, one that is a bit tanky, but still relatively simple.

He only executes a couple of attack patterns, and can cast blood incantations, not making for the most exciting of fights. Even then, the camera can be unreliable in this fight, not providing the best view of the boss, especially due to how tall he is. However, the Chief isn't the most difficult battle, so players shouldn't have as much trouble taking him out compared to the other bosses in the Gravesite Plain.

10 Ancient Dragon-Man

A Tarnished Enemy With Limited Attacks

Elden Ring Ancient Dragon-Man fighting the player
  • Found in the Dragon's Pit
  • Drops the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana

The Gravesite Plain offers a notable number of Tarnished enemies for the player to face. Either found in the open-world as enemies, or as bosses, the player will find enemies that behave like the player with their playstyle.

The Ancient Dragon-Man is one such encounter, and is found in the Dragon's Pit. He has some basic attack patterns with his weapon, as well as an Ash of War that can deal heavy damage. Aside from that, he can also utilize Dragon Communion incantations such as Dragonmaw and Magma Breath. However, he doesn't have a crazy number of attacks, so his boss fight is quite simple.

9 Red Bear

An Enemy With A Unique But Limited Moveset

Elden Ring Red Bear doing battle with the player
  • Found in the Northern Nameless Mausoleum
  • Drops the Red Bear's Claw, Fang Helm, Iron Rivet Armor, Iron Rivet Gauntlets, and the Iron Rivet Greaves

As is often the case with Tarnished enemies, they don't have much of an involved moveset. The Red Bear follows this logic, with some unique attacks, but ones that he will often repeat immediately after using them.

He can deal big damage, but given his use of a fist weapon, it is easy to evade his attacks. However, he does possess a new incantation, the Roar of Rugalea, which can deal more damage to players than his melee attacks, and given it is an AoE spell, dodging it can also be tricky.

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7 Ghostflame Dragon

A New Dragon Fight That Plays Out The Same As The Old Dragon Bosses

Elden Ring Ghostflame Dragon battling a player on horseback
  • Found on the lake in northern Gravesite Plain
  • Drops a Dragon Heart and a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone

Dragons have always been a major part of FromSoft's Soulsborne games, and Elden Ring was no different. Multiple dragon bosses were found throughout The Lands Between, some more important than others, and each relating to the various elemental damage types in the game.

Elden-Ring-16-Hardest-Dragon-Boss-Fights,-Ranked
Elden Ring: 16 Hardest Dragon Boss Fights, Ranked

There are many dragons that populate the Lands Between in Elden Ring, with each posing a tough challenge, but some are much stronger than others.

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Of these, there was never a dragon that utilized Ghostflame, but Shadow of the Erdtree fixes that. The Ghostflame Dragon is very similar to the regular dragon bosses found in the base game, with various physical and breath attacks, yet this time it uses ghostflame. There are some new unique attacks, such as when it breathes ghostflame into its own body for an AoE, but it is mostly the same as the dragons fought previously.

6 Furnace Golem

A Simple Fight But A Huge Spectacle

Elden Ring Furnace Golem in battle with the player
  • Found near the Scorched Ruins and the Ellac River.
  • Drops the Deflecting Hardtear and the Viridian Hidden Tear respectively, with both dropping a Furnace Visage.

Normally, FromSoft's larger bosses tend to be on the easier side, either because of their moveset or because they are a gimmick fight. The Furnace Golems are also a simple fight once their patterns are learned, with only a few attacks to their name.

They usually stomp the ground and cause fire to spread everywhere, with additional attacks involving their arms and fire projectiles. If caught in these attacks, they can cause massive damage to the player, but can also be easily avoided. The highlight of these fights is the spectacle; battling against a giant fire construct that explodes the surrounding area. It makes for great moments, even if the gameplay isn't too involved.

5 Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze

A Boss That Tests The Player's Dodging Skills

Elden Ring Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze during a mid-air attack
  • Found in the Belurat Gaol
  • Drops the Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh Spirit Ashes

Throughout the base game of Elden Ring, the demi-humans weren't too big of a challenge, and were quite easy to defeat. Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze flips the narrative; this is a boss that is extremely fast and deadly.

Appearing as the boss for the Belurat Gaol, Onze uses a bunch of fast attacks that can easily defeat the player. Onze's basic attacks are already fast, but his Ash of War attacks are even deadlier, with moves that seem straight out of the Carian Combo Warriors mod. Onze even has a Vergil-like Judgment Cut, making for a boss that looks unassuming, but can be a challenge for some players.

4 Blackgaol Knight

One Of The First Bosses Players Will Encounter

Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight running towards the viewer
  • Found in the Western Nameless Mausoleum
  • Drops the Greatsword of Solitude, Helm of Solitude, Armor of Solitude, Gloves of Solitude, and Greaves of Solitude

Aside from the first Furnace Golem, the Blackgaol Knight will most likely be the first boss players encounter in the DLC, and specifically, the first with a dedicated boss health bar. Despite his appearance as a tarnished enemy, the Blackgaol Knight can be a tough encounter, dealing massive damage that can catch players off guard.

His attacks aren't too complex, consisting of basic slashes with his sword, but his Ash of War can kill anyone witnessing it for the first time, especially with the follow-up move he can do. The fight is simply challenging due to the damage he is able to dish out, combined with the player's ability to not deal as much damage as they would expect, given the DLC's new leveling system.

3 Death Knight

A Full 'Guy In Armor' Fight

Elden Ring Death Knight standing idle in a boss room
  • Found in the Fog Rift Catacombs
  • Drops the Death Knight's Twin Axes and the Crimson Amber Medallion +3

A large criticism of Elden Ring was the optional dungeon content scattered throughout The Lands Between. Many players felt that they were all extremely similar, with simple bosses and repetitive layouts.

The Death Knight is a subversion of such criticisms, and is a challenging fight that gives players a reason to do the side dungeons. Despite the name, the Death Knight doesn't utilize deathblight, a relief to many. Instead, the Death Knight uses lightning abilities in addition to axe attacks. His deadliest attack is a grab, which can heal the Death Knight by a significant amount. However, the knight can be backstabbed, so the fight isn't too unfair.

2 Divine Beast Dancing Lion

The First Major Boss Encounter

Elden Ring's Divine Beast Dancing Lion staring at the viewer
  • Found in Belurat, Tower Settlement
  • Drops the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion and the Divine Beast Head

As the first major boss that players will most likely fight, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion sets the stage for the difficulty of the bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree. The boss is incredibly fast and agile, with numerous elemental and ranged attacks that make it a tough battle.

It can be frustrating given its less-than-stellar attack telegraphs, but the spectacle of the fight will blow players away. With incredible music and a fantastic boss design, players won't find any negatives on that front, even if they will have to learn the attack patterns more so than other major bosses.