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While game developer FromSoftware's 2022 blockbuster release Elden Ring provides plenty of challenges for its player base via the plethora of quality boss fights scattered across the Lands Between, veteran fans of the developer are keenly aware that these enemies are far from the game's only threats. In addition to dangerous platforming, invading players, and the aforementioned boss fights, each region is dotted with hostile NPCs.
NPCs are enemies that can be found outside boss areas and they pose serious danger, with some standing out as comparable challenges to the hardest boss fights in the game. Despite lacking as much build-up as shardbearers and other major bosses in the game, these enemies prove that Radahn, Maliketh, and the other Demigods aren't the only characters who can raise players' heartbeats.
10 Gurranq Is A Sign Of Things To Come
Found in Northern Caelid's Bestial Sanctum, Gurranq is an intimidating Beast Clergyman whose questline revolves around being fed the various Deathroots found by the Tarnished throughout the Lands Between. After he is fed four of these items, Gurranq becomes hostile, showcasing combat techniques that are surprisingly agile and requiring that the player lower his health to a certain percentage before turning passive again.
Gurranq returns as a boss, albeit under a different name and featuring a significantly different second phase, much later in Elden Ring; however, he does not disappear from his original location after being defeated in his separate boss battle, making his questline a bit more accessible for completionists. As a side note, killing Gurranq inside the Bestial Sanctum will terminate his questline, so players should be cautious of any undesired conflict.
9 Knight Bernahl Proves Why He Is Called Warmaster
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Knight Bernahl plays a big role in the Volcano Manor storyline later in Elden Ring's narrative, but he can immediately be encountered at the Warmaster's Shack location in Northern Limgrave and presents a dangerous challenge for those adopting an attack-first, ask-questions-later strategy.
Equipped with a Zweihander, which he trades for the Devourer's Scepter after relocating, and a sacred seal, Bernahl's difficulty surpasses that of most of his Limgrave peers. Although Elden Ring players aren't restricted from attacking Bernahl at any point, his later questline yields some of the game's better rewards.
8 White Mask Varre Is A Bloody Nightmare
White Mask Varre is likely to be the very first NPC that the Tarnished encounters on their journey. Positioned just outside Elden Ring's starting location, this former field surgeon preys on fresh Tarnished, recruiting them to his cause and enlisting them into the service of Mohg, Lord of Blood.
Should the player choose to fight White Mask Varre at first sight or later on in the natural conclusion of his questline, they should be prepared for both his melee weapon and incantations to deal out serious bleed damage.
7 The Dung Eater Is A Deadly Threat To The Tarnished
One of the most reviled characters in the Lands Between, the Dung Eater is a ghastly individual who is appropriately confined in a cell, separated from the outside world deep under the capital of Leyndell.
A serial killer hell-bent on spreading his seed curse throughout the world, it should come as no surprise to the Elden Ring community that this enemy poses a deadly threat upon entering combat. For players who are not role-playing as an accomplice to the Dung Eater, be prepared to avoid swings from his Sword of Milos, a weapon fashioned from the spine of a giant and capable of delivering surprisingly heavy combos in quick succession.
6 Fighting Blaidd Hurts The Heart & The Body
For the majority of the Elden Ring community, Blaidd is one of the more helpful and friendly companions that the Tarnished encounter during their journey to become Elden Lord. He appears repeatedly across the Lands Between, helps the Tarnished multiple times in difficult boss fights, and loyally serves Ranni the Witch alongside the player, should they choose that route.
Unfortunately, followers of the Ranni questline will eventually have to face off against Blaidd regardless of their stance on the NPC, so all players need to be prepared for his combat prowess. The shadow of the icy Demigod herself, this wolf-man is quite friendly if passive, but when attacked he transforms into a ferocious opponent with a colossal weapon capable of dealing enough damage to make any player think twice.
5 Witch-Hunter Jerren Is An Appropriate Herald For A Festival Of Combat
Most Elden Ring players are familiar with Jerren for his role as herald during the Radahn Festival. However, the witch-hunter has a smaller questline that eventually gives him a chance to show why he strikes fear in the hearts of witches across Caelid. Seemingly a former associate of the Carian Royal family, Jerren hasn't lost a step in the time that he has been waiting for the defeat of General Radahn.
Since many Elden Ring players only encounter Jerren at Redmane Castle in an area in which he cannot be attacked, they are likely unaware of the fierce move-set that he utilizes later in the game. His inevitable conflict with Sorceress Sellen thrusts him into the limelight where his sword mastery and skill with Carian sorcery are finally put on display.
4 Ensha Attacks The Tarnished When & Where They Least Expect It
Little is known about Ensha, other than the fact that he is the subservient henchman of Gideon Ofnir. Sporting the Royal Remains armor, Ensha effectively serves as interior decoration for the Roundtable Hold until his attack on the player later in Elden Ring.
After obtaining either half of the Haligtree Secret Medallion, the player will be invaded the next time that they visit the Roundtable Hold by none other than Ensha himself, receiving a solid armor set and weapon upon his defeat. While this battle isn't near the most difficult in Elden Ring, Ensha is no pushover, and the surprise of the moment alone is enough to overwhelm lower-level characters.
3 Millicent & Her Sisters Are Mini Malenias
Another NPC consistent with Elden Ring's trend of mysterious backstories, Millicent expresses that she is related to the undefeated Goddess of Rot, Malenia, in some unknown capacity. Millicent, along with her four sisters were raised in Caelid to become Scarlet Valkyries: new, pseudo-demigods of the Rot.
Millicent is certainly no Malenia, but that doesn't discount her difficulty as an opponent. Although her invasion in Caelid isn't particularly hard to handle, the player's invasion of her world takes place at the end of her questline when she is scaled to match her environment, which just so happens to be a lake of Scarlet Rot.
2 Gideon Ofnir Demonstrates The Depth Of His Knowledge
Throughout the majority of Elden Ring, Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, assists the player, providing them exposition about the various demigods they might face. However, his morality slowly becomes more ambiguous over the course of Elden Ring's narrative until he finally solidifies his misguided nature by attacking the Tarnished just before their ascension to the Elden Throne.
The All-Knowing wastes no time in his fight against the Tarnished, demonstrating his breadth of knowledge by launching wave after wave of some of the strongest spells available in Elden Ring. Unfortunately for the Tarnished, this conflict immediately precedes the player's encounter with the first Elden Lord Godfrey, so they should be ready to have their endurance put to the test.
1 Preceptor Miriam Maximizes Her Environmental Advantages
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There are lots of enemies in Elden Ring that would make for difficult fights regardless of their environment. While Preceptor Miriam herself isn't overwhelmingly strong, she is able to stake her rightful claim as one of the more difficult enemies in Elden Ring thanks to the location and manner with which she attacks the player.
Found in Eastern Liurnia, the staunch servant of the Carian Royal family defends the Carian Study Hall from any player seeking entrance. For those who struggle with the fight, things only get worse, as the Tarnished must defeat Preceptor Miriam on two separate occasions: the first time upon entering the Carian Study Hall and the second after using the Carian Inverted Statue in the same area.