Elden Ring spoilers ahead
It's in the very nature of the Soulslike genre that boss fights will be hotly debated, as their inherent difficulty can be complicated by specific characters, specific player skills or habits, and many other issues, but overcoming these challenges is often the sweet part of any victory. Everyone who played Elden Ring at launch, he can recall how the community has battled day after day with all of their bosses from Margit in Limgrave to the daunting Elden Beast contained in Erdtree. The “honesty” of the worst boss in any game is usually widely debated, but interestingly, that's not the case Elden Ring.
Also worth noting in general Elden RingThe open world design makes it one of the easiest Soulslike games on the market (I'm not saying it's easy or that easy is bad). Unlike other linear Soulslike games, including some FromSoftware, Elden Ring players can leave an area if they don't feel ready and go for new gear, grind levels and come back for sure easier than other games. However, despite everything players can do to master the game during the main campaign and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, it doesn't matter 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 noting that the appeal of a good Soulslike game lies in overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds in combat, but such sensationalism walks a fine line between fair and unfair. And it seems a lot Elden Ring players to this day feel that the Promised Consort Radahn leans heavily on the unfair side. Promised Consort Radahn was more difficult in DLC advance copies (made available to the media for review); this is a post-nerf PCR, which is a daunting consideration.
Recently, Reddit user tieuhan decided to Elden Ring subreddit to vent common complaints against PCR: how they got stuck for a week, how they had to change theirs Elden Ring build three times how ridiculous four slash AOE is and how they had to study his moveset as a test. Tieuhan continued: “I've read a lot of posts here and I feel like they're all the same as me – the DLC is unfair and there's not much joy even after beating it. No one seems really happy when they win; they scream after defeating a boss not because they've overcome a big challenge, but maybe out of relief to finally escape the ordeal.”
Many redditors were quick to agree with tieuhan. User workshop_prompts notes a video he remembers that highlights PCR's biggest mistake compared to other FromSoftware bosses, especially Elden Ringbest bosses: “[H]It feels like it just spits out randomly generated attacks, regardless of what you do or don't do. It doesn't feel like an interactive dance like FromSoft's best bosses.” Redditor Metanoies also chimed in to agree with tieuhan after recently defeating the main hubby Radahn. Elaborating further, they explained that Phase 1 of the PCR boss battle is challenging and fair, aside from the three-hit cross slash, but that Phase 2 is truly ridiculous and unforgiving.
Many users, including tieuhan and Metanoies, were quick to compare PCR Elden RingMalenius boss battle. Difficult as she was, Malenia felt her troubles and the dance of the waterfowl deliberate. PCR feels like it's spamming. And finally, it is the constant squeezing of PCR that earned him the nickname of the worst boss in the world Elden Ring– not because of its difficulty, but because of how its difficulty falls on the tightrope between fair and unfair in Soulslike game design.
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Promised husband Radahn was destined to become the worst Elden Ring Boss
Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss of the story Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and players knew it was going to be difficult for him. Naturally, Soulslike's DLC has to increase the difficulty, as players get all the base game loot they need for powerful builds and beat every challenge in the game at least once (probably until the DLC is released anyway). DLC bosses tend to be stronger than base game bosses BloodyOrphan of Kos is a prime example at the end of Old Hunters.
Orphan of Kos wipes out any base game Bloody boss and is much more difficult than either of them, but I don't think it's unfair. Maybe a higher difficulty is needed to make it beat the base game Elden Ring had to offer pushed PCR into unfair territory, but until FromSoftware breaks it themselves, the world may never know.
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The worst Elden Ring Boss is preparing the future of FromSoftware and Soulslike bosses
Hence the conversation that still surrounds it Elden Ring boss is so important: it ultimately highlights an important and inherent tension within the Soulslike genre and how both are interpreted by the fanbase. Difficulty itself has never been the defining feature of FromSoftware's best encounters, but how learning, clarity, rhythm, handling tension, and the player's agenda rise above these challenges. When players feel that success is earned through learning and mastery, even the harshest defeats can be motivating. Promised Consort Radahn deflates instead, this feedback loop replacing satisfaction with frustration.
Promised Consort Radahn is rightfully a lightning rod for discussion of difficulty in Soulslike games. In some ways, it's what anyone who refuses to play the genre imagines about every Soulslike boss: difficulty for difficulty's sake, as opposed to the ultimate test of endurance and adaptability. It crosses a line that previous bosses, no matter how punishing, deftly avoided, and is a lack of balance in a genre defined by delicate balances. After all, Radahn's promised husband may not be remembered as just the worst boss in the game Elden Ringbut as a case study in how delicate that balance really is.
- Released
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June 21, 2024
- ESRB
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M Mature 17+ due to blood and gore, language, obscene themes, violence
- Multiplayer
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Online co-op, online multiplayer
