If you are looking for an Elden Ring list of bosses in order, the biggest thing to know is that Elden Ring does not follow one strict path. Unlike older FromSoftware games, Elden Ring gives players an enormous amount of freedom, which means you can easily wander into bosses that are wildly above your current level without realising it.
Honestly, that is part of what makes the game incredible, but it also means a lot of players end up accidentally fighting bosses far earlier than they probably should.
This Elden Ring list of bosses in order focuses on the most natural progression route through the main story, while also pointing out major optional bosses, side paths, and important encounters you really do not want to miss.
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The First Major Bosses in Limgrave
Most players begin their journey in Limgrave, and technically, the first boss you meet is probably going to destroy you immediately.
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Soldier of Godrick
The tutorial boss.
Not difficult, but it teaches basic combat mechanics if you choose to enter the tutorial cave.
Tree Sentinel
The giant golden knight riding around outside the starting area.
This is Elden Ring’s first major lesson:
you do not have to fight everything immediately.
Most new players get flattened here before realising the game expects you to come back later.
Beastman of Farum Azula
An optional early cave boss located in Groveside Cave.
Good for early practice and early runes.
Margit, the Fell Omen
This is the first true progression wall for many players.
Margit hits hard, delays attacks constantly, and punishes panic rolling harder than almost any early-game boss in modern RPGs. Beating Margit is usually the moment players finally “understand” how Elden Ring combat works.
Recommended Level:
20-30
Stormveil Castle Boss Order
After defeating Margit, players enter Stormveil Castle.
This is where Elden Ring starts properly opening up.
Godrick the Grafted
The first Shardbearer boss.
Godrick looks horrifying, talks endlessly, attaches dragon heads to himself, and somehow still ends up being one of the easier major bosses once you learn his patterns.
Defeating Godrick unlocks progression into Liurnia of the Lakes.
Recommended Level:
30-40
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Liurnia of the Lakes Bosses
Liurnia is where Elden Ring truly becomes massive.
Suddenly you have:
- magic academies
- hidden underground regions
- giant lobster nightmares
- dragons appearing out of nowhere
- dozens of optional bosses
Red Wolf of Radagon
A fast, aggressive magic-focused boss inside Raya Lucaria Academy.
Not especially tanky, but very dangerous if you panic heal.
Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
One of the most visually memorable fights in Elden Ring.
The first phase is strange and almost puzzle-like, while the second phase becomes a full magic duel against one of the game’s major lore characters.
Rennala also unlocks character respecs, making her one of the most important bosses in Elden Ring progression.
Recommended Level:
40-50
Caelid Bosses
Caelid is where many players accidentally wander far too early and immediately regret it.
Everything here looks diseased, terrifying, and aggressively hostile.
The difficulty spike can feel brutal.
Starscourge Radahn
One of the most iconic bosses in Elden Ring.
Originally infamous for being absurdly difficult at launch, Radahn remains one of the game’s biggest spectacle fights. The battle feels more like a war than a traditional boss encounter.
The game lets you summon multiple NPC warriors into the fight, creating complete chaos across the battlefield.
Recommended Level:
60-70
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Altus Plateau and Leyndell Boss Order
This section of Elden Ring feels like the transition into the true late game.
Bosses begin hitting dramatically harder from this point onward.
Draconic Tree Sentinel
Another mounted knight boss, except this version is far nastier than the Limgrave encounter.
Many players underestimate this fight and get destroyed repeatedly before even entering the capital.
Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade)
A spectral version of one of Elden Ring’s most important lore characters.
This fight acts as preparation for much harder encounters later.
Morgott, the Omen King
Essentially Margit evolved into a much deadlier version.
Morgott is fast, aggressive, and far more punishing than his earlier form. For many players, this is where Elden Ring combat truly clicks.
Recommended Level:
80-90
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Mountaintops of the Giants Bosses
This is where Elden Ring starts becoming genuinely ruthless.
Enemy damage spikes massively, normal enemies become terrifying again, and bosses become much longer endurance fights.
Fire Giant
A boss players either love or absolutely hate.
The scale of the fight is incredible, but the camera sometimes feels like the real enemy here.
Still, Fire Giant marks one of the biggest turning points in the game’s story.
Recommended Level:
100-110
Crumbling Farum Azula Bosses
Visually, this area is unbelievable.
Floating ruins, storms everywhere, dragons constantly attacking you, and some of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring all stacked together.
Godskin Duo
Widely considered one of the most frustrating bosses in Elden Ring.
Two aggressive enemies sharing one health bar while constantly reviving each other is exactly as painful as it sounds.
Maliketh, the Black Blade
One of the fastest and most aggressive fights in the game.
Maliketh punishes hesitation brutally, especially during phase two where he starts draining health incredibly quickly.
Recommended Level:
110-125
Some of the later fights become dramatically easier with the right summon setup, especially if players are using some of the best Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring during aggressive late-game boss encounters.
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Final Elden Ring Boss Order
The final section of Elden Ring is essentially a marathon of major fights.
Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing
A lore-heavy fight against a character players have interacted with throughout the game.
Godfrey / Hoarah Loux
One of the best fights in Elden Ring.
The second phase becomes pure aggression, wrestling attacks, and chaos.
Radagon of the Golden Order
An incredible final boss visually and mechanically.
Elden Beast
The true final boss of Elden Ring.
Massive, strange, beautiful, and occasionally frustrating when it decides to swim to the other side of the arena for the fifteenth time.
Recommended Level:
120-150
Elden Ring List of Bosses in Order – Major Optional Bosses You Should Not Miss
A huge part of Elden Ring’s best content is completely optional.
Some of the most important optional bosses include:
- Malenia, Blade of Miquella
- Mohg, Lord of Blood
- Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
- Dragonlord Placidusax
- Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
- Lichdragon Fortissax
Honestly, some of these optional fights are harder and more memorable than the main story bosses themselves.
Difficult single-player games like Elden Ring continue proving that not every massive game needs constant online progression systems or battle passes to keep players invested, especially compared to modern multiplayer shooters like Warzone.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Probably the most famous boss in Elden Ring.
And yes, Waterfowl Dance is still terrifying.
Many players still consider Malenia the hardest fight in the entire game. We broke down the full hardest Elden Ring bosses ranked list here, and honestly, some placements might divide opinion.
Some Elden Ring fights are difficult in a satisfying way, while others are simply designed to make players miserable. We ranked the most annoying Elden Ring bosses here, and honestly, some of them are far worse than the actual hardest fights.
Elden Ring Boss Order Changes Depending on Your Build
One of the reasons players debate Elden Ring boss order constantly is because builds massively change difficulty.
A boss that feels impossible for a melee player might feel manageable for a mage, while fast dexterity builds can completely change certain encounters.
That freedom is part of why Elden Ring still feels fresh even after multiple playthroughs.
And honestly, compared to older RPGs where even getting controller support working can become a challenge, modern games like Elden Ring are incredibly smooth to jump into. Going back and setting up something like Morrowind with a controller on PC really reminds you how far RPG accessibility has come.
