What to do before final boss Elden Ring

This is the best Elden Ring boss order guide that will tell you how to fight all the main foes in the game, from Godrick and Margit to the Elden Ring final boss

Joe Apsey

Updated: Aug 19, 2022 10:10 ET

Elden Ring

What is the best Elden Ring boss order? Elden Ring is packed with bosses. However, most of them are completely optional and don’t actually need to be defeated to beat the game. Despite this, there is an Elden Ring boss order that you do have to follow in order to reach each of the Elden Ring endings – a must for any true FromSoftware fan, let’s be honest.

But, with Elden Ring being open world it can be hard to determine what the recommended boss order for the game is. You can technically visit most areas whenever you want, but parts of Caelid and Leyndell, the Royal Capital, are high-level areas that will absolutely beat you to the ground if you visit them too early.

So, after making our way through Elden Ring and beating the game, we have come up with our recommended Elden Ring boss order, which will take you through where you should go and who you should kill – depending on your desired ending – as you make your way through the vast and expansive landscape of The Lands Between.

Elden Ring boss order

When it comes to taking on the main story bosses and foes in key areas, this is the recommended Elden Ring boss order:

• Soldier of Godrick (Fringefolk Hero’s Grave)
• Margit, the Fell Omen (Stormhill, Limgrave)
• Godrick the Grafted (Stormveil Castle, Limgrave) [Great Rune]
• Red Wolf of Radagon (Academy of Raya Lucaria, Liurnia of the Lakes)
• Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon (Academy of Raya Lucaria, Liurnia of the Lakes) [Great Rune]
• Royal Knight Loretta (Royal Moongazing Grounds, Liurnia of the Lakes) [Required to access Ranni’s quests for Age of the Stars ending]
• Magma Wyrm Makar (Ruin-Strewn Precipice, Liurnia of the Lakes)[Required if you don’t get the Dectus Medallion]
• Starscourge Radahn (Redmane Castle, Caelid) [Great Rune]
• Godskin Noble (Temple of Eiglay, Mt. Gelmir) [Required to fight Rykard unless you complete the Volcano Manor PvP quests]
• Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy (Mt. Gelmir) [Great Rune]
• Draconic Tree Sentinel (Capital Outskirts, Leyndell)
• Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Royal Capital, Leyndell)
• Morgott, the Omen King (Elden Throne, Leyndell) [Great Rune]
• Mohg, The Omen (Shunning Grounds, Leyndell) [Required for Lord of Frenzied Flame ending]
• Fire Giant (Forge of Giants, Mountaintops of the Giants)
• Fia’s Champions (Deeproot Depths) [Required for the Age of Duskborn ending]
• Astel, Naturnborn of the Void (Grand Cloister, Lake of Rot) [Required for the Age of the Stars ending]
• Mohg, Lord of Blood (Cocoon of the Empyrean, Mohgwyn Palace) [Great Rune]
• Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree (Haligtree Prominade, Miquella’s Haligtree)
• Malenia, Blade of Miquella (Miquella’s Haligtree) [Great Rune]
• Godskin Duo (Dragon Temple Altar, Crumbling Farum Azula)
• Maliketh, the Black Blade (Crumbling Farum Azula)
• Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing (Leyndell, Ashen Capital)
• Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Queen’s Bedchamber, Leyndell, Ashen Capital) [First phase of fight]
• Hoarah Loux, Warrior (Queen’s Bedchamber, Leyndell, Ashen Capital) [Second phase of fight]
• Radagon of the Golden Order (Elden Throne, Leyndell, Ashen Capital) [First phase of the final boss fight]
• Elden Beast (Elden Throne, Leyndell, Ashen Capital) [Second phase of the final boss fight]

While they don’t have a bearing on the final ending you get, you can choose to clear the tougher Great Rune-bearing bosses (eg Mohg and Malenia) before making your way to the end of Crumbling Farum Azula should you wish to trade knowledge of them for goodies from Gideon at Roundtable Hold.

With regards to the various mini-bosses that punctuate the Lands Between, it’s best to prioritise those which drop useful items you might want to use. For example, Leonine Misbegotten (Castle Morne, Weeping Penninsula) drops one of the Elden Ring best weapons for Strength/Dexterity builds – the Grafted Blade Greatsword.

If you want to go above and beyond and clear every trial the game has to offer, here’s our complete list of all the Elden Ring bosses available. For more tips, check out our Elden Ring walkthrough.