Elden Ring is one of the most challenging and rewarding games I’ve ever played. From towering demigods to swift assassins, the game’s toughest bosses demand patience, skill, and the right strategy. After spending hundreds of Elden Ring Runes hours exploring the Lands Between, dying countless times, and finally emerging victorious, I’ve gathered 7 proven ways to beat the hardest bosses in Elden Ring. These tips are based on personal experience and hard-learned lessons through trial and error. Whether you're a seasoned Tarnished or new to the game, these strategies will help you conquer even the most formidable foes.

1. Master the Art of Dodging and Positioning
It may sound obvious, but dodging is the single most important skill in Elden Ring. The difference between rolling into a boss’s swing versus away from it can mean life or death. Most of the game’s toughest bosses—like Malenia, Radahn, or Maliketh—punish mistimed dodges severely.

Tips to improve your dodging:

Time your roll: Don’t mash the dodge button. Learn the boss’s windup animations and dodge after the attack starts, not before.

i-frames matter: Equip lighter armor to benefit from faster rolls with more invincibility frames (i-frames).

Stick close: Many bosses have weaker follow-up attacks when you're directly under or beside them, encouraging aggressive dodging in tight spaces rather than retreating.

Bonus: Use terrain and environmental objects if available. In fights like the Godskin Duo or Astel, smart positioning can limit how many enemies or moves you’re exposed to at once.

2. Use Spirit Ashes Wisely
Spirit Ashes can turn the tide of battle. Whether you’re summoning the Mimic Tear for raw power or the Lone Wolf Ashes for distraction, Spirit Ashes buy you time, draw aggro, and let you heal or reposition.

Recommended Spirit Ashes:

Mimic Tear Ashes: Easily the strongest, especially when fully upgraded and equipped with your best gear.

Black Knife Tiche: Ideal for bosses that require sustained pressure; she’s fast, aggressive, and deals percent-based health damage.

Lhutel the Headless: A tanky summon who can survive long fights and teleport around the battlefield.

Upgrade your ashes at Roderika in Roundtable Hold. A +10 Spirit Ash can make a huge difference, especially against late-game bosses.

3. Optimize Your Build for Each Fight
Don’t be afraid to respec. With the help of Rennala in Raya Lucaria, you can completely redo your stats, weapons, and spells to better match your current challenge. Some builds are simply better suited for certain bosses.

Boss-specific build tips:

Malenia: Bleed builds like Rivers of Blood or dual Uchigatanas are effective due to her healing mechanic and low Poise.

Mohg: High holy and fire resistance gear, and spells like Law of Regression to remove his buff phases.

Radagon / Elden Beast: Magic-resistant gear and Faith-based spells like Black Flame can help chip through Radagon’s defense and the Elden Beast’s mobility.

Talisman Tip: Swap talismans depending on the boss. Use Green Turtle Talisman for stamina regen, Dragoncrest Greatshield for physical defense, or Shard of Alexander for skill damage boost.

4. Learn Their Movesets
Every boss in Elden Ring is a puzzle. You have to die, observe, and then adapt. After a few runs, patterns start to emerge: combo lengths, tells before grabs, or pauses before second swings.

Tips to learn movesets:

Practice without pressure: Use a shield or ranged weapon to give yourself more time to watch and respond rather than react.

Watch replays or recordings: Sometimes reviewing your fight footage shows mistakes or tells you missed live.

YouTube and Twitch: Don’t hesitate to study no-hit runs or boss breakdowns from experienced players like Let Me Solo Her or FightinCowboy.

Pro Tip: Bosses tend to repeat patterns based on distance and aggression. Stay in mid-range to bait specific attacks you’re more comfortable dealing with.

5. Use Buffs and Consumables
Preparation is half the battle. You’d be amazed how much easier some fights become when you use the full arsenal of buffs, items, and magic at your disposal.

Best consumables and buffs:

Flask of Wondrous Physick: Combine buffs like increased stamina, damage negation, or enhanced attacks for a strong start.

Greases: Blood Grease, Magic Grease, or Fire Grease can temporarily give your weapon extra edge.

Incantations: Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength stack and give significant offensive boosts.

Aromatics and Perfumes: Defensive items like Ironjar Aromatic or Uplifting Aromatic can mitigate damage or stagger.

Don’t forget to equip the right gear for the boss’s elemental damage—holy, fire, lightning, etc.—and stack your resistances.

6. Take Advantage of Co-op or NPC Summons
Sometimes the best way to beat a tough boss is not to go it alone. Multiplayer and NPC summons are both great tools that can make even the most brutal encounters more manageable.

Multiplayer tips:

Use the Furlcalling Finger Remedy to summon allies. The extra targets will split boss aggro and let you land free hits or heal.

Coordinate your roles—one player tanks, one uses ranged spells, another goes in for damage.

If co-op isn't an option, NPC summons are available before most major fights. Look for golden signs near fog walls.

Keep in mind: When summoning, bosses scale in health and defense, so it’s not a free win—but the added utility and breathing room often make up for the stat boost.

7. Patience and Mental Focus Win Wars
This may be the most important tip: Stay calm. The hardest bosses test your mental endurance as much as your mechanical skill. You’ll die a lot—but each attempt teaches something.

Mindset tips:

Don’t rush back after dying. Take a breather, review your gear, and enter again with a fresh mind.

Set small goals. Maybe your first objective is just getting past phase one clean. Then focus on phase two, and so on.

Accept that death is part of the learning process. No boss is impossible—just difficult until you understand them.

Elden Ring rewards persistence. Some of the hardest bosses eventually become your favorites simply because of the satisfaction of mastering them.

Conclusion
Beating the hardest bosses in Elden Ring is an exhilarating experience. Whether you're squaring off against Malenia’s relentless flurry, Radagon’s divine strikes, or the chaos of multi-phase bosses like the Elden Beast, these seven strategies will carry you through the storm. Master your dodging, summon wisely, optimize your build, study every move, and stay mentally strong.

In the end, it's not just about the damage you deal—but the lessons you learn. Every death brings you one step closer to triumph. And when victory finally comes, few moments in gaming can match the sheer thrill of cheap Elden Ring Runes conquering a boss who once seemed invincible.

See you in the Lands Between, fellow Tarnished.