Summary
To no one’s surprise,Shadow of the Erdtreehas taken the world by storm, offering more of what madeElden Ringso great in the first place, while adding a ton of new content. Obviously, a major part ofElden Ringis the exploration factor, andShadow of the Erdtreecontinues it, with a large new map to explore and new enemies to battle.
AsElden Ringis a Soulsborne game created by FromSoftware, bosses are a central part of the game, with many examples players can encounter.Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduces even more bosses; some are familiar fights, and others are completely new. As theGravesite Plainis 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.
11Chief Bloodfiend
A New But Simple Fight
Given Mohg has an influence on both Miquella’s story andgetting to the DLC, it would make sense for blood-aligned enemies to appear in the new area.Chief Bloodfiendis 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.
10Ancient Dragon-Man
A Tarnished Enemy With Limited Attacks
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.
TheAncient Dragon-Manis 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 utilizeDragon Communion incantationssuch as Dragonmaw and Magma Breath. However, he doesn’t have a crazy number of attacks, so his boss fight is quite simple.
9Red Bear
An Enemy With A Unique But Limited Moveset
As is often the case withTarnished enemies, they don’t have much of an involved moveset. TheRed Bearfollows 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.
7Ghostflame Dragon
A New Dragon Fight That Plays Out The Same As The Old Dragon Bosses
Dragons have always been a major part of FromSoft’s Soulsborne games, andElden Ringwas no different.Multiple dragon bosses were foundthroughout The Lands Between, some more important than others, and each relating to the various elemental damage types in the game.
Of these, there was never a dragon that utilized Ghostflame, butShadow of the Erdtreefixes that. TheGhostflame Dragonis 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.
6Furnace Golem
A Simple Fight But A Huge Spectacle
Normally, FromSoft’s larger bosses tend to be on the easier side, either because of their moveset or because they are a gimmick fight.TheFurnace Golemsare 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.
5Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze
A Boss That Tests The Player’s Dodging Skills
Throughout the base game ofElden Ring, the demi-humans weren’t too big of a challenge, and were quite easy to defeat.Demi-Human Swordmaster Onzeflips the narrative; this is a boss that isextremely 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.
4Blackgaol Knight
One Of The First Bosses Players Will Encounter
Aside from the first Furnace Golem, theBlackgaol Knightwill most likely be thefirst boss players encounterin 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.
3Death Knight
A Full ‘Guy In Armor’ Fight
A large criticism ofElden Ringwas theoptional dungeon content scattered throughoutThe Lands Between. Many players felt that they were all extremely similar, with simple bosses and repetitive layouts.
TheDeath Knightis 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.
2Divine Beast Dancing Lion
The First Major Boss Encounter
As the first major boss that players will most likely fight, theDivine Beast Dancing Lionsets the stage for the difficulty of the bosses inShadow 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.
