FromSoftware has a reputation of releasing downloadable content for their dark fantasy action RPGs, and odds are good it'll release an expansion for its latest game, Elden Ring. The setting of Elden Ring is full of dramatic lore, secrets, and enigmatic characters that would make for epic boss encounters. The following side characters in particular would be terrifying and exhilarating foes to face in a hypothetical Elden Ring DLC.
From a certain perspective, the gameplay and narrative of Elden Ring is merely the final chapters of a far longer and epic history the player only glimpses in fragments. Long before the player's Tarnished character returns to the Lands Between in search of the Elden Ring, mythical heroes and monsters left their mark on the world. Ancient dragons ruled the skies with crimson lightning, a mysterious gloam-eyed queen and her servants hunted gods with black flame, Elden Ring's Queen Marika and Godfrey carved out a new dynasty with blade and golden power, General Radahn halted the stars in the sky, and the twins Malenia and Miquella grew a brand-new world tree that creatures of all shapes and sizes could call home.
The game world of Elden Ring is rich in detail, diverse in environment, and positively teeming with enemies of different origins and affiliations. At the same time, there are many unsolved mysteries in the simulated expanse of the Lands Between along with world-defining characters the player can only glimpse through rumor, statuary, and item descriptions. These unseen titans of Elden Ring's lore and backstory would make for excellent DLC bosses - particularly if they could plausibly have a presence in the new region unlocked by the DLC.
Potential Elden Ring DLC Boss Fight - Miquella Of The Halligtree
In the base game of Elden Ring, players encounter the Demigod Miquella after defeating Mohg, Lord Of Blood at the very peak of his Mohgwyn Palace. Body concealed within a cocoon, a single scarred arm sticking out of the webbing, Miquella seems to be in middle of a metamorphosis, transforming from his youthful, golden-haired self into something new and strange. Currently, players can't interact with Miquella's cocoon, but many Elden Ring fans believe the game's upcoming DLC will be unlocked through an item that lets players wake Miquella inside his egg-like cocoon, or lets them dive into his memories.
Though Miquella never speaks or interacts with players in Elden Ring's main game, it's possible to construct a hypothetical Miquella boss fight scenario simply through examining his in-game lore. According to certain item descriptions, Miquella was a master of Golden Order Fundamentalism, and would likely wield incantations such as Triple Rings Of Light or Radagon's Rings Of Light in a boss fight. Miquella, like his sister Malenia, was an Empyrean - a being capable of becoming a vessel for an Outer God's power - but also created Unalloyed Gold Needles capable or cutting people off from the influence of said Gods (like the one used in Elden Ring to help Millicent fight the Scarlet Rot). If players did wind up fighting a Miquella possessed by an Outer God like the Formless Mother, they might be able to end the fight by stabbing Miquella with one of his own Unalloyed Gold Needles, freeing him from the influenced of the possessing deity. According to the description for the Bewitching Branch item, Miquella was also supernaturally charismatic and inspired fanatical loyalty in this subjects; this lore detail could be the basis for a boss fight where Miquella summons waves of faithful servants to defend himself.
Potential Elden Ring DLC Boss Fight - The Gloam-Eyed Queen
The clothing, weapons, and incantations of the Godskin Apostles enemies - the former providing the means for Elden Ring players to turn into Leatherface - bear terrifying descriptions of their ruthless god-hunts, their grotesque practice of crafting garment from the hides of their victims, and the lethal Black Flame they once used to burn divinities to death. Many of these item descriptions also mention a Gloam-Eyed Queen, an ancient being who was the ruler - or even progenitor - of the Godskin Apostles and Nobles. According to the Black Flame Ritual Incantation description, the Gloam-Eyed Queen was once an Empyrean chosen by the Two Fingers who served the Greater Will, while the Black Flame's Protection Incantation description suggests that the Godskin Apostles each received their Black Flame powers after receiving their Queen's embrace.
Certain essential Elden Ring item descriptions claim that the Gloam-Eyed Queen was at some point defeated by Queen Marika's servant Maliketh, who seized the Queen's power over Destined Death and bound it into his black blade. Theoretically, a DLC boss fight against the Gloam-Eyed Queen could come sometime after the player defeats Maliketh the Black Blade in Crumbling Farum Azula. With Maliketh slain and Destined Death unbound, the Gloam-Eyed Queen could recover from her ignominious defeat and utterly destroy players in a boss fight where she hurls black flames around with reckless abandon.
Potential Elden Ring DLC Boss Fight - A PvP Arena Battle
There are three giant, inaccessible arenas players can travel to in Elden Ring's open world - one in Limgrave, one in Caelid, and one in Leyndell, the Royal Capital. Each of these arenas bears a close resemblance to the Colosseum of Ancient Rome and are stylistically associated with gladiator-type enemies who wear serpentine adornments. Players can't access the interior of these arenas in the base Elden Ring game, but may be able to uses these arenas as PVP hubs when the next Elden Ring DLC comes out. A player versus player boss battle like the Old Monk fight from Demon's Souls would be particularly appropriate in such an arena setting, potentially invoking the bombastic spectacle of Roman gladiator matches, a sentiment already represented in Elden Ring's historically inspired armor sets, or letting players fight each other on horseback in the style of knightly jousts.
Potential Elden Ring DLC Boss Fight - Godwyn The Golden
Players of Elden Ring only catch a glimpse of Godwyn The Golden, the firstborn son of Godfrey and Marika, long after his murder during the Night of the Black Knives. Far below the surface of the Lands Between at the heart of the Deeproot Depths, the once-beautiful body of Godwyn has bloated and metastasized, sprouting a mermaid-style fish tail and tree roots adorned with pale eyes. Before becoming the Prince of Death, though, Godwyn the Golden was a fearsome but gallant Demigod who defeated ancient dragons such as Fortissax, won their friendship, and established a sanctioned Dragon Cult in Leyndell. Fia working for Elden Ring's Prince of Death is something of an extension of this cult. A boss fight against Godwyn in his prime (unlocked through time travel or diving into an ancient creature's memories) would be an epic duel on the level of the Nameless King fight from Dark Souls III, pitting Elden Ring players against a foe capable of wielding golden lightning and matching the raw strength of dragons.