Summary
Elden Ring’sShadow of the ErdtreeDLC is full of surprises, new consumables, anda large arsenal of weaponsfor players to take advantage of while exploring the Land of Shadow. There’s no denying that the difficulty was turned up to 11 in comparison to the base game, and that’s saying a lot, as it was not easy to begin with.
Many bosses in the DLC (if not all) are arguablyharder than any base game bossplayers have faced previously, making many gamers look like pushovers swinging rose petals instead of blades. That said, even among the hardest enemies in the Land of Shadow, some stand out above others. Thehardest bosses inShadow of the Erdtreeare sure to give even veteranElden Ringplayers a run for their money.
Updated on August 04, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:FromSoftware games have always been famous for challenging players’ patience and determination, as the bosses are often formidable and require multiple runs to defeat. While the base game already pitted players against insurmountable odds, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC kicked things up a notch and humbled many people who though they were overpowered in The Lands Between. While not all the bosses on this list are mandatory to progress through the DLC, it’s recommended that players don’t skip any of them, as they yield handsome rewards and are quite interesting to fight. Even if sometimes the process to defeat them can be frustrating.
HP
33,866
Starting off strong, theGolden Hippopotamusis one of thehardest bosses inShadow of the Erdtree. Sometimes, a difficult boss' first phase is simple enough, letting players catch a breath before facing the actual challenge. However, this is sadly not the case for this boss. Right out of the gate, the Golden Hippopotamus attacks the Tarnished swiftly, with gaping jaws that are reminiscent of Sulyvahn’s Beast fromDark Souls 3.
Church of the Bud
380,000 Runes,Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud
35,798
Romina, Saint of the Budis creepy-looking, but that’s not why she’s considered to be one of thehardest bosses inShadow of the Erdtree. What gives her this title isher massive size, combat moveset, and ridiculously long blade reach. Romina also has unpredictable rolling attacks that are very hard to dodge, and she can jump all over the arena in a matter of seconds.
Romina could easily pass asDark Souls 1’s Chaos Witch Quelaag’s sister, as her design also combines humanoid features with insect body parts that she can use to damage the Tarnished. This boss is not optional, but when defeated, she will yield a considerable number of Runes.
22,571
Continuing with the list of creepy-looking bosses, theDivine Beast Dancing Lionshould not be underestimated. With a body that appears to combine a lion’s head with humanoid limbs, this beast wastes no time and immediately attacks the Tarnished with merciless blows that can drop even the chunkiest Health bar to 0 in a matter of seconds.
Once phase 2 begins, this boss will increase its speed and dance around the area, traversing from side to side at inhuman speed. During said phase, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion can also usepowerful Lightning AoE attacksthat are very hard to dodge properly and can sometimes stun players' characters, leaving them vulnerable to being hit. Luckily, this boss is optional, and considering that it doesn’t drop that many Runes upon defeat, players not looking for an extra challenge can easily avoid it without feeling guilty.
420,000 Runes,Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers
43,296
Metyr, Mother of Fingersis one of the most odd-looking bosses in both the baseElden Ringgame and theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. This boss’s entire body is made of fingers, which fits its name quite well. Metyr also plays a very important part in the game’s lore and is overall quite interesting.
While not the strongest boss in the DLC, Metyr poses a formidable challenge, and players will likely have to face her more than once to emerge victorious. She has a certain weakness to Slash damage and yields the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers, which can either be exchanged at the Roundtable Hold for an additional 40,000 Runes, or theStaff of the Great Beyond.
29,723
Rellanais arguably the hardest early-game skill check in any Soulsborne title. Players enteringShadow of the Erdtreeare recommended to be at least at level 150 before beginning their DLC journey. And while that might seem like a lot, they’ll still struggle considerably, as this boss will greet them with unmatched strength, lethal moon projectiles, and relentless attacks.
Rellana’s first phase isn’t too bad (compared to the second one), as she won’t use as many attacks that deal Elemental Damage. However, once her Health bar is depleted to a certain extent, both of her blades become extremely dangerous, and so do her magical attacks. Although the game’s most recent patch has made this fight a bit more fair by ramping up Scadutree attributes early on, most players will still find Rellana very challenging.
410,000 Runes,Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame
47,171
When players first encounterMidra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame, he doesn’t look like much, just another helpless NPC consumed by the Frenzied Flame. However, when players strike his initial form down, an incredibly epic cutscene begins, foreshadowing the power of the boss players are about to face.
Midra isn’t particularly difficult during its first phase, as he mainly uses sword attacks that, while having a decent range, can be easily dodged once players learn his moveset and attack rhythm. The real challenge begins when half his Health bar has been depleted, as he will start to use many more AoE attacks and even spawn spikes from the ground, which cover a few meters around him. And to make matters worse, Midra has a rather large Health pool that comes close to that of Promised Consort Radahn, making him very resilient.
Luckily, he has a relatively low stance Stat, meaning that he can be stance-broken with a few heavy attacks from a Colossal weapon or something of the sort.
34,776
The Scadutree Avataris probably one of the most aggressive bosses in the DLC, as it often chains several different attacks together that can chase players throughout the battle arena. One of the most infamous attacks this boss has, includes underground thorns that advance towards players and rise at the right moment to inflict considerable damage.
With three different phases, each more challenging and aggressive than the last, the Scadutree Avatar poses a significant challenge to players, even those who have already beaten other bosses in the DLC. While it doesn’t yield as many Runes as Midra or Messmer, defeating it does reward players with Miquella’s Great Rune. This Rune comes in very handy during the fight against Promised Consort Radahn, as it removes the insta-kill debuff applied by Miquella, thus increasing players' chances of success.
220,000 Runes, Remembrance of the Putrescence
20,000
ThePutrescent Knightis a knight and horse combo found in the Fissure Depths within the Land of Shadow. It’s recommended that players collect as many Scadutree fragments as possible before facing this spectral enemy, as it can deal considerable amounts of damage and has a blue flame AoE that can cover extremely wide areas.
Like the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, the Putrescent Knight is an optional boss, so players won’t have to defeat it to progress through the DLC. However, upon death, this boss drops a nice 220,000 Runes, and the Remembrance of Putrescence, which can be exchanged for thePutrescence Cleaver. When fighting the Putrescent Knight, players should be wary of its semicircular sword, as it can be very unpredictable and hard to dodge.
490,000 Runes,Heart of Bayle
41,612
The base game has tons of interesting and powerful dragons for players to face and defeat. However, they all pale in comparison to the mightyBayle the Dreadfrom theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. This formidable enemy is weak to Piercing damage, but resistant to all other elements, so players planning to use any kind of elemental buffs are out of luck.
Once Bayle is killed, players can collect the Heart of Bayle, which can be used at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion to trade for Bayle’s Flame Lightning or Bayle’s Tyranny.
400,000 Runes,Remembrance of the Impaler,Messmer’s Kindling
38,981
Messmer the Impalermight not look like much when players first encounter him within the Specimen Storehouse in the Shadow Keep. However, as Soulsborne games have taught several people over the years, humanoid enemies are a coin toss, as they can either be pushovers or absolute menaces. And sadly, Messmer is the latter.
With its quick moveset, long range weapon thrusts, temporary serpent form, and devastating Elemental Damage attacks, Messmer is clearly one of thehardest bosses inShadow of the Erdtree.This demigod is not optional, and it’s recommended that players consume as many Scadutree fragments as possible before facing him. Luckily, defeating Messmer will yield a reward of 400,000 Runes, as well as the Remembrance of the Impaler. So, in a way, the effort will be well worth it.
