Summary
FromSoftware’s expansions are generally known for introducing challenging new bosses, often surpassing even the strongest from the original game, andElden Ringis no exception.Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduced dozens of unique bosses, some of which rank among the hardest players will encounter on their journey through the Lands Between and beyond. From Messmer the Impaler, who even occupies the expansion’s cover, to one of the greatest dragon boss battles the studio has ever delivered, Bayle the Dread, it’s hard to imagine fans being disappointed by such encounters thattest their combat skillsto the fullest.
The majority ofShadow of the Erdtree’s new bosses have greater damage and health values than players have faced before, making these fights challenging and demanding preparation. Luckily, thanks to the new progression system introduced in the expansion (Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash Blessings), players can overcome every new threat after exploring what the Realm of Shadow hides. Below are the bosses fromElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewiththe most health.
10Scadutree Avatar
Total Health: 34,776 HP
Found at Scadutree Base, just outside of Shadow Keep, this optional Legend Boss has a slightly larger health pool than Malenia, Blade of Miquella’s two phases combined (totaling 33,251 HP). However, theScadutree Avatar can be tricky to fightbecause it has three phases, each with separate health bars.
Players can make things easier by delivering a critical strike at the end of each phase, which results in the Scadutree Avatar being revived with 30% less health. Needless to say, this makes surviving all three phases much more manageable. Additionally, players should aim for the flower blossom on top at all times and use fire attacks to inflict maximum damage.
9Romina, Saint Of The Bud
Total Health: 35,798 HP
Romina, Saint of the Bud, is a mandatory Legend Boss found at the Church of the Bud, located at the end of the Rauh Ancient Ruins. Players need to defeat this menacing centipede boss to unlock the final area ofShadow of the Erdtree. Luckily,this boss fight isn’t as toughas some Tarnished might expect.
While Romina’s total health value is rather impressive, this enemy is vulnerable to fire and frostbite and can be parried. The main difficulty here is the Scarlet Rot inflicted by Romina, so players need to prepare accordingly and equip armor that boosts their Immunity.
8Messmer The Impaler
Total Health: 38,981 HP
Messmer the Impaler is a mandatory Demigod Bossfound atop Shadow Keep, and he was heavily promoted by the developers as one of the key fights inShadow of the Erdtree. Players can encounter Messmer relatively early in the story, but it is not recommended to rush to face him. Not only does Messmer have one of the largest health pools in the entire game andsome of the most devastating fire combos, but defeating him too early may also lock players out of several NPC questlines.
When facing Messmer, players should remember to equip fire-resistant armor and avoid using fire damage against him. To make things easier, Base Serpent Messmer (his second phase) is vulnerable to holy damage, so using various spells and consumables that inflict holy damage is a good idea.
7Jagged Peak Drake
Total Health: 39,377 HP
Despite being a minor optional field boss inShadow of the Erdtree, Jagged Peak Drake, encountered by players at the Jagged Peak Foothills, has more health than even Messmer the Impaler. However, when players find it, this Drake will be fighting another lesser dragon, so Tarnished can take advantage of that and wait until its vast health pool is notably depleted.
As a boss fight, Jagged Peak Drakeis a fairly ordinary dragon enemy that players have fought plenty of times inElden Ring. The best advice is to try targeting its head for extra damage and use weapons with pierce damage or specialarmaments that are stronger against dragons.
6Bayle The Dread
Total Health: 41,612 HP
The optional Legend boss Bayle the Dread isn’t the dragon with the highest health found inShadow of the Erdtree, but that doesn’t mean he’s not the most dangerous. With his varied fire and lightning AOE attacks, players need to prepare accordingly when approaching him at the top of Jagged Peak and equip the best armor they can afford.
Additionally, Tarnished should keep in mind that Bayle has high resistance to all elemental damage.The best way to defeat himis by using weapons with pierce damage, armaments against dragons, or anti-dragon tools and consumables. It is also recommended to summon Igon to the boss arena (his summon sign is located after players cross the fog wall, on the left).
5Ghostflame Dragon (Moorth Highway)
Total Health: 41,929 HP
The first dragon surpassing even Bayle the Dread with his enormous health value is Ghostflame Dragon, an optional field boss encountered at Moorth Highway in the Scadu Altus region. Players will encounter three different Ghostflame Dragons inShadow of the Erdtree, andthis is the toughest fight, as this dragon has just slightly less health than some of the bulkiest bosses of the base game, like Fire Giant, who has 42,363 HP.
However, being very weak to holy damage and taking increased damage to the head, Ghostflame Dragon can be defeated relatively easily with holy spells like Black Blade. Additionally, after facing many similar dragons inElden Ring, players may already havesome effective strategies againstthese types of enemies.
4Metyr, Mother Of Fingers
Total Health: 43,296 HP
Metyr, Mother of Fingers, is a secret optional Legend boss players can find in the Finger Ruins of Miyr by accessing the hidden passage under the throne in the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.One of the mostBloodborne-looking bossesinElden Ring, Metyr is a formidable encounter with high resistance to all elemental damage.
Thebest way to deplete Metyr’s enormous health poolis to use weapons with slash damage and target its belly for extra damage. Beware, as some of Metyr’s special attacks can result in an insta-kill if players are not careful.
3Ancient Dragon Senessax
Total Health: 45,551 HP
Here it is — the dragon with the most health in all of theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion. Serving as a warm-up before the Bayle the Dread boss fight, the Ancient Dragon Senessax is an optional Great Enemy boss located mid-Jagged Peak in a huge cave. This isn’t the first Ancient Dragon boss that players face inElden Ring, but this fight can take a while due to Senessax’s substantial health bar.
As with other dragons,the best tactic is to target Senessax’s headfor maximum damage or to use weapons with pierce damage when attacking his legs in melee. Another tip is to avoid standing in the water pool inside the arena, as this will increase the damage from his lightning spells and attacks.
2Promised Consort Radahn
Total Health: 46,134 HP
Surprisingly, the final boss of the expansion, Promised Consort Radahn, located at the top of Enir-Ilim, isn’t the boss with the most health inShadow of the Erdtree. However, with 46,134 HP and high resistances to nearly every damage type in the game, Promised Consort Radahnremains a notoriously difficult bossfor manyElden Ringplayers, even when summoning NPCs or Spirit Ashes for this fight.
With his relentless storm of long combo attacks and devastating Holy attacks during the second phase (Radahn, Consort of Miquella), players will most likely need to re-evaluate their combat approach or even switch their weapons or current build. Beating this version of Radahn might be easier whenusing the Deflecting Hardtearand the Golden Vow spell, yet it will still demand significant dedication and practice.
1Midra, Lord Of Frenzied Flame
Total Health: 47,171 HP
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, is an optional Legend boss found in Midra’s Manse in the Abyssal Woods. This boss takes the crown for having the highest health inShadow of the Erdtree, yet it still falls short compared to the base game’s two gimmicky bosses with much larger health pools — Elder Dragon Greyoll (87,664 HP) and Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy (89,613 HP). However, Midra is a traditional boss encounter where playerscan’t rely on anything other than their own build, gear, and skill.
Midra has relatively high resistances to almost every damage type except slash, so this is the first tip. As the Lord of Frenzied Flame, he inflicts Madness buildup with nearly every attack, so having high Focus might prove very valuable for this fight.
