There is no single required order for every boss in Elden Ring. Guidance of Grace points toward important destinations, but the game lets you explore, take another path, and return to a difficult fight later. The route below is a practical recommendation—not a mandatory checklist.
Spoiler warning: The route names bosses, locations, and major progression gates.
How to use this recommended route
Think of the route as a way to pace the main story, not as a rulebook. Bandai Namco explains that Guidance of Grace points players toward key locations, while exploration elsewhere and retreating from a difficult fight are valid choices. Bandai Namco’s Elden Ring overview describes that open-ended approach.
The sequence below is an editorial recommendation. It prioritizes a readable path through the base-game story and leaves optional bosses and side regions for when you want them. You do not need to defeat every boss named in the optional section to finish the main path.
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Recommended base-game story route
- Limgrave: Explore the opening region and reach Stormveil Castle. Margit, the Fell Omen, guards the approach; Godrick the Grafted is the castle’s main boss.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: Continue north from Stormveil to the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, is the legacy dungeon’s main boss.
- Altus Plateau and Leyndell: Reach the capital region and advance through Leyndell, Royal Capital. Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade), and Morgott, the Omen King, are the major story fights there.
- Mountaintops of the Giants: Follow the main route beyond the capital to the Fire Giant.
- Crumbling Farum Azula: Continue into the late-game area and defeat Maliketh, the Black Blade.
- Ashen Capital and the ending sequence: Return to the capital for the final stretch, which includes Sir Gideon Ofnir, Godfrey/Hoarah Loux, and Radagon of the Golden Order followed by the Elden Beast.
This is a story-focused backbone, not a claim that every listed fight is the only possible route to the next region. Elden Ring’s world allows detours, and the exact path can vary with what you explore and unlock.
Optional bosses and side areas
Optional content adds exploration, equipment, and additional boss encounters, but it also adds detours and story spoilers. Add these when they suit your pace; they are not a prerequisite checklist for completing the main story.
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- Weeping Peninsula: Castle Morne and its boss, Leonine Misbegotten, make a natural early detour south of Limgrave.
- Caelid: Redmane Castle leads to Starscourge Radahn, a major optional fight with broader quest significance.
- Underground regions: Nokron and related areas contain optional bosses and quest-linked exploration.
- Volcano Manor: Its route offers a substantial side area and optional boss encounter.
- Consecrated Snowfield and optional late-game areas: These regions contain difficult optional encounters, including Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
There is no single canonical completionist checklist established by the game’s guidance. A thorough route will necessarily include more bosses, quest branches, and backtracking than the story-focused route above.
Story-focused or completionist?
| Route style | Optional-boss coverage | Spoiler exposure | Time and detours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story-focused | Limited to what supports or naturally complements the main route | Lower, though major story bosses are named | Fewer detours; easier to keep moving through the central progression |
| Completionist | Broad, including side areas, quest encounters, and optional late-game bosses | Higher, because more locations and encounters are revealed | More exploration and backtracking; no official universal checklist is established |
What to do when the next boss feels too hard
Do not treat a failed attempt as proof that you must keep trying immediately. The game’s guidance points toward destinations without requiring you to follow them at once.
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- Check the map and nearby routes. Follow a Grace direction if you want to continue the main path, or explore another visible road, cave, ruin, or region.
- Take a detour. Explore naturally available areas and gather resources or equipment through normal play rather than forcing repeated attempts.
- Return when ready. The Grace guidance remains a pointer, not a timer or lock-in; you can come back to the boss after exploring.
There is no official level chart in the cited guidance that makes a particular level mandatory for a boss. Treat community level suggestions as rough advice, not game requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where Shadow of the Erdtree fits
Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion that requires the base game and adds its own bosses and other content. See Bandai Namco’s expansion page for the base-game requirement and its overview of added content. Keep its progression separate from the base-game route above: the cited official pages establish the expansion dependency, but do not specify the exact boss names required to access it.
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![Elden Ring - Standard Edition [PlayStation 5] (German Version)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ye3mnByQL._SL160_.jpg)
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Once in the expansion, use its map and Grace guidance to choose a direction, and treat any detailed boss sequence as a recommended route rather than a universal rule. Detailed DLC order guides can reveal story progression; one such guide explicitly flags its boss list for spoilers. Read its spoiler warning before consulting a detailed list.
Optional reference for planning
If you prefer a physical reference beside the game, Future Press’ Elden Ring Books of Knowledge Volume I is a hardcover guide with gameplay explanations, more than 100 area maps, and progression paths. Future Press’ Volume I page describes the guide. It is a base-game reference, not a promise of a current or comprehensive Shadow of the Erdtree boss-order guide; check the publisher’s current listing for edition and availability details.
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