10 Most Underrated Bosses in Elden RIng

Elden Ring is all about adventure, featuring one of the best open worlds in recent memory. However, it also has some incredible bosses that will challenge even the most skilled Soulslike fans.

While most of the main bosses in Elden Ring are constantly praised by the community, there are plenty of side bosses that deserve just as much love. There are some very well-hidden optional bosses that can rival some of the notable names in the game, such as Morgott and Rennala.

In this list, we decided to take a look at bosses that simply deserve more love and appreciation. Here are the 10 most underrated bosses in Elden Ring.

10 Bell Bearing Hunter

A Lurker in the Night

The Bell Bearing Hunter is often regarded as an annoying boss encounter, mainly since he usually invades players when they aren’t expecting it, but this boss fight is actually genuinely very good in design. Appearing only at night in multiple locations throughout the map, the Bell Bearing Hunter is a terrifying stalker of the Tarnished, driven by greed and vengeance.

Using telekinesis abilities, the Bell Bearing Hunter can lunge its sword forward, swiping it to the side and covering a large area that requires fast reflexes and timing. It’s a challenging fight that rivals some of the main bosses, making it a memorable field boss that creates a sense of satisfaction upon defeat. The rewards you get for beating it are genuinely useful, too, granting you a special shop bell to expand the Twin Maiden Husks’ inventory at the Roundtable Hold.

9 Black Knife Assassin

Night of the Black Knives

When it comes to the lore of Elden Ring, the Black Knife Assassins play a major part, but most players don’t give them the attention they deserve. These agile assassins were responsible for the Night of the Black Knives, an event that actually served as the fuel of the conflict that led to the Shattering of the Elden Ring. And yet, they are overlooked because they aren’t considered a main boss of the game.

There are a ton of Black Knife Assassins to encounter across the map of Elden Ring, and while they don’t offer fights filled with spectacle, their encounters are fun from a design standpoint. Their fights are unique because they rely on speed and precision rather than overwhelming strength. Their ability to disappear, dodge attacks, and unleash deadly combos makes them feel like elite enemies.

8 Full Grown Fallingstar Beast

The Crater's Protector

There are a handful of Fallingstar Beasts in Elden Ring, but the one that stands out the most is the Full Grown Fallingstar Beast in Mt. Gelmir. Not only is this variant as aggressive as the others, but the Full Grown Fallingstar Beast has more spectacle, is larger in size, has a better moveset, and also features one of the coolest boss arenas for an optional boss.

Taking place entirely in a large crater in the ground, the Full Grown Fallingstar Beast boss fight is a memorable one. Its gravity magic, charging attacks, and devastating physical abilities make it feel like a main boss, even though it's completely missable. It’s so good that it almost makes me wonder if the Full Grown Fallingstar Beast was supposed to be a remembrance boss, but was cut at the last minute.

7 Rugalea The Great Red Bear

Most Brutal Bear in the Game

Rugalea The Great Red Bear is the perfect example of how to take a standard enemy and transform it into a formidable boss encounter. A bigger and more aggressive version of the bear enemies found across the map, Rugalea, The Great Red Bear offers a greater challenge that only the most skilled players are willing to take on. Rugalea feels like a force of nature, using powerful roars and brutal claw attacks that make the fight feel completely different from regular bears found throughout the world.

The reason this boss fight is underrated is because it is usually completely unexpected, especially on a first playthrough, as players will randomly encounter it in the field of the Rauh Base region of Shadow of the Erdtree. Rugalea The Great Red Bear also holds significant meaning, as Red Bears in the Shadow Realm represent the eternal conflict between mortal nature and the divine form. It symbolizes the thin line between animal instinct and godhood.

6 Mimic Tear

A Fight Against Yourself

One of the most unique boss fights in Elden Ring that’s not talked about enough is Mimic Tear. When you enter the arena, this boss completely transforms into your character, fully equipped with the exact same armor and weapon as you. It even utilizes the same skills as your character during the fight. In other words, this boss fight is basically just you against yourself.

What makes this fight so amazing is that it truly makes you realize just how powerful your character actually is. It essentially puts you in the shoes of all the other bosses you have fought up to this point, as you get to see your character from their point of view in full form. It makes you realize that the Tarnished is genuinely one of the most terrifying and powerful beings in the game.

5 Death Knight

A Lightning Wielding Knight

The Death Knight seems like FromSoftware’s answer to the community’s complaints about optional bosses in the base game. One of the major, and really only, major criticisms of Elden Ring is that the minibosses were too easy and not very complex. However, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion fixed this by adding some of the best side bosses in the game. One perfect example is Death Knight, a lightning-wielding boss that is as cool as he is tough.

The Death Knight features quick lightning attacks, teleporting movements, and powerful axe strikes, all demanding the player to time their dodges perfectly and carefully observe to find a window to deal damage. Despite being hidden in optional areas, the Death Knight feels like a boss encounter that could have easily been part of the main storyline.

4 Misbegotten Crusader

Give Me That Legendary Armament

Hidden away in an optional cave, the Misbegotten Crusader is one of Elden Ring's most overlooked side bosses. Armed with a massive greatsword and holy attacks, the Crusader fights with aggression and power, forcing players to carefully manage distance and timing. The fight captures the feeling of a classic Souls battle where victory comes from learning your opponent rather than exploiting weaknesses.

While the Misbegotten Crusader boss doesn’t have the best lore associated with it, players who defeat it are rewarded with the Golden Order Greatsword, one of the game’s legendary armaments. Considering there aren’t many legendary armaments to find in Elden Ring (nine in total), the reward feels extra special for defeating this boss. That alone makes the Misbegotten Crusader severely underrated.

3 Jagged Peak Drake

In Bayle's Shadow

Jagged Peak Drake is one of the many dragon bosses in Elden Ring. However, Jagged Peak Drake is often overlooked because it appears right before Bayle the Dread. Since Bayle is one of the most spectacular bosses in the DLC, the optional dragon is easily overshadowed despite being a great encounter in its own right. If players take a step back and pay attention to the design of Jagged Peak Drake, they will realize how it's actually one of the best dragon fights in the game.

When you first encounter Jagged Peak Drake, it will be in the midst of a fight with another dragon, which is something that doesn't happen often in Elden Ring. Disrupting their fight will lead to an epic, large-scale, boss fight against a dragon that fills the field with blazing fire and red lightning. The end result is an arena that becomes one giant hazard, as you attempt to reduce the amount of damage you take by riding around the arena on Torrent. It's very, very cool.

2 Ancient Dragon-Man

Stupid Name, Great Fight

Out of all the bosses on this list, Ancient Dragon-Man, without a doubt, has the most hilarious name. However, don't let its comedic name fool you, this hidden boss is actually fantastic in its own right. The reason Ancient Dragon-Man is so great is because it does the best job at replicating the feeling of PvP. Seriously, this fight feels like you're fighting another player, where its attack patterns and movements seem less calculated than AI bosses.

His aggressive movement, quick attacks, and connection to the Shadow of the Erdtree’s ancient dragon culture make him stand out more than generic optional bosses that you typically encounter. Due to his lore adding depth to the world of Elden Ring and since his encounter provides a surprisingly enjoyable duel, Ancient Dragon-Man is one you don’t want to miss.

1 Dancer of Ranah

She's Got The Moves

Another boss that is considerably underrated in Elden Ring is Shadow of the Erdtree's Dancer of Ranah. This boss is completely missable so it's possible that most players will miss the beauty of this fight. Unlike other sword-wielding enemies, who focus on using perfected swordsmanship, the Dancer of Ranah uses her dance moves to deal damage to you. It's very unique compared to other optional bosses in the game and shows just how creative FromSoftware can get.

Her fighting style is built around speed, elegance, and constant movement that represent dance moves, making the battle feel more like a performance rather than a fight to the death. Her fire abilities and graceful animations create a unique rhythm that separates her from other humanoid bosses in not only Elden Ring, but all FromSoftware titles. Since she is an optional boss in a completely optional area, she doesn’t get the attention she deserves.