Despite going open world,Elden Ringstill gives priority to theSoulsgame tradition of grand and operatic boss fights. And when it comes to boss fights in mostSoulsgames, includingElden Ring, there’s usually a winning recipe: a gigantic or beautiful boss, pain and suffering, a choir that chants in nonsense (or in Latin), and of course, the boss’s musical theme.
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The last ingredient binds the atmosphere together. Without thatElden Ringboss theme, there won’t be much color left in the player’s psyche other than rage and frustration. At times, all the negative energy can be washed away by the elegant or soul-searing boss music, and these original pieces prove that; they let players die withgraceover and over again.
10Erdtree Knights Theme
The Tree Sentinel boss was an important element inElden Ring’s open-world design philosophy. Because he was one of the game’s first teachers, imparting the important lesson to players that they are weak,maidenless fodderand that they should come back later.
If the huge hulking golden knight guy wasn’t enough as a warning, then the Erdtree Knights boss theme surely would drive the point. The whole themestarts off loud and alarming, often making players panic. That’s when they know they made a mistake - through an aggressive choir chant.
9Godrick the Grafted Theme
Godrick the Grafted was likely the first main boss that players had to slay for some game-changing Runes; sure enough, his introduction was nothing short of spectacular. His boss theme wasas messy but as regal as he is, often combining several low and high-pitched choir voices with percussions, strings, and brass instruments.
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To that end, the music theme fit Godrick’s design philosophy of grafting warriors onto him in an attempt to make a feeble man into a semi-competent abomination. The music, along with Godrick’s mechanics, makes it difficult to keep track of just one thing in the boss fight as players' senses are assaulted on all fronts, struck by sheer awe and disgust.
8Lichdragon Fortissax Theme
There’s a somber undertone to Lichdragon Fortissax’s musical theme, and that’s due to the boss’s accompanying lore. He was once amighty and righteousdragon who was unfortunately corrupted by Death in an attempt to save his friend.
And while the said boss theme is brimming with the grandeur one can expect from a deathmatch with a dragon; it alsosounded a bit like a funeral. If players listen closely, they might even hear something like a church organ as one of the instruments. Thus, the boss theme implies some bits of Fortissax’s lore, which is quite impressive.
7Starscourge Radahn Theme
For a revered and venerable general, Starscrourge Radahn’s boss theme starts off rather slow. It then builds into a crescendo of brass instruments as players rush at Radahn along with their NPC companions, charging blindly into certain death. The piece was a clever accompaniment to the boss fight.
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By the second half of the theme, the music drops hard; this is the point when Radahn inelegantly turns into a meteor and crashes down the whole arena in a spectacle of absurdity. By the time he’s nearing his death, the musiccalms down gradually from a war march into an honorable commemorationof the general’s greatness.
6Mohg, Lord of Blood Theme
Throughout the boss fight, Mohg’s theme kept reinforcing the whole air with bouts of oppressiveness and hopelessness; players were expected to fight thetroublesome OmenDemigod boss on his own homecourt while he relentlessly inflicts unfair damage.
If the high damage wasn’t oppressive enough already, then the life steal while counting in Latin will certainly break some straws. Themusical parallelsbetween this theme andMozart’s Requiem - Dies Iraeare quite poetic because, like the boss fight, it implies impending doom and god’s judgment.
5Malenia, Blade of Miquella Theme
A fight on a bed of flowers against a paraplegic samurai maiden with space rabies deserves something more tender yet deadly than the usual aggressive chants and brass bellows. Fitting enough, the most noticeable instrument in this piece is thesad string.
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The chants are softer and more tragic. After all, the players are fighting someone who sacrificed herself to gain power, even if it meant losing herself in the process. One could simply put this music over a time-lapsed life cycle ofa flower from bloom to rot,and it would still be a perfect complement.
4Godskin Apostles Theme
There’s somethinghauntingabout the Godskin Apostles theme. The bosses they’re made for areblasphemous heathenswho steal literal skinsfrom demigodsand other powerful beings to symbolize and enforce the power of Death in the Lands Between.
As such, their music reflects their outlook and ideals in life. These are still men of the cloth who serve a more unforgiving god. And now that chaos is ensuing in the Lands Between; they’re free to enact their twisted beliefs once again, be it flaying people and wearing their skins, or killing demigods.
3Regal Ancestral Spirit Theme
Unlike most of the other boss themes inElden Ring, the Regal Ancestral Spirit music was softer and more somber. This made the boss fight a duel between a guardian who was forced to fight and a reluctant warrior. It was not meant to be glorious, for players were murdering an honorable spirit.
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The music does justice to that dynamic between the players and the boss. It also helped that the Regal Ancestral Spirit was an easy battle. As mentioned above, it wasn’t a fight; it was playersagonizing over killing a wounded deer, and the boss theme conveys that more than well.
2Godfrey, First Elden Lord Theme
By contrast to the Regal Ancestral Spirit, Godfrey’s theme was bombastic and awe-inspiring. He was the first Elden Lord, after all, and players were merely lucky to be granted an audience with him, much less to fight him. Naturally, Godfrey’s boss theme was the most regal one inElden Ring.
Itstarts strong and loud and doesn’t let up with the pressure, just like its accompanying boss. As soon as he took off his figurative chains, Godfrey’s theme became more desperate and primal, with louder percussions and more fury as he mangles the players with his bare hands.
1The Final Battle
Turns out players don’t even need to get to the final boss orfinal areaif they want to hear the best boss music in the game. They get a sample of The Final Battle on the main menu as soon as they open up theElden Ring. Coincidentally, it’s also Radagon’s theme.
The piece was anepic send-offfor the player’s efforts toward their ascension into godhood (or regicide). Radagon’s reveal, along with the triumphant brass instruments, would make any player unsure whether the boss music was for them or their enemy. Shouting wasn’t just allowed thanks to this boss music, it was also encouraged.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
