Elden Ring Boss Guide 2026: How to Beat Every Major Boss

Elden Ring's bosses are the whole point. They're also where most runs go to die. Whether you're staring down Margit for the first time or getting one-shot by Malenia's Waterfowl Dance for the fortieth, every wall in the Lands Between has a crack in it — you just need to know where to push.

This is our Elden Ring boss guide for 2026: how to beat every major boss across the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, with the strategy, the tells, and the cheese that actually works. We're covering the eight bosses that stop the most players cold, plus the final fight. No fluff — just what gets you to the next Site of Grace.

Before you walk in: a strong build does half the work. If you're underpowered, swing by our Elden Ring Build Tier List 2026, grab a top-tier weapon from the Weapon Tier List, or steal one of our 7 most fun builds if you want to beat these bosses with style.

1. Margit, the Fell Omen — The First Real Wall

Margit isn't hard so much as he's a teacher. He punishes greed, delayed inputs, and panic-rolling. The trick is patience: his attacks have long, deliberate wind-ups, so roll late, not early. Buy the Margit's Shackle from Patches in Murkwater Cave — it stuns him twice per phase and is borderline cheating. Summon your spirit ashes, bait his jumping slam, and punish the landing with two hits, no more.

Watch for: the spectral dagger throw that flows into a combo. Don't get hit by the first and eat the rest.

2. Godrick the Grafted — The Stat-Check

Godrick hits like a truck and covers huge distances with his axe whirlwind. Summon Nepheli Loux (her sign is by the fog wall) to split his aggro, then stay close and circle — most of his sweeps sail over your head when you're hugging his legs. Phase 2 grafts a dragon head onto his arm for a fire breath; roll through it toward him, not away. He's a perfect target for bleed and big jump attacks.

Watch for: the long wind-up storm-axe spin. That's your free heal window.

3. Starscourge Radahn — Bring the Whole Army

Radahn is a war, not a duel. Use Torrent for mobility and summon every NPC sign on the battlefield (Blaidd, Alexander, Okina, and the rest) — they exist to eat his gravity arrows for you. Ride in, land a few hits, ride out while the summons reset aggro. Phase 2 he teleports skyward and crashes down as a meteor; sprint perpendicular the moment he vanishes.

Watch for: the arrow barrage at range. Zig-zag on Torrent — never run straight.

4. Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon — The Two-Faced Fight

Phase 1 is a puzzle, not a brawl: a glowing student in the crowd is shielding her, so find the one that's lit up, smack them, and Rennala crashes down — repeat three times. Phase 2 is the real fight, full of summoned wolves, dragons, and a giant moon. Stay aggressive and stick to her; the summons vanish when you stagger her. Bonus: Rennala is also where you respec your build via Rebirth once she's beaten.

Watch for: the full-moon cast in P2 — dodge late, it tracks.

5. Fire Giant — The Difficulty Spike

The Fire Giant is where a lot of runs stall. Stay on Torrent the entire fight and attack the ankles and the eye on his shin in Phase 1. When you've cracked his health bar he tears off his own crab-legs and becomes the God of Fire — back up, because the arena fills with rolling flame. Ranged attacks, bleed, and frost all shine here; melee-only is a slog.

Watch for: the fetal-position roll. It covers the whole arena — get to his back.

6. Malenia, Blade of Miquella — The Hardest Boss in the Game

Malenia is the wall players brag about clearing, and one move is why: Waterfowl Dance, a three-burst flurry that deletes you. Your options — sprint away from the first burst to create distance, or dodge into her during the third flurry. She also heals every time she lands a hit, even on your shield, so blocking is a trap; dodge instead. Bleed and frost builds shred her because they bypass her lifesteal math. Phase 2 opens with Scarlet Aeonia — a giant rot bloom — so roll the instant the flower forms.

Watch for: Waterfowl Dance. Memorize it or memorize the death screen.

7. Maliketh, the Black Blade — The Speed Test

Maliketh's Black Blade inflicts Destined Death, which slashes your maximum HP for the rest of the fight — so every hit hurts more than the last. He's lightning-fast and leaps all over the arena in Phase 2. Counterintuitively, the answer is to stay aggressive and close: chase him, jump his low spinning sweeps, and punish the brief pause after his big leaping slam. Mobility talismans and high stamina are your friends.

Watch for: the red-glowing Black Blade combo in P2 — those hits chunk your health bar permanently.

8. Promised Consort Radahn — The DLC Final Boss

The hardest fight FromSoftware has ever shipped. Before you even try, farm Scadutree Fragments and level your Scadutree Blessing as high as possible — in the DLC, that blessing matters more than your character level. Phase 1 is brutal melee combos; learn to roll into him. Phase 2 adds Miquella's blinding light and a screen-filling cross-slash — dodge into the gaps, keep the camera pulled back, and don't lock on if the light blinds you.

Watch for: the Phase 2 cross-slash light explosion. It's the run-ender — practice the dodge timing on Phase 1 first.

The Final Boss: Radagon & the Elden Beast

The endgame is two fights back to back with no break. Radagon is a fast, aggressive humanoid — stay close, dodge his hammer slams, and watch for the holy AoE he plants on the ground. The Elden Beast that follows is a swimming cosmic horror with poor hitboxes; equip a weapon with good reach, sprint after it (it loves to flee), and bring the Blessing's Boon or a healing incantation to outpace the Elden Stars ring attack. Bleed and any ranged option make this slog much shorter.

Beat the Boss, Then Build Better

Every boss in the Lands Between is beatable with the right setup and a little pattern recognition. If you're still hitting a wall, the problem is usually the build, not your reflexes — respec is cheap, so experiment. Start with our 2026 Build Tier List to find a setup that fits your playstyle, or go wild with one of our most fun builds.

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