Elden Ring DLC: How to beat Promised Consort Radahn, the final boss, in Shadow of the Erdtree

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- Elden Ring DLC review
- How to start the DLC
- Scadutree Fragment locations
- Revered Spirit Ash locations
- Hand-to-hand martial arts
- Best Elden Ring builds

It all comes down to this.

After a long and arduous journey through the deadly Land of Shadow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you've managed to follow Miquella to the peak of Enir-Ilim. There, you'll find his promised consort: none other than Starscourge Radahn himself, brought back to life and enthralled within the remains of Mohg, Lord of Blood. It's the wildest twist in the entire Elden Ring DLC, and it's followed by what is undoubtedly one of the hardest — and one of the most intense — boss fights in gaming history.

The original bout with Radahn wasn't too difficult, but at the time, he was driven mad by Malenia's Scarlet Rot. Now Promised Consort Radahn is in his prime thanks to his new body, and attacks with lethal and relentless fervor. Phase 2 intensifies things even further, and will be the ultimate test of patience and skill.

Put simply, it's a battle for the ages, and I wouldn't be surprised if FromSoftware nerfs it at some point due to how absolutely insane it is. In this guide, though, I'll give you some tips and advice that will help you triumph over this final boss fight. Below, you'll find a set of general suggestions on how to best prepare for the bout, along with a detailed overview of Promised Consort Radahn's moveset and how to defeat him.

Promised Consort Radahn: General tips

Radahn deals lots of extra Holy damage in Phase 2, so bringing along something that gives you resistance to that can be very helpful. (Image credit: Windows Central)

These general tips will help you prepare for the fight against Promised Consort Radahn.

• You may want to go fight the Scadutree Avatar boss before this one if you haven't already; it drops Miquella's Great Rune, an item that can save you from a grab attack in Phase 2 (more on that later). You'll find it at the base of the Scadutree, which you can reach by draining the water in the Church District of the Shadow Keep Legacy Dungeon, going northeast from the Sunken Chapel Site of Grace until you get to the large church with all the exploding fire enemies, and then riding the elevator in the northeastern most room.
• Go get all the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes if you don't have them already. Believe me when I say you're going to want the absolute best damage and damage reduction you can get.
• Using one of the best Spirit Ashes is highly recommended, as it will distract Radahn, deal solid damage, and give you some breathing room to heal or buff yourself. Just don't spawn it right away when you enter the arena, as Radahn will likely do a gap-closer attack immediately. Call it in after you dodge this.
• Depending on your story choices, you may have NPCs available to summon for the fight as well. They don't deal a lot of damage, but they're quite tanky and can be useful. The drawback is that Radahn will have more health, but the tradeoff is arguably worth it since his aggro will be split and you'll be able to land more attacks on him.
• Radahn is susceptible to status effects, so consider incorporating Poison, Scarlet Rot, Frostbite, and/or Bleed into your strategy with weapons, spells, buffs, or throwables. Bleed in particular is, as usual, quite strong and can rip off huge chunks of the boss' HP bar.
• In Phase 2, Radahn gains several attacks that deal Holy damage, but otherwise uses Physical exclusively. Use the best Elden Ring armor you have in terms of protection and spells, consumables, and talismans that boost your resistance to these two damage types. Some good examples include Boiled Crab, the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Holyproof Dried Livers, and Lord's Divine Fortification.
• Believe it or not, most of Radahn's sword attacks can actually be parried, so that's an option if you're especially brave. Three parries are required before he'll stagger and be open to a critical hit.

Boss guide: How to beat Promised Consort Radahn

Radahn will often flip towards you and slam with his swords to close the gap. (Image credit: Windows Central)

• Radahn is almost exclusively a melee fighter (in Phase 1, anyway), and frequently attacks by comboing sword swings together. He has a few other noteworthy moves and gains additional ones in Phase 2, but this is primarily what you'll be dealing with in the first phase.
  • He may also do a stomp during these that sends out a staggering area-of-effect cone, similar to the ones Godfrey, the First Elden Lord uses. You can avoid damage by either jumping in the air or rolling just as the shockwave comes towards you.
  • Additionally, he'll sometimes end his combos by slamming both of his swords into the ground before tearing them out of it, creating a small quake. This is best avoided by first dodging to the side when he slams, then rolling forward as he pulls his swords out.
  • Throughout the fight, these are the moves you should focus on punishing after you dodge them. Don't be greedy with your attacks, though, as you'll only be able to land one or two (depending on weapon choice) before Radahn moves again.
• The best way to dodge Radahn's swings is to roll through them towards his right side, or to dodge in the direction they're coming from. This minimizes the chance you'll be caught in one of their hitboxes and gives you a little extra time to recover and roll again as further attacks come in, while also keeping you close to him so you can follow up with an attack or two in the tight window you have once the combo ends.
• Radahn starts the fight by crossing his arms with his swords pointed upwards, then leaping at you and performing a gravity cyclone slam. Wait until he's about to land before rolling forward to avoid damage.
  • Radahn may do this attack again throughout the fight whenever you're far away from him, so watch for the telegraph described above when you are.
  • Radahn takes several seconds to recover from this move, making it one of the best ones to punish with multiple hits or a charged heavy attack.
• If Radahn twists to the right and imbues his swords with gravity magic while winding both of them up for a swing, he's about to do a special combo that starts with a melee strike and ends with ranged projectiles. Here's how to deal with it:
  • First, Radahn will drag his swords through the ground beneath you before ripping them from the earth as he soars into the air. Roll in any direction once you see Radahn start swinging his blades up to avoid this part of the move.
  • Next, he'll fly to a medium distance with the eight rocks he pulled from the ground surrounding him, then launch them at you after a few seconds before landing. You can dodge the rocks by rolling to the side as they're about to hit you; another option is to strafe a few of them by sprinting left or right, then dodge roll in the opposite direction.
• After he does this move, he'll often close the distance by using his swords to catapult himself at you, landing on top of you with a deadly slam that he can — but won't always — do once more immediately after. This attack is fairly easy to see coming and dodge, but don't immediately attack after avoiding the first slam since he might go for a second. He'll never do more than two, so you're good to punish him after the second slam if he performs it.
• If Radahn stomps his left foot into the ground while crossing his arms, he's about to attempt to pull you towards him with an arena-wide gravity wave. Roll in any direction at the moment Radahn throws his arms outwards and imbues his swords with gravity magic to avoid being caught in it.
• If you do get caught by the gravity wave, Radahn will likely perform a quick explosive slam at his feet that creates a circle of expanding gravity magic at his feet. To avoid taking damage, sprint directly away from Radahn and the circle until it dissipates.
• One particularly vicious three-hit combo Radahn can do involves a swing of his left sword followed by a quick one with his right, with the move ending with one final slice that uses both blades. Getting hit by any of these during this combo will stunlock you and force you to take damage from subsequent swings, likely resulting in your death. Be very careful with your dodges here, and try to roll into and behind Radahn when rolling the first swing to potentially make the second one miss.
  • If you have a build capable of wielding one of the best Elden Ring shields for blocking (high guard boost is key), using one for this attack can make it much easier to survive.
• A second noteworthy combo is a two-hit one in which Radahn lifts both swords high into the air, swings them at you with a huge delay, and then finishes with a similarly delayed slam. Though both hits are extremely well-telegraphed, they're also slower than Radahn's other attacks and may throw you off. The damage they deal is particularly high, so stay calm and time your dodges properly.
• Finally, Radahn may thrust with his left sword and then swipe to the left in an arc in front of him with it, leaving behind a trail of bloodflame that explodes shortly afterwards. Make sure you roll through the attacks themselves, then dodge forward again once or twice to get out of the bloodflame's explosive radius.

Phase 2: Radahn, Consort of Miquella

You'll begin Phase 2 directly in front of Radahn and Miquella towards the back of the arena. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Once Radahn is down to about 70% health, Miquella will join his promised consort to kick off Phase 2 and the boss will be renamed to Radahn, Consort of Miquella. In this phase, Radahn gains several lethal attacks and also buffs many of his original ones, making his constant offense even more difficult to avoid. Here's what you need to know:

• An important thing to know about Phase 2 is that all of Radahn's Phase 1 sword combos now leave behind delayed small Holy strikes with each swing. You may be caught in these if you roll backwards, so make sure you're dodging forwards or to the side.
• Radahn is all but guaranteed to begin Phase 2 with a new Holy attack that sees him levitate and create a circular zone of light around you that explodes after a few seconds, followed by a series of smaller delayed Holy strikes that appear near you for several seconds. You've only got one option for this one: sprint away from the initial blast zone as fast as you can, and then keep sprinting until the smaller light blasts stop raining down.
  • This attack can be used again during the remainder of the fight, so be aware of that.  Radahn levitating is the tell for it.
  • Radahn can go for one of his gap-closer attacks while you're running to avoid the small light blasts, so keep your camera locked on him as you sprint.
• Another new attack Radahn will typically use from afar in Phase 2 involves him raising his swords in the air as four light clones of him fly towards and swipe at you in rapid succession before Radahn himself finally does, then emits expanding delayed blasts of light around him. Damage is best avoided by rolling left and right as each clone and then Radahn himself flies in, and then once more towards him to avoid the secondary light beams.
  • He can also do a slam variation of this in mid-air after doing the meteor attack from the first phase. Dodging it works the same way.
  • This is a good attack to punish with your own damage if you're able to avoid being hit by at least the final part of the move.
• From range, Radahn may also power his swords with light before slicing with them to cast an arena-wide ring of Holy energy. This attack is simple to dodge through, though because of how quickly it comes out, you may take damage if you happen to be healing or using a consumable when Radahn uses it.
• Perhaps Radahn's deadliest new move is one in which he raises his swords into the air and imbues them with Holy light before beginning a lethal series of spinning slashes — each one leaving behind delayed light beam strikes — that ends with a huge slam. To survive this, you'll need to "hug" Radahn's right side while repeatedly rolling past it as he turns to keep attacking you. Note that it takes a second for him to finish his final slam once he leaps into the air for it, so wait a moment before you execute that final dodge or else the slam will connect.
  • You get several seconds to damage Radahn if you're able to fully dodge this attack, so make absolutely sure you take advantage of that.
• Another notable attack is telegraphed by Radahn's entire body glowing with light particles; shortly after this happens, he will lunge forward and attempt to hug you in a grab attack that instantly kills you if it lands twice during the fight. Thankfully, it's easy to dodge, though it can still catch careless players off guard.
  • If you use the Miquella's Great Rune item — obtained from killing the Scadutree Avatar boss — after being grabbed, you can "cleanse" yourself and prevent a second grab from killing you. It can be used infinitely, so don't worry about wasting it.
• Finally, at 30% health or below, Radahn may fly into the sky and then crash near where you were when he took off after several seconds, causing a massive and deadly explosion. To survive this, immediately sprint as far away from this part of the arena as possible so you're not in the explosion's area-of-effect when it happens. It's difficult to judge if you are or not, so I recommend roll spamming as Radahn lands for iframes.

If you're able to defy the odds and keep yourself alive against everything Radahn throws at you for long enough, you'll eventually take him down. Congratulations! You've beaten the Elden Ring DLC, and can now let go of the breath you were holding for five minutes while you were locked in. Make sure you touch the spark of light near the Site of Grace in the boss' arena to watch the final cutscene.

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The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here, and it makes one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of all time even better. It's out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC for $39.99.