![]() I stand by Elden Ring being more approachable than FromSoftware's other games, but my last few hours with it took more out of me than the previous 100. Trading blows is off the table, and good luck finding a quiet moment to heal. Maliketh, my favorite boss, is similar in that one hit from his bloody blade can trap you in a lethal combo or burn you down to cinders. His massive shockwaves and purposefully slowed grab animations demand some of the tightest timing in FromSoftware's entire wheelhouse, and he'll eviscerate you for a single mistimed roll. Godfrey is an even bigger dodge punisher. On top of that, most of his attacks deal massive, staggered AoE, so you can't comfortably dodge anywhere in his field of view. Radagon can straight-up negate a lot of spells and dish out a lethal parry in response, plus his constant teleports often prohibit ranged play. You've still got spirits and players available to help you here, but the final bosses of Elden Ring counter a lot of the tactics that can carry you through the rest of the game. Maliketh, Godfrey, and Radagon have uniquely brutal abilities of their own, and their unbridled aggression forces you to play extremely carefully. The Elden Beast is a more straightforward, smack-its-ankles behemoth, but it's got some frankly busted spells up its sleeve. With the exception of Malenia – the hardest boss FromSoftware's ever made, for my money, and likely one of the only optional bosses you'll have left at this point in the game – I'd say they're among the hardest bosses in Elden Ring. ![]() ![]() To put it mildly, these four are not easy. The elite four of Elden Ring are a more devious surprise, and an unflinching reminder of how FromSoftware operates. But four? At least Sekiro had the decency to put some distance between the likes of the Demon of Hatred and Isshin the Sword Saint, and besides, I knew what I signed up for with that game. Most Souls games end with a punishing boss, or at worst two. In a vacuum, I don't think any of these bosses are harder than the legendary name-takers in FromSoftware's previous games, but they're an enormous hurdle altogether, and running into them all at once after such a long and relatively chill journey makes it so much more jarring. Do you know how painful something has to be to make you miss this? (Image credit: Bandai Namco)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |