All Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses and Their Location

TL;DR

  • Shadow of the Erdtree features 40+ total bosses with 7 mandatory campaign bosses
  • Each main boss serves as a progression gate with increasing difficulty and complexity
  • Proper preparation and understanding attack patterns are crucial for success
  • Optional bosses provide significant lore context and additional challenges
  • The DLC concludes with one of FromSoftware’s most spectacular boss encounters

The Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree expansion delivers an unprecedented amount of content with over 40+ unique bosses scattered throughout the Realm of Shadows. This massive roster represents one of the most substantial DLC offerings in recent gaming history, providing countless hours of challenging combat encounters for seasoned Tarnished.

Among this extensive lineup, 7 main campaign bosses serve as the critical path you must conquer to complete the DLC’s primary narrative. These mandatory encounters are strategically placed to test your skills at key progression points, while the remaining optional bosses offer deeper exploration of the Lands Between lore and additional gameplay challenges.

Many of these formidable opponents are cleverly concealed within the multi-layered map design, requiring thorough exploration and keen observation to discover. If you’re embarking on this new journey, our comprehensive guide will provide essential insights into every main boss encounter you’ll face.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree structures its 7 main campaign bosses in a deliberate sequence that gradually increases in difficulty and complexity. Defeating all seven is essential to conclude the DLC’s main storyline. The following progression represents the intended boss order:

Boss Name Location
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Theatre of the Divine Beast, Belurat Tower Settlement
Rellana, Twin Moon Knight Ensis Moon Grazing Ground, Castle Ensis
Golden Hippopotamus Main Gate Plaza, Shadow Keep
Messmer the Impaler/Base Serpent Messmer Messmer’s Dark Chamber, Shadow Keep
Romina, Saint of the Bud Church of the Bud, Ancient Ruins of Rhua
Followers of Miquella Cleansing Chamber Antiroom, Enir-Ilim
Promised Consort Radahn/Radahn, Consort of Miquella Divine Gate, Enir-Ilim
how-to-defeat-divine-beast-dancing-lion-elden-ring-dlc

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion stands as the initial major challenge for most players venturing into the DLC. Located in Belurat, Tower of Settlement, this encounter functions as an excellent skill assessment for newcomers. Its diverse move set demands constant situational awareness and rapid decision-making, establishing foundational skills necessary for subsequent boss battles.

Despite presenting a formidable appearance that may seem overwhelming initially, this boss ranks among the more manageable encounters within the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion when approached with proper strategy.

Defeat Rellana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Image Courtesy: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Launch Trailer

Rellana, Twin Moon Knight represents one of the standout boss encounters in Shadow of the Erdtree, showcasing an exceptional balance between demanding combat and spectacular presentation. Her duel mechanics bear resemblance to Pontiff Sulyvahn from Dark Souls 3, though refined and more challenging in numerous aspects.

The base Elden Ring experience offered limited representation of Carian Knight boss fights, with Loretta serving as the primary example, making Rellana’s inclusion a welcome expansion of Carian Knight lore and combat dynamics.

Golden Hippopotamus Defeat Guide Elden Ring

Golden Hippopotamus presents significant challenges due to severely restricted movement space within the boss arena and problematic camera behavior during certain attack sequences.

Find And Defeat Messmer The Impaler Guide
Romina, Saint of the Bud in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Miquellas Followers Boss Guide Elden Ring DLC
Radahn Consort of Miquella Boss Fight Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree
radahn-consort-of-miquella-boss-fight-elden-ring-dlc

Successfully navigating Shadow of the Erdtree’s demanding boss encounters requires more than just reaction speed—it demands strategic preparation and pattern recognition. Before engaging any main boss, ensure your character build is optimized for the specific challenges ahead, with appropriate weapon upgrades, talisman combinations, and spirit ash selections.

Common mistakes include underestimating the importance of positioning, failing to recognize attack telegraphs, and neglecting to utilize the environment to your advantage. Many players struggle by being overly aggressive when patience and observation would yield better results.

For experienced players seeking optimization, focus on mastering dodge timing for specific attack patterns and learning when to capitalize on brief vulnerability windows. Each main boss typically has 2-3 specific attacks that leave them exposed for counterattacks—identifying these opportunities is crucial for efficient combat.

Time investment for mastering these encounters varies significantly based on player skill and build. Expect to spend 30-90 minutes on initial attempts against each main boss, with subsequent attempts requiring substantially less time once patterns are internalized.

The DLC’s boss design philosophy emphasizes learning through repetition while rewarding careful observation and adaptation. Unlike some base game encounters, these battles often feature more complex phase transitions and environmental interactions that must be accounted for in your strategy.

Action Checklist

  • Upgrade weapons to at least +20 (+8 for somber) and collect essential talismans before major boss encounters
  • Study boss attack patterns during initial attempts—focus on survival rather than dealing damage
  • Identify and exploit specific vulnerability windows after major attack sequences
  • Adjust build and strategy based on boss-specific weaknesses and resistances
  • Complete optional boss encounters to gain additional power and contextual lore understanding

No reproduction without permission:Tsp Game Club » All Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses and Their Location Complete guide to all 7 main campaign bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with strategies