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Promised Consort Radahn is the hardest major boss in Shadow of the Erdtree on this list, with Commander Gaius and Bayle the Dread close behind. That order is an editorial ranking, not a universal verdict: builds, Spirit Ashes, co-op, Scadutree Blessing level, and the boss pool all change how difficult a fight feels.
This ranking compares 12 major named encounters, including notable optional fights. It weighs attack readability, pressure and punishment, encounter demands, and how much a matchup depends on build or support. The ranking articles informing the comparison were published in June 2024; they represent launch-era opinions, not a current player-difficulty survey.
How this ranking works
There is no official difficulty order for the expansion. Dot Esports’ June 26, 2024 list focuses mainly on Remembrance bosses and places Radahn, Gaius, and Bayle in its top three. Den of Geek’s June 30, 2024 list considers a broader set of DLC bosses and orders several others differently. Those lists identify recurring hard fights, but neither is a standardized test or a measure of player win rates. (Dot Esports; Den of Geek)
For each entry, the key question is not simply how much damage a boss deals. It is how reliably a player can read the attack, how costly a mistake becomes, whether the arena or phases add extra demands, and how much a weakness or summon changes the matchup. The ranking assumes ordinary play, including the option to use Spirit Ashes or co-op; a no-summon challenge run could reorder it.
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- Playable on 21st June 2024.
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- The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion features an all-new story set in the Land of Shadow imbued with mystery, perilous dungeons, and new enemies, weapons and equipment.
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The 12 hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses
1. Promised Consort Radahn
Radahn takes the top spot because his second phase sharply raises the pressure. Rapid slashes, teleporting, illusions, and area attacks make it difficult to find a safe response window, and a mistake can leave little room to recover. Dot Esports also ranked him first in its June 2024 list, making him the strongest-supported choice for number one among the rankings considered. That is still an editorial judgment rather than an objective measure.
2. Commander Gaius
Gaius is a relentless fight built around the boar’s charges and swings, heavy damage, and limited breathing room. His size and forward pressure can make healing or resetting distance risky. The matchup is notably build-sensitive: Dot Esports’ writer says Strength builds and shields can make it more manageable, so the fight may feel very different depending on how a character handles incoming pressure.
3. Bayle the Dread
Bayle combines speed, wide area attacks, a large health pool, and unpredictable movement. The result is an endurance test in which a player must keep tracking the threat while finding openings. Dot Esports ranked him third and notes his vulnerability to Scarlet Rot, a useful reminder that exploiting a weakness can lower the difficulty without making the unmodified encounter easy.
4. Messmer the Impaler
Messmer earns a place among the hardest major encounters because his fight demands close attention to attack timing and transitions between offense and recovery. He is also a prominent example in IGN’s DLC boss-ranking video, although the available video description does not provide a numerical placement or detailed rationale. His position here is this list’s judgment, not a rank established by that video.
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5. Metyr, Mother of Fingers
Metyr is an optional, hidden-feeling encounter whose attacks threaten from multiple directions. That broad coverage can make it hard to settle into a safe position or focus on a single obvious attack lane. Dot Esports ranked her fifth and characterizes the fight as difficult partly because of that multi-directional danger.
6. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
Rellana’s challenge is the learning curve: her attack patterns demand careful timing, and a player who has not yet learned them can struggle to identify a safe opening. Dot Esports ranked her fourth and specifically notes that familiarity changes the experience, especially for solo players. She lands below the top five here because recognizing her patterns can make the fight more manageable than the highest-pressure encounters.
7. Scadutree Avatar
The Scadutree Avatar tests endurance as much as reaction time. Den of Geek describes three phases and three health bars, alongside projectiles, area attacks, and status ailments; Dot Esports also emphasizes the long fight and a hidden mechanic. The repeated phases give the encounter more opportunities to punish a lapse than a short duel does.
8. Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
Midra is fast and aggressive, but this is a fight where a player’s tools matter. Dot Esports notes that he can be staggered and is susceptible to Bleed, while Den of Geek ranks him eighth in its own list. Those traits can open up a path to victory for a suitable build, even though his speed makes him dangerous when the player cannot interrupt or control the pace.
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9. Divine Beast Dancing Lion
The Dancing Lion’s movement is difficult to read, and its rapid ice, lightning, and wind attacks keep changing the threat. Den of Geek highlights both the shifting elemental attacks and the challenge of following the boss’s movements. It can feel especially chaotic when the player loses track of the tell that precedes the next strike.
10. Romina, Saint of the Bud
Romina’s main difficulty is managing Scarlet Rot pressure while still creating openings to attack. Den of Geek’s ranking focuses on the tension between avoiding status buildup and staying close enough to punish her. Players who handle that status pressure consistently may find the fight less punishing than the bosses above her.
11. Putrescent Knight
The Putrescent Knight is agile and hits hard, making this optional fight dangerous when the player misjudges its approach or attack timing. Dot Esports includes it at number ten but also describes its attacks as readable and says Spirit Ashes can help. Those concessions keep it below the more demanding multi-phase and high-pressure encounters in this ranking.
12. Golden Hippopotamus
The Golden Hippopotamus is a rough early encounter when reached before a player has built up much Scadutree Blessing progression. Den of Geek points to the cramped arena and camera management, while Dot Esports notes that summons can redirect pressure. Its placement shifts substantially by context: arena size and camera control can make it feel worse, while a summon can create safer moments to respond.
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Why the order can change for your character
A boss’s position is not a fixed property of the encounter. The rankings above compare fights across general pressure and readability, but practical difficulty changes with several factors:
- Build and damage type: Gaius is more manageable for some shield or Strength setups; Bayle has a noted Scarlet Rot weakness; Midra can be staggered and is vulnerable to Bleed.
- Summons and co-op: Spirit Ashes or another player can draw attention away from you, creating time to heal or attack. They do not remove phase complexity or guarantee safe openings.
- Progression: Scadutree Blessing level affects how punishing the expansion’s encounters feel. Bandai Namco’s version 1.12.2 calibration update changed blessing scaling, increasing attack and damage-negation scaling in the first half of the levels and slightly increasing it at the final level. (Bandai Namco, version 1.12.2 notes)
- Encounter conditions: A confined arena, multiple phases, long health bars, camera constraints, or status buildup can add difficulty beyond a boss’s individual attacks.
Bandai Namco’s latest official update located for this article is version 1.17, dated August 27, 2026. Its published balance list covers equipment, weapons, skills, spells, and incantations; it does not list a boss-moveset adjustment. The June 2024 rankings therefore remain useful as opinions about the fights, but should not be read as a current measured comparison of player experiences. (Bandai Namco, version 1.17 notes)
Other tough encounters that could make the list
The scope here is major named encounters rather than every boss-bar fight or difficult enemy. Broader lists can include additional optional encounters, repeated boss types, or borderline tough enemies, so their totals and ordering are not directly comparable.
- Blackgaol Knight: Den of Geek ranks him fourteenth and highlights the early timing of the encounter and his heavy pressure; Dot Esports names him as an honorable mention.
- Ancient Dragon Senessax: Den of Geek ranks Senessax eleventh, while noting that the fight can feel more annoying than difficult.
- Leda and Company: Den of Geek highlights the multiple-opponent pressure. This kind of fight can become especially demanding in a solo, no-summon ranking.
Do you need the base game to play Shadow of the Erdtree?
Yes. Bandai Namco’s official product page states: “Shadow Of The Erdtree requires ELDEN RING base game to play”. The expansion is not a standalone game. (Bandai Namco: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree)
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