You’ve probably seen the clips. Promised Consort Radahn is, quite frankly, a nightmare. He’s the final wall in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and he’s designed to break you. If you’re stuck, join the club. It’s not just you; this boss is fundamentally different from anything else in Elden Ring. He’s faster, he hits harder, and by the time you reach phase two, the screen is basically a flashbang of holy light and hair.
But he is beatable.
People are out here soloing him with nothing but a parry shield and a dream, while others are hiding behind the biggest slab of iron they can find. There is no "wrong" way to do this. Honestly, if you win, you win. The game doesn't give you a trophy for making it harder on yourself. Let’s talk about how to actually bring down the King of Lions and Miquella the Kind without breaking your controller.
The Scadutree Fragment Problem
First things first: check your Scadutree Blessing level. If you are trying to learn how to beat Radahn Shadow of the Erdtree at blessing level 12, you are making a massive mistake. You're basically playing on "Extra Hard" mode for no reason.
You really want to be at level 18 or higher. Level 20 is ideal. Each level boosts your damage negation and your own attack power significantly. If Radahn is one-shotting you with his basic combos, it’s usually not a "skill issue"—it’s a math issue. Go back through the Enir-Ilim outskirts or the Rauh Ruins and find those missing fragments. It makes a bigger difference than fifty levels of Vigor ever could.
Phase One: The Dance of Blades
The first phase is actually a masterpiece of boss design, even if it feels like getting hit by a freight train at first. Radahn is aggressive, but he's predictable. He usually starts the fight with a gravity spin or a long-range dash.
Don't panic roll. If you roll backward, he will catch you. He is designed specifically to punish players who try to create distance. You have to roll into him. Stay glued to his left leg (your right side). Most of his horizontal swings will miss you entirely if you’re hugging his hip.
There’s this one move—a quick cross-slash followed by a ground slam—that is the bane of everyone’s existence. The timing is tight. You have to dodge the first two swipes almost instantly and then delay your third roll for the slam. If you get hit by the first, don't mash roll. Wait. Taking one hit is fine; taking the full combo because you panicked is a trip back to the Grace.
Your Loadout Matters More Than Your Level
What are you wearing? If it’s light armor for the "vibe," change it. You need poise. You need physical damage negation. The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman is mandatory. Don't argue with me on this one; just put it on. It cuts physical damage by 20%.
If you’re a magic user, I have bad news. Radahn closes distance so fast that casting long spells like Comet Azur is basically suicide. You want fast-casting sorceries or, better yet, a Cold-infused weapon. Frostbite and Bleed are his two biggest weaknesses. A Cold Milady or a Bleed-infused Backhand Blade can do wonders here because they chip away at his massive health pool through status procs rather than just raw damage.
Phase Two: When Everything Goes White
Once Radahn hits 60% health, Miquella hitches a ride on his back, and things get weird. This is where most players hit a wall. Every single sword swing now comes with a secondary "pillar of light" attack.
Here’s the secret: the light pillars always land behind where the sword hit.
If you roll away from Radahn, you are rolling directly into the holy light. It’s a trap. You have to stay even closer than you did in phase one. If you are touching his armor, the pillars usually miss you.
The Miquella Hug
You’ll see a prompt if you get grabbed: "Heart Stolen." If he grabs you twice, you die instantly. No damage, no health bar check, just a "Game Over" screen because you’ve been charmed. You can negate this by using Miquella’s Great Rune (the one you get from the Scadutree Avatar boss). Use it like a consumable item to cleanse the charm. It’s a niche trick, but it saves runs.
The "Easy" Way: Greatshields and Pokes
Look, some people call it "cheesing," but the developers put the tools in the game for a reason. If you are truly stuck and just want to see the ending, go get the Verdigris Greatshield (from Moore's questline) or the Fingerprint Stone Shield.
Pair this with a thrusting sword or a spear—something like the Antspur Rapier is perfect because it deals Scarlet Rot.
- Hold the block button.
- Poke from behind the shield.
- Manage your stamina like your life depends on it (because it does).
- Use the Green Turtle Talisman +2 to keep that stamina regenerating.
With this setup, you can ignore about 90% of his mechanics. You just sit there, soak up the hits, and let the Rot or Bleed do the heavy lifting. Is it stylish? No. Does it work? Absolutely. I’ve seen people who struggled for six hours beat him in two tries once they switched to a heavy shield build.
Dealing with the Meteor and Light Speed Attacks
Towards the end of the fight, Radahn will jump into the sky and disappear. He’s coming back as a meteor. Just run. Don’t try to time a roll. Pick a direction (usually toward the edge of the arena) and sprint.
Then there’s the "After-Image" attack where he sends ghosts of himself at you. This move looks terrifying, but the ghosts themselves don’t do much damage; they’re mostly there to stagger you so the real Radahn can land the final hit. Block the ghosts with a shield or just spam roll to the side. The real danger is the very last hit of that sequence, which always has a slight delay.
Summoning: Help or Hindrance?
You can summon Ansbach and Thiollier for this fight if you finished their quests. Warning: summoning NPCs increases Radahn’s total health. Sometimes, having two NPCs makes him so tanky that the fight lasts way longer than it should, increasing the chance you'll make a fatal mistake.
However, if you use the Mimic Tear, the game changes. A well-built Mimic Tear can tank Radahn for a significant portion of the fight. Give your Mimic some Raw Meat Dumplings in your quick-item slot; the AI is smart enough to use them to heal itself, and since it’s a spirit, it won't get poisoned.
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What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest mistake is greed. Radahn has very few "long" openings. Usually, you get one hit, maybe two. If you try to go for a three-hit combo with a Colossal Sword, he will trade with you, and he will win that trade every time.
Think of this fight like a rhythm game.
- Dodge, dodge, poke.
- Dodge, dodge, dodge, heal.
If you need to heal, wait for him to finish a combo. If you try to heal while he’s idling, he will immediately use his gravity pull or a dash to punish you. He is coded to react to your flask usage. Only heal during the time you would normally be attacking.
Practical Steps to Victory
To wrap this up, if you’re heading back into the arena right now, do these three things:
- Respec if you have to: If your build is a glass cannon, go to Rennala. Pump your Vigor to 60 and your Endurance high enough to wear heavy armor while maintaining a medium roll.
- Max your Scadutree fragments: Seriously. Go find them. If you aren't at level 18+, you're making it unnecessarily hard.
- Equip the Golden Braid: Found in the Shaman Village, this talisman "vastly" boosts holy damage negation. Since phase two is almost entirely holy damage, this is the single best defensive item for the fight.
Radahn is a test of patience more than a test of reflexes. He wants you to panic. He wants you to roll away so he can catch you with a light pillar. Stay calm, stay close, and don't get greedy. You'll get that "God Slain" message eventually.
Once you finish, make sure to head to the glowing memory in the center of the arena to actually see the final piece of the story. A lot of people miss that in the adrenaline rush of finally winning.