Ultimate Elden Ring Boss Step By Step

Some Bosses Are Just Patterns, Others Are Tests of Patience

I spent about forty hours trying to beat Malenia on my first playthrough. Got her down to twelve percent before she backhands me into next week for the hundredth time. The game does this on purpose — it wants you to suffer through repetition until your hands remember what your brain hasn't figured out yet. Here is how most bosses actually work when you strip away the cinematic intimidation. Start with Margit, the First Shadow. He is the wall every new player hits around hour three. Most people just spam attack and get punished for it. He has two phases, but the real trick is recognizing that his opening grab is telegraphed by a slight lean forward and a one-second delay. When you see that, roll toward him instead of away. Rolling away puts you right into his wake-up combo. I learned this the hard way after maybe twenty deaths. The pattern becomes: his staff sweep, wait for recovery, roll in, land two hits, back off. Repeat until he drops the shield and enters phase two. Phase two is just faster versions of the same things. The Waterfowl Dance comes at thirty percent health — if you are near him when it starts, block or parry once, then sprint behind him. Do not roll through it. Roll gives you three frames of vulnerability. Block costs stamina but keeps you alive. After that, he just swings his sword more aggressively. Same rhythm, different timing. Godrick the Grafted is simpler but still trips people up. Two phases because he swallows a dragon in phase two. The breath attack during phase transition catches most players off guard because they are celebrating too early. Stay at mid range after he pops the dragon. When he starts winding up the fire breath, you will see purple particles gather around his mouth. Sprint perpendicular to him, not away. Then finish him before he recovers. The dragon part is just Godrick riding a flying lizard with a laser eye. You can damage the dragon separately if you want, but honestly, just kill Godrick first. The dragon dies either way.

Bosses That Want Specific Tools

Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. She has two distinct mechanics and most builds struggle against the second half. Phase one is straightforward magic attacks with a predictable pattern. Her big sphere attack comes after she raises her staff straight up — roll toward her or backward through it, not sideways. She telegraphs these clearly. Phase two is where people fold. She summons phantom students who use different spells, and the arena changes to a grid. The key insight nobody mentions: the phantoms cannot harm you if you stay on the edge of the grid. They pathfind toward center. If you hug the perimeter, you only deal with Rennala's direct attacks, which are slower. I ran this strategy on my knight build and it took six tries instead of sixteen. The bleed buildup on her is real though. Once her health drops below fifty percent in phase two, she starts using comet asters that track you. These cannot be dodged easily. Roll through one, then immediately reposition. The tracking is slower than it looks, but if you stand still after rolling, you die. Starscourge Radahn is a spectacle fight that turns into a rhythm game if you know the sequence. Phase one has three major attack types: gravity pull, arrow volleys, and the horse charge. The arrow volleys come in sets of four. After the fourth arrow, there is a long recovery. This is your window. Phase two happens automatically when you reduce him to half health. He starts using the gravitational pull more aggressively and adds meteor strikes. The meteors are devastating but telegraphed by a brief sky darkening. Look up, see the purple glow, sprint away. The pull attack is unavoidable if you are too close. Get outside his reach and wait for it to expire. I used a bleed weapon here because his high stamina makes sustained DPS brutal otherwise. Two well-placed procs per rotation cleaned him up in under four minutes after the initial learning curve.

Mini Bosses That Are Actually Harder Than Demigods

Malenia, Blade of Miquella. She is widely considered the hardest boss in the game for good reason. Her waterfowl dance attack is unavoidable in the traditional sense — you either block it, dodge through it with precise timing, or die. I found that blocking with a high-parry shield works better than trying to dodge. You lose stamina fast, but you survive. Her second phase, where she blooms and gains scarlet rot, is where most attempts fail. The rot builds up quickly and reduces your maximum health if you do not have resist gear or spells. Bring 15+ poison/rot resistance. The actual strategy is: wait for her combo to end, strike once or twice, move back. Never greedy. Her recovery frames are generous enough for one solid hit per opening. The mimic shard near her arena edge can be used to distract her — throw it and attack while she investigates. This creates consistent openings. Phase two bloom attack covers the entire arena. You cannot outrun it. You must be near her when it triggers and roll through the impact. One roll, not two. Two rolls and you are dead from the follow-up. Morgott, the Omen King. This boss is essentially Godrick but with holy attacks and a magic sword phase. His grab attack has range that feels illegal — it extends further than his model suggests. Keep distance after his opening lunge. The magic sword adds a second weapon type with longer reach and fire buildup. His combo strings are four to five hits depending on the phase. Learn to interrupt after the third hit with a well-timed roll inward. The phase transition where he summons light pillars is dangerous because the pillars appear randomly around the arena. Stay mobile and watch for ground effects. Use a bow to chip damage from range during his recovery animations. He is vulnerable to physical damage types more than magic, which surprises people expecting a magic weakness.

What the Game Doesn't Tell You

Most bosses have attack patterns that repeat within a single engagement. Malenia's opening sequence is always: sword swing, grab attempt, slash combo. Learn it once and you can predict every variation. The same applies to Radahn, Rennala, and even the optional bosses like Morgott. The game gives you every tool you need — the telegraphs are there if you stop holding X and actually watch what the boss does. I spend maybe ten minutes per boss learning their first three attacks. After that, it is memory and execution. The bosses that actually require external help or specific builds are the ones with area denial mechanics or unblockable attacks. Those are the exceptions, not the rule. Your armor choice matters less than your movement discipline. A low-defensive weapon with perfect spacing beats a tank build that stands still. I have beaten every demigod on a standard katana with no special upgrades. The skill ceiling is lower than the game makes it feel. If you are struggling with a particular boss, the issue is almost never your equipment. It is your positioning or your anticipation. Watch the boss's feet, not their face. Foot movement reveals commitment to attacks before the animation starts. This is true for every encounter from marginal to Malenia herself. Practice the dodge window until it takes less than a second of reaction time. Your fingers will figure it out before your brain does.