The practical Elden Ring main-story route is Margit, Godrick, Red Wolf of Radagon, Rennala, Draconic Tree Sentinel, Golden Shade Godfrey, Morgott, Fire Giant, Godskin Duo, Maliketh, Sir Gideon Ofnir, Godfrey/Hoarah Loux, then Radagon and Elden Beast. That sequence is a useful path for a first playthrough, not a fixed mission script. Elden Ring lets you bypass Stormveil Castle and choose different shardbearers. The strict requirement is to defeat any two shardbearers, gain access to Leyndell, and then complete the late-game chain from Morgott through the Elden Beast.
What is the Elden Ring main story boss order?
Use the following list as a recommended progression from the opening regions to the ending. “Common route” means the fight naturally fits this path but is not itself part of the complete mandatory condition. “Required” means the encounter, or an equivalent access condition, is needed to reach the base-game ending.
| # | Boss | Region | Status | What the victory does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Margit, the Fell Omen | Stormgate, before Stormveil Castle | Common route | Introduces the first major gate on the conventional Limgrave path. |
| 2 | Godrick the Grafted | Stormveil Castle | Common shardbearer choice | Provides one of the two shardbearer victories normally used to advance. |
| 3 | Red Wolf of Radagon | Raya Lucaria Academy | Common route | Opens the final approach to Rennala within the academy. |
| 4 | Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon | Raya Lucaria Academy | Common shardbearer choice | Usually supplies the second shardbearer victory on a Limgrave-to-Liurnia playthrough. |
| 5 | Draconic Tree Sentinel | Outer approach to Leyndell | Required access condition, conventional route | Guards the normal overland entrance to the capital; an alternative route is also documented. |
| 6 | Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade) | Leyndell, Royal Capital | Required | Clears the interior capital gate before Morgott. |
| 7 | Morgott, the Omen King | Leyndell, Royal Capital | Required | Advances the story toward the Mountaintops of the Giants. |
| 8 | Fire Giant | Mountaintops of the Giants | Required | Allows the forge sequence that moves the story into the late game. |
| 9 | Godskin Duo | Crumbling Farum Azula | Required | Clears a major progression gate in Farum Azula. |
| 10 | Maliketh, the Black Blade | Crumbling Farum Azula | Required | Triggers the capital’s transformation into the Ashen Capital. |
| 11 | Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing | Ashen Capital | Required | Begins the final sequence of capital encounters. |
| 12 | Godfrey, First Elden Lord / Hoarah Loux, Warrior | Ashen Capital | Required | Defeats the final capital guardian and opens the endgame arena. |
| 13 | Radagon of the Golden Order, then Elden Beast | Endgame arena | Required final encounter | Two consecutive fights with no ordinary Site of Grace or normal resupply break between them. |
Which Elden Ring bosses are truly mandatory?
Only a small subset of the game’s over 200 bosses must be defeated to finish the base game. The exact early bosses can change, but the following conditions cannot be skipped.
- Defeat any two shardbearers. Godrick and Rennala are the clearest beginner pairing, but Rykard, Starscourge Radahn, or another eligible shardbearer can replace one or both.
- Meet the Leyndell access condition. Draconic Tree Sentinel is the conventional gate. An alternative route is documented, so the broad requirement is access to the capital rather than that single boss in every possible playthrough.
- Defeat Godfrey’s Golden Shade in Leyndell before confronting Morgott.
- Defeat Morgott, the Omen King.
- Defeat the Fire Giant and complete the forge transition.
- Defeat Godskin Duo and Maliketh in Crumbling Farum Azula.
- Defeat Sir Gideon Ofnir in the Ashen Capital.
- Defeat Godfrey/Hoarah Loux, Radagon, and Elden Beast.
Margit and the Red Wolf of Radagon are useful route markers, but neither substitutes for a shardbearer victory. Their appearance in a beginner-friendly checklist should not be mistaken for a universal mandatory list.
How flexible is the early-game boss order?
The opening regions are deliberately open-ended. You can ride around Stormveil Castle into Liurnia, select a different shardbearer, and return to earlier areas with stronger equipment. The order you choose changes the difficulty curve, which equipment is available, where some non-player characters are standing, and how much preparation you have for later fights.
Why Godrick and Rennala are the clearest teaching route
Godrick is reached by the conventional Limgrave path, while Rennala follows naturally through Liurnia and Raya Lucaria. Together they demonstrate the game’s regional progression without requiring a detour to another shardbearer. This pairing is easy to explain and track, but it is a convenience rather than a rule imposed by the ending.
What changes when you choose another shardbearer
Rykard, Radahn, or another eligible shardbearer can satisfy the two-shardbearer condition. A different choice may move the second major victory to another region, alter the equipment and runes you collect first, and change the amount of exploration you complete before Leyndell. Keep the late-game chain in view even when the first half of the route is rearranged.
How do I follow the recommended main-story path?
1. Cross the first Limgrave gate
Margit, the Fell Omen, is the conventional first major gate at Stormgate. Defeating him gives the standard route a clear entrance to Stormveil Castle, but you can bypass the castle and enter Liurnia without treating Margit as an absolute requirement.
2. Claim a first shardbearer victory
Godrick the Grafted is the common first choice inside Stormveil Castle. His position makes him a readable target for a new character, and defeating him counts toward the two-shardbearer requirement.
3. Enter Raya Lucaria and defeat its two route bosses
The Red Wolf of Radagon is the academy’s internal gate on this route. Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, is the second common shardbearer choice. If you already defeated a different shardbearer, Rennala can still be fought for her rewards and story value, but she is no longer needed solely to reach the two-victory threshold.
4. Reach Leyndell
On the conventional approach, the Draconic Tree Sentinel guards the outer gate. Because an alternative access route exists, treat this as the normal entrance rather than claiming that every character must fight this exact boss.
5. Clear the capital before leaving for the mountains
The Golden Shade of Godfrey appears first in the capital, followed by Morgott, the Omen King. These are separate encounters: the shade is an earlier story gate, while Morgott is the required fight that sends the story toward the Mountaintops of the Giants.
6. Defeat the Fire Giant and activate the forge sequence
The Fire Giant is the required Mountaintops boss. The forge is not just another collectible location; using it begins the transition into the late-game area, so make your remaining capital plans before committing to that sequence.
7. Finish Crumbling Farum Azula
After the forge transition, the story moves to Crumbling Farum Azula. The required order there is Godskin Duo followed by Maliketh, the Black Blade.
8. Finish the Ashen Capital and the ending
Maliketh’s defeat changes Leyndell into the Ashen Capital. Sir Gideon Ofnir comes first in the final capital run, then Godfrey/Hoarah Loux. Radagon of the Golden Order and the Elden Beast form the final two-part encounter.
What should I do before the Forge of the Giants?
Before activating the forge, finish the capital exploration, non-player-character steps, and any pre-forge collectibles you still want. The forge is a meaningful world-state checkpoint: once the transition begins, the story proceeds into Crumbling Farum Azula and the capital’s later state will not behave like the earlier version.
- Complete desired NPC conversations and quest steps that depend on the pre-forge world.
- Explore Leyndell thoroughly if you want items or encounters found in its original state.
- Collect equipment, upgrade materials, and other rewards you would rather obtain before the late-game transition.
- Check your character’s final approach for the Fire Giant and the Farum Azula sequence instead of assuming you can pause the story after the forge.
After the forge, the route is no longer a free regional tour. It moves into Crumbling Farum Azula, and Maliketh’s victory later produces the Ashen Capital state.
What changes after Maliketh?
Defeating Maliketh, the Black Blade, transforms Leyndell into the Ashen Capital. This is the second major world-state transition on the main path, after the forge sequence. Content, encounters, and access in the capital are therefore different from what you saw before the Fire Giant and Farum Azula.
Plan your exploration around those two checkpoints rather than assuming every earlier capital activity remains available indefinitely. The safest practical approach is to treat pre-forge capital work and post-Maliketh capital work as separate phases of the route.
How should I prepare for Radagon and the Elden Beast?
Radagon is immediately followed by the Elden Beast, with no ordinary Site of Grace or normal resupply break between them. Prepare one loadout that can survive both encounters and reserve healing rather than spending every charge during the first phase.
Build a two-fight checklist
- Enter with the weapon, armor, and talismans you intend to use across the entire paired encounter.
- Carry enough healing to recover from Radagon without assuming a resupply screen will appear before the Elden Beast.
- Use the attempt against Radagon to preserve resources for the second fight whenever possible.
- Remember that the two bosses are one uninterrupted endgame sequence for preparation purposes, even though their attack patterns and arenas differ.
Which famous bosses are optional?
Malenia, Blade of Miquella; Starscourge Radahn; Mohg, Lord of Blood; Rykard; and many other prominent encounters are optional for the base-game ending. They can still be worthwhile because optional victories may provide runes, equipment, quest progress, alternate-ending support, or additional preparation.
| Boss | Required for the base-game ending? | Why players may still fight them |
|---|---|---|
| Malenia, Blade of Miquella | No | Optional challenge, rewards, and related quest content. |
| Starscourge Radahn | No | Can serve as an alternative shardbearer choice and offers its own rewards and story progress. |
| Mohg, Lord of Blood | No | Optional area, equipment, runes, and quest-related value. |
| Rykard | No, unless selected as one of your shardbearer victories | Can replace Godrick or Rennala in satisfying the two-shardbearer condition. |
The distinction matters when making a checklist. Do not add every famous fight to the main-story sequence: mark it as optional unless it is the shardbearer victory you selected for progression.
Is there one universal Elden Ring boss order?
No. The recommended list is a teaching route, while the game’s actual progression rules are conditional. Early bosses can be bypassed or exchanged, but the route becomes much more linear after Leyndell, especially from Morgott through the Forge of the Giants, Crumbling Farum Azula, Maliketh, and the Ashen Capital.
That combination of flexibility and fixed late-game gates is why two lists can look different without either being wrong. One may show the bosses a new player is likely to meet; another may show only the strict requirements for reaching an ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bosses are in Elden Ring altogether?
The base game offers over 200 bosses, according to the current Eldenpedia boss reference. Most are optional, which is why a complete boss catalogue is much longer than the route needed to finish the story.
Can I finish the game without fighting Margit?
Yes. Margit is the conventional Stormveil gate, but the open-world layout allows a Stormveil bypass into Liurnia. You still need to meet the broader two-shardbearer and Leyndell access conditions later.
Are the two Godfrey encounters the same boss fight?
No. The Golden Shade appears inside Leyndell before Morgott, while Godfrey/Hoarah Loux is a separate final capital encounter after Maliketh has created the Ashen Capital. Treat them as different progression gates when planning your route.
How long does the main boss route take?
There is no reliable universal completion time. Exploration, build choice, optional bosses, route selection, and individual execution can change the duration substantially, so a fixed hour estimate would be misleading.