Kyle Nazario

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of complaints on the internet about the difficulty of games by From Software. I can’t totally blame people - the new Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is hard as hell. I myself spent way too long getting stomped by a single knight in a crypt.

If you find yourself stuck on some super nasty boss in Elden Ring, Bloodborne or Dark Souls, remember this: FromSoft wants you to beat their game. They will give you all the tools to win. You just have to know how to use them.

The two steps to beating any FromSoft boss

The process of beating any FromSoft boss can be boiled down to two steps:

1. Learn the boss’s attack patterns until you can dodge¹ them consistently
2. Figure out when you can sneak in an attack or two in return

That’s it. Really.

Step 1: Learn the boss’s attack patterns

FromSoft boss fights got exponentially easier when I realized I was looking at my character, when I should be looking at the boss. Watch the boss and you’ll see all of them have tells. Maybe their arm moves a certain way before they do a horizontal slash. Maybe they let out a specific screech before doing a big combo ². Every attack has a unique animation in a From game. Recognize what’s coming and you can dodge it.

When you first encounter a new, tough boss, don’t worry about getting damage in. Simply practice your dodges.

Step 2: Figure out when to attack back

Once you can consistently dodge the boss’s attacks, you should have an idea of when to hit back. Maybe once they finish their big combo, they pause for a few moments. That’s when you should hit them.

Do not be greedy. If there is time for just one hit, do one hit and get out. Better to stay alive and slowly chip away at their health.

Everything else

Those two steps will get you through most of the bosses in Elden Ring, Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Sometimes, though, you’ll run into someone extra nasty. In that case, you’ll need to do special preparation.

Check the boss’s weakness. Find the enemy on the Fextralife Wiki and check what, if anything, they’re weak to. I trivialized a boss in Shadow of the Erdtree by adding a fire buff to my dual Giant-Crushers. You may also want to switch weapons, e.x. from slashing to strike.

See if any items help. When I was struggling to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood, I looked on the wiki and found there is a special shackle to bind him. I did some side quests to get it.

Look for buffs. Sometimes the best way to “defend” against a boss is to kill them quickly. Look online and see if there are greases, oils or spells that would work well with your build. For Shadow of the Erdtree, I found stacking Flame, Grant Me Strength with Golden Vow and Determination to get +157% damage meant I didn’t have to dodge perfectly forever - just long enough to get in a couple hits.

Use Mimic Tear. This tip is specific to Elden Ring, but seriously, if you’ve never tried using the Mimic Tear, you must try it. It is the most hilariously powerful summon in the game, and it doesn’t even increase the boss’s health (see below). My double giant hammer build intended to break enemies’ stance had an easy time doing that with a second person with two more hammers.

Install mods. If the game is way too hard and you’re not having fun, then change the game! PC players should feel zero shame about using mods for easy mode or one-hit kills. Games are meant to be fun. If using mods or Cheat Engine helps you have fun, then do it. Just be sure to play offline so you don’t get banned.

Get help online. Once you’ve tried everything, when you’re close to beating the boss but need just a little more, call in help. Get another player to join your world and draw the boss’s attention away from you. Just remember - every person you summon outside the fog increases the boss’s health and damage reduction.

Take breaks. After a certain point, your concentration will begin to slip. You’ll make more mistakes. Set down the controller and come back tomorrow, fresh. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll perform.