10 Optional Bosses Harder Than The Final Boss
1. Malenia - Elden Ring
Compared to other FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring is an overall improvement in every aspect. Its open world is more expansive, its combat more advanced, and its final two bosses, Ragadon and the Elden Beast, are much harder than their counterparts from Dark Souls.
However, for some reason, Ragadon and the Beast aren't considered the hardest bosses in Elden Ring. That title belongs to Malenia, who the fans almost unanimously agree is the most challenging boss in the game, despite being an entirely optional fight.
Now why is that? Well, the difficulty of the fight with Ragadon and the Beast comes from its length. Their attack patterns are pretty straightforward; it's just that the player needs to endure them for a long time. Malenia, on the other hand, can be beaten significantly faster but has plenty of annoying mechanics, mainly the ability to heal herself through blocked attacks.
Just a few wrong moves on the player's part, and Malenia can recover most of her health, bringing the fight back to square one, except the player has already exhausted most of their health and supplies.
Who needs healing flasks when you can just scrape HP off your opponent's shield?