It’s typical for RPGs developed by FromSoftware to feature legendarily difficult bosses hidden far from the beaten path. The Nameless King, for instance, can only be encountered inDark Souls 3after using a specific emote in a certain location, andfacing off againstElden Ring’s Malenia,Blade of Miquella, requires the exploration of an entire legacy dungeon. The Elden Beast,Elden Ring’s show-stopping final boss, isn’t typically considered to be among FromSoftware’s rogue’s gallery of ultra-tough enemies, but one Redditor proved that even veterans need to keep their wits about them at all times during the two-part battle.
In a clip posted to theElden Ringsubreddit, user u/sciritai6 is seen on the brink of victory alongside their online cooperators. Unfortunately, just before dealing the final blow, the Elden Beast manages to grab all three players in a devastating attack that nearly annihilates everyone. Tragically, though the co-op players survived, the host was killed, meaning that the efforts of all three players were in vain.
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It’s true that u/sciritai6 was at roughly half health when they were grabbed, but this hideously-frustrating sequence serves to underline some issues fans have withElden Ring’s late game. Many argue thatElden Ring’s end-game bosses feel unbalanced, and part of the reason for that stems from the outrageous amounts of vigor required to tank more than two or three hits at a time. FromSoftware’s soulsborne series is renowned for its tough-but-fair nature, but some bosses are so adept at sapping the player’s health that success often feels more reliant on luck than skill.
What’s worse than narrowly losing a tough fight is that, while u/sciritai6 and their collaborators will have to re-challenge the boss, they’ll also have togo up against Radagon, a fearsome foe who directly precedes the Elden Beast. In fact, Radagon is arguably more difficult than the game’s true final boss; he’s been compared toBloodborne’s ever-punishing penultimate boss Gehrman, and the fight demands that players make use of every tool and trick available to them.
Ultimately, whileElden Ringis destined to go down as one of the greatest games of 2022, many feel that its final boss doesn’t reflect the high standards set by the rest of the experience. Even famed streamerDr. Disrespect criticizedElden Ring’s final challengeafter beating the game, and it goes to show that even games as meticulously crafted as FromSoftware’s latest effort suffer from at least a few failings.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
