FromSoftware’s Elden Ring is undoubtedly the team’s most ambitious project ever undertaken. The Lands Between is an absolutely massive map that spans biomes ranging from frozen deserts to volcanic mountains. This fantastical backdrop is aptly filled with strange, mysterious, and incredibly powerful characters.
Though the player assumes the role of a Tarnished, the lowest possible rung on the Elden Ring ladder, players will square off against demi-gods and other impossibly difficult beings. While many of Elden Ring’s most difficult bosses for players may include the likes of Malenia, the obscured lore of the game tells a different story.
Elden Ring’s strongest characters, according to lore
10) Mohg, Lord of Blood
Mohg is one of two Omen children born between Godfrey and Marika. Instead of hiding away beneath Leyndell’s sewers like a certain brother, Mohg sought his own power by making contact with a mysterious Outer God, the Formless Mother. While Outer Gods use the Lands Between as a chessboard to further their influence, few characters have power directly given by their deity.
Though often taunted by the likes of Gideon Ofnir for his scheming, Mohg’s goals in Elden Ring are ambitious. The Mohgwyn Dynasty was cut short by his encounter with the Tarnished player, and he will likely never see his Albinauric army upend the Greater Will as he may have desired.
9) Morgott The Omen King
Brother to Mohg, players encounter Morgott twice throughout the course of the main storyline. The first time we see Morgott he goes by a different name and is dressed in tattered robes, but our battle with him by the seat of the Erdtree showcases the true strength of the demigod. Though shamefully hidden away in the Shunning Grounds underneath Leyndell, Morgott ironically rose to become the last king of the faltering city.
Despite his cruel treatment, Morgott is instilled by the power of the Golden Order with a purpose to upkeep the Greater Will. Though not worthy enough to sit as the Elden Lord like his father, Morgott still remains the final staunch defender of the Erdtree.
8) Starscourage Radahn
General Radahn, also referred to as the Starscourage, is among the most memorable bosses from Elden Ring. By the time players encounter this behemoth, he has been rendered feral by Malenia’s Scarlet Rot, only a fraction of his former glory. Prior to his battle in the midst of the Shattering, Radahn mastered gravity magic from his mother, Queen Rennala, and the fervor for battle from his father, Radagon.
Radahn’s strength becomes more apparent after his death at the hands of the Tarnished. As hundreds of meteors and stars crash into the Lands Between, players are hit with the realization that Radahn was holding the entire night sky in place.
7) Malenia, Goddess of Rot
To many players, Malenia is the most difficult boss ever seen in a FromSoftware game, though in the game’s lore, Malenia has suffered an immense deal. Children of Radagon and Queen Marika, both Malenia and Miquella were born with curses. While Miquella was born to live and die in a seemingly endless cycle, Malenia was imbued with a Scarlet Rot which saw her flesh slowly decay.
Despite her curse, Malenia became one of the strongest demigods in the Lands Between and championed her brother’s competitor to the Erdtree, the Haglitree. In Elden Ring’s opening cinematic, we see Malenia has an incredibly powerful Scarlet Rot “bloom” which devastates the entire region of Caelid, reducing it to the inhospitable wasteland players know it as.
6) Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
Rykard began his story as the weakest among his siblings, Radahn and Ranni, falling behind in title, achievements, and power. By merging with the God-Devouring Serpent, creating Volcano Manor, and becoming the Lord of Blasphemy, Rykard stained his name upon The Lands Between, for better or worse.
Rykard is so powerful that only the Serpent-Hunter can defeat him, and an attempt with any other weapon is futile. Even after Rykard’s death, we see the Lord of Blasphemy is actually still alive, though only as a head being devoured by his formerly loyal followers.
5) Godfrey, The First Elden Lord
The father of all Tarnished, Godfrey is the mechanism through which the Golden Order first ascended to its rule. The consort to Queen Marika, Godfrey waged war against all the Golden Order’s foes, from the Fire Giants to the Dragon Lords. All eventually fell by Godfrey’s axe.
Until meeting one of his own, Godfrey remained undefeated by any opponent. As Elden Ring states, Godfrey knew his purpose ended whenever his last worthy opponent died, and he left to wander the badlands. Though the Tarnished slay Godfrey to further their ascension to Elden Lord, Godfrey serves as one last obstacle.
4) Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
FromSoftware loves eldritch horror, with another nightmarish creation from the beyond gracing The Lands Between in Elden Ring. Astel is a creature you only encounter by pursuing Ranni’s quest chain, so it’s extremely easy to miss this powerful foe.
Astel is an alien monster born from a falling star, triggered by Radahn’s defeat. The serene arena which this fight takes place is immediately interrupted by a blast of void-like energy. Perhaps the most frightening part of Astel is the implication the creature’s existence. This version of the monster we fight is only a newborn, and there are surely others stronger and more plentiful among the stars, bound to fall once again on The Lands Between.
3) Maliketh, The Black Blade
Maliketh is the most powerful character in Elden Ring who is not a demigod. This beast-like creature is the Shadow to Queen Marika, essentially acting as the demigod’s enforcer. What truly makes Maliketh a formidable foe is his sword, which wields the power of Destined Death. When characters die in Elden Ring, their soul is transported to the Erd Tree, wherein they are eventually reborn. When slain by Maliketh’s Blade, however, they are gone for good.
After Maliketh is slain, we see the absolute power of Destined Death, as the Rune of Death returns to the Lands Between and entire cities are sundered.
2) Queen Marika
Marika is the mother to all demigods and first true champion of the Golden Order. Just as the mysterious figure championed the Golden Order, she also destroyed the Elden Ring and sent the Greater Will into chaos. Marika’s true desire, goals, and even identity are extremely unclear, though it is apparent she has the ability to destroy or remake the Lands Between at her own will.
1) The Strongest Elden Ring Character
The strongest Elden Ring character is the Elden Beast. While this character is far easier to defeat than the demigods in the actual game, the lore points to the final boss of the game as the single strongest foe our Tarnished stands against.
The Great Will is viewed by many as the most powerful and influential Outer God in Elden Ring, with the Elden Beast being the vassal which exerts the Greater Will’s Order across the land. This luminous, dragon-like creature is the closest being to an Outer God we encounter in Elden Ring. Although the biggest challenge in this fight is the arena itself, lore-wise, most characters couldn’t even fathom standing next to this mythical figure.
