Elden Ring Spoilers Ahead
It is in the very nature of the Soulslike genre that boss fights will be a matter of hot debate, as their inherent difficulty can be complicated by specific character builds, specific player skills or habits, and many other issues, but overcoming those challenges is often the sweet part of any victory. Anyone who played Elden Ring at launch may recall watching as the community, day by day, tackled all of its bosses from Margit in Limgrave to the daunting Elden Beast contained within the Erdtree. Typically, the “honorific” of worst boss in any game is widely debated, but interestingly, that’s not the case for Elden Ring.
In general, it’s also worth noting that Elden Ring‘s open-world design makes it one of the easiest Soulslike games on the market (not to say that it’s easy or that easy is a bad thing). Unlike other linear Soulslike games, including some of FromSoftware’s, Elden Ring players can leave an area if they feel unprepared and pursue new gear, grind levels, and return confidently more easily than other games. Despite everything players can do to master the game throughout the main campaign and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, however, very little of that matters when they come face to face with the worst boss in Elden Ring: Promised Consort Radahn (PCR).
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Promised Consort Radahn is a Broken Soulslike Boss
Now, it’s worth mentioning that the appeal of a good Soulslike game is in overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds in combat, but such a sensation walks a fine line between fair and unfair. And it seems many Elden Ring players, to this day, feel that Promised Consort Radahn leans heavily toward the unfair side. Promised Consort Radahn was more difficult in pre-release copies of the DLC (made available to media for review); this is a post-nerf PCR, which is a daunting consideration.
Recently, Reddit user tieuhan took to the Elden Ring subreddit to vent common complaints against PCR: how they were stuck for a week, how they had to change their Elden Ring build three times, how PCR’s four-slash AOE is ridiculous, and how they had to study his move set like a test. Continuing, tieuhan added, “I’ve read many posts here and it feels like everyone is the same as me — the DLC is unfair, and even after beating it, there’s not much joy. It seems like no one is truly happy when they win; they scream after defeating the boss not because they’ve overcome a great challenge, but maybe out of relief for finally escaping the suffering.”
Many Redditors were quick to agree with tieuhan. User workshop_prompts notes a video they can recall that highlights PCR’s biggest flaw compared to other FromSoftware bosses, especially Elden Ring‘s best bosses: “[H]e feels like he’s just spewing out randomly generated attacks, irrespective of what you do or don’t do. It doesn’t feel like an interactive dance like the best FromSoft bosses.” Redditor Metanoies also chimed in to agree with tieuhan after also recently beating Prime Consort Radahn. Breaking it down further, they explained that Phase 1 of PCR’s boss battle is challenging and fair, aside from the three-hit cross slash, but that Phase 2 is where it gets truly ridiculous and unfair.
Many users, including tieuhan and Metanoies, were quick to compare PCR to Elden Ring‘s Malenia boss battle. Malenia, as difficult as she was, felt intentional with her difficulty and Waterfowl dance. PCR feels like spam made manifest. And ultimately, it’s the constant squeeze of PCR that has earned him the moniker of worst boss in Elden Ring—not because of his difficulty, but because of how his difficulty falls off the tightrope walk between fair and unfair in Soulslike game design.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Promised Consort Radahn Was Destined to be the Worst Elden Ring Boss
Promised Consort Radahn is the final story boss of Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and players knew this meant he would be difficult. By nature, a Soulslike game DLC has to spike the difficulty because players will have acquired all the base game loot they need for powerful builds and knocked down every challenge in the game at least once (likely anyway, by the time of the DLC’s release). DLC Bosses tend to be stronger than base game bosses, with Bloodborne‘s Orphan of Kos being a prime example at the end of The Old Hunters.
The Orphan of Kos clears any base game Bloodborne boss and is much more difficult than any of them, but it does not feel unfair. Perhaps the need for a higher difficulty to top what the base game of Elden Ring had to offer pushed PCR into unfair territory, but until FromSoftware breaks it down itself, the world may never know.
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The Worst Elden Ring Boss Primes Future FromSoftware and Soulslike Bosses
That’s why the conversation that still surrounds this Elden Ring boss is so important: it ultimately highlights the important and inherent tension within the Soulslike genre and how both are interpreted by the fanbase. Difficulty alone has never been the defining trait of FromSoftware’s best encounters, but how, through learning, clarity, rhythm, tension mastery, and player agency, do they rise above these challenges. When players feel that success is earned through learning and mastery, even the harshest defeats can feel motivating. Promised Consort Radahn is deflating instead, with that feedback loop replacing satisfaction with frustration.
Promised Consort Radahn is rightfully a lightning rod for discussion on difficulty in Soulslike games. In some ways, he’s what everyone who refuses to play the genre imagines of every Soulslike boss: difficulty for difficulty’s sake, as opposed to the ultimate test of endurance and adaptability. He crosses a line that previous bosses, no matter how punishing, deftly avoided, and he is a failure of balance in a genre defined by fine balances. In the end, Promised Consort Radahn may not just be remembered as the worst boss in Elden Ring, but as a case study in how delicate that balance truly is.
- Released
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June 21, 2024
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
