This page details enemies who are considered to be major bosses (i.e. Defeating them usually rewards an achievement) but are not Demigods. Warning: Unmarked spoilers ahead.

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General

The Bell-Bearing Hunter

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A mysterious invading knight wielding a levitating greatsword who only appears at night at certain merchant or trainer locations. Drops a Bell Bearing when defeated.

Ambiguous Situation: His corporeal self's hold over the Shaded Castle raises some questions as to whether he has any ties to the Haligtree faction, since the Cleanrot Knights continue to guard the throne room even though he has deposed Maleigh. Also, is he now in control of the entire Marais faction, or is the castle simply in such a sorry state that no one can muster up the strength to drive him out?
Cool Sword: His weapon is in truth the Marais Executioner's Sword, a greatsword used by the Marais family to execute criminals. He managed to steal it and kill the very executioner that was going to execute him for his crimes and enchanted it with Eochaid's signature magic.
Karmic Death: Averted the first time, when he avoided being executed for his crimes by killing the executioner tasked with executing him and making off with his sword. Played straight if you find his corporeal self and kill him, fulfilling his executioner's task and avenging all the innocent people he murdered.
Master Swordsman: Even without its ability to float, he's extremely deft with his greatsword.
Mighty Glacier: His movement speed never rises above a Menacing Stroll, but his sword-swings deal so much damage and come out so rapidly you probably won't survive if he does close the distance.
Mythology Gag: His title is reminiscent of the Old Hunters and Player Character of Bloodborne, who use bells to summon allies.
Recurring Boss: You can fight him five times in the game, four times as a field boss at night at certain merchant or trainer locations, and again as Elemer of the Briar as the boss of The Shaded Castle.
Recurring Element:
- He's the successor to Kirk, being a Recurring Boss who comes out at the most unexpected times and wearing an armor set designed to inflict damage by rolling. His real title is also similar to Kirk's title. However, while Kirk has benevolent motives he accomplishes through immoral means (namely helping out whatever Delicate and Sickly girl he is currently fixated on — either the Fair Lady or Rosaria), this guy seems to just want to take people's bell bearings for himself.
- He's also one to the Pursuer from Dark Souls II, being a mysterious and silent Black Knight, armed with a BFS, that repeatedly emerges from the ground to attack you during your journey.
Secret Identity: His true identity is Elemer of the Briar, a murderous foreign knight who slaughtered the inhabitants of The Shaded Castle before claiming it as his own.
Shadow Archetype: In a way, to the player themselves. He travels the world killing merchants and trainers to collect their bell bearings, much like the player may be tempted to do in order to consolidate their inventories all in one place for the sake of convenience.
Shield Bash: There's a shield wrapped with briars strapped to his back, yet he only ever uses it to slam the ground for an AOE attack rather then defence.
Simple, yet Awesome: Compared to the expansive and varied movesets used by the other bosses, the Hunter relies almost entirely on his Flying Weapon. As it has massive range and deals high damage, he still poses just as much of a threat.
Serial Killer: He was sentenced to death and marked with iron briars due to murdering many merchants and trainers, thus his title as the Bell-Bearing Hunter. Unfortunately for everyone else, he managed to avoid execution by stealing his executioner's sword and killing him with it.

Magma Wyrms

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Once humans who underwent Dragon Communion, the curved greatsword-wielding Magma Wyrms dwell in tunnels and near magma flows in the Lands Between. One particularly advanced Magma Wyrm, Makar, guards the secret entrance to the Altus Plateau hidden in Liurina.

Acrofatic: Despite being normally slow and ponderous, one attack exclusive to their second phase involves them doing a full 180° spin on the back of their tails while sliding forwards to deliver a massive spinning slash.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: They are some of the largest enemies that can be fought in game. This is especially noticeable once they rear up on their hind legs in their second phase, as even slouched they easily match the size and stature of other tall humanoid enemies like Golems and Worm Faces. Theodorix in particular is massive compared to other Magma Wyrms, likely due to having been a Troll in his life.
BFS: Uses a large curved greatsword for close-quarters combat.
Breath Weapon: One of its most common attacks is to spew magma towards the Tarnished, either by spitting a giant blob of magma, or by crawling around the arena while constantly regurgitating magma.
Expy:
- The lore mentioning that they Were Once Men is a reference to Fafnir of Norse myth, down to the details of them crawling on their bellies and spewing lava. The fact that Theodorix used to be a troll may also be a reference to the fact that in the myth Fafnir was originally a Dwarf before he became a wyrm.
- They are reminiscent of Ludwig from Bloodborne in that they crawl around and fight more like wild beasts in their first phase, then stand upright and fight more like humans in their second. Also, the fact that they leave trails of mamga everywhere while they are crawling around is reminiscent of Lawrence's second phase from the same game.
Hot Blade: After Turning Red, they breathe magma upon their swords in order to superheat it, causing it to deal additional Fire damage with each strike.
Mighty Glacier: Magma Wyrms are ponderously slow in everything they do; their movements, sword attacks and their magma breath all have extremely long and recognizable tells. This is offset by the fact that when these attacks do hit, they can easily shave whole chunks off of the player's health bar.
Puzzle Boss: Great Wyrm Theodorix is extremely tanky and does ridiculous amounts of damage, making him a difficult enemy to face head-on even with the advantages provided by summons or horseback. However, the cave he is fought in has no less than three adult Land Octopi that will start wailing on Theodorix once lured into his aggro range. Given that said Land Octopi also have bloated HP, attack and defense on top of having much more aggressive AI than normal, it's entirely possible for them to steal Theodorix's aggro and even kill him all on their own.
Recurring Boss: Five Magma Wyrms are can be found and fought throughout the Lands Between.^note
Skippable Boss: There exists multiple ways of getting to either the Altus Plateau or Leyndell without having to fight Magma Wyrm Makar, though defeating him nets you an achievement.
Turns Red: After reaching half health, they breathe magma onto their blades and begin to fight while standing on their two hind legs. This gives them an entirely new moveset which, while not at Lightning Bruiser levels, is faster, more mobile and more aggressive than their crawling first phase.
Was Once a Man: Becoming a Magma Wyrm is what happens to those who pursue the path of Dragon Communion and lose themselves to the dragons' influence. Theodorix is especially notable, as the description of the Theodorix's Magma incantation implies that he was once a Troll who fought in the War of the Ancient Giants. Thankfully for the Tarnished, Gameplay and Story Segregation is in full effect; no matter how many dragon hearts they consume, the risk of becoming a Magma Wyrm never looms over their heads.

Godskin Cultists

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The Godskin Duo; The Apostle is the one of the left, while the Noble is the one on the right

A wicked cult of apostles and nobles who worship Death, they were defeated by Queen Marika's shadowbound beast Maliketh who proceeded to seal Rune of Death into his Black Blade, before the Golden Order was established. After Death was stolen and the Shattering ensued, their cult began to rise again seeking Death's rot as well hunt down the demigods and their kin.

Achilles' Heel: The cultists are surprisingly susceptible to the sleep ailment, stunning them for a very, very long period of time as long as they are not attacked. This is a very useful tool in the Godskin Duo fight, as by keeping one of them in their slumber will allow for focus with the other.
Acrofatic: The Nobles' robes are literally made out of fat, and make the Nobles themselves appear enormously obese. However, like Executioner Smough before them, they likely aren't very fat themselves, and those robes are actually deceptively light if the wearable version is any indication, allowing them to move very quickly and attack gracefully with their rapier (or as gracefully as one can attack with a rapier that huge, anyway).
Ancient Evil: Not apparent at first. The Godskin seems like a cult of madmen who harnessed the power of Death after the spread of the Deeproot, but the Godskin Nobles are described as being very ancient, not unlike the primordial crucible of life itself.
Black Speech: When both the Apostles and Nobles transition into their second phase, they float above the ground and slam back down, accompanied by unintelligble murmuring that seems to indicate a verbal incantation to use their skin in an offensive capacity (both the Apostle and Noble will not use their stretch or inflate attacks until this specific animation/sound occurs and their second phases begin).
The Dreaded: Not so much the cultists as much as it is the Black Flame they wield, as well as its source: the Rune of Death or Destined Death. When asked about it, Enia claims its dark power is so terrible that it was plucked out from the Golden Order during its creation; unleashing it would be considered a cardinal sin of the same order as burning the Erdtree itself.
Dual Boss: An Apostle and a Noble are fought together as the Godskin Duo in Farum Azula. Notably, killing both is not enough to end the fight. They share one health bar much greater than their combined HP, and keep respawning until it is completely depleted.
Fat Bastard: The Nobles are covered in so many layers of godskin they appear grotesquely obese.
Fat and Skinny: The Noble is the Fat, the Apostle is the Skinny. The Godskin Duo is a very Ornstein and Smough-esque boss.
Foreshadowing: The Godskin Noble's description implies their cult has been hunting all sorts of beings since prior to recorded history. The fact they have been around for that long is one of the earliest hints of the Greater Will's attempts to distort history to its favor — the Rune of Death said to be plucked out of the Golden Order originally belonged to the Godskin cult, as Destined Death.
Genuine Human Hide: Their names aren't just for show; they're literally wearing the flayed flesh of gods and/or kins of gods as robes. Even their weapons are called the "Peeler" and "Stitcher", making it clear that they aren't meant to be used primarily as weapons but as tools to make their clothing.
Inflating Body Gag: When the Nobles enter their second phase, they become able to inflate themselves/their robes and roll around like a ball.
Kill the God: As the name implies, the Godskin cult consider god-slaying their lifestyle. The Black Flame they wield is very lethal to divinities, harnessing the same power of Destined Death in a similar manner to the Black Knife daggers which killed Godwyn.
Lean and Mean: The Apostles are so inhumanly lanky they're stretchy.
Little Bit Beastly: The Nobles have inexplicable reptilian tails, despite their faces appearing completely human. The description on their robes implies a conection to the Crucible.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: While by no means harmless now, the Godskin cult was once far more feared and dangerous then they are in the present day; once lead by a god of their own known as the "Gloam-Eyed Queen" who bestowed upon them powerful Incantations that could threaten even Marika. But after Maliketh slayed their queen and sealed Destined Death within his Black Blade, their spells lost their ability to inflict True Death and they faded into a minimal threat.
Humanoid Abomination: They resemble tall, oddly-proportioned humans, but they very obviously are not. Leaving aside their unholy powers and Rubber Man physiology, the Nobles have tails poking out from their cloaks. There's also the fact that the Gloam-Eyed Queen apparently birthed all of them, meaning they're closer to hive-based insects in social organization than anything close to humanity.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Godskin. Rendered even more intimidating by the fact its completely literal.
Non-Indicative Name: Though they are wielding a power that stand in direct opposite to the established divinity, there is no indication they have ever slain a major demigod like Godwyn, much less an actual god. Downplayed however, in that they do seem to have successfully hunted minor demigods and their descendants (ones similar to Godefroy and Millicent). Since they are also ancient enemies with Marika and Maliketh, it also suggests there was a time or an age when their name was far more earned.
Ominous Walk: Due to the Apostle's ability to reach the Tarnished across inhuman distances by way of their elastic torsoes, the fastest they will move when not attacking or stretching is equivalent to a casual stroll across a park.
Playing with Fire: Their trademark weapons and incantations channel black flames. Unlike regular fire these flames also have an hp sapping effect.
Recurring Boss: The Apostles and Nobles are fought a total of six times across the game — both are fought twice as individual fights (once in the overworld and once in a dungeon for both Apostle and Noble), once as a Dual Boss in Crumbling Farum Azula, and the Spirit Caller Cave pits the player against an Apostle and a Noble in sequence at its end.
Recurring Element: The Duo fight is a twofold example. Most obviously, it's the latest iteration of the Dual Boss fights that go all the way back to the Maneaters in Demon's Souls, with you having to face both at the same time and carefully manage their aggro to avoid being ganked to death. However, they also resemble the Four Kings from Dark Souls in a few ways, most notably in their massive shared health bar and ability to continue spawning in on a timer even as you cut them down. Thankfully, unlike the Four Kings, there are never more than two Godskins in the room at the same time. If you can melt them fast enough you may even find yourself in an empty boss room waiting for more to spawn in, which was also possible to do with the Four Kings.
Rubber Man: When the Apostles enter their second phase, they become able to stretch their torsos inhumanly far in order to hit you on the other side of the room.
Serial Killer: They are essentially serial killers of gods and their kin, even wearing their skin as trophies a la Leatherface.
Silent Antagonist: Almost. They're obviously intelligent beings, as indicated by their elaborate rituals, mastery of advanced incantations, and apparent ability to attract worshipers and forge alliances with other characters like Rykard, yet the only utterances either variant of cultist makes is assorted near-silent grunts when attacking, and unintelligible murmuring (implied to be a verbal incantation to use their skin offensively) when they perform their "float-then-slam" phase transition.
Single-Gender Species: No female Godskins are ever seen, and they're all apparently the direct children of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, implying they have a social structure more similar to ants or bees than anything close to human. Given that the Gloam-Eyed Queen was an Empyrean, that might make the Godskin cultists gods’ kin as well as god-skinners.
Would Hurt a Child: The Godskin Swaddling Cloth you get by defeating the spirit versions of the Noble and the Apostle is, basically, the flayed skin of a baby god.
Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: It's hidden by their hoods during gameplay, but both varieties of Godskin have sinister, gold-colored eyes. Ironic considering that golden eyes are normally considered a blessing from the Erdtree, which their race has waged war against since its inception.

Valiant Gargoyles (Black Blade Kindreds)

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Giant winged humanoids made of rock and corpse wax that guard forbidden areas. They either wield a halberd with a sword or a twinblade with an axe.

A more powerful variant known as Black Blade Kindreds are mended with black corpse wax and serve Maliketh, Destined Death.

Breaking Old Trends: It was pretty much taken for granted that any Souls game would have a creature who either heavily resembled or was an outright Moveset Clone of the Belfry Gargoyles from Dark Souls. These guys are instead completely distinct other than an association with halberds and the ability to breathe fire.
Foreshadowing: The Black Corpsewax mending the Black Blade Kindred and their weapons is described as a mark of those who serve Maliketh, the Black Blade. The one guarding the entrance of the Beast Sanctum is a major hint of Gurranq's true identity.
Impossibly Graceful Giant: They wield their weapons with the same speed, flexibility and grace as a human-sized enemy could despite being much larger. This makes them much more dangerous than most other giant enemies that are otherwise more lumbering and predictable in their movements.
Lightning Bruiser: They are fast, very durable and use their large size to close in reach with their weapons. They are among the strongest enemies in the game, especially the Black Blade Kindred.
Multi-Melee Master: They will wield ether a halberd and a sword or a twin blade and an axe, switching between weapons occasionally.
Our Gargoyles Rock: They're as big as giants and are made from a combination of rock and corpse wax.
Optional Boss: The Valiant Gargoyle Dual Boss in Siofra Aqueduct yields an achievement for 100% Completion, but can be circumvented via an alternate (but much tougher) route to the Deeproot Depths. Both Black Blade Kindreds can also be circumvented if you just bolt past them to wherever you're headed.
Poisonous Person: The Valiant Gargoyles can breathe poison, which covers a large portion of the arena and lingers for quite a long time.
Reforged Blade: Like the Gargoyles themselves, their bronze weapons are mended with corpse wax.
Two-Faced: Their face is actually two separate faces mended together.

Limgrave

Leonine Misbegotten (Misbegotten Warrior, Misbegotten Crusader)

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A feral Misbegotten wielding a large greatsword that can be fought behind Castle Morne.

Attack! Attack! Attack!: They have no defensive moves, instead bringing a constant ferocious onslaught that will make hitting them a hard task.
BFS: All Leonine misbegotten wield large greatswords, some of them even use legendary blades such as the Grafted Blade Greatsword.
Meaningful Name: Leonine refers to anything resembling a lion, and this Misbegotten sports several feline features along with a crimson mane around its neck.
Degraded Boss: Functionally identical Misbegotten Warriors can be encountered as regular enemies in Leyndell, Royal Capital and in Miquella's Haligtree, as well as one half of several Dual Boss encounters throughout the mid to late game.
Glass Cannon: They aren't very tanky, but their attacks are fast and hit like a truck.
Underground Monkey: The Leonine Crusader is the boss for the Cave of the Forlorn in the Consecrated Snowfields, and wields the Golden Order Greatsword in place of the usual swords it's kind wields. It also utilizes the sword's Ash of War in combat, incorporating Fundamentalist incantations on top of frenzied swipes with the weapon and implying that, much like its lesser kin, It Can Think. How it happened upon the sword forged by Radagon for Marika as a dedication to the Golden Order, however, is a question for the ages.

Margit, the Fell Omen

Voiced by: Anthony Howell

"Foul Tarnished... in search of the Elden Ring. Emboldened by the flame of ambition. Someone must extinguish thy flame. Let it be Margit the Fell!"

A gangly, bestial Omen who fights the Tarnished in Stormhill to prevent them from reaching Castle Stormveil.

Beef Gate: Margit can be challenged as soon as an hour into the game if the player rushes to follow the Sites of Grace, and this proves to be a horrible mistake. Despite being very likely to be the first boss found, he has lengthy combo strings, fast projectiles (which he will use to heal punish you at every available opportunity), two phases, and plenty of health. He reinforces the new open-world structure by beating the player up until they go elsewhere; he becomes much more manageable if they take time to explore the rest of Limgrave and the nearby Weeping Peninsula before challenging him, particularly if they spare Patches and buy the special Margit's Shackle item from him, which can stun him twice during the first phase.
Beware My Stinger Tail: He has a scorpion-like tail, which he uses to counter back-attacks.
Cane Fu: His main form of attack is to whack you with his walking stick, which is almost as tall as he is, so it hurts quite a bit.
Degraded Boss: He shows up again as a lifelike astral projection in Leydell, with the same moveset.
Foreshadowing:
- "I shall remember thee, Tarnished." Turns out this wasn't just a fancy way of saying see you in hell. You fight him again as a projection, then his true self as Morgott
- "Cower in fear, of the night. The hands of the Fell Omen shal brook thee no quarter." Remember all those Night Cavalry bosses found throughout the world at night? They all work under him. They're his 'hands' that are actively hunting you down on his orders.
- Margit drops the Talisman Pouch upon defeat. According to the item description, it's given to the ruling lord. Guess what's Margit's true role?
Flowery Elizabethan English: He peppers his speech with "Thee" and "Thy". It's an early hint that he's one of Marika's children.
Hero Killer: He has a monument about all the dead heroes he defeated during the second defense of Leyndell and is in Stormveil so he can snuff the Tarnished early in his quest.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Despite serving as the final obstacle between the player and Stormveil Castle, nothing in Stormveil so much as makes passing reference to him or any allegience to Godrick. Its later implied that Morgott realised that a Tarnished looking to claim a Great Rune would probably go after the weakest link first, so he conjured a projection in Limgrave to intercept anyone seeking the throne of Elden Lord before they became strong enough to pose a threat.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: He has a pretty good one, quoted above. And yes, he will kick your ass after he says it. Many times.
Recurring Element:
- He shares traits with Father Gascoigne from Bloodborne, being an early yet difficult boss who can be stunned with a secret item.
- Being a mysterious boss who actively tries to hunt down the player character over the course of the game, he is also similar to the Pursuer from Dark Souls II.
- He is a Recurring Boss who is first fought very early in the game, with a much stronger version being fought later, like Iudex/Champion Gundyr from Dark Souls III'.
- And finally, being an obvious skill check boss for players who speed toward his arena without properly leveling up and learning the mechanics of the game, as well as functioning as a prelude to the monumental challenges that immediately follow him, resembles Genichiro Ashina's role in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
The Reveal: "Margit" isn't his real name, nor is "The Fell Omen" his title. His true identity is "Morgott, the Omen King", and he's one of the Demigods.
Sequential Boss: Starts out just using his cane and summoned daggers (which he both swings and throws). Once he gets down to half health, he will add a summoned straight sword and greathammer into the mix.
Skippable Boss: It is actually possible to avoid fighting him and still progress through. He plays this trope straighter than other examples in the game because if you defeat his true self, Morgott, and then trek back to Limgrave, you will find Margit is already gone, with rewards obtained from normally defeating Margit left on his arena.
Spontaneous Weapon Creation: When he's not hitting you with his cane, he is hitting you with various summoned weapons formed out of holy magic. All of his summoned weapons are actually recognizable as in-game weapons the player can obtain: his daggers are Erdsteel Daggers, his straight sword is a Carian Knight's Sword, and his greathammer is a Giant-Crusher.
Stealth Insult: If his mocking tone wasn’t enough of a clue, his comment that "warrior blood”" must run in the Tarnished’s veins upon reaching phase 2 becomes one after he’s revealed to be Morgott. To Morgott, immediate son of the World's Best Warrior, the first Elden Lord, you’re just some wannabe.
Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Margit can be fought again as an astral projection Degraded Boss in the Altus Plateau. While he's actually somewhat stronger than before, the number of levels the player may have gotten in the interim - especially considering that the Altus Plateau is a relatively late-game environment - generally makes him a cakewalk in comparison to his first encounter. He doesn't even have a boss-sized lifebar anymore in this fight. Oh, and Torrent is available this time, meaning hit-and-run tactics are much more viable, especially for ranged fighters who can easily evade his throwing knives.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Did you explore the rest of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula to gain levels and upgrade a weapon a few times? Are you at least familiar enough with the game mechanics to dodge his attacks perfectly? If you answered "no" to both of those questions, then prepare to die, a lot.

Liurnia of the Lakes

Royal Knight Loretta

The spectral projection of a renowned Carian Knight, famed for her skill with the war sickle and greatbow. She and her horse guard Caria Manor from any and all trespassers. The real one is said to have left in search of a promised land for the Albinaurics, and can be encountered in Miquella's Haligtree as Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.

Action Girl: She's an accomplished warrior particularly skilled in archery and will give the Tarnished a fight.
Ambiguously Human: The Silver Mirrorshield's description reveals a rumor that Loretta might've been an Albinauric herself. Though the description dismisses it as absurd, given that the shield is found at the Apostate Derelict where the giant Albinaruic Archer is found, and the full reason for her journey to the Haligtree for the Albinaurics is ultimately up in the air, it's undeniable Loretta has some connection to them.
Energy Bow: Her signature sorcery, Loretta's Greatbow (which is also obtainable by the Tarnished) conjures a Great Bow made out of glintstone energy which then fires a massive, high velocity magic arrow that homes in on enemies and explodes upon impact. The upgraded version, Loretta's Mastery, is a Multishot variant that fires four homing explosive arrows at once, each of which dealing the same damage as the single shot version.
Handicapped Badass: If the rumor about her being an Albinauric is true, we can assume she is just like all other first generation Albinaurics and cannot use her legs. There might be a good reason you never see her outside of the saddle.
Hero Antagonist: There is nothing villainous about Loretta; in fact, she is one of the few enemy characters who could be considered an outright hero for her accomplishments. The only reason she and the Tarnished clash at all is because she stood in the way of their quest.
Horse Archer: Interestingly, she's only one of two true examples of this trope Played Straight in the entire game, the other being Radahn^note.
Knight in Shining Armor: Despite being a major enemy of the Tarnished, she is undoubtedly one of the most noble characters in the game, having went on a long and arduous journey to find the Haligtree as a safe haven for the long-suffering Albinaurics, even going as far as to cut her ties with the Carians to do so. The fact that she left a phantom version of herself to guard Caria Manor anyway only serves to underline her chivalrous spirit.
Magic Knight: An especially proficient one, capable of casting spells back to back without even catching a breath. She even has not one, but two unique spells to her name — Loretta's Greatbow and Loretta's Mastery.
Magic Missile Storm:
- Her forté. She will relentlessly pelt the Tarnished with all sorts of Projectile Spells — ranging from Glintstone Pebbles, delayed-fire Glintblade Phalanxes and her very own Greatbow — in order to keep them constantly on the move and thus vulnerable to her physical attacks. Once she reaches low health, she will power herself up and generate even more projectiles with each spell that she casts, thus turning her battle into a veritable Bullet Hell.
- This trope even comes into play before the Tarnished even gets a chance to fight her. As soon as the Tarnished even approaches Caria Manor, they will be suddenly pelted with a constant rain of magic arrows without any prior warning, hinting that Loretta already has them in her sights.
Master Archer: Despite her proficiency at spellcasting, Mounted Combat and wielding the war sickle, lore states that Loretta's preferred weapon is actually the Great Bow.
Mix-and-Match Weapon: Her war sickle functions as a bladed weapon on one end of the shaft while also containing a glintstone focus within its other end, enabling her to simultaneously swing her weapon and cast spells on the fly.
Mythology Gag: One of two characters to allude to the Corrupted Monk in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and the one with a better fit: A polearm-wielding female boss that gets encountered first in a weaker phantom form, and then again in person. The difference here is that Loretta is completely optional in both cases, while the Monk is a required fight both times.
Mounted Combat: Always rides on her steed in battle, and much like the Tree Sentinels, cannot be dismounted.
Naginatas Are Feminine: Well, a combination war sickle and glintstone staff, but the idea still applies when other horseback bosses like the Tree Sentinels and Nightriders use massive halberds, glaives, clubs and flails, and is noted specifically as female.
One-Handed Zweihänder: Deftly wields a unique war sickle that also doubles as a glintstone staff that she swings with one hand.
Palette Swap: She is essentially a palette swap of the Tree Sentinels and shares many of her basic animations with them. Downplayed as the veritable storm of magic projectiles that she can cast makes enough of a difference that players would likely have to rethink their tactics when fighting her.
Upgraded Boss: Is an interesting variant of this. The Royal Knight Loretta encountered in Caria Manor is simply a phantom. The real Loretta had long since went on a journey to seek a shelter for the Albinaurics. Once the Tarnished reaches Miquella's Haligtree, the real Loretta — titled Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree — appears to bar the Tarnished from passing. Aptly enough, she is far stronger and more aggressive than her phantom form.

Red Wolf of Radagon

A massive red beast found within the Raya Lucaria Academy, where it guards the Tarnished's path towards Rennala.

Bling of War: While not immediately apparent, the Red Wolf has several golden accessories in its fur.
Canis Major: Not only is it very large, it is also blood red and capable of casting sorceries.
Degraded Boss: There are three smaller versions of this boss in the game that lack sword attacks: one in the graveyard behind Caria Manor, one in the Ancestral Woods, and one a little ways up the hill from Chelona's Rise. The first two are backed up by a pack of normal wolves, and the latter two are far from "degraded" and even tougher than the actual boss, since they appear much later in the game.
It Can Think: In addition to being smart enough to cast sorceries, the wolf will cast Magic Glintblade (which fires on a delay) before going into close combat, giving itself cover fire and forcing the Tarnished to keep track of several attacks at once. This seems to be a recurring theme with all the Red Wolves encountered, as they're smart enough to cast spells for their own advantage.
Recurring Boss: A second one called "Red Wolf of the Champion" can be fought as the boss of Gelmir Hero's Grave. A third one without a boss health bar can be found in the Consecrated Snowfield, and unlike the Degraded Boss examples above, this one is the full boss version complete with sword attacks.
Recurring Element: The latest in the line of FromSoft giant wolf bosses that started with Sif. It will even sometimes manifest a sword in its jaws and slash at you.

Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_617.jpg

The Full Moon Witch

Voiced by: Mali Harries

"Hush, little culver. I'll soon birth thee anew, a sweeting fresh and pure..."

A masterful sorceress and former wife to Elden Lord Radagon. Rennala can be found in Raya Lucaria's grand library, where she cares for a mysterious amber egg. For the second phase of her boss fight, see Ranni's page.

Action Girl: If Ranni fighting in her mother’s stead as a projection of herself indicates anything, she was a powerful sorceress at her peak who fought Radagon and WON.
Ambiguously Human: She looks human, but has weird gangly proportions and is over ten feet tall. It's possible she's Nox.
The Archmage: At her peak, Rennala was quite possibly the most powerful sorceress in existence, heading the Academy of Raya Lucaria and single-handedly shifting the Academy’s focus from study of the stars alone to study of the Moon. While she has slipped far in the present day, the second phase of her battle has Ranni demonstrate this aptly by conjuring an illusion of her mother at her mightiest, masterfully executing numerous high level sorceries against you. This is also demonstrated mechanically, as her Remembrance can be traded in for either her glintstone staff or a custom sorcery of her own making. Both of them require absolutely insane INT requirements to use — 60 and 70, respectively — that are well above what the player can be expected to achieve themselves by the time they actually defeat Rennala herself, even if they invested all of their levels up until that point into Int, subtly indicating Rennala's supreme mastery of the arcane arts.
Anti-Villain: She can barely even be considered evil, much less a villain, as she has clearly went so far off the deep end she hardly has a grasp on much of anything anymore. Her only involvement with the game's story is her Boss Battle, and she's only even a fight because she holds one of two Great Runes needed in order to access the Royal Capital and thus the Erdtree.^note
Broken Bird: The Trauma Conga Line that she experienced during the events leading up to and after the Shattering broke her into a billion pieces. Tragically enough, there doesn't seem to be any way (as of current) to put her back together.
Came Back Wrong: Not Rennala herself, but her attempt at the art of reincarnation is vastly imperfect. Most of the students she keeps reincarnating come back as gibbering idiots that don't last long until they die again. Respeccing the player seems far less traumatic because the player has the Rune of Rebirth, which "perfects those who have been born anew", as opposed to the "imperfect" births of her students.
Cloudcuckoolander: Rennala is not alright; beyond her implausible fixation with the amber egg and her (problematic) resurrection rituals, she spends the first half of her boss fight barely aware of the player's presence, even as they're whaling on her, seems to regard her and animalistic artificial apprentices as playful children. After her fight, she seems to have genuinely forgotten that she and the Tarnished even fought in the first place, asking them if they would like to be "reborn".
Creepy Child: Not her, but the students who surround her. The Tarnished first learns of their presence when one tries to bite their foot like an angry toddler. Their wide smiles, unfocused eyes and tendency to crawl rather than walk bring to mind severely stunted or degraded mental patients.
Defeat Means Friendship: After the Tarnished defeats Ranni's illusion of her in the second phase, Rennala herself will remain to offer them rebirthing, allowing them to reallocate their stats.
Despair Event Horizon: It's heavily implied by her armor set that Radagon leaving her for Marika, followed by the Shattering which involved several of her own children going to ruinous war against each other, and the academy rebelling against the royals caused Rennala to cross this. By the time the player encounters her, she was sealed shut inside Raya Lucaria's grand library and barely seems aware of her surroundings, her attention focused solely on her egg as she works to perfect her ritual of rebirth.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She's very beautiful, pale skin only accentuated by her black hair and dark clothes, but she's just utterly broken mentally.
Flunky Boss:
- Rennala only has one attack herself, and will mostly float around in a golden sphere maintained by some of the mages on the ground – who do the bulk of the fighting by biting, lashing out with their candlesticks, breathing fire, and telekinetically hurling random objects. The Tarnished has to dispel the sphere by hitting the mages that are currently casting it (though they don't actually have to kill them, only break their concentration), while dodging the books, chandeliers, and astrolabes that are constantly being thrown around.
- In the second phase, the Rennala projection eventually starts summoning spirit helpers to assist her, which remain until the player depletes their health or they attack enough times. She can summon a pack of four wolves, a Bloodhound Knight, a troll, or even a dragon.
From Bad to Worse: Oh, boy. She has experienced, in short order: her husband leaving her for what many considered a woman of higher power and status; her two sons falling into frenzy and turning into man-eating monsters; her beloved daughter committing suicide seemingly out of nowhere; and her realm falling into its own civil war during the Shattering after trying to stay neutral. No wonder she's so messed up.
Harmless Villain: Due to her Madwoman in the Attic status, Rennala as she is now is simply just... there, blissfully unaware of anything going on around her and unwilling to take part. Separated from the remnants of Caria and completely stripped of her power at the Academy, she stands out being the only Shardbearer who poses no active threat to the world at large. Subverted in that while she may be harmless as a villain, she will still fight back as a boss should the player intrude her domain... which is then promptly Double Subverted as she becomes a harmless NPC that can't even be killed after her defeat.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Once she was the mightiest sorceress of the Lands Between and rightful ruler of Liurnia, who managed to fight off Radagon once and succeeded at a peaceful resolution to his second invasion. Now, she's lost her kingdom, her position, her followers on both sides, all three her children to either suicide or insanity, and most of all, her beloved husband. There's practically nothing left of the woman but a broken shell eternally obsessed over Radagon's Tragic Keepsake, barely even amounting to a shadow of who she once was. It's hard not to feel sorry for the woman considering everything that she's been through.
Last of Her Kind: She's the only Shardbearer to survive her boss fight, and will turn into an NPC upon her defeat. Even as an NPC she can't be killed, as her arena is considered a no-combat zone.
Lunacy: As befits her title, she is strongly associated with the moon. Her headpiece is shaped like a moon crescent, the sorcery transposed from her remembrance manifests a moon as a homing projectile, and her second phase is fought in the light of the full moon. Bonus points for also being an actual lunatic.
Madwoman in the Attic: Quite literally, after the scholars turned against the royal family and locked her away.
Mirror Boss: Ranni's projection of Rennala fights similarly to how a high-leveled sorcery specialist would, and once she reaches half health, she starts summoning Spirit Ash-esque helpers just like the Tarnished can (appropriately, Ranni granted them the ability to do this in the first place).
Mythology Gag: Thricefold. Her first phase is quite similar to the Deacons of the Deep — a horde of endlessly respawning Mooks, some of which will be glowing and must be killed, with Rennala herself playing the part of Archdeacon Royce (she even has a tall hat). After her defeat, she becomes one of Rosaria, allowing you to respec your stats and change your appearance (though the latter can also be done via the mirror in Fia's room at the Roundtable Hold).
Non-Lethal K.O.: Unlike most bosses, defeating her and the illusion of her conjured up in her second phase doesn’t result in her death. You get the piece of the Cosmic Keystone you need and she remains alive afterwards.
The Ophelia: Once upon a time, she was the most powerful sorceress in the land. When you find her however, she has gone completely insane and spends all of her time cradling an amber egg while reviving students as mentally stunted children. She barely even fights back, spending most of the fight floating above in a golden barrier while the students below attack you. The real battle is against a magical recreation of her in her prime created by her daughter to protect her. And to top it off, after defeating the fake Rennala, the real one appears to completely forget that you were just trying to kill her a few minutes ago and happily offers up her services.
Please Wake Up: Rennala is apparently convinced that the amber egg in her possession can hear her promises of rebirth. After her fight, she seems to think that her students are merely hiding, and she beckons them like a doting parent trying to coax stubborn toddlers with promises of bedtime stories.
Recurring Boss Template: She is another FromSoft boss who's a sorcerer that's strongly associated with the moon. Her second phase's boss arena is also a literal Moonside Lake.
Signature Headgear: The Queen's Crescent Crown: a tall, pointed crown shaped like a crescent moon. It raises Intelligence when worn, and unlike the Glintstone Crowns it has no downsides.
Tragic Keepsake: The giant amber egg that she cradles is all she has left of Radagon after he left to become the second Elden Lord.
Trauma Conga Line: Like you wouldn't believe. After Radagon divorced her to become the second Elden Lord her life pretty rapidly deteriorated;
- First off, Radagon leaving her was a pretty shitty thing for him to do regardless of reasoning, especially since he took her wedding gift to him and reforged it into a dedication to his new wife.
- Then Ranni, her daughter and the love of her life, kills herself seemingly for no reason. This act would then swiftly be followed up by the onset of the Shattering, which was its own barrel of laughs for the Full Moon Queen and the Lands Between as a whole.
- After the onset of the Shattering both of her sons rapidly fell to ruin; Rykard fed himself to the God-Devouring Serpent, seemingly letting himself be killed for a reason he likely didn't bother to tell her about, and Radahn got into a cataclysmic war with the daughter from her ex-husband's second marriage, the end result of which saw Radahn turned into a feral lunatic when Malenia infected him and all of Caelid with the Scarlet Rot.
- And to cap it all off, a civil war seperate from the Shattering erupted in Liurnia between the Academy she presides over and the old Carian Nobles trying to take their country back from her. With all of this happening to her in such a short amount of time, it's no surprise that she went more than a little quackity and shut hersef away from a world that had done nothing but hurt her and take away everything she loved.
Trick Boss: While not a complete formality, Rennala's first phase is a simple gimmick fight that shows how incapable she is in her current state. The real fight begins once Ranni steps in and creates a much stronger projection of her.
Worf Had the Flu: When the Tarnished arrives, Rennala is not in her right mind — floating aimlessly around her study and muttering to an amber egg while her apprentices crawl around on the floor giggling, biting, and flailing their candlesticks. In the second phase, Ranni gives the Tarnished a taste of what her mother was capable of at her prime, showing her to have been an immensely skilled and powerful sorceress.
The Unfought: Zigzagged. While you do fight the real Rennala in the first phase, you're only fighting Ranni's projection of Rennala in the second phase. As a result, you never actually deal her a killing blow.

Caelid

Veteran Commanders

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/commander_oneill.jpg

Commanders of lords that had fled, these undying, masterless veterans can summon spirits to do their bidding. There are two veterans: Commander O'Neil, who resides in the heart of the Aeonia Swamp, and Commander Niall, who protects Castle Sol at the Mountaintop of the Giants.

Aerith and Bob: O'Neil and Niall stand out among the bosses and the inhabitants of the Lands Between in general for having remarkably ordinary names. On this very page, contrast Margit, Rennala, Fortissax, Malekith, and Placidusax.
Ambiguously Related:
- O'Neil and Niall's relation is never stated, but they're clearly close, having near-identical character models (including uniforms) and names. In fact, O' is an Anglicized version of Ó, an element of Irish names meaning "descendant of", and Neil is just an Anglicized version of the Irish name Niall, so O'Neil's name is literally "descendant of Niall."
- It's not immediately apparent that O'Neil serves Malenia, but the similar designs of their capes (both being crimson with golden circles made of thorn-like patterns) and his banner having a crimson gold color scheme◊ (nothing like Radahn's banners yet the same scheme as Malenia's Cleanrot Knights) basically confirm it.
Army of Thieves and Whores: O'Neil and Niall both lead "soldiers of no nation", the latter summoning the spirits of Banished Knights and the former the spirits of Exile Soldiers (some Banished Knights wearing hoods similar to Exile Soldiers can also be found wandering not too far from O'Neil's arena). It makes sense then that they're associated with Malenia and Miquella's Haligtree, the land of outcasts and refugees.
Blood Knight: Implied of O'Neil by the description of the Commander's Standard; he's the only veteran of the Battle of Aeonia who remembers it with pride, including Malenia herself, even though the death wrought in it (including on his side) was second only to the Siege of Volcano Manor.
Blow You Away: Both can create brief whirlwinds by the swing of their Standards. Notably, O'Neil's disturbs the Scarlet Rot of his arena and makes it a part of those attacks, while Niall, being in a castle situated on a snowfield, has his whirlwinds cause frostbite instead.
Boring, but Practical: Both of them wield the Commander's Standard halberd. It lacks any magical enhancement or a flashy moveset, but has the highest physical damage of any halberd-class weapon in the game, which paired with the halberd's long reach and versatile moveset makes it quite powerful. Their halberds are utterly massive too; 6 meters/20 feet long◊ with 205 kg/452 lbs heads◊.^note That's over a hundred times the mass of a fairly heavy polearm head from reality.
Colonel Badass: Both of them were field commanders in their lords' armies, and perfectly willing to fight alongside their men. Their command abilities are even a gameplay mechanic with the Ash of War of their halberds boosting the stats of their flunkies.
Flunky Boss: Both summon the spirits of soldiers to help them. O'Neil summons two waves of Exile Soldiers at separate points while Niall starts the battle with two Banished Knights at his side. They can also use their Rallying Standard Status Buff to augment their soldiers.
Handicapped Badass: Niall has a bladed prosthetic leg, and naturally, it makes him even more dangerous than O'Neil due to him being able to channel lightning with it.
Hoist by His Own Petard: The summoned spirits can be affected by the Bewitching Branch, turning said summons against their Commander.
Large and in Charge: Each of them are nine feet tall and broadly built, huge even compared to their seven foot plus knights, much less common foot soldiers.
Lightning Bruiser: Niall, once he's on his lonesome, can leap around like a grasshopper while spamming lightning AOEs, with the added bonus of being much sturdier and stronger than O'Neil.
Mighty Glacier: O'Neil is a huge guy that hits hard with his appropriately-huge halberd, and is extremely durable for his place in the game,^note but he's limited to a regular walk speed and his attack frequency is low due to his swings having a lot of wind-up.
No-Sell: O'Neil is completely immune to Rot build-up. Seeing as how his stronger clone Niall is very vulnerable to the same, this is certainly because of the Unalloyed Gold Needle he's carrying, which you presumably break in the process of defeating him.
Old Soldier: Veterans of the Shattering war.
Turns Red: Defeat Niall's knights and he busts out more deadly area attacks.
Undying Loyalty: Even when their masters (Malenia^note for O'Neil and an unnamed "long-passed master"^note for Niall) are no longer with them, they still do their duties regardless. Special mention goes to O'Neil; not only does he still zealously guard the remnants of Malenia's golden needle at the center of a poisonous swamp despite having ample opportunity to leave (presumably in case she comes back), he's stated to be "the sole veteran who remembers the battle with pride." This being the battle where his boss unwittingly infected him with a flesh-eating disease and left him to rot for years after. The guy is dedicated.

Siofra Aqueduct

Ancestor Spirits

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ancestor_spirit.png

Ancient spirits that take the form of undead elk, they are the deities of the Ancestor Followers worshipped in the Siofra River.

Ambiguously Related: Their Double Jump ability looks almost exactly like Torrent's, yet any relation between them (such the spirits and the spectral steed drawing their power from the same source) is never hinted at.
Dissonant Serenity: The Spirit's size, arena and undead form might be intimidating at first glance, but its graceful patterns and leitmotif are surprisingly serene.
Double Jump: The Ancestor Spirit can step in the air up to four times, usually ending in a stomp attack.
Life Drain: When it's at low health it will project a field that will suck the life out of anything nearby to restore its health.
Magic Fire: Attacks with ghostly fire that covers areas that deal damage over time.
The Marvelous Deer: The Ancestor Spirit resembles a huge deer or elk, although very old and rotted, covered in teal fire.
Mysterious Past: Beyond not being connected to the Greater Will, just what the spirits are and where they come from is never hinted at. Especially concerning a possible connection to an Outer God: Their seeming undeath and use of ghostflame are both abilities derived from Destined Death, but their animal shape and residence in the Siofra River imply a connection to both the Crucible of Life and the Dark Moon. Making it stranger is that one can acquire the infant skull of an ancestor Spirit, implying that there's an entire species of these creatures with their own life cycle.
Recurring Boss: There are two Ancestor Spirits. While one is below at the Siofra River, The Regal Ancestor Spirit is up in Nokron. Though there are achievements for defeating both, only the Regal Ancestral Spirit gives a Remembrance.

Ainsel River

Dragonkin Soldiers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragonkin_soldier.jpg

Massive draconic humanoids who were once soldiers of the Eternal City. Long after the City's destruction, they still stand guard even in their decrepit state.

An Ice Person: A combination of this and Shock and Awe. After its health reaches below a certain threshold, the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella will begin to use frozen lightning.
Bandage Mummy: Covered from head to toe in decaying bandages.
Bare-Fisted Monk: Despite being dragonkin, the Dragonkin Soldiers cannot breathe fire or conjure elements at all and relegate themselves to simple clawing and biting. Subverted for the Soldier of Nokstella who eventually regains the ability to use frozen lightning.
Bizarro Elements: The Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella has the ability to manipulate frozen lightning, which is blue lightning that can cause the frostbite status. Slaying the Soldier of Nokstella allows the Tarnished to obtain its incantation version, Frozen Lightning Spear. The other two drop weapons that can channel frozen lightning with their Ashes of War.
Bling of War: Covered head to toe in brilliant golden armor that, unfortunately, does nothing to hide their withered, leprous skin.
Body Horror: Likely due to whatever condition that had befallen them, the Dragonkin Soldiers' stomachs seem to have rotted away completely, leaving a hollow in their bellies from which the Tarnished can see that they have no organs in their torso at all. How they are still alive at that point is anyone's guess.
Expy: To Seath the Scaleless of Dark Souls, being imperfect dragons who lacked the immortality of their own kind and sought to obtain it. Unlike Seath, the Dragonkin Soldiers were never able to achieve immortality and their bodies began to rot away.
Giant Flyer: Despite being the size of a house, the Soldier of Nokstella has no trouble lifting its tremendous body with its comparatively tiny wings, albeit for only a brief few seconds.
Handicapped Badass: Their bandages, withered musculature as well as their heavily diseased and scarred skin all suggest that they have some form of leprosy, which has progressed to a state that has left them too weak to walk or fly. In no way does this stop them from squishing the Tarnished to bits. Eventually Subverted in the case of the Soldier of Nokstella, who in the midst of battle regains the strength needed to take flight, if only for a short while.
Heroic Second Wind: Not for the Tarnished, but for the boss. Once the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella reaches below half of its health, it will gain a surge in strength and becomes able to use its withered wings to fly once more as well as manipulate its characteristic frozen lightning. The Soldiers found in Siofra River and the Lake of Rot are, fortunately, exempt from this.
Immortality Seeker: They attempted to obtain immortality to be just like their skyward brethren. This attempt ultimately failed, leaving them in their current, decrepit state.
Optional Boss: There are a total of three Dragonkin Soldiers found in the game^note and all of them are only found in hidden areas of the already hidden underground sections. Defeating them is totally inconsequential to progressing further in any those areas, much less completing the game (although defeating the Soldier of Nokstella yields an achievement for one seeking 100% Completion).
Shock and Awe: Combined with An Ice Person, in the case of the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella.
Super-Soldier: They started off as an attempt to claim the power of the Ancient Dragons by the Nox. After it became clear none of them could escape degeneration, they were repurposed as war machines.
Yellow Lightning, Blue Lightning: The Soldier of Nokstella's frozen lightning is colored an icy blue.

Lake of Rot

Astels

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astel.jpg

A class of huge meteor-caster malformed stars capable of calamitous destruction. The largest and most powerful of alien entities who emerged out of Falling Stars which fell to Lands Between, the Astels are also among the oldest star spawn creatures which roam the realm. Two are encountered: the Naturalborn of the Void and the Stars of Darkness.

Given the character's role in the game's lore and story-related quests, the Naturalborn is a Walking Spoiler, so all spoilers are unmarked.

Almighty Idiot: They command a power over gravity so great that it rivals even the Demigods, but the Astels appear to be nonsentient and have no motivations beyond attacking anything that seems like a threat.
Ambiguously Evil: It's not clear if Astel attacked the Eternal Cities out of malice or, like the Fallingstar Beasts, it's just operating on copied animalistic instinct.
Animalistic Abomination: Among the oldest and most powerful of the Star-Spawn, the Astels are even greater examples than their lesser brethern. It is enormous sized and its mere presence seems to warp reality around, on top of displaying much greater displays of gravity magic than almost anything else in the game. Its body is also especially uncanny even by the game standards and can roughly be described as a large skeletal body with a chain of crystal orbs as a tail, dragonfly wings, multiple emaciated arms, and a humanoid-skull with mandible and a large eye inside of it.
Attack Its Weak Point: The head is the only body part which the Tarnished can get a Critical Hit in.
Bastard Bastard: "Naturalborn" is a polite euphemism for a bastard, and furthermore, the weapon obtained through his Remembrance is called Bastard's Stars.
Celestial Body: Examination of its character model reveals that its tail and torso look like they’re made of many planets clustered together, with two orange suns in the mix.
Cosmic Horror Reveal: Players learn about the connection between the stars and the Lands Between early on, given Elden Ring itself is said to be powered by the stars. However the true magnitude of this implication isn’t truly apparent until they encounter Astel deep within the bowels of the Lands Between. It's not exactly certain what it is, but given its epithet, Astel represents the vast power and terror of the cosmos, an ill omen capable of destroying the Eternal City. Its existence drive the point more than other star spawns can; horrors like their kind are commonplace in the greater universe.
Eyes Do Not Belong There: Its giant, eerily human skull has a large eye with glowing blue irises and black sclerae.
Fantasy Aliens: As with all Star Spawn. But the Astels stand out because they're implied to be much closer to what the species naturally looks like without their forms having changed to match their environment, hence the epithet Naturalborn.
Fisher King: The Naturalborn's boss arena has what looks like a night sky saturating the background which fades into a normal cave once after its death. This is implied to be a portal to the "lightless void" it was born in and where all the Star Spawn originate from.
Gravity Master: The Astels display a mastery of Gravity Sorcery surpassing even (at least in his current mindless state) Radahn. On top of firing gravity beams and casting gravity magics on quantities and area of effect the Tarnished could never hope to match, they can summon numerous small meteors directly from “the Void” and even distort space to teleport.
King Mook: Smaller starspawn greatly resembling Astel and using toned down but similar abilities can be found infrequently around the Lands Between.
Lightning Bruiser: They move much faster and more fluidly than anything their size have any right to, strike very hard with their tails, claw swipes and mandible grab attacks, and can cast gravity magics for both long range bombardment and localized area of effect attacks, on top of teleportation.
Meteor-Summoning Attack: Can call forth a meteor shower to bombard the Tarnished. Defeating Astel, Stars of Darkness rewards you with the spell Meteorite of Astel, which lets you do the same. Apparently it’s the very power that destroyed the Eternal City.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Astels have the proportions of a giant dragonfly but with cosmic rocks making up most of their bodies, three pairs of long emaciated arms, a bare humanoid skull for a head with large insectoid mandibles, and a scorpion-like tail longer than his entire body made out of crystalline substance.
Optional Boss: There are two Astels available to be fought and neither are mandatory to finish the game, and the Naturalborn of the Void fight is only required if the player wants to go for “Age of the Stars” ending.
Non-Standard Character Design: The Lands Between are home to many creatures suffering from Body Horror, but Astel stands out in just how alien it looks. While the other star spawns at least have a chance as passing as creatures native to earth, Astel could be mistaken for a runaway Great One.
Noodle Incident: There is no explanation given for why or how the Stars of Darkness is in Yelough Anix tunnel.
Person of Mass Destruction: "Person" probably isn't the right word; but the Naturalborn is most famous for having completely obliterated one of the Nox's Eternal Cities, with all that's left of it being some ruins in the Deeproot Depths.
Recurring Boss: An odd case as both of its battles are cases of Optional Boss. Its "primary" encounter, which drops its unique Remembrance and is required for Ranni's questline, occurs at the Lake of Rot. Meanwhile, a completely optional, much stronger version called "Astel, Stars of Darkness" can be encountered in Yelough Anix Tunnel, an optional dungeon only accessible near the end of the game.
Squishy Wizard: Compared to the other apex starspawn, the Fallingstar Beasts, Astels are a lot more vulnerable in a direct physical confrontation, but they have more powerful magic abilities than the Beasts.
Tail Slap: Their tails are shockingly prehensile despite being made out of stone, capable of striking the Tarnished from a fair distance away. Given the tails are entirely made out of crystals, they can effectively function as an Epic Flail.
Thinking Up Portals: Astels can summon portals to either teleport from place to place, or summon a barrage of meteors.
Walking Spoiler: Specifically Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. It can only be fought near the end of Ranni's quest line, one of the quests which unlocks an alternate ending of the game, and understanding the lore and mystery surrounding them reveals horrible implications about the Elden Ring universe as a whole.

Deeproot Depths

Lichdragon Fortissax

One of the few remaining ancient dragons alive after Queen Marika waged a war with dragonkind thousands of years ago, Fortissax is the loyal friend of Godwyn the Golden and brother to Ancient Dragon Lansseax.

Given the character's role in the game's lore and story-related quests, Fortissax is a Walking Spoiler, so all spoilers are unmarked.

All There in the Manual: Fortissax's identity, history, relation with Lansseax and entire reason for being fought in the Deeproot Dream is only explained in item descriptions. To elaborate, when the cursemark of Death was engraved upon Godwyn's soul and he became the Prince of Death, Fortissax selflessly ventured into his friend's dream in order to fight off the cursemark's influence.
Bizarro Elements: Fortissax is capable of calling down what is named death lightning — what was once Godwyn's very own golden lightning, imbued with the power of Death due to the Cursemark's influence on his body. Unlike normal lightning, death lightning is made of a sickly, yellow and black miasma, and creates clouds that build up the Deathblight status upon striking the ground. The Tarnished is capable of obtaining this as an incantation by trading Fortissax's Remembrance.
BFS: Is able to create a massive curved greatsword made of red lightning, much like his sister. However, instead of simply sweeping the area before him like Lansseax does, Fortissax will first fly high into the sky before swooping down and swinging his blade as he lands, using the momentum of his dive to perform a deadly Spin Attack. And naturally, much like Lansseax, this move will either be a One-Hit Kill or leave the Tarnished at critically low health if it hits.
Breath Weapon: As if his two types of lightning weren't enough, Fortissax can also spew out massive gouts of flame.
Defeat Equals Friendship: During the War of the Ancient Dragons, he was eventually brought to his knees by Godwyn the Golden. Instead of finishing him off, however, Godwyn instead made friends with Fortissax, an act which lead to the ancient dragons becoming accepted as fellow citizens of Marika's Empire.
Dracolich: Technically speaking, he's not actually dead. However, since he's sullied by the power of Death by the time the Tarnished gets to him, he might as well be.
Dual Wielding: Fortissax's trademark attack involves him conjuring not one, but two massive spears of dragon lightning in his hands before bringing them down in quick succession. Like his death lightning, this is an incantation that can be obtained by trading in his Remembrance.
Expy: To Darkeater Midir from Dark Souls III's DLC, due to both of them being giant, fire-breathing black dragons who fought tirelessly against a dark force only to slowly become consumed by its influence.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Suddenly appears with no buildup whatsoever upon traversing into the Deeproot Dream at the end of Fia's quest. What makes this especially unexpected is that there is no indication whatsoever that the Tarnished will be facing Fortissax in the quest dialogue, and no information prior to him even alludes of his existence. Downplayed in that, in the usual Souls fashion, his role and reason for being there is explained in item descriptions.
Loyal Animal Companion: Downplayed in that he and all other ancient dragons are not 'animals', but rather, sentient beings capable of thinking. He does fit all the marks when considering his friendship with Godwyn.
Meaningful Name: The "Fortis" part of his name means "strong" in Latin.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Lichdragon. Fortissax. A strong contender for one of the most menacing-sounding boss names in the franchise.
Old Soldier: Fortissax fought in the War of the Ancient Dragons and was renowned as the "mightiest boulderstone."
Optional Boss: Despite being an achievement boss, Fortissax is hidden away at the end of Fia's quest, which in and of itself is tied to another hidden quest. If the Tarnished did not follow Fia's questline to the very end, they will have no way of challenging him.
Shock and Awe: Even more so than his sister, due to being able to not only manipulate red-hued draconic lightning but also Godwyn's death lightning as well.
Spell Blade: Like Lansseax before him and Placidusax after him, he can augment his talons with three tremendous claws of red lightning to swipe at the Tarnished if they're too close.
Spin Attack: His deadliest attack involves one of these. Pumped up to eleven due to him being a giant dragon, his sword being even larger and performing three full rotations with his blade.
Stealth Pun: Fortissax's Lightning Spear has a Faith requirement of Forty-six.
Undying Loyalty: To Godwyn the Golden. His loyalty is so great that he selflessly went into Godwyn's dream in order to stave off the influence of the cursemark, and is still stalwartly fighting on even after he himself started becoming consumed by Death.
Walking Spoiler: Well, flying spoiler, in this case. Fortissax can only be encountered at the end of Fia's quest line, one of the quests which unlocks an alternate ending for the game, and simply understanding the circumstances of his boss fight gives away some of the most shocking revelations involving Those Who Live in Death, Godwyn, and the Rune of Death.
Yellow Lightning, Blue Lightning: Fortissax can call down a veritable light show of Shock and Awe between his arsenal of red lightning weaponry and his black and yellow bolts of death lightning. It makes for an incredible visual spectacle during his clash with the Tarnished.

Mountaintops of the Giants

The Fire Giant

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fire_giant.jpg

A survivor from the empire's ancient war with the Fire Giants. Though seldom talked about and considered nightmares long gone, the Tarnished will discover the supposedly extinct race is not so extinct after all, once they reach the top of the mountains which was once their homeland.

An Arm and a Leg: Breaks one of his legs during the fight. He then inflicts this trope on himself by ripping it off and using it as another weapon.
Attack Its Weak Point: His ankles are generally the safest areas to attack: his left leg, in particular, is being supported by a splint, and dealing enough damage to it will stagger him, take off a chunk of his health bar, and shatter the splint, leaving it even more vulnerable to follow-up attacks. He breaks that leg and then rips it off once he Turns Red however, reducing his weak points to just his other leg or his wrists, which are considerably harder to hit even when he's reduced to crawling.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: In terms of size, this giant is easily among the largest enemies in the game, standing taller than most ancient dragons in length.
Belly Mouth: As part of the face on his torso. Most of his fire attacks come from this mouth.
Body Horror: Once the Fire Giant Turns Red, it will become apparent he actually has a giant face for a torso, complete with a single eye, a nose, and a mouth which spits and breathes fire. The second face even has its own beard and mustache across his belly and pelvis...and ears inside his armpits!
- If you look closely enough the aforementioned splint seem to be made out of the giant's own bones and hair. More precisely it seems that the giant's own left fibula has been removed and is now used as a splint with braids of his own hair keeping it in place.
Breath Weapon: The fire magic he uses is apparently breathed out by the mouth on his stomach.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Marika's curse seems to have afflicted him with an uncontrollable compulsion to attack anyone who tries to approach the Forge, to the point that he'll go as far as ripping of his own limbs for the sake of protecting the empire that slaughtered his entire race and destroyed his home.
Cyclops: A variation. The Fire Giant's 'main' head has two eyes, but the face on his torso has only one.
Damage-Sponge Boss: Has an unbelievable 43,000 HP, putting him behind only Rykard in terms of total health pool, but while Rykard can be easily melted with the Serpent Hunter, no such gimmick exists for the Fire Giant. Expect to be hacking away at him for a while.
Divine Assistance: Implied. After the Fire Giant breaks his left leg, he burns and rips it off, then raises it with two hands toward the sky as if he was offering it. After the leg burns completely, the eye on his torso opens wide, resembling the One-Eyed God said to be worshipped by the Giants and believed to be slain by Marika. All of these suggest the Giant offers his leg to invoke the presence of their god.
Eyes Do Not Belong There: In the second phase, the Fire Giant reveals that he has another face with only one eye in the middle of his torso, with the proboscis just under being his nose. The nose and mouth can be spotted during phase one, but the angle of his pectorals gives the illusion that he has two eyes until the phase transition.
Expy: Of the Jötunn Surtr from Norse Mythology, a fiery, red-headed giant who opposes the Gods as his Arch-Enemy and is an unparalelled blacksmith. His facial features and hair bears resemblance to The Giant with the Flaming Sword (1909) by John Charles Dollman, a 19th century artistic rendition of Surtr.
Faster Than They Look: Although he is one of the most massive opponents in the game, easily outsizing the Guardian Golems, Theodorix and Placidusax, the Fire Giant moves in a way that is roughly equivalent to how a normal human would move if they were supersized. This means that despite looking like a slow, lumbering brute at first, the Fire Giant can swing his shield, jump and even roll around at much faster speeds than the aforementioned giant enemies. Even when he loses a leg after he Turns Red, he can still roll and crawl around with surprising speed.
Fate Worse than Death: This poor Giant has spent centuries trapped on the Flame Peak; surrounded by the long-dead corpses of his entire race, stuck with a crippled leg, and enslaved by the very Order who butchered his kin. One item description outright calls his death at the Tarnished's hands a Mercy Kill.
Fiery Redhead: As with the rest of his species, every single Fire Giant had red hair. Apparently, red hair is considered evocative of the fire giants, to the point Radagon hated his hair due to the association.
Handicapped Badass: The Fire Giant's left leg is already heavily injured before the fight even begins, as he has it held together with a makeshift splint, but this doesn't stop him from dancing around the battlefield and giving you a world of pain. Eventually, you end up snapping this leg, but this only prompts him to rip it off and fight you while on his knees, opting to roll around the arena for movement.
Last of His Kind: He's the only remaining giant left alive seen in the game, and likely in all of the Lands Between.
Made of Iron: He has a massive healthpool, and on top of that his skin is tough, taking reduced damage from pretty much everything. The only places he doesn't take reduced damage are his head as well as his wounded leg and arms; and considering how gigantic he is, you will rarely get chances to hit his head.
Marathon Boss: His absolutely titanic health pool, wide ranging attacks, and ability to reposition surprisingly quickly in his second phase mean that you're going to be fighting him for a while.
Mighty Glacier: He's a lot faster than you'd expect from looking at him, but he's a long way from being a Lightning Bruiser. He's incredibly strong and does massive damage with each blow, but all of his attacks are highly telegraphed and until he starts rolling around in his second phase, his movement speed is glacial. He compensates for this by having such wide hitboxes (especially with attacks where he uses his shield) that he's difficult to get away from even on Torrent.
Not So Extinct: The Giants were infamously culled thousands of years ago, wiped out to the last man. It's one of the Empire's greatest secrets that that's not quite true...
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Even crippled he remains terrifyingly powerful, to the point that Alexander considers him "practically a god". But looking at the corpses of the other fire giants scattered throughout Flame Peak implies that this Fire Giant was actually small by the standards of their species.
Our Giants Are Bigger: Truly gigantic humanoids implied to be part of a Hive Mind controlled by the One-Eyed God, who can (in exchange for a sacrifice) manifest as a second face on their torso and empower them with tremendously potent fire magic. This Giant in particular is covered in Norse iconogrophy, and really leans into the Humanoid Abomination nature the Jötunn had that's usually ignored.
Playing with Fire: As his name suggests, the Fire Giant can manipulate fire and cast fire spells, most of it coming from the extra mouth on his belly. He can notably hurl fireballs at the Tarnished or spit a volley of fiery rocks that will fall around him.
Prophet Eyes: His two main eyes on his head are completely white, without even the barest hint of a pupil or iris. Interestingly, this implies that he was possibly having to fight you blind before he opened up the eye on his chest.
The Punishment: After he survived the ancient war against Marika's armies led by Godfrey, Marika cursed the Fire Giant to tend to the flame of the Forge of the Giants for eternity.
Race-Name Basis: While it isn't known if the Fire Giants even used names, if this Giant ever had one; Marika wiped it from history. He's never described with any other title or epithet beyond "Fire Giant".
Recurring Element: Has a lot in common with the Last Giant from Dark Souls II, being one of the only remaining members of a race of giants that were wiped out in a huge war before the game takes place. He even tears off one of his own limbs during the phase transition, though unlike the Last Giant he doesn't actually use it as a weapon.
- He also bears some things in common with Yhorm The Giant from Dark Souls III. Like Yhorm, his health bar is astronomical, he's one of the largest enemies in the game, and he's associated with an unquenchable, forbidden flame. Unlike Yhorm, however, the Fire Giant must be fought conventionally, without the aid of a special weapon (or an ally wielding one) to fell him.
Riddle for the Ages: Due to his species being utterly decimated down to the very last, there are many questions about the Fire Giants which remain unanswered, and the game itself doesn't provide much information about them. However, the biggest mystery about them is the flame in the Forge of the Giants — just what kind of flame could not be extinguished, even by Marika and the Elden Ring, that she'd curse the last fire giant to watch over it for eternity? The Flame of the Fell God incantation indicates their flame contains the literal presence of a "fell god". The implication appears to be that this being is another Outer God who is a threat to the Greater Will and that was the reason for the entire war to start with. This is likely the origin for the Fire Giant’s One-Eyed torso face, and likely also the reason why their flame was feared by Marika and her brood, but the manner and the forms the fell god can take (the One-Eyed God, the fire in the Forge) as well as how they differ remain unanswered.
Shield Bash: The Fire Giant carries a large circular shield proportionate to his size, which he doesn't actually use for defense: he will use it to smash the ground and the Tarnished along with it whenever he gets the chance.
Turns Red: The giant initially fights like a player would expect any boss his size would — relatively slow moving, attacking with fairly telegraphed strikes from his arms, legs, or his shield, and occasionally throwing fire like it is a handheld bomb. But once his health goes down far enough, one of his legs breaks, he sets it ablaze and rips it off, then reveal another face on his torso. The Giant then begins a brief ritual where it offers its leg to something in the sky and his second face is fully awakened. Now on his knees, he ditches his shield, starts rolling around for mobility — which can flatten the player if they are not careful — and uses fire in earnest: his chest mouth can breathe out fire over a large area whether around him or forwards like a flamethrower, spit out volleys of fire upwards before splitting into smaller projectiles as they rain down around him, and cast what seems to be the Flame of the Fell God Incantation stolen by Adan — floating, miniature suns which home in and track the Tarnished. His hands are also burning and can shoot fast moving fireballs, whenever he doesn't just punch the Tarnished with them.
Ultimate Blacksmith: The Fire Giants are said to have invented blacksmithing, and even thousands of years later, no one has been able to surpass their work. This one in particular has been tending to its hellish Forge for centuries.
Wound That Will Not Heal: Parts of his body are severely wounded, likely from the war he had fought in, and the skin looks like it was flayed off. His bad leg in particular is held up by a makeshift splint made of his own hair. Considering how ancient the War against the Giants is by the time the game starts, the Fire Giant had to suffer with those wounds for a long, long time.

Crumbling Farum Azula

Maliketh, the Black Blade

The Black Blade

Voiced by: Jonathan Keeble

"O, death... become my blade once more."

Marika's shadowbound beast and sworn-brother, whom she charged with guarding Destined Death. He is also revealed to be the true identity of Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, and he takes up his former mantle once more to prevent the Tarnished from unleashing the Death Rune to the lands.

Given the important revelations which come with the character's introduction during the game, Maliketh is a Walking Spoiler, so all spoilers are unmarked.

Achilles' Heel: The Blasphemous Claw, an artifact created by Ranni and given to her brother Rykard. It contains part of the fragment of Destined Death she stole, and is capable of parrying Maliketh's strongest attacks, which also stuns him badly. Ranni apparently made it because, while none of the demigods had any intention of challenging Maliketh, she foresaw it may be necessary, and wanted to give them at least something of a chance against him.
Anti-Villain: Maliketh is a noble warrior, said to have Undying Loyalty to his sister, is desperate to protect the Rune of Destined Death, and what's left of the Empire. The reason he must be killed regardless is that he refuses to let the Rune of Death be used by anyone else for any reason, even though by the time of the game using it to burn the Erdtree is the only way left to mend the Elden Ring and save the Lands Between.
Angel Unaware: The mysterious wolfman you can learn Bestial Incantations from turns out to have once been the right-hand man of Marika herself. It's implied Maliketh assumed the identity of Gurranq and stowed himself away in a far-off corner of Caelid in an attempt to hide the remains of Destined Death from any Demigods looking for a potential trump card during the Shattering.
The Atoner: The successful theft of a portion of Destined Death is Maliketh's greatest regret, and he blames himself for Godwyn's death and the subsequent cataclysmic Shattering so much that he sealed the remains of Death within his body, heedless of the damage it would wreak on his body and mind, and began hunting Those Who Live In Death in an attempt to atone.
Baritone of Strength: He begins the fight as a deep growler that is barely intelligible, before transforming into an equally deep, but much more clear and authoritarian tone as he draws his black sword.
Barrier Maiden: As long as Destined Death remains sealed within his Black Blade, no permanent harm can be brought onto the Erdtree or its vassals the Greater Will can't eventually nullify. And because Maliketh has sealed his sword and the majority of Death's essence within his own body, the Tarnished must kill him so the Flame of Ruin from the Forge of Giants can begin to truly burn the tree.
Big Brother Instinct: The reason he seemed to be so loyal to Marika was this, Maliketh just wanted to protect his sister.
Black Knight: An extremely imposing beastman adorned in gold and ebony armor. In gameplay said armor comes with high resistances expected from an endgame boss, which he definitely needs considering his low HP relative to the point he is fought in game.
Black Swords Are Better: Maliketh's Black Blade appears hewn from obsidian. When fought as the Beast Clergyman it is effectively just a glorified BFS which only deals physical damage, but once Maliketh is forced to his 2nd phase he stabs his own hand to once again harness Destined Death's power currently sealed in his flesh, allowing it to fire Sword Beams and inflict Maximum HP Reduction on top of Damage Over Time. However, even that is noted to be only a reduced version of the deadly godslaying weapon it once was while bearing the complete Rune of Death.
Bling of War: He wears a lavishly decorated suit of ebony armor, interlined with specks of gold and ridges of dark plate-mail.
Broken Ace: Maliketh was Marika's best enforcer but being a shadowbound beast she had to keep him in the dark of her plan out of fear that the Two Fingers turn him against her. This turned Maliketh into a mess as he tries his best to keep Destined Death out of reach and the Golden Order safe when Marika herself is trying her best to undermine it. He is now suffering of eternal hunger and going mad from it.
Brought Down to Badass: As "Gurranq", Maleikth is an acrobatic 27-foot plate-armored werewolf with a gigantic knife, a mastery of the stone-manipulating Bestial Incantations, and the strength to leap dozens of feet and shatter pillars made of thick rock; in other words, a respectably powerful warrior. Still, he is noticeably lagging behind other endgame bosses in either mobility, damage output, HP and/or defenses — leaving him relatively manageable; it's only after the Tarnished pushes him hard enough to harness the power of Destined Death within his flesh and take up his mantle as Black Blade once more, he becomes a much more dangerous opponent worthy of being a Climax Boss. However, an attentive player who pieces together lore details pertaining to Destined Death and its effects on living beings will realize this is Maliketh after centuries of sealing the purest form of Destined Death in his own body; given centuries of being tainted by half of Godwyn's Cursemark of Death is sufficient to reduce an Ancient Dragon like Fortissax into a Lichdragon, and simply ingesting Godwyn and Ranni's Cursemarks is enough to kill a pseudo-immortal Tarnished and a disciple of the Prince of Death like Fia, it's all but stated Maliketh is nowhere near his prime as "Death of the Demigods".
Climax Boss: Fittingly as one of the few mandatory bosses in Elden Ring. Maliketh is fought at the end of the game's last mandatory dungeon and is one of the most ferocious, unrelenting bosses you can face, with unbelievably high damage output and a blindingly quick and agile moveset. His defeat marks the game's Point of No Return, burying Leyndell in ash and opening the way to the game's concluding Boss Rush. It can be even more climactic if you finish his sidequest in the overworld, which further builds up his character and gives him special dialogue where he reacts to you with a sense of betrayal.
Combat Parkour: Not so much in his 1st phase as Beast Clergyman, but in his 2nd phase as the Black Blade he is easily among the most mobile and acrobatic bosses in the game, given his maneuvers and how easily he leaps from one pillar to another in his arena.
Compressed Hair: The hood he wears in his clergyman guise hides a huge white mane.
Cursed with Awesome: Marika had tasked him with guarding the Rune of Death within his sword. While a monumental responsibility which left Maliketh shunned out of fear by the rest of his family, this also left him with sole command of the power of an Outer God and one of the few entities in the Lands Between able to inflict Final Death; all of which contributed to a truly fearsome reputation.
Dark Is Not Evil: He might be a giant, ferocious beastman with a fearsome reputation and command over one of the most feared and dangerous powers in the world; but Maliketh simply wishes to guard Destined Death from any who would abuse its power, and is a noble soul underneath his frightening exterior.
Dishing Out Dirt: He fights primarily with Bestial Incantations whenever fought as Beast Clergyman, rapidly pelting the Tarnished with stones to stun them so he can close the distance and finish them off with his Cinquedea. After unsealing the Black Blade, he'll switch between his spells and the Black Blade's Sword Beam.
The Dragon: He was Marika's most trusted warrior and enforcer since before the Golden Order was established. Maliketh defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen leading the Godskin cult on Marika’s behalf, and might have been stalking and silencing her enemies even before her rise to the throne, given one of his titles was "Death of the Demigods" — possibly referring to a prior age in which Marika had demigod contenders to the Elden Ring.
Dramatic Irony: If killed in the Beast Sanctum as Gurranq, his last words are questioning why Marika "Shatter", suggesting he is aware of Marika's responsibility of Shattering the Elden Ring. However, if his Paradox Person self in Farum Azula is killed, he spends his last moments desperately apologising to Marika, believing his failure to properly guard Destined Death had doomed the Golden Order — clearly unaware Marika herself was the one responsible for the whole disaster.
The Dreaded: Maliketh was feared by everyone; especially the Demigods, with the likes of Morgott and even Radahn scared shitless of him, and was said to be always on their minds as a "dark shadow". Even after also gaining access to Destined Death's power, Ranni considered engaging him in battle a measure of absolute last resort, and gave Rykard a portion of the stolen Rune of Death just to give him a fighting chance should it become necessary to do so.
Et Tu, Brute?: If the Tarnished completed his questline as Gurranq, Beast Clergyman, when encountered in Farum Azula his dialogue changes slightly; he sounds hurt as he weakly tries to ask the Tarnished why they've come, before realizing the Tarnished's purpose and resolving to stop anyone, including them, from taking Destined Death from him again.
Beast Clergyman: Tarnished, why wouldst thou... Why... Tis no matter. I hereby vow, that Destined Death shall not be stolen again.
Evil Uncle: Downplayed. Maliketh's nieces and nephews were all terrified of him (and it's implied dying by his hand was held over their heads as punishment for betrayal), but it's implied he was fond of at least Godwyn enough to blame himself for his death.
Expy: He's the Fromsoft standard homage to Guts. Both are extremely imposing black-clad swordsmen associated with wolves whose's loyalty to a woman they cherish above all else (Casca/Marika) is constantly tested by a Superpowered Evil Side (Destined Death/the Beast of Darkness) threatening to drive them mad with bloodlust.
Forgot About His Powers: Maliketh does not use his Bestial Vitality in his boss fight. It's impossible that he actually forgot given it's among the basic Incantations he could teach the Tarnished as Gurranq, and he could use his superior Bestial Incantations with no issue. This is likely because Bestial Vitality is always a flat +5 HP per second over 120 seconds in exchange for taking a few seconds to cast (it doesn't scale with the user's power at all), which would be almost completely useless for someone with 10,600 HP.
Foreshadowing: A lot of hints are given before you reach him in Farum Azula that Maliketh and the Beast Clergyman are one and the same.
- Gurranq's Sanctum is guarded by a Black Blade Kindred, beating it rewards you the Gargoyle's Blackblade, whose the item description states the Kindred all serve Maliketh.
- The Vulgar Militiamen outside the Bestial Sanctum can use the Beast Claw incantation and imbue their weapons with the reddish-black flames of Destined Death. No other Vulgar Militiamen in the game (with one exception) are capable of either feat, which can only mean this group learned both of these moves from the same teacher.
- If you follow Gurranq's questline, you're forced to fight him until you calm him down. His animations, attacks and model are completely unique to not only any NPC, but also any enemy you've find up until that point, and an observant player may think he should be a boss fight... which is exactly what he becomes much, much later in the game.
- The item description of one of the Bestial Incantations (Stone of Gurranq) outright states Gurranq was once "a beast of such terrifying ferocity that his former name meant 'Death of the Demigods'".
- Completing his quest causes him to give you an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone as a reward. The description for it notes that it's a scale of Dragonlord Placidusax, who is currently at Farum Azula, making one wonder how the heck Guarranq could've gotten one. It turns out it's because Gurranq's Paradox Person self is in Farum Azula.
Glass Cannon: Maliketh's Black Blade phase hits extremely hard because his attacks inflict both Damage Over Time and Maximum HP Reduction. As a tradeoff, he has very low health for this point in the game, and only a few good hits are needed to put him down. He's very acrobatic, however, so good luck actually landing those few hits.
Godzilla Threshold: After losing a fragment of Death to Ranni, Maliketh keeps the Destined Death sealed within his flesh at all times to ensure another theft isn't possible. This determination to guard it is such, even after the Tarnished proves strong enough to match him in his "Gurranq" form and he stabs his own hand to harness Death's power into his Black Blade as a desperate attempt to keep it out their hands, it is still not completely unbound as Enia only senses the Rune of Death is unbound minutes after he is dead, implying he is unwilling to unseal it entirely even when pushed to the brink of death (which makes sense, as unleashing the Rune of Death is noted by Enia to be a cardinal sin on the same degree as burning the Erdtree).
Hidden Eyes: Both of his armor sets hide his eyes. Seeing as he apparently gets around mostly by smell, it's unclear if he even has or needs them.
Immortal Breaker: As the holder of Destined Death, Maliketh is most feared for his ability to bypass the Resurrective Immortality bestowed by the Erdtree and permanently kill someone. While other forces able to inflict true death (such as the Flame of Frenzy) do exist, Maliketh is the only entity with the capability widely known to the Golden Order, contributing to his status as a deterrent to any rebellious Demigods.
Irony: One of the Golden Order's most famed and capable warriors is the master of a power its followers are taught to despise and whose other manifestations (such as Those Who Live In Death and the Deathbirds) are hunted down and persecuted.
Instant Costume Change: Once the Tarnished reduces him to half-health and he stabs the gem in his left hand with his knife to unleash Destined Death. Red-and-black fire spreads all over his body from the wound, transforming his tattered friar robe into a suit of gilded ebony armour and his worn-out knife into the legendary Black Blade.
Kill the God: Though a portion of the Rune of Death had been lost long ago, what remains still has sufficient power to allow a mortal kill even a god, which is why the Tarnished needs to defeat Maliketh to unbound it from his flesh, so the otherwise impenetrable holy thorns of the Erdtree can be completely burnt down.
Lady and Knight: As Marika's personal Shadowbound Beast, he is the Knight to her Lady.
Man of Kryptonite: As bearer of the Rune of Death, Maliketh can inflict Final Death on the demigods who benefit from Resurrective Immortality possessed by those the Erdtree and Golden Order's system, which made him a huge deterrent for any of them trying to side against their mother Marika.
Mythology Gag: A dual one, he's an acrobatic greatsword-wielding black knight with a wolf motif like Artorias, and his mid-fight cutscene where the sight of a greatsword causes a boss to take on a whole new posture, move set and even new Boss Subtitles comes from Ludwig. In addition to those two, he is visually a Spear Counterpart to Vicar Amelia of Bloodborne, being a huge werewolf with white fur, a long, flowing mane, and Hidden Eyes.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: On top of his already intimidating sobriquet, it's stated in one of his item descriptions that his given name literally means "Death of the Demigods."
Not Blood Siblings: Like Ranni's relationship with Blaidd, Malekith isn't actually blood-siblings with Marika.
Not So Stoic: Generally, Maliketh seems to have two emotional registers: grim determination, and frenzied rage. This is shaken if you finish Gurranq's quest before fighting him. Maliketh will recognize you, and address you in an audibly sad, shocked tone as he realizes why you've come to face him.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: He defeated the Godskin cult and slew their Queen (at a point in time when their spells were many times deadlier then now thanks to Destined Death being free) before becoming the Black Blade.
One-Man Army: Singlehandedly defeated the Godskin cult and killed the Gloam Eyed Queen, reducing them to a shadow of their former power.
Our Angels Are Different: Maliketh is the first (and likely the most powerful) of the Shadowbound Beasts — a species of Wolf Men with an innate gift for combat created by the Two Fingers with the duty of guarding one of the Empyreans, potential successors to Queen Marika, with their life.
Paradox Person: Even if you kill Gurranq, Maliketh will still appear in Farum Azula to protect Destined Death from the Tarnished. Implied to be a side-effect of the realm's strange relationship with time. The effect also persists both ways; as Gurranq is wholly unaffected by Maliketh dying before the completion of his questline
Physical God: As Marika's half-brother and the first of the Shadows he is this. Even before he became the Black Blade, Maliketh was still able to slay the Gloam-Eyed Queen — an Empyrean who harnessed Destined Death, the undiluted essence of an Outer God — and claim its power for himself. After that, he was likely stronger than all of the Demigods, and perhaps even on the level of his sister considering the Rune of Death's ability to harm the Erdtree empowering her as an Empyrean.
Red Baron: It's hard to think of a more intimidating title than "the Black Blade".
Rush Boss: Maliketh is a classic example, as he's very fast, agile, and can kill you in one or two hits even with high vigor, but himself has low health and poise for an endgame boss. It's hard to land a hit on him, but every hit you do takes noticeable chunks off his health bar and has a chance of staggering him for even bigger damage.
Sad Battle Music: His boss theme has a grim, tragic tone to it, with tolling bells and an Ethereal Choir that starts to crescendo as he enters his second phase, highlighting Maliketh's determination as he fully unbinds his power to make his last stand in defense of Destined Death.
Sorry That I'm Dying: If the player gave him, as Gurranq, all the nine Deathroots needed to complete his quest, Maliketh's final words are to beseech Marika for forgiveness and to concede the Golden Order cannot be restored. If his quest wasn't completed, he just asks, baffled, what the Tarnished could possibly want to kill with Destined Death.
Sword Beam: After unsealing the Black Blade for his second phase, Maliketh will regularly fire crimson-and-black waves of energy with his swings that have a nasty side-effect of lowering your total health and causing extra damage over time if you let them hit you. Transposing his Remembrance can also reward the Tarnished with the "Black Blade" spell; an Erdtree Incantation that conjures a spectral copy of Maliketh's sword with the same effect.
Third-Person Person: Dying in his second phase will have him command you to "cower in fear of Maliketh the Black Blade."
Turns Red: Reducing the Beast Clergyman to half-health will force him to unbind Destined Death from his flesh and reveal himself as the legendary Maliketh. Thereafter he gains a completely different, much more dangerous moveset.
Undying Loyalty: Maliketh holds this towards his half-sister, though she did not return it.
Walking Spoiler: Not only is he revealed to be the same individual as the Beast Clergyman, whom the Tarnished can potentially meet not long after starting their grand quest, Maliketh's defeat marks the game's Point of No Return. On top of that, his Remembrance further sheds light on the true nature of Golden Order, Destined Death, and the supposed theft of the Rune of Death which preceded the Shattering.
Worf Had the Flu: Centuries of keeping Destined Death sealed inside his body been utterly detrimental to Maliketh's Black Blade's physical and mental wellbeing. Inflicting him with a bottomless hunger for the Rune's power threatening to drive him mad. The fact he still puts up one of the most harrowing fights in the game just proves why every Demigod feared him.
World's Best Warrior: Another potential contender. Though unlike Radahn, Godfrey, and Malenia, this reputation has less to do with personal capability (though he's by no means unskilled) and more his control of Destined Death. At the height of his power, he was feared by all of the demigods, as his preexisting might combined with his possession of the Rune of Death made fighting him literally unthinkable. While he has fallen far from his peak by the time you confront him, he still gives you one of the hardest fights in the entire game.

Dragonlord Placidusax

The oldest of the ancient dragons left in existence, and likely also the strongest. The Elden Lord of an age before the Erdtree itself, he ruled the Lands Between for untold ages before the Erdtree appeared and Godfrey took over. He resides in the center of Farum Azula as its ruler.

Blow You Away: He displays the ability to manipulate the wind in a unique way that’s wielded by no other dragon in the game. His temple is located within the heart of a giant tornado, his teleportation ability makes it look like he fades into dust and wind, and he seems to generate currents under his two remaining wings to help him fly.
Breath Weapon: Like most dragons, his two heads can breathe out fire; his two heads ensure he can torch his immediate vicinity without much room for the player to close in when he is doing the attack. Unlike his fellow dragons however, his fire breath is noticeably tinted gold, which might be because of his connection to the Elden Ring.
Damage-Sponge Boss: His whopping 26650 health puts him behind only Malenia, the Fire Giant and Rykard for total health, and unlike them, he has damage resistances to match, no self-inflicted health loss in the phase transition and have no gimmick that the player can use to easily melt his health bar. A battle against the Dragonlord is a true test of endurance.
Fisher King: His mere presence warps natural forces. Farum Azula floats eternally in the heart of an endless storm, and while the Tarnished fights him, the player can see the entire sky until the horizon turns into a heavy thunderstorm; with natural lightning crackling in the far distance◊, while the crimson red lightning of dragons randomly strikes the arena◊. And after he dies, the storm dies down and a sunrise becomes visible from the temple.
Frickin' Laser Beams: On top of his normal fire breath, once his health goes down to about half, he will start firing laser breaths from his two heads, identical in all except colour with Darkeater Midir's Abyss Breath (which is in turn inspired by Godzilla).
Hero of Another Story: Being the Elden Lord from the time before the Erdtree arrived in the Lands Between likely warrants a couple of tales in its own right.
I Will Wait for You: His Remembrance mentions that the god Placidusax used to serve has fled the Lands Between, but Placidusax still faithfully waits for their return.
Mighty Glacier: Downplayed. Placidusax is not an agile combatant. He can certainly move with surprising speed via flight and teleportation, but is otherwise stationary and its fairly easy to land multiple hits against him. However, he has high defenses and an enormous pool of health, and his weak points (his heads) are held higher and harder to hit than the game's other dragons, making defeating him a matter of patience and whittling him down while avoiding his insanely powerful attacks.
Multi-Gendered Split Personalities: While the item descriptions give him male pronouns, digging into the game files reveals that Placidusax's two remaining heads are tagged male and female. While Marika's similar situation with Radagon could imply it's a trait held by all true deities, the gender of the heads he lost, if they even used gender at all, is unclear.
Non-Malicious Monster: He's not even remotely antagonistic, being perfectly content with meditating in the heart of Farum Azula while recovering from his wounds. His Boss Battle only starts when the Tarnished intrudes upon his temple and runs towards him while brandishing a weapon, unleashing his (completely understandable) wrath. Even then he's willing to just chill when you wander into his chamber, and only attacks you if you get too close. He won't even hold a grudge between attempts; every time you enter his chamber, he stays passive until you charge at him.
Optional Boss: Fighting Placidusax is a conscious challenge: to enter his temple and trigger his Boss Battle the player must go out of their way to make a trek in the Crumbling Farum Azula to the vicinity of an everlasting giant tornado. He is also significantly more difficult than most bosses in the game.
Physical God: He's implied to serve the departed god of the Dragons in the same role that Marika does to the Greater Will, and even while he’s wounded, he displays all of the incredible power one would expect of such a title. Even just a shard of his scales is said to bear the power to slay other deities.
Shock and Awe: Placidusax displays total mastery of his kind's iconic crimson lightning, far surpassing every other Ancient Dragon. While Fortissax and Lansseax summon lightning into massive glaives to strike you in melee after a noticeable windup, Placidusax casually attaches lightning to his claw swipes to strike without so much as a pause; And when he does create a lightning glaive, its charged with so much power its detonation sends out sparks of thunder so massive they look like a nuclear blast.
Spell Blade: On top of the massive lightning glaives which ancient dragons usually use, Placidusax can wreathe his talons in crimson lightning, greatly increasing the reach of his slashes.
Time Master: The Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones are said to lightly twist time, allowing them to be used to craft weapons necessary to slay a god... and they are all said to be HIS stone scales. The extent with which Placidusax could affect time, whether in his prime or in his current state, is unknown; while the crumbling ruins of his chamber and its surrounding tornado quite literally rewinds back to become an intact chamber where he rests dormant, it is impossible to say for certain if that was his power at work or the nature of the ruins he is in, as Farum Azula as a whole is also consistently described as “beyond time” just like he is.
Turns Red: Initially, Placidusax fights the Tarnished with just his claws, fire breath, ramming them with his immense size, and occasionally a lightning glaive like the other Ancient Dragons. But once his health is reduced to half, he pulls out all the stops; he'll start teleporting, will fly in and out of the arena at incredible speeds using hit and run tactics, replaces his fire breath with a Godzilla-esque Frickin' Laser Beam, and start wreathing his claws in lightning on top of summoning it to strike the arena with far greater intensity.
Undying Loyalty: Despite the god Placidusax served having fled the lands between for what must have been thousands to millions of years ago, Placidusax faithfully waits for them within Farum Azula to this very day.
Wound That Will Not Heal: While Placidusax has two visible heads, a close inspection of his model reveals that he used to have five, with the data files designating three severed necks and leaving only the male and female heads. Among other things, his tail is severed, and one of his back wings is just gone.
Worf Had the Flu: By the time the Tarnished finds him, Placidusax is still recovering from his wounds left from the dragons' war against the Golden Order, some of which are likely permanent. The fact that he remains one of the single most powerful beings the Tarnished can encounter speaks volumes about the power he wielded in his prime.

The Elden Throne

THE FINAL BOSS

The Elden Beast

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elden_beast_boss_elden_ring_wiki_guide.jpg

Order Incarnate

A divine being residing within the Erdtree, the Elden Beast is a vassal of the Greater Will. The Elden Beast attacks the Tarnished shortly after their battle with Radagon and acts as the Final Boss of the game.

Given the character's status as a late game Diabolus ex Nihilo, the Elden Beast is a Walking Spoiler, so all spoilers are unmarked.

Ambiguous Situation:
- The Elden Beast's role in the setting as a whole, particularly among the divine hierarchy. It's heavily implied to be superior to Queen Marika/Radagon since it literally uses them as a tool/weapon in battle, but everything else is up in the air. Were Queen Marika or her descendants aware of its existence? Did Marika answer to it as a vassal of the Greater Will? Did it attack the Tarnished to test their mettle, or to prevent them from becoming the next Elden Lord?
- Just what is up with all those Erdtrees off in the distance of its Pocket Dimension? Is it symbolic? Are they visions of Erdtrees of other planets that the Greater Will seeded? And if the latter is the case, do each of those Erdtrees have their own Elden Beast, or is it one-of-a-kind? We'll likely never know for sure.
Ambiguously Evil: It's unclear why it attacks the Tarnished at the end of the game. Is it testing them and their worthiness? Does it not want anyone to use the Elden Ring ever again? If so, is that out of its own volition and judgment, or because of the Greater Will's orders?
Ambiguously Related: One of its attacks (a hand swipe that leaves behind a field of stars which explodes after a delay) is shared with the Astel Star-Spawn; in addition to having supposedly arrived in the Lands Between on a falling star like the Naturalborn did. Its possible the Elden Beast is actually the same class of being as Astels, just linked to the Greater Will rather than the Dark Moon.
Aliens Are Bastards: A unearthly creature who crashed down in the Lands Between as a falling star. And unlike the Star-Spawn (which are at worst just very dangerous wild animals) the Beast is both intelligent and extremely hostile those who would defy the Greater Will.
Anthropomorphic Personification: Seeing as it quite literally emerges out of the Elden Ring insignia in Radagon, it might very well be its living avatar. The Elden Remembrance also calls it the incarnation of Order; given certain descriptions (such as Protection of the Erdtree incantation) refer to the Erdtree itself as the embodiment of Order, it is possible the Beast is the will or consciousness which governs the Erdtree.
Beam Spam: It can cast dozens of different ranged spells, most of which reflects the Beast's space motifs. Ranging from blade-shaped projectiles launched from its Sacred Relic Sword, to an orb that constantly tracks the Tarnished while emitting Beam Spam (reminiscent of the Elden Stars Incantation) to a mist resembling a miniature galaxy that explodes a few seconds after being summoned.
BFS: The Beast's Sacred Relic Sword, wrought from the remains of Marika and Radagon, is very long even proportional to its body. It's about twice the player character's height.
Big Bad: As the soul of the Erdtree itself, the Elden Beast is effectively the game's main villain. It was implied to be the one dictating at least some of the conduct of the Lands Between before the Shattering, which inspired the rebellions against it by the Empyreans, and everything Marika did was in an attempt to overthrow it. During the Shattering most of the demigods, both black and gray, were opposed to its will and fought both its forces and each other. At the present it's responsible for the continuing decay of the world as it utterly refuses to allow a new Elden Lord to be crowned and the Ring to be mended (which would require it to be changed), seemingly content with letting the entire world die rather than give up power. Throughout the story it is a Hidden Villain with Morgott acting as The Heavy in his capacity as King of Leyndell and Guardian of the Erdtree. Erdtree-aligned forces form the greatest portion of the resistance encountered in-game and, no matter your attitude towards the other deities, the conflict can only be resolved by killing the Elden Beast and breaking the Erdtree's hold on the Lands Between - either by using its power for yourself or entirely dispensing with it.
Breath Weapon: It's capable of breathing golden flames despite lacking a discernible mouth.
Bullet Hell: Some of the Elden Beast's attacks and spells require precise evasion from the Tarnished; namely, a hand swipe that leaves a cloud of magic dust that quickly detonates, its Breath Weapon, a flurry of Wave Motion Sword slashes, the Elden Stars incantation, and the insignia of the Elden Ring itself closing in on you unless you jump out of it.
Celestial Body: Its body is a translucent black filled with tiny stars, making it resemble a draconic nebula or galaxy.
Contractual Boss Immunity: The Elden Beast is immune to all status effects ^note.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To The Moon Presence from Bloodborne. Both are dimly foreshadowed, otherworldly beings implied to be responsible for the land becoming a Crapsack World that serves as the final boss. While the Presence very much looked the part of an eldritch monster and was possibly unaware of the harm it was causing, the Beast is quite beautiful in its own way, but is implied to be an abusive tyrant.
Corrupted Character Copy: Of the Great Forest Spirit: The Beast's glowing nervous system, translucent body, and galaxy motif strongly resemble its Nightwalker form, and it occupies a similar position as a deity who rules over and enforces the natural laws of the world. But while the Forest Spirit is a merciful god who safeguards the balance of nature, the Elden Beast is a invasive alien who forced its laws onto the world through brutal conquest and demands the subjugation of all "impure" creatures.
Diabolus ex Nihilo: The Elden Beast comes out of nowhere following the much hyped-up battle against Radagon, turns their corpse into a sword, transports the Tarnished into an Eldritch Location, and proceeds to duel them in what could be considered a more extravagant Final Boss fight. The only hint that it even exists is the Flavor Text for Elden Stars, which states that it was sent alongside a star that would become the Elden Ring to the Lands Between, implying it is the Elden Ring's guardian.
Draconic Humanoid: It's not immediately obvious, but the Elden Beast has human-like arms and legs and is capable of standing upright. Its name in the game files is "NebulaDragon."
The Dreaded: To the very few who know it exists. Gideon went insane with despair when he learned Marika's plan was for the third Elden Lord to kill it, because "a man cannot kill a god." While Marika herself regarded it so cautiously that she created multiple back-up plans in her multi-century plot to slay it (her Demigod children, Godfrey, and the rest of the Tarnished) and it still (seemingly) cost her her life to defy it.
Dub Name Change:
- In Spanish it's known as Bestia del Circulo, literally "Ring Beast."
- In Italian it's renamed to Belva Ancestrale, "Ancestral Beast", to fit with the Italian name of the Elden Ring, "Anello Ancestrale".
Eldritch Abomination: It's the physical avatar of a Sentient Cosmic Force vaguely resembling a translucent dragon with multiple tree branch-like wings and a Celestial Body with a visible glowing gold nervous system similar to the Laniakea Supercluster, lacking a discernible head.
Evil Versus Evil: In the Age of Despair ending, it opposes The Tarnished purely because it doesn’t want a tarnished to become Elden Lord, not because of what The Tarnished seeks to inflict on The Lands Between.
Evil Versus Oblivion: The Elden Beast is responsible for perpetuating the current state of The Lands Between and likely ordered many of the atrocities committed under Queen Marika, but in the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending they’re the only remaining obstacle stopping The Tarnished from reducing The Lands Between to an apocalyptic Hell on Earth.
The Faceless: A large star sits within its elongated neck, at the end where its head and face should be.
Fighting a Shadow: Possibly. Its not clear if the Beast is, like the Two Fingers, a separate entity that communes with and is empowered by the Greater Will or a non-sentient avatar the Outer God acts through.
Final Boss: The last foe the Tarnished must vanquish before they can decide the fate of the Lands Between.
Final Boss, New Dimension: When the Beast emerges out of Radagon, it saturates the Elden Throne with purple nebulae, twisting reality into a new realm with endless water extending to the horizon for a "ground" and a pitch black sky filled with stars, with a gigantic forest of Erdtrees spread a great distance from one another. Only after that does it battle with the Tarnished.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Like with Radagon, the Beast is incredibly resistant to holy damage, more so than any other enemy in the entire game. This makes perfect sense given it is essentially the force empowering both the Erdtree and the Golden Order, the most prominent sources of holy magic.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Hewg was ordered by Marika to craft "a god-slaying weapon" to kill the Elden Beast specifically, and the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone's description notes that it "lightly twists time, allowing the creation of a weapon capable of slaying a god", pointing to the obvious conclusion that you'd need a +10/+25 weapon (the stone's upgrade tier) to face the Elden Beast. This ties into other lore, like Miquella's unalloyed gold needles holding back Outer God influence but only purging it completely when used in Farum Azula, a land "outside of time". But in-game you can kill the Elden Beast with anything, like any other enemy. This becomes very noticeable if you follow Ranni's quest line, as a considerable portion of it is dedicated to finding a weapon capable of harming the otherwise invulnerable Two Fingers, their abnormal durability stated to be stem from their position as chosen representatives of the Greater Will. As essentially the Will's direct avatar, the Elden Beast should at least match that. This discrepancy can potentially be explained as an effect of Destined Death and the Flame of Ruin having ravaged the Erdtree by the time the fight begins; as it is the Erdtree, the Beast is implied to have weakened with its burning.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: A large amount of the Elden Beast's attacks have it swim to the other side of the absolutely massive arena before taking pot shots at you with projectile attacks. If you're particularly unlucky you'll be waiting a long time to get into striking distance of it, let alone damage it.
God of Order: Its Remembrance refers to it as "the living incarnation of the concept of Order."
Knight Templar: Not much is known about the Elden Beast's personality, other that it seems clearly sentient and took bloody vengeance on Marika for shattering the Elden Ring. However, like its fellow vassals, the Two Fingers, it seems to be attempting to follow the Greater Will's commands. What muddies the waters is that the Elden Beast is implied to be the one blocking the way to the Erdtree and preventing anyone from becoming Elden Lord, which explicitly runs against the Two Fingers' plans of using the Tarnished to restore the Golden Order, leaving ambiguous if the Elden Beast is following the true intentions of the Greater Will due to being on a higher rank on the divine hierarchy, or if it too is completely delusional and doesn't realize the Greater Will has forsaken the world.
It Can Think: Even excluding the hints that it used Marika as a Puppet King and ruled her kingdom from the shadows, the Beast's intelligence is clear during its final duel with the Tarnished. Its swordplay is slow and deliberate, and it will often throw some of its many projectiles at you while moving closer so you'll be too distracted to dodge when it swings.
Living Weapon: The Elden Beast is beautiful and awe inspiring. Its sword? Not so much. It transforms Radagon's corpse into a blade, with his arms as the cross-guard and his ribcage between them.
Light Is Not Good: A beautiful, ethereal creature, but reading into the behavior of its servants (such as the Golden Order's general Fantastic Racism and utter refusal to let anyone claim the throne of Elden Lord) imply it's a Jerkass God willing to let the Lands Between rot in a hellish Forever War rather then relinquish control of the domain.
Long Range Combatant: It does have a few close-quarter attacks with its sword, but the majority of the Beast's moveset consists of spamming projectiles while flying away if the Tarnished stays close for too long. Its ranged move set ties in with its celestial visual motif, launching Beam Spam and Energy Balls vaguely resembling miniature galaxies and supernovas.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: Evoked during its boss fight, where the Elden Beast will occasionally spread the numerous appendages on its back, causing them to appear like a collection of tails.
No Kill like Overkill: Its grab attack has it crucify the Tarnished onto a Rune Arc like Marika, before stabbing them with dozens of light spears in what can only be described as an act of divine wrath, which then proceed to explode for good measure.
One-Winged Angel: The first part of his fight has it possessing Radagon's body and fighting in a similar manner to him, albeit seemingly powered-up. After Radagon is killed it exits the puppet and materializes into its true form.
Our Angels Are Different: Like the Two Fingers, the Elden Beast is described as a vassal of the Greater Will and is its most powerful servant and manifestation of its power, sent to the Lands Between to act as the Cosmic Keystone of an entire world. Comparing it to Christianity, the Two Fingers would be lowly messanger angels, while the Elden Beast would be akin to a Seraph, the highest rank. ^note
Physical God: As the prime servant of the Greater Will, the Elden Beast is a god through and through. Just to drive it home, the message that appears when the Tarnished defeats it is the unique "GOD SLAIN".
Pocket Dimension: It teleports the Tarnished and itself to what appears to be one for the final battle.
Scars Are Forever: There's a small scar shaped like a Black Knife on its underbelly. Its presumably either a wound inflicted by the Rune of Death the Tarnished unleashes on the Erdtree right before entering or mark left by the backlash of the Elden Ring's shattering.
The Speechless: It doesn't speak a word during its boss battle, though the hints given that most of Marika's decisions as Queen were actually dictated by the Beast implies it can communicate in some fashion.
Sealed Evil in a Can: For all its incredible power, the Beast seems unable or unwilling to leave the Erdtree. Requiring Marika to act as its extension in the outside world. This is presumably because the Beast's nature as the tree's consciousness binds it there; it'd probably be much weaker outside of its home (for starters, it definitely couldn't bomb you with the Elden Ring or seamlessly dive through the floor as if it was water).
Squishy Wizard: Relatively. In melee damage output and resistance the Elden Beast actually compares unfavorably to the rest of the end-game bosses, which is especially noticeable considering it's a huge target that can't exactly dodge. Its sword is gigantic but not only are its slashes easily dodged, but they're actually quite weak even if they do connect. It makes up for it with the ability to rapidly spam a lot of extremely damaging golden light projectiles while quickly put distance between itself and its opponent.
Top God: The true Top God of the Lands Between, clearly above Marika and heavily implied to be responsible for their mutilation and imprisonment.
Walking Spoiler: Simply knowing its existence is itself an endgame spoiler, much less understanding its nature and role in the game's cosmology.
When Trees Attack: Not literally, but (as the Beast is implied to serve as its soul) its boss-fight can be considered the Erdtree itself's last ditch effort to stop the Tarnished from becoming Elden Lord.
Worf Had the Flu: Twofold. By the time the Tarnished can enter the Elden Throne, the Erdtree is already set ablaze using the Flame in the Forge of the Giants, and ravaged with the Rune of Death. As the Beast is connected to the Erdtree, its power and influence are almost certainly affected. And because it is revealed to be the Elden Ring itself, Marika shattering it and her children claiming its shards long ago logically must have weakened the Beast to a certain degree, and it has a noticeable wound on its chest as a visual indication of this. The fact it's still arguably the most powerful entity in the game (especially if Radagon is considered its first phase rather than a separate fight) despite these factors speak more than enough about its power as a god.

Sandbox / Elden Ring Major Bosses

General

Limgrave

Liurnia of the Lakes

Caelid

Siofra Aqueduct

Ainsel River

Lake of Rot

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

Deeproot Depths

Lichdragon Fortissax

Mountaintops of the Giants

The Fire Giant

Crumbling Farum Azula

Maliketh, the Black Blade

Dragonlord Placidusax

The Elden Throne

The Elden Beast

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Index

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Sandbox / Elden Ring Major Bosses

Edit Locked

General

Limgrave

Liurnia of the Lakes

Caelid

Siofra Aqueduct

Ainsel River

Lake of Rot

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

Deeproot Depths

Lichdragon Fortissax

Mountaintops of the Giants

The Fire Giant

Crumbling Farum Azula

Maliketh, the Black Blade

Dragonlord Placidusax

The Elden Throne

The Elden Beast

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Index

Next