Elden Ring: How To Beat Starscourge Radahn

Elden Ring Radahn boss fight

You can fight Radan at any point in the game without even entering the dungeon. He sent summons across the land, calling for champions to fight him in hopes of putting an end to his Scarlet Rot madness. However, don’t let the ease of access fool you. You must be at least level 70 before fighting Radan., ideally with powerful weapons suited to your build of choices, such as the Moonveil Katana, or strong spells with good range, including Comet. Activate your Greater Rune (Godric’s Rune is recommended, as always in boss fights in Elden Ring), and make sure you have a handy combo of buffs in your Vial of Wondrous Physics.

When you’re ready, head to Red-Mane Castle in southeast Calidus, south of Sellia, the City of Enchantment, and east of the Cathedral of the Dragon’s Sacrament. Use the teleporter near the Place of Grace on the bridge so you don’t run into the burden through the castle and then go inside. Talk to Jerren, the old man on the platform, when you’re ready to fight, then take the elevator down to the beach.

Radan Phase 1

Unlike most fights, you can summon multiple NPC companions once the fight against Radan starts. Also, unlike most fights, Radan can kill you in one hit with his homing gravity arrows. Keep your target on Radan so you can see the arrows and then dodge when they get close. Debris doesn’t always stop arrows from hitting you don’t count on them as reliable cover.

As you progress, make your way to the golden summoning tokens, activating each one when you get to it. You can summon Bladed, Alexander, Potted Warrior, Okina, and at least three others. None of them last long, but they are a good distraction to make approaching Radan easier.

As you get closer, Radan fires a series of spears at you. They fall in a straight line and follow you, so keep dodging them until the rain stops. If this attack is giving you problems, you can continue to dodge the gravity arrows until one of the summoned NPCs reaches Radan.

As soon as you or your ally gets close, Radan will start to run around on his incredibly tiny, beleaguered horse and cut everything in his path, forgoing long-range attacks. He will take part in one of several possible attacks, often without warning. The most common is a general slash combo, in which Radan uses one to four wild slashes and possibly ends with a slash.

The main thing about Radan and his other attacks is that they need time to learn. Perhaps in keeping with his tainted mood, Radan’s timing is unpredictable at first. Aside from his diving attacks, which he telegraphs by bringing his swords out in front of him, almost all of his attacks have a strange, delayed timing. For example, his swing combo includes several delays. He holds the first punch for about three seconds, then punches immediately after, followed by several more punches with a second delay between each.

Another attack to look out for in this phase is his gravity slam.

Radan plunges his swords into the ground and surrounds them with a purple gravity field. He then pulls them out with huge chunks of rock attached, hurls them down, and creates a powerful gravitational shockwave. The shockwave is potentially an instant kill attack. Radan moves fast, but there are a few key points that can be used for melee builds. Like most big bosses, Radan is vulnerable for a short time at the end of a combo or a major attack – enough for two, maybe three hits before you have to retreat. Some players recommend using Icerind Hatchet’s Frostbite skill to deal damage and increase Frostbite Radahn’s meter, though this requires precise timing – and the amount of time you could spend attacking before retreating.

Radan is vulnerable to frostbite and other status conditions, but especially Scarlet Rot. Pots of Rot and Arrows tinged with Scarlet Rot are good options if you want to take advantage of status effects in this fight. These shortcomings remain even at the second stage. Magic users should focus on spells with a short cast time or with more defensive properties such as Glintblade Phalanx. Finally, note that you can re-summon defeated NPCs shortly after they die. It’s a handy way to distract Radan and give yourself a break, and it’s vital for the second phase.

Radan Phase 2

Once Radan’s health falls below 50%, he will fly into the sky and eventually crash back into a fireball – and with several new deadly attacks. Along with normal, Radan now has a gravity pull that pulls you in, a gravity wave attack that unleashes a massive energy wave, and a spin attack where Radan jumps into the air spins towards you then steps back and does it again. On top of that, Radan also has a gravity version of Glintblade Phalanx where he summons four massive rocks that float around him and deal random hits. It’s impossible to predict, but if they hit you, you’ll go back to the first phase again.

The best way to deal with this is simply I don’t do it. Let the NPC do it for you, otherwise, you’ll just keep dying. Once Radan is airborne, ride the Torrent away and summon the dead NPCs again. Some players are lucky enough to hide behind the sand dunes to avoid the giant rocks, though they might still not target you if you’re far enough away. Eventually, the NPCs will tire out Radan and you can continue your adventure.