Elden Ring reveals hardest boss, common deaths, and best spells

The hardest boss in Elden Ring is a race between the first and final major enemies.

During Elden Ring’s one-year anniversary, most fans understandably had their eyes on the exciting upcoming DLC likely centered around Miquella. However, publisher Bandai Namco also silently revealed some very interesting stats about players’ journeys in the Lands Between. A new infographic shows just how difficult many of the game’s bosses are, as well other interesting tidbits like the most common cause of death and most popular spells. 

For deaths, the leading cause of respawning at a Site of Grace is, unsurprisingly, enemies. Bandai Namco reports that 69% of all deaths were caused by overworld and dungeon foes, including boss fights. A staggering 14% of deaths were caused by falling, with similar numbers for status effects. Deaths in PvP account for just 2% of deaths.

As for the most popular spells, the top sorcery was Rock Sling, followed by Crystal Torrent. Glintstone Pebble takes a respectable third place, being the first spell acquired by Astrologer players. The incantations section of the graph only tracked which ones were acquired, with Blessing of the Erdtree as the obvious top place. Bestial Sling and Golden Vow fall in at second and third, respectively.

Stats prove that Malenia is the hardest Elden Ring boss

Malenia is statistically the hardest boss in Elden Ring, with more than 329 million attempts to defeat her worldwide.

Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is difficult to beat. As the game’s secret boss, she’s meant to provide the ultimate challenge for players who have conquered everything. 329 million attempts are made even more impressive by the fact that it only accounts for players who actually reached her. Earlier bosses that nearly everyone faces still can’t match up.

Speaking of which, the next two most-contested bosses are fun to learn. Margit the Fell Omen, widely considered the first major boss, took on 281 million Tarnished since the game’s launch. Number three is none other than the Tree Sentinel, the very first enemy most players will spot after the tutorial. The gut-check boss has humbled 277 million players, making it the third-toughest challenge by the number of attempts.