8 Elden Ring Bosses Who Are Actually Victims, Not Villains

Elden Ring has arguably the deepest lore out of any Soulslike title out there. Each character, item, boss, and biome, has a background story that can be pretty tough to fully understand.

The game's bosses are perfect examples. Many players would assume that all bosses in the game are evil and are simply there to kill the Tarnished. However, this is not the case, and some bosses are actually victims of the world, their upbringing, etc.

In this list, we take a look at a group of bosses that don't necessarily have evil intent. Here are 8 Elden Ring bosses who are actually victims, not villains.

8 Mimic Tear

A Doomed Experiment

Mimic Tear is one of the many examples of experiments conducted by the Eternal Cities of Nox. These experiments' main purpose was to forge a lord with the utmost power, rather than through standard training. The Mimic Tear was created to replicate, which is exactly why it turns into the player's Tarnished, with the exact skills, weapons, and armor during the boss fight.

In other words, the Mimic Tear is actually a victim since its purpose was manufactured by the Eternal Cities of Nox. It never asked to be in these shoes, where its entire life involves fulfilling the wishes of its creators. You're essentially fighting an artificial being that has no control over its life, which is pretty sad to think about.

7 Spirit-Caller Snail

Scared Little Snail

The Spirit-Caller Snail is probably the best example of a boss in Elden Ring that is actually a victim and not a villain. Throughout the entire fight against the Spirit-Caller Snail, it is running away and summoning minions to attack the player. However, the only reason it is doing this is because the player enters its home, and it is now trying to defend itself.

The snail isn’t the predator during the fight; instead, it's the player who is the hunter here. It's less a malicious enemy and more a frightened creature desperately trying to survive against a heavily armed Tarnished. The reason this boss fight is so easy is because the Spirit-Caller Snail is a helpless creature with no evil intent.

6 Fire Giant

Cursed by Queen Marika

The Fire Giant is the last known survivor of an entire race that was nearly exterminated by Queen Marika and the Golden Order. As the last survivor of the giants, the Fire Giant was forced by Queen Marika to guard the Forge of the Giants for the rest of eternity, essentially making him a prisoner for the rest of his life. He waits atop a frozen mountain, surrounded by the corpses of his dead allies that he once served with.

So, when it's the player's job to burn the Erdtree and take down the Fire Giant during the main story of Elden Ring, the player is fighting against a giant who has no other choice but to fight back. The Fire Giant never asked for this, making it a victim of Marika, rather than a villain who is searching for power.

5 Morgott, the Omen King

Shunned At Birth

Morgott, the Omen King, is a victim rather than a villain due to his unfortunate circumstances at birth. As the offspring of Godfrey and Queen Marika, Morgott was born as a cursed Omen. Due to this curse, he was confined to the Subterranean Shunning Grounds below Leyndell, Royal Capital.

Despite being hated and imprisoned for his Omen curse, Morgott stayed fiercely loyal to the Golden Order that rejected him. He spends his entire life defending Leyndell from invaders, including the Tarnished and other threats that threaten the capital. Morgott isn't motivated by villainous deeds. Instead, he's a tragic figure desperately protecting a kingdom that never accepted him with the hope that they will one day.

4 Ancestor Spirit

A Peaceful Spirit Protecting Its Home

The Ancestor Spirit is one of the most beautiful and peaceful beings in all of Elden Ring. It isn't trying to become an Elden Lord, engage in any wars, or spread devastation throughout the Lands Between. Instead, it's simply a sacred guardian that's not harming anyone or anything, staying in its resting place.

However, the Tarnished disrupts its peace by entering the boss's arena and forcing it to engage in a fight. In other words, the player is actually the villain here, as all the Ancestor Spirit was doing is simply just resting. It has no malicious intentions, and the fact that the Ancestor Spirit represents life and death, makes killing it all more tragic.

3 Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame

Greatsword of Damnation

Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame, is one of the most terrifying bosses you'll face in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. However, despite him being extremely intimidating, Midra actually has a pretty sad background. Once known as Sage Midra, he attempted to become the Lord of the Frenzied Flame in order to have the madness serve him, rather than consume him. However, he was too weak to make this happen.

The Hornset viewed the Frenzied Flame as pure evil and a force that should not be touched whatsoever. Since Midra even attempted to mess with the Frenzied Flame, the Hornset stabbed Midra with the Greatsword of Damnation. This sword caused Midra to not die, but instead forced him to endure unimaginable agony for eternity. In this case, this boss fight has the player facing someone who has been tortured for what must have been centuries.

2 Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon

Locked Away and Forgotten

After Radagon pledged his love to Rennala, marrying her at the Church of Vows, and having three children with her, he eventually left her to become the second King Consort of Queen Marika. The sudden departure of Radagon messed with Rennala mentally, spiraling her into depression, and resulting in her losing the respect of her Academy.

Losing the respect of the Academy resulted in her followers locking her in the Grand Library as a peasant, instead of the queen she once was. Understanding the tragic story of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, gives the boss fight against her a whole new meaning. You aren't just fighting a powerful being, but you're essentially fighting a woman who lost the love of her life and is held captive.

1 Lichdragon Fortissax

A True Friend

Lichdragon Fortissax and Godwyn once had a brutal duel, where Godwyn was named victorious. However, Godwyn befriended Fortissax instead of finishing the dragon off, creating a deep bond between each other and a true friendship. On the day of the Night of the Black Knives, Godwyn was killed, but only spiritually, as his body was transformed into the Prince of Death.

Lichdragon Fortissax was hurt by this and fought hard against the death within the body of his trusty companion. In other words, when players fight Lichdragon Fortissax, they aren't simply fighting a ferocious deadly dragon. Instead, they are fighting a beast who was just on a journey to save its life-long friend and someone it loved, making this boss fight much sadder than it seems on the surface.