Years Later, Elden Ring Players Are Still Frustrated by the Worst Boss

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Elden Ring Spoilers Ahead

Boss battles are always a big talking point in Soulslike games. Their difficulty isn’t just about the boss itself – it depends on how players build their characters, their individual skills, and even their habits. But that struggle is often what makes winning so satisfying. When Elden Ring first came out, players spent days figuring out how to beat every boss, from Margit at the beginning to the challenging Elden Beast. Usually, there’s a lot of disagreement about which boss is the hardest in any game, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case with Elden Ring.

Okay, so as someone who’s played a lot of Soulslike games, I actually think Elden Ring is one of the more approachable ones. It’s not easy, don’t get me wrong, but the open world really helps. If you hit a wall, you can just… leave! Go explore somewhere else, level up, find better gear, and come back stronger. That’s a huge difference from other, more linear Soulslike games, even some of FromSoftware’s older titles. But honestly, all that preparation? All the grinding and upgrading? It barely matters when you finally face Radahn, the Promised Consort. He’s just… the worst boss in the whole game, hands down. Seriously, nothing really prepares you for that fight.

Promised Consort Radahn is a Broken Soulslike Boss

One of the best parts of a challenging “Souls-like” game is the feeling of triumph after a hard-fought battle. However, that feeling can easily turn to frustration if the difficulty feels unfair. Many Elden Ring players still believe the fight against Promised Consort Radahn is too difficult. It’s important to remember that this version of the boss is already weaker than it was in early versions given to reviewers, making its difficulty even more noteworthy.

A Reddit user named tieuhan recently shared frustrations about the Elden Ring DLC on the game’s subreddit. They explained how they were stuck for a week, had to completely rebuild their character multiple times, and found one particular enemy’s attacks overwhelming, requiring extensive study to overcome. Tieuhan also noted a common sentiment among players: the DLC feels unfair, and even after winning, there’s little satisfaction. Many players seem to celebrate finishing the boss fight more out of relief than genuine accomplishment, suggesting the challenge feels more frustrating than rewarding.

Many Reddit users agreed with a comment about the Prime Consort Radahn (PCR) boss fight. One user, workshop_prompts, remembered a video explaining that PCR’s attacks seem random and don’t feel connected to the player’s actions, unlike the more engaging fights against the best bosses in games like Elden Ring. Another user, Metanoies, also agreed, having recently defeated Radahn themselves. They pointed out that the first phase of the fight is challenging but fair, except for a specific attack, while the second phase feels overly difficult and unfair.

As a huge Elden Ring fan, I’ve been seeing a lot of people – like tieuhan and Metanoies – compare the Penance Crusher boss, PCR, to Malenia. Malenia was brutally hard, but it felt right, you know? Her difficulty, and especially that Waterfowl Dance, felt intentional. But PCR? It just feels like the game is spamming attacks at you. That’s why so many of us are calling him the worst boss in Elden Ring – not because he’s actually hard, but because his difficulty feels cheap. It doesn’t walk that fine line between challenging and unfair that we expect from a Soulslike game.

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Promised Consort Radahn Was Destined to be the Worst Elden Ring Boss

Radahn, the Promised Consort, is the ultimate boss in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring, and players expected a tough fight. DLC for Soulslike games like this always increases the difficulty because players will have already collected the best gear and mastered the original game. DLC bosses are generally more powerful than those in the main game – a good example is the Orphan of Kos at the end of Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters expansion.

The Orphan of Kos is harder than any regular boss in Bloodborne, but still feels manageable. It’s possible that Elden Ring‘s base game set a new standard for difficulty, leading Bloodborne: The Old Hunters to feel unbalanced. Unless FromSoftware addresses this, it’s hard to say for sure.

The Worst Elden Ring Boss Primes Future FromSoftware and Soulslike Bosses

The ongoing discussion about this Elden Ring boss is significant because it reveals the core conflict within the Soulslike genre and how fans experience it. FromSoftware’s best bosses aren’t just hard; they’re rewarding because players learn, adapt, and feel in control. Overcoming tough challenges feels good, even after failing repeatedly. However, Starscourge Radahn doesn’t create that positive cycle. Instead of feeling motivated, players are left frustrated because success doesn’t feel earned.

Starscourge Radahn is a frequent topic of discussion when it comes to challenging bosses in games like Elden Ring. Some players see him as representing everything they dislike about the genre – a boss who’s difficult just for the sake of being difficult, rather than testing skill and strategy. He goes further than other tough bosses in the series, creating an imbalance that feels unfair. Radahn might not only be the most frustrating boss in Elden Ring, but also a prime example of how carefully balanced these games need to be.

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2026-04-14 14:04