You’ve spent eighty hours—maybe a hundred—trekking across the Lands Between. You’ve killed demigods, dodged scarlet rot, and finally, finally took down Radagon of the Golden Order. Then, the floor turns into a cosmic lake and a giant, glowing space-slug appears. It’s frustrating. Elden Beast isn't necessarily the hardest fight in the game, but it's arguably the most annoying. It swims away. It spams gold needles. It feels like a marathon where the finish line keeps moving ten miles back every time you get close.
If you’re looking for a "fair" fight, you've come to the wrong place. We’re here to talk about how to cheese Elden Beast because sometimes, you just want the credits to roll so you can start your New Game Plus journey.
The Strategy That Actually Works: Pest Threads
Most players walk into the fog gate with a katana or a big hammer. That’s fine for Radagon, but the Elden Beast is massive. Its hitbox is the size of a small house. This is where the Incantation Pest Threads becomes your best friend. Honestly, it's broken.
When you cast Pest Threads, you fire sticky webs that pierce through the enemy. Because the Elden Beast is so large, the threads don't just hit it once; they tick for damage multiple times as they travel through the boss's model. If you stand right under its belly and spam this, the health bar absolutely melts. You don't even need a massive investment in Faith to make this viable, though obviously, more is better.
The trick is positioning. You have to be touching the boss. If you’re at a distance, the threads only hit once or twice. Up close? It’s a literal shredder. You can find this spell from Gowry in Caelid after progressing Millicent’s questline. It’s cheap, fast, and does physical damage, which the Beast doesn't resist nearly as well as Holy damage.
Holy Resistance is Not Optional
Stop wearing what looks cool. I mean it. Elden Beast deals almost entirely Holy damage. If you go in there with negative Holy resistance, you’re going to get one-shot by the Elden Stars or that massive wave of gold.
- Lord’s Divine Aid: This incantation is a lifesaver. It boosts Holy damage negation by a staggering 60%.
- Haligdrake Talisman +2: You find this in the Mohgwyn Palace area. It’s mandatory for this fight.
- Pearldrake Talisman: Grab the +2 version if you can.
Basically, you want to reach a point where the Beast's "ultimate" attacks feel like a light breeze. If you stack the Haligdrake Talisman, the Tree Sentinel armor set, and the Divine Aid buff, you can practically stand still and take hits. It turns a stressful bullet-hell nightmare into a manageable encounter.
The Mimic Tear is Still the King (With a Catch)
A lot of people say the Mimic Tear was nerfed into the ground. They’re wrong. For the Elden Beast, the Mimic is still the best summon, but you have to "prime" it.
Before you walk through the fog, equip your Mimic with exactly what you want it to use. If you want it to heal you, put Warming Stones in your quick item slot. If you want it to spam the Pest Threads we talked about, unequip every other spell except that one and maybe a heal. Once the Mimic is summoned, you can switch your own gear back.
The Mimic has a massive health pool. Its job isn't to kill the boss—it's to pull aggro so you can run behind the Beast and start the cheese. If the Mimic is spamming Pest Threads alongside you, the fight usually ends in under two minutes. Just remember: the Mimic is only as smart as the kit you give it. Don't leave a bunch of useless consumables in your belt or it'll spend the whole fight eating boiled prawns instead of attacking.
Breaking the AI: The "Stay Behind" Trick
The Elden Beast’s AI is programmed to face you. However, it has several "dead zones." One of the most consistent ways to cheese Elden Beast involves staying glued to its right buttock. I’m serious.
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When the Beast starts its fire-breathing attack (Elden Throne), it always breathes forward in a wide cone. If you are behind it, you have a solid five to seven seconds of free damage. Most people see the fire and run away. Don't. Run toward it, get behind it, and stay there.
There used to be a glitch where you could stand perfectly still and the Beast would freeze. FromSoftware patched that out in version 1.04. Don't listen to old Reddit threads telling you to just stand in front of it and wait. You have to stay mobile now, but the "behind the tail" strategy remains the safest place on the map.
Torrent is Your Secret Weapon
In the 2024 Shadow of the Erdtree update (which applied to the base game too), FromSoftware finally allowed us to use Torrent during the Elden Beast fight. This changed everything.
Remember those gold rings that close in on you? Or the Elden Stars that chase you for thirty seconds? You used to have to time your rolls perfectly and hope your stamina didn't run out. Now? You just hop on the horse and gallop away.
Use Torrent to close the gap when the Beast swims to the other side of the arena. This stops the "marathon" aspect of the fight. Just be careful: Torrent doesn't have iframes (invincibility frames) when you're just riding around. You still need to jump or dash to avoid the sword beams. If Torrent dies, you’re stuck in a long animation that usually leads to your death. Keep some Rowa Raisins on your hotbar to heal the horse mid-fight.
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The Black Flame Alternative
If you aren't a fan of the Pest Threads or you're running a specific Godslayer build, Black Flame is the way to go.
The Elden Beast has a massive HP pool. Black Flame deals a percentage of total HP as damage over time. This means no matter how much health the Beast has, the fire will always tick for a significant amount.
- Use the Godslayer’s Seal.
- Charge your Black Flame tosses.
- Aim for the "cracked" part of the Beast's chest.
That glowing, shattered area on its belly is a weak point. It takes extra stance damage and extra raw damage there. If you hit that spot with Black Flame, you’ll see the health bar chunk down in a way that regular physical weapons just can't match.
Dealing with Elden Stars
This is the move that kills most "cheese" attempts. The Beast fires a slow-moving golden orb that follows you and shoots tiny lasers. It lasts forever.
The best way to handle this isn't to outrun it—it's to "loop" it. Run in a large circle. If you try to run in a straight line, it will eventually catch up. If you use Torrent to ride in a wide arc around the Beast, the Stars will eventually fizzle out without doing much damage.
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Another pro tip: Crimsonwhorl Bubbletear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick. This tear converts elemental damage into HP. If you drink this right when the Elden Stars start, the attack will actually heal you instead of killing you. It only lasts 15 seconds, so timing is everything.
Next Steps for Your Victory
To pull this off successfully, start by visiting Gowry in Caelid to grab those Pest Threads. Even if your Faith is low, the base damage on a large target is worth the investment. Head to the Haligtree to secure the +2 Holy Resistance talisman, and make sure your Flask of Wondrous Physick is set up with the Opaline Hardtear for maximum defense. Once you enter the arena, immediately summon your Mimic, get under the Beast's belly, and don't stop casting until the god is dead.