Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Bosses Tier List

There are 42 bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. But not all of them are worthy of your time unless you’re a completionist. Here, I list the top 10 best bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree in a tier-list fashion that drop at least 200K runes or more.

Bosses Tier List for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

S-Tier Bosses

Bayle The Dread

• Runes: 490,000

Before facing the main final boss of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, take your chances with the optional final boss: the legendary dragon Bayle The Dread. You’ll find this enormous creature on top of the Jagged Peak area. It would be very hard to defeat this monstrosity with magic, as it’s immune to basically all types of elements. That’s why I’d definitely use a colossal piercing weapon against Bayle, such as Golem’s Halberd or Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword, obtainable from the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past.

Promised Consort Radahn / Radahn, Consort of Miquella

• Runes: 500,000

The main final boss fight has two phases, where you’d have to deplete Radahn’s life total to around 60%. You can find this boss inside the Enir-Lim legacy dungeon, which becomes accessible only after you unlock a sealing tree by defeating Romina, Saint of the Bud, in the Church of the Bud.

In the first phase, this boss is highly vulnerable to Scarlet Rot and Holy types of damage. But in the second phase, it’s once again important to use a heavy piercing weapon, as in the case of Bayle the Dread. However, pay close attention to the terrain, as it makes dodging quite ineffective, especially when he fires holy beams.

A-Tier Bosses

Metyr, Mother of Fingers

• Runes: 420,000

After using the Hole-Laden Necklace to ring the bells in the Finger Ruins of Dheo and the Finger Ruins of Rhia, you can summon this incredibly powerful optional boss. Just like Bayle The Dread, this boss is immune to almost all magic elements, but it’s super weak to slash damage. For this fight, I’d pick either a curved greatsword or simply use a fully upgraded Grave Scythe. But I must warn you that Metyr is extremely mobile, so try to slash her from behind, dealing massive damage to her tail.

Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame

• Runes: 410,000

Midra is another extremely powerful optional boss who resides inside the Midra’s Manse legacy dungeon. Note that two charged heavy attacks with the Great Stars hammer will easily stagger Midra; use this to deal a critical strike, which should deplete a significant chunk of its life total. I also think that another solid choice for this fight would be the Greatsword with the Lion’s Claw skill and bleed infusion. This combo will reduce the time of the fight to only a couple of minutes.

Messmer the Impaler / Base Serpent Messmer

• Runes: 400,000

Here’s one of the more popular bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Messmer the Impaler main boss fight consists of two phases, which can be triggered at the Shadow Keep, Specimen Storehouse. I wouldn’t go into this fight as a Dexterity or Faith builds, as he will simply demolish you. Instead of that, I’d go for the Bleed build with the Rotten Breath spell. Also, be sure to equip the Old Lord’s Talisman, which extends the duration of sorceries and incantations. Once Messmer switches to the Base Serpent phase, hit the serpent head on the missing eye for double the damage.

B-Tier Bosses

Romina, Saint of the Bud

• Runes: 280,000

Once you reach the Rauh Ancient Ruins, be sure to encounter the optional boss, Romina, Saint of the Bud, at the Church of the Bud. Romina is extremely vulnerable to frost element, so it would be smart to use Grave Scythe with the cold infusion in combination with the Divine Beast Frost Stomp skill. Once you start getting those frost procs on her, the damage will be huge. While researching the matter, I also discovered that Adula’s Moonblade also works great against this boss, conjuring cold magic with frost-like projectiles.

Jori, Elder Inquisitor

• Runes: 260,000

When roaming the Abyssal Woods, don’t be surprised to encounter Jori, Elder Inquisitor. This optional boss can teleport and cast lots of spells without interruption, so pay close attention. However, this fight could be an easy one if you can combine Mohgwyn’s Sacred Spear with the Bloodboon Ritual, a skill that creates explosions of bloodflame. It’s truly powerful against Jori, and all of his teleportation shenanigans won’t help him. If you still find this fight a bit too occupying, then summon Mimic Tear to ease things up.

Scadutree Avatar

• Runes: 260,000

This is one of those rare boss fights that has not two but a whopping three phases with three separate life totals, one larger than the other. But don’t be intimidated by this boss, which can be found at Scadutree Base to the east of Albinauric’s Shack and northeast of Shadow Keep. If you’re running the Faith build, then you can easily deal with this boss using Frenzied Burst incantation. On the other hand, the Dexterity players can work out really well with a fully upgraded Uchigatana and Unsheathe ash of war.

Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

• Runes: 240,000

Castle Ensis has one of the most unique boss fights in the game with Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, who resides in its eastern wing. She wields two longswords with different types of magic and surprises with Twin Moons attack, which can be easily lightrolled or jumped. Her poise is immense, so don’t be too hard on yourselves for using ash summons during this battle. I noticed that she’s vulnerable to Lightning spells and weapons such as heavy thrusting swords. Be sure to stay close to her to get good damage, especially at the start of the second phase.

Commander Gaius

• Runes: 230,000

It’s really easy to miss this boss fight, which, in my opinion, is actually very fun. To reach Commander Gaius, you have to enter Shadow Keep from the east through the Church District, where you’ll find a legacy dungeon at the back.

This boss is heavily armored, so don’t try to get him with your physical weapons. Instead, I’d invest some points into Holy damage and hit him while riding your horse since he’s mounted during the fight. One of the best weapons against him would be Shadow Sunflower Blossom. But bleed builds with the Greatsword and the Lion’s Claw skill could do just as well.

That’s it for my tier list of the best bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Stay tuned for more ER tips and tricks articles right here.