The Ring of Fire Spoilers ahead
It's in the very nature of the soulmate genre that boss fights will be a matter of heated debate, as their inherent difficulty can be complicated by specific character builds, specific player skills or habits, and many other issues, but overcoming these challenges is often the sweet part of any victory. Everyone who played Fire Ring at launch can remember watching as the community, day by day, tackled all their bosses from Margit in Limgrave to the terrifying Elden Beast found in Erdtree. Usually, the “honor rating” of the worst boss in any game is widely debated, but interestingly, it's not the case for Fire Ring.
In general, it is also worth noting Fire Rings open world design makes it one of the easiest Soulslike games on the market (not to say easy or that's a bad thing). Unlike other linear Soulslike games, including some of FromSoftware's, Fire Ring players can leave an area if they feel unprepared and invest in new gear, grind levels and return with confidence more easily than other games. Despite all that players can do to master the game during the main campaign and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, however, very little of it matters when they come face-to-face with the worst boss in Fire Ring: Promised Consort Radahn (PCR).
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Promised Consort Radahn is a Broken Soulslike Boss
Now, it's worth mentioning that the appeal of a good Soulslike game lies in overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds in battle, but such a sensation walks a fine line between fair and unfair. And it seems many Fire Ring players, to this day, feel that Promised Consort Radahn leans heavily on the unjust side. The promised consort Radahn was more difficult in pre-release copies of the DLC (available to media for review); this is a post-nerf PCR, which is a scary consideration.
Recently, Reddit user tieuhan took to it Fire Ring subreddit to vent common complaints about PCR: how they were stuck for a week, how they had to change their Fire Ring build three times, how PCR's four slash AOE is ridiculous, and how they had to study his moveset as a test. Tieuhan continued, “I've read a lot of posts here and it feels like everyone is the same as me – the DLC is unfair, and even after beating it, there's not much joy. It seems like no one is really happy when they win; they scream after beating the boss not because they've overcome a big challenge, but because maybe they've finally suffered from relief.”
Many Redditors were quick to agree with tieuhan. User workshop_prompts notes a video they can recall that highlights PCR's biggest shortcoming compared to other FromSoftware managers, particularly Fire Ringbest managers: “[H]It feels like he just spews out randomly generated attacks, regardless of what you do or don't do. It doesn't feel like an interactive dance like the best FromSoft bosses.” Redditor Metanoies also agreed with tieuhan after also recently defeating Prime Consort Radahn. Breaking it down further, they explained that Phase 1 of PCR's boss fight is challenging and fair, aside from the three-hit slash, but there it gets bumpy and 2. Phase 2.
Many users, including tieuhan and Metanoies, were quick to compare PCR to Fire Rings Malenia boss battle. Malenia, difficult as she was, felt intentional about her difficulty and waterfowl dance. PCR feels like spam revealed. And in the end, it is the constant squeezing of PCR that has earned him the name of the worst boss in the Fire Ring—not because of his difficulty, but because of how his difficulty falls on the line between fair and unfair in Soulslike game design.
Balance the critics' averages
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Balance the critics' averages
Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)
The Promised Consort Radahn was destined to be the worst Elden Ring boss
Promised Consort Radahn is the final story boss Fire Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and players knew this meant he was going to be difficult. By nature, a Soulslike game DLC must increase the difficulty because players will have acquired all the base game loot they need for powerful builds and beaten every challenge in the game at least once (probably, at the time of the DLC's release anyway). DLC Bosses tend to be stronger than base game bosses, with Blood borne's Orphan of Kos is a prime example at the end of The Old Hunters.
The Orphan of Kos clears all base games Blood borne boss and is much harder than either of them, but it doesn't feel unfair. Perhaps the need for a higher difficulty level to top what the base game is Fire Ring had to offer pushed PCR into unfair territory, but until FromSoftware breaks it down themselves, the world may never know.
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That is why the conversation still surrounds this Fire Ring boss is so important: it ultimately highlights the important and inherent tension within the Soulslike genre and how both are interpreted by fans. Difficulty alone has never been the defining characteristic of FromSoftware's best encounters, but how do they overcome these challenges, through learning, clarity, rhythm, tension mastery and player agency. When players feel that success is earned through learning and mastery, even the toughest defeats can feel motivating. The promised consort Radahn empties instead, with that feedback loop replacing satisfaction with frustration.
Promised Consort Radahn is rightfully a lightning rod for discussion of difficulty in Soulslike games. In some ways, he's what anyone who refuses to play the genre imagines every Soulslike boss to be: difficulty for difficulty's sake, as opposed to the ultimate test of endurance and adaptability. He crosses a line that previous bosses, no matter how punitive, deftly avoided, and he's a misbalance in a genre defined by fine balances. In the end, Promised Consort Radahn might not just be remembered as the worst boss in Fire Ringbut as a case study in how delicate that balance really is.
- Released
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21 June 2024
- ESRB
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M for mature 17+ due to blood and gore, language, suggestive themes, violence
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
