You’ve just taken down a god. Your hands are shaking, your "Flask of Crimson Tears" is bone-dry, and that giant message flashes across the screen. But then, you see it in your inventory: a hunk of gold or shadow-warped power. This is it.
Most players treat remembrance bosses Elden Ring as simple milestones. They’re the "main" guys. The big bads. But if you're just trading them in for the first shiny sword you see at Enia’s shop, you’re probably missing half the value. There's a whole layer of mechanical depth and duplication strategy that people ignore until they’re forty hours into New Game Plus and realize they can't get that one specific incantation they now desperately need.
The Reality of Remembrances
Basically, a Remembrance is a "boss soul." It’s the distilled essence of a legend. In the base game, you’ve got 15 of these. If you’ve stepped into the Land of Shadow for the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, that number jumps by another 10.
These aren't just for show. You have three choices:
- Pop it for Runes. Honestly? Never do this. Even the 50,000 runes from a late-game boss are pocket change compared to ten minutes of farming at Palace-Approach Ledge-Road.
- Trade for a Weapon. This is the standard move.
- Trade for a Spell or Incantation. Often overlooked, but some of these are literally build-defining.
The trick is that you can only pick one per Remembrance. Unless, of course, you use the duplication trick.
How Duplication Actually Works Now
Back in 2022, we just looked for the big walking turtles—the Wandering Mausoleums. You whack the white barnacles off their feet, they sit down, and you get a free copy. Simple.
But the DLC changed the math. In the Land of Shadow, there are no mausoleums. Instead, you’re looking for these stone coffins tucked away in the Finger Ruins. There are only three of them.
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Think about that. 25 total Remembrances across the whole game, and only a handful of ways to double up in a single playthrough. You have to be picky. If you waste a duplication on a weapon you don’t have the stats for, you’re stuck until the next journey.
The Heavy Hitters: Which Bosses Matter?
Not all remembrance bosses Elden Ring are created equal. Some give you legendary gear; others give you a "fun but useless" toy. Let’s look at the ones that actually change how you play the game.
Maliketh, the Black Blade
Maliketh is a nightmare. He moves like he’s on a caffeine bender and his health-drain effect is purely malicious. But his Remembrance is top-tier. You get the Black Blade (Colossal Sword) or the Black Blade (Incantation). Both apply "Destined Death," which shears off a percentage of the enemy's maximum HP. In a world of tanky bosses, that’s gold.
Messmer the Impaler
The poster boy for the DLC doesn't disappoint. Defeating him gives you access to the Spear of the Impaler. It’s a Dexterity/Faith dream. The unique skill lets you perform a multi-hit fire combo that looks like something out of an anime. If you’re a caster, Messmer’s Orb is a massive AOE explosion that rivals the best pyromancy from the old Dark Souls days.
Starscourge Radahn (The Original)
The festival in Caelid is iconic for a reason. His Remembrance gives you the Starscourge Greatswords. It’s a "paired" weapon, meaning when you two-hand it, you pull out a second sword. It’s perfect for Strength builds that want to vacuum up groups of enemies with the "Starcaller Cry" gravity pull.
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What Most People Miss: The Hidden Mechanics
One thing that really trips people up is the "Type" of mausoleum. Did you know some mausoleums (the ones without bells) can't duplicate Shardbearer Remembrances?
If you’re trying to copy Malenia’s soul at a bell-less mausoleum in Liurnia, it won’t even show up in the menu. You'll think the game is glitched. It's not. It’s just FromSoftware being FromSoftware. The bell-less ones are strictly for "lesser" legends like the Regal Ancestor Spirit or Astel.
The Bayle Exception
Bayle the Dread is arguably the hardest boss in the expansion. He feels like a Remembrance boss. He has the cutscene, the massive arena, and the brutal difficulty. But he drops a "Heart of Bayle" instead of a Remembrance.
You can't duplicate this at a coffin. You have to go to the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion and choose between two different dragon powers. If you want both, you must go to New Game Plus. There is no shortcut.
Strategy for an All-Remembrance Run
If you're planning to hunt down every single one of the remembrance bosses Elden Ring offers, you need a route. You shouldn't just wander.
Start with Godrick, obviously. Then head to Liurnia for Rennala. But here’s a pro tip: don’t feel like you have to do Radahn immediately. You can skip over to Altus Plateau first to level up, then come back and crush him.
The real bottlenecks are late-game. Malenia is optional, but her "Hand of Malenia" katana is a status symbol. Mohg is also optional but mandatory if you want to enter the DLC.
In the DLC, the order is more flexible, but most people hit the Divine Beast Dancing Lion first. Don't sleep on Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, either. He's hidden away in the Abyssal Woods, a place most players avoid because the "stealth" section is a bit of a slog. But his Greatsword of Damnation is one of the best PvP weapons in the game right now because of its unique grab attack.
Making the Most of Your Loot
Once you have the Remembrance, don't just rush to the Roundtable Hold. Sit down and look at your build.
- Strength/Faith? Look at the Shadow Sunflower Blossom from the Scadutree Avatar. It’s a giant flower that hits like a freight train.
- Intelligence? Rellana’s Twin Moons is flashy, but it requires a staggering 72 Intelligence. If you aren't a pure mage, it's just a paperweight.
- Arcane? The Putrescent Cleaver has weird scaling but deals incredible frost and physical damage.
The biggest mistake is "trophy hoarding." Players keep the Remembrances in their inventory because they're afraid of making the wrong choice. But look—you can always get the other item in NG+. Use the power now. That extra bit of damage might be the difference between beating Elden Beast and throwing your controller through the window.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re sitting on a pile of unused Remembrances, here’s how to handle them:
- Check your Mausoleums. Go to the Weeping Peninsula or the Consecrated Snowfield and see if those walking towers are still standing. If they are, bring them down.
- Visit Enia. See which weapons scale with your highest stats. If you have 60 Strength and 10 Intelligence, don't buy a staff.
- Identify the Gaps. Do you lack a good AOE attack? Look at the Elden Remembrance (from the final boss) for Sacred Relic Sword. It’s the gold standard for clearing mobs.
- Prioritize the DLC. The gear from the Land of Shadow bosses generally has more complex movesets and better "Ash of War" synergy than the base game stuff.
Get out there and claim what's yours. Those bosses didn't die easily; don't let their essence go to waste in a menu screen.