Elden Ring has many bosses to defeat in Limgrave, and while not all are essential to the story, players may want to take the chance to face these powerful enemies. Defeating bosses isn’t just about the pleasure in Elden Ring, as players can collect powerful items, advance quests, and earn thousands of runes to level up with. As the starting area, Limgrave is starting location where many players learn Elden Ring’s mechanics and master their skills. It’s also the home to many powerful enemies for players of all skill levels. Before venturing into Stormveil Castle, players should consider defeating some bosses located throughout Limgrave and its surrounding territories.
Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, with players controlling an undead, Graceless warrior called a Tarnished. After the Shattering left the Lands Between without a Queen or Elden Lord, the task of ruling falls to the resurrected Tarnished. As players traverse the open world to reclaim the Great Runes and become the next Elden Lord, they face many powerful enemies with unique movesets and countless defenses. Thankfully, the first area players explore features over a dozen boss fights to enjoy.
While players don’t need to defeat these bosses to complete the game, passing by each character makes the journey significantly more difficult. Battling all optional bosses isn’t necessary, but bypassing all of them will create more obstacles than usual. Leveling up and gathering powerful weapons and abilities is key to successfully beating Elden Ring, and optional bosses are essential for the player experience.
After exiting the Tutorial area in Elden Ring and exploring Limgrave, players can easily spot the Tree Sentinel making his rounds throughout the main road. While players can avoid the Tree Sentinel easily, it’s a challenging fight for players to take on when starting the game. However, once players obtain Torrent, Elden Ring’s faithful steed, they can face the Sentinel on even ground. His shield, long-range attacks, and area-of-effect abilities create a deadly challenge for even the most experienced riders, making this optional boss an excellent choice to return to later.
Unlike the Tree Sentinel, the Erdtree Burial Watchdog doesn’t come with a mount and is located underground. While it’s relatively close to the starting area, some players may miss the entrance to Stormfoot Catacombs that houses this stone guardian. After navigating one of Elden Ring's underground dungeons, players can unlock a heavy door that leads to the Erdtree Burial Watchdog’s boss arena. The battle takes place in a cramped area that forces players to use pillars as cover. The Watchdog’s attack set is diverse, but its health and defenses make it weak to many starting class weapons and attacks. After defeating this enemy, players receive a Noble Sorcerer Summon, giving them a valuable ally to call upon during future boss fights - at least until better options become available.
Players that choose a Sorcery starting class in Elden Ring may want to defeat the Mad Pumpkin Head as soon as they gain free reign in Limgrave. Located in the Waypoint Ruins beneath a raging flower, this melee-intensive boss blocks access from Sorceress Sellen, a vital teacher with several useful and powerful spells. Players are encouraged to use Elden Ring's helpful Spirit Summons to defeat this boss, as his massive, metal helmet blocks many incoming attacks. Additionally, the boss arena takes place in a cramped room and doesn’t give players many safe spaces to hang back and gauge their opponent’s attacks. Thankfully, Mad Pumpkin Head is an easier opponent than other bosses on this list and should only take a few tries for properly leveled Tarnished to defeat.
Side quests in Elden Ring can be somewhat confusing, as players aren’t always aware of where their goals are located and what to do. An exciting mission involves an NPC named Blaidd, who howls within the Mistwood Ruins to gain the player’s attention. Once Blaidd descends, he requests that Elden Ring's player character hunt down a knight named Darriwil for his dishonorable transgressions.
Bloodhound Knight Darriwil appears in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol and attacks with rapid swipes and Bleeding Damage. Thankfully, those who encounter Blaidd before taking Darriwil on can unlock the character’s summon during the fight. After defeating Darriwil, players receive the Bloodhound’s Fang Greatsword, a handy tool for players focusing on Strength builds. Additionally, defeating this optional boss unlocks the next step in Blaidd’s character quest, further enhancing Elden Ring’s story and player experience.
Elden Ring features many dragons battles across its expansive landscape. While humanoid and bestial enemies can be challenging enough, dragon battles are some of the toughest obstacles players can face. Elden Ring's Flying Dragon Agheel is located in the middle of Agheel Lake, by the Dragon Burnt Ruins, and can cause players significant trouble if they are unprepared. With flight, fire-breath, and devastating melee, bite, and tail attacks, it’s recommended that players stay on Torrent for as long as possible during this confrontation. Summons can help take the heat off the Tarnished long enough to deal some damage. While Agheel isn’t the most challenging boss in Elden Ring, his battle is a fair trial to see if players are ready for the challenges to come. Once Agheel is defeated, players gain access to a Dragon Heart that can be traded in at the Church of Dragon Communion to unlock Dracon Incantations. Players using Sorcery builds in Elden Ring should consider facing Agheel to unlock powerful new abilities.
Most players who’ve spent enough time in FromSoftware games may recognize Elden Ring’s Patches, a shifty merchant who regularly betrays the player character in self-survival and profit. The scoundrel wastes no time attacking players once they enter his hideout in Murkwater Cave and loot his chest. While Patches displays a boss health bar, players don’t have to defeat him in battle. After dealing enough damage, Patches collapses on the ground and grovels at the player’s feet, begging to be spared. If players spare him, Patches opens a store at his camp where he sells many valuable items like armor, weapons, and Smithing Stones. However, if players claim their revenge after dozens of betrayal attempts, players can still access his wares by bringing the Bell Bearing he drops to Roundtable Hold. Either way, players who take on Patches in Murkwater Cavern can unlock a helpful vendor in Elden Ring to better equip them for the journey ahead.
Other bosses in Limgrave that don’t offer the same lucrative rewards as those listed above include:
Like most FromSoftware games, bosses and fights in Elden Ring provide significant challenges for players of all skill levels. However, battling optional bosses yields essential rewards and enriches a Tarnished’s journey through the Lands Between. While some may be extremely difficult, the runes and rewards give players distinct advantages in overcoming obstacles. Elden Ring (and its many boss fights) is available now for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC systems.
