Elden Ring Boss Order Guide: Best Level-Band Route Through The Lands Between
With Elden Ring featuring well over a hundred boss encounters—most of them optional—planning your route can make the difference between a smooth progression and constant over- or under-leveling. Here’s a practical boss order organized by level bands, including which fights are geared toward story progress and which extra bosses you can slot in for quest advancement, better loot, or achievement hunting.
Boss order by level: where to go and who to fight
In the first stretch of the game, from level 1 to 20, the advice is simple: don’t rush major bosses. Instead, spend your time strengthening your character and upgrading your weapons, then come back when your numbers make the fights feel fair. The early focus should be on exploration around Limgrave and a handful of smaller dungeon and open-world bosses. Recommended stops include the Demi-Humans’ chief (in the Coastal Cave), the Stone Coffin Troll (in the Limgrave Tunnels), the Beastman of Farum Azula (in the Ruinsway area), Patches (in the Deathtouched Catacombs), the Grave-keeper Duelist (in the Deathtouched Catacombs), and the Watchdog Golem (in the Highroad Cave). For an open-world option, the guide points you toward Tibia-Seer as a worthwhile early target.
Even if you spot the Tree Sentinel early, the same route advice says to avoid fighting it before around level 30. A similar warning is given for Dragon Agheel: don’t treat it like a starter boss.
Once you’re around level 20 to 40, you can start tackling the key progression fights more confidently. If Margit still feels out of reach, the route suggests heading to the southern Peninsula of Tears. It also recommends a brief Caelid detour for the Moonveil Katana. At this stage, the core recommendation narrows to the main bosses that move the story forward, alongside several other notable encounters that provide valuable rewards and useful combat practice.
For main bosses in this bracket, the listed order is Margit, the Fell Omen in Stormveil Castle, followed by Godrick the Grafted in the same location. Additional important bosses you can add during this phase include Magma Wyrm Makar (in Caelid’s Gaol Cave), the Dark Rider (at Night in the open world on the Weeping Peninsula), Lionhearted?—the guide lists “Lionhearted” as the boss in Stormveil? Specifically: Lionhearted? Scheusal (Weeping Peninsula – Castle Morne), Bloodhound Knight Darriwil (Limgrave – Bloodhound’s? ever: “Singing? ”; the text names “Bloodhound’s? ” as “Siegelgefängnis des Bluthundes,” i.e., Bloodhound’s? Evergoal/Seal), and Avatar of the Erdtree (Lower Erdtree).
From level 40 to 60, the suggested region focus shifts to Liurnia and its sub-areas, especially the Academy of Raya Lucaria and Caria Manor. While you can still clear other dungeons and open-world targets, the priority list keeps the attention on the biggest story-relevant boss fights and a few especially important extras. In this band, the main progression fights are Red Wolf of Radagon at the Academy of Raya Lucaria, then Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon at the same academy.
After those, the guide highlights additional bosses worth taking on around this time: Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree?—the text names “Königliche Ritterin Loretta” in Caria Manor, the Erdtree Avatar in Limgrave’s open world (the guide lists “Baumwächter” as that encounter), and Avatar of the Erdtree at the Lower Erdtree.
Level 60 to 70 is where the route moves you into Caelid and the underground spaces of the Lands Between, specifically Ainsel and Siofra. For the main boss in this bracket, the order is Starscourge Radahn in Caelid’s Redmane Castle. If you’re looking for more to fill out the progression, the guide adds several additional targets: an Ancestral Spirit in Siofra, Commander O’Neil in Caelid’s open world, the Nox Swordstress & Nox Monk in Caelid at Sellia (City of Sorcery), and the Putrid Tree Spirit in Caelid’s Catacombs of the Warped.
Between levels 70 and 100, the world opens up more than ever, and the route recommends focusing on key regions that match that freedom: Altus Plateau, the Eternal Cities of Nokron and Nokstella, the Fæul?—the text lists “Fäulnisssee” (the Lake of Rot), the depths of Deeproot Depths, Mt. Gelmir, and Volcano Manor. For main bosses here, the list starts with Magma Wyrm Makar near the Cliffs Ruins in Liurnia, then continues with an Erd? noble sequence in Gelmir’s Volcano Manor: Noble of the Godskin?—the text names “Adliger der Götterskalpe” as the next major fight, followed by Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy in the same location.
Also included as important additional bosses in this band are Mimic Tear in Nokron (the Eternal City), Regal Ancestral Spirit in Nokron, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void after the Lake of Rot at the Grand Cloister, Ancient Dragon Lansseax in the Altus Plateau open world, Godfrey, the Grafted?—the guide names “Godefroy, der Verpflanzte” in the Altus Plateau’s Leyndell? region as “Siegelgefängnis des goldenen Stammbaums” (the text’s “Golden Tree” sealed area), Elemer of the Briar? in Altus Plateau at the Shaded Castle, plus Fia’s Champions and Lichdragon Fortissax in Deeproot Depths.
At level 100 to 120, the route treats this as the slow transition into the endgame. The guidance moves you toward Leyndell and its Underground?—the guide calls it the “Unterirdisches Reservat der Scham” (the Underground Shunning Grounds). After that, it pushes the sequence toward the Mountaintops of the Giants and the Consecrated Snowfield. The main boss order provided for this phase is the Dragonbarrow Watchdog in Altus Plateau before the side entrance to the capital, then Godfrey, First Elden Lord in Leyndell, followed by Morgott, the Omen King in Leyndell, and finally the Fire Giant on the Mountaintops of the Giants.
The guide also explicitly names Mohg, Lord of Blood as an additional important boss during this segment, located in the Underground Shunning Grounds.
From level 120 onward, the route declares you fully in endgame territory. It then lists the final major bosses plus additional optional main bosses across Mohgwyn Palace, Miquella’s Haligtree, Elphael, Crumbling Farum Azula, and the Ashen Capital. The core endgame order given is the Godskin Duo in Crumbling Farum Azula, Maliketh, the Black Blade (the text frames it as “Bestienkleriker / Maliketh, die Schwarze Klinge”) in Crumbling Farum Azula, Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing in Leyndell, Ashen Capital, then Godfrey, First Elden Lord / Hoarah Loux, the Warrior in the Ashen Capital, and Radagon of the Golden Order / Elden Beast in the Ashen Capital.
For additional important endgame bosses in this post-120 bracket, the guide calls out Mohg, the Blood Lord in Mohgwyn Palace, Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula, Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree in Miquella’s Haligtree, and Malenia, Blade of Miquella / Malenia, Goddess of Rot in Elphael at the Haligtree’s Brace.
If you follow this kind of level-based route, you’ll usually spend less time stuck on fights that are too early—and more time arriving at major bosses with the right tools. The guide also encourages players to reflect on which bosses felt most like under-leveling traps and which ones you overpowered too early.
