Summary
FromSoftware is known for creating some of themost challenging and grueling boss fightsin all of gaming, pushing veteran players to their limits and introducing new players to a different level of difficulty. The bosses are the cornerstone of the soulslike genre, andElden Ring Nightreignputs them front and center.
With plenty of returning bosses and a few new faces, the list of difficult fights is pretty long, but when it comes to entering a run alone, some of the fights can feel even more punishing. This can be due to battles being balanced around three players or because they demand significant levels of precision. For those brave enough, here are thehardestElden Ring Nightreignbosses to take on in a solo setting.
8Godskin Duo
The Same Pain All Over Again
The Godskin Duo was always considered to be one ofthe hardest fights inElden Ring, so when the pair showed their faces again inNightreign, it was obvious that the challenge wasn’t going to get any easier. The boss can appear in evergaols and also as a night two encounter, providing a sizable task for groups to take on and a monstrous one for solo players.
The reason the fight is so painful is the same as before: It’s a gank fight. The individual Godskins are pretty manageable by themselves, but with two on the table at the same time, it can be incredibly hard to find windows to attack, especially for melee characters. There are plenty of other bosses in Limveld that players might have a hard time with, but few have the same level of power as these two.
7Gladius, Beast Of The Night
He Might Be The First, But He Packs Quite The Punch
Gladius is the first of the Nightlords that players will face at the end of night three, but that doesn’t mean he’s a walk in the park. Boasting speed, aggression, range, and damage all in one, it doesn’t matter how prepared the player is or how many fights they have won; the three-headed beast can always come out on top. When taking him on solo, the problems only get worse.
The biggest challenge comes from the second phase, where the Lord splits into three segments that each act independently and are hungry for the player’s blood. It’s a game of juggling with three players, but with every head focusing on a single target, solo players will have to run and pray that they don’t get surrounded and taken out in one fell swoop.
6Nameless King
Just As Brutal As Ever
The king is back and badder than ever. The Nameless King is one ofthe most iconicSoulsbosses of all timeand is also among the hardest. The two-phased encounter brings with it a huge health pool, high-speed attacks, and a lot of unexpected moves that seemingly come out of nowhere.
What makes the fight particularly hard in solo is the lack of windows there are to heal or even get a hit in. With an arena much smaller than in the original fight, players have very little room to maneuver around him and will find themselves being pushed up against the rain with no one to take the aggro away. If he ever shows up on that second night, then the player is going to be in for a tough time; unlike other challenging fights in the castles or evergaols, it’s a fight they have to win in order to beat the run.
5Adel, Baron Of The Night
No Margin For Error
Adel is the second lord on the expedition list and is for sureone of the tougher ones, bringing with it some incredibly misleading hitboxes and a grab attack that just never seems to miss. The boss has plenty of tricks up its scaly sleeves, like poisonous pools and gigantic AoE attacks that require a good set of legs in order to run away in time.
Solo players will have a tough time taking any meaningful chunks off its health bar, as not only is the boss extremely tanky, but it is also very hard to hit in between its attacks. On top of this, the grab attack does extreme bleed damage all at once, which is normally enough to one-shot squishy characters. With no one to cancel it or revive the player, one single bite can mean the end of a good run.
4Libra, Creature Of Night
Enough To Drive Anyone Mad
Libra is a peculiar fight that brings plenty of madness with it, both literally and figuratively. Many of its attacks inflict madness build-up, one of which can only be prevented by picking up small objects on the ground. Despite also having a weakness like all the other Lords, said weakness is Madness, which is not an easy effect to come by.
The biggest problem for a solo player here comes from a specific attack that spawns a bunch of sigils all around while Libra itself is immune to damage. If they are not all destroyed in time, a huge explosion happens that can easily wipe out even healthy targets. Some of them are easily hittable, but the rest float high above the player’s head, meaning thatif they don’t have a ranged weapon, they might as well say goodbye to the victory screen.
3Mountaintop Ice Dragon
Time Is The Biggest Enemy
The Mountaintop is a ruthless shifting earth event that brings with it a difficult-to-traverse area full of ice and angry dragons. The main boss in the area is the Mountaintop Ice Dragon, which shakes the earth and induces frostbite build-up to anyone who dares to step even a foot into the mist.
The fight is particularly challenging in solo play. Firstly,its health bar is pretty hugeand requires a decent weapon and character level to take down. Secondly, even with the buffs scattered through the mountains, the frostbite can still chunk the player repeatedly, forcing them to retreat and heal in an area where there is little time to escape from the storm.
2Naturalborn Of The Void
Cutting It Down To The Wire
Naturalborn of the Void is another returning fight that sees players taking on a familiar foe. This time, however, the stakes are much higher. Normally, players can be ready to take on the city after an initial day of fighting, but due to the size of the city and the other potential rewards that lie inside, it can be hard to clean up everything by the time the final zone shows itself.
When facing the boss alone, the toughest part is time, as the arena is always located right on the edge of the map, meaning that if the player isn’t quick enough or can’t deal enough damage, then it’s either a complete waste of time or death knocking at the door. The reward itself is incredibly powerful if players can manage to take the boss down, but it comes down to whether the risk is worth it or not.
1Heolstor The Nightlord
The Toughest Challenge There Is
Heolstor is the final Nightlord on the expedition list, and he lives up to his name and then some. A brutal fight that comes with ridiculous area attacks and chains that have absurd reach, players need to be on their A-game to take on the challenge and make it through unscathed.
The toughest part about the fight is the level of aggression that Heolstor has. He can jump extremely far, and with no one to take the aggro, all that damage will be coming straight for the single player. Also, when playing alone, players need to have a really good plan and idea of how to level up as quickly as possible, as going into a fight like Heolstor underleveled is basically asking for a loss. He requires incredible attention in the build-up and even more during it, testing players' reflexes and stamina in a fight that rivals some of the best in the series.
