We’ve put together a list of the top bosses in Elderand.
Elderand was the first time that Metroidvania felt so scary. The game is a scary side-scrolling RPG where you play as a hunter who has to find out about apocalyptic secrets and defeat evil enemies in a huge maze full of stomach-churning bugs and magical, electric snakes.
Whether you’re playing Elderand for the challenge, the story, or just because the dark, pixelated world is so darn pretty, you’ll enjoy the boss battles the most. They don’t happen very often, but they’re always satisfying to finish. Master your weapons, agility, and magic as you make your way through the twists and turns of Elderand in search of your next big battle. It might take more than one try to get rid of the people in charge of this realm, but if you stick around until the end, the peaceful people who live there will always be grateful to you.
Shakna: The Gargantuan Spider
Deep in the damp, dark, spider-webbed caverns of Delinquent’s Breach, you’ll get your first taste of Elderand’s punishing “you probably should have practiced the controls more before you entered this room” style, especially if you’re new to the Metroidvania style of side-scrolling RPGs.
Shakna is the boss of the game. She is a huge spider that moves very quickly and does a lot of damage if you let her get too close. Try using your jumping dodge to keep her at arm’s length while you hit her with a mix of well-timed ranged and close-range attacks. You can also put on a shield to take some damage while you move closer to your target.
Rok’naar: The Floating Boulder
Hope you did your geology homework, because the floating boulder monster that lives in the Forest of the Exhausted will keep you on your toes with its wide range of hard-hitting, mana-infused stones. Rok’naar isn’t very fast, but it makes up for it in health. Before you charge into battle, make sure you have a couple of your own healing potions that make you live longer.
Since Rok’naar spends most of the fight in the air, it might be hard to win this fight with just a bow or a staff. If you don’t know how to jump attacks, you’ll have to spend a long time dodging everything Rok’naar drops from above until it floats into your view.
Black Virtue: The Angel Of Death
From her perch on her vampire throne in Ark-Sharrak, the Sanctuary of the Tyrant Hope, this laughing Amon follower with wings seems more than happy to end your good adventure quickly. And yes, Black Virtue can be dangerous if you aren’t ready to run, jump, and doge across her Lovecraftian chambers.
You should have learned double jump by the time you face her, so use it to avoid her fast charge attacks and get behind her for an advantage. If you use a melee weapon at the right time, you can do long combo chains that drain her health and wear her down quickly.
Erik Zan: The Grub King
Erik Zan is the possibly creepiest boss in a game with a lot of creepy bosses. He is less of a person than he is a vessel for the army of bugs he uses to do his work. Erik will take a lot of damage before he dies. He will be hanging from the ceiling of a blood-filled dungeon somewhere in the Sanctuary of the First.
You have to cut or shoot your way through grubs crawling across the floor and mosquitos buzzing in your face, all of which are coming out of a hole in Erik’s stomach. This is the only way to land your health-draining blows. However, it is important to stick close to him so that you can destroy the mobs before they have a chance to spread out across the room, making your job much easier.
Sserthris: The Royal Serpent
The bosses of Elderand like to sit on their thrones, and Sserthris is no different. The strong, sword-wielding snake is never seen sitting on his huge stone cathedra, but he works hard to protect it.
Even though Sserthris’s double-edged sword can reach a long way, making him a hard boss to beat, his fights are less complex than those of other bosses you’ll face in the game. He doesn’t jump or fly, and he doesn’t use magic or ranged attacks much, so get ready for a good old-fashioned melee fight to take him down.
Chaos-Touched Rejects: An Airborne Menace
The world of Elderand can be explored in any order, so by the time you meet this group of Chaos-Touched Rejects, you might have already killed the group’s lone member in Omulore, the Ruined City. But if you thought one was hard, they’ve found help in Akr-Sharrak, the Sanctuary of the Tyrant Hope, proving that bad things really do come in threes, as the old saying goes.
If you have any, this boss fight is a good time to put on one or two rings to make yourself stronger and do more damage while moving. For example, you can use the Ripper Ring to make a line of spinning blades every time you dodge.
Elderu’tamah: The Multidimensional Giant
This Happy Wheels boss will use wide-area magic attacks that will make you use every trick you know to avoid them. Here, your grappling hook will be especially helpful because hanging from the ceiling will give you the most distance from Elderu’tamah’s crackling electric shocks, giving you more time to plan your next move.
Elderu’tamah attacks with his huge mouth and two pounding fists, but you have to get to his head to take away his health. But he doesn’t have much of it, so try to make the most of it before he beats you to death.
Eloria: The Pseudo-Boss
Your fight with Eloria is not a fight to the death, which is good news. But just because you only need to get her health down to about half to win the fight doesn’t mean it’s easy. This boss is a small moving target that is accompanied by a mysterious pink orb that floats and does damage. With the snap of a finger, it can summon a forest of dangerous, thorny trees. Before they come out of the ground, there’s no way to know if you’ll be in their way, so all you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best.
If you can handle the evil trees, stay agile and jump out of the way of Eloria’s magic ranged attack. Your patience will pay off when she lands and becomes easier to hit with your ranged weapons. And if you’re quick enough, sprint at her and hit her with a bunch of melee attacks so she can’t get back in the air.
Amon, Master of Serpents
At about the same time you fight Eloria, you’ll meet the Master of Serpents himself. Amon is the leader to whom Black Virtue swore allegiance and for whom Sserthris took his sword out of its sheath. When he takes off his cloak, he will be just as dangerous as any other enemy you face in Elderand.
His heavy-hitting mix of melee and magic means that you’ll need to be able to use every combination of weapons in your arsenal to get the most out of every angle and distance. If Amon is getting ready to shoot a laser beam, jump behind him and swing your axe a few times. If he’s throwing down a lot of explosive magic, move away and shoot a few arrows. Timing is everything, so don’t give up if it takes you more than one try to get it right.
Dan’nuhrr: The Final Challenge
For pixel art fans, fighting Dan’nuhrr is both a battle and a light show that won’t disappoint. Elderand’s two-part final battle starts in a dark corner of Akr-Sharrak, the Sanctuary of the Tyrant Hope, where there are a lot of candles and a scary three-faced creature that looks like an Evangelion angel. If you kill this spooky-looking Goliath, you’ll be taken to a new battlefield where you’ll face Dan’nuhrr’s final form.
Try not to be distracted by its repetitive, creepy-sounding dialogue. This boss is very mobile and has more than one way to avoid and counter your attacks, such as floating completely off-screen while filling the arena with dangerous electrified magical orbs. This boss is the last one for a reason, so try to land as many critical hits as you can and hope for the best.