You finally cross the fog gate at the top of Enir-Ilim. The music swells, a mix of divine choir and terrifying percussion. Then, you see him. This isn't the rotting, mindless beast you fought in Caelid. This is someone else. He's younger. He's faster. He's glowing with a terrifying, golden light. Promised Consort Radahn is essentially FromSoftware’s way of asking you, "How much can you actually endure?"
It’s been a while since the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC dropped, yet the community is still arguing about this guy. Some players call him a masterpiece of difficulty. Others think he’s a messy, visual-clutter-filled disaster that breaks the rules of fair play. Honestly, both sides have a point. Whether you love the lore implications of Miquella’s "promised" king or you hate the way those cross-slash attacks feel nearly impossible to roll through, he’s the final wall. He is the end of the road.
The Lore Behind the Promised Consort Radahn Reveal
Let’s get one thing straight: almost nobody saw this coming before the leaks started hitting the internet. We all thought we were going to fight Godwyn the Golden or maybe a brand-new outer god. Instead, Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware decided to loop back to the Starscourge.
The story here is actually pretty tragic, if you can get past the part where he's trying to flatten you into a pancake. Miquella, in his quest to become a god and usher in an "Age of Compassion," needed a Lord. He chose his half-brother, Radahn, supposedly because of a vow they made in their youth. But look at the state of the world. Radahn was a warmonger. He loved battle. Miquella’s "compassion" looks a lot like brainwashing when you look at how he treats his followers like Ansbach and Freyja.
There's a massive debate about whether Radahn actually agreed to this. The game is vague. Ansbach suggests that Miquella is essentially desecrating Radahn’s soul by stuffing it into Mohg’s discarded body. Yeah, that’s the "gross" part most people miss. That’s not Radahn’s original body you’re fighting; it’s Mohg’s corpse, reshaped by blood and divinity. That explains the bloodflame attacks he uses in the first phase. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of a demigod.
Breaking Down the Fight: Why Everyone is Frustrated
Phase one is fine. It’s actually great. It feels like a high-speed dance where you have to respect his massive sweeping hits. You dodge, you poke, you pray you don't get caught by the gravity pull. It feels like a refined version of the base game fight.
Then phase two happens.
Miquella climbs onto Radahn's back, and the screen becomes a blinding mess of white and gold light. This is where the Promised Consort Radahn fight goes from "hard" to "is my GPU dying?" Every single sword swing is now followed by a pillar of holy light. If you roll away, you get hit by the light. If you roll to the side, you might get hit by the light. You have to roll into him, perfectly, or your health bar just evaporates.
- The "Cross-Slash" is the move that everyone hates. It’s a three-hit combo where the first two hits come out so fast that if you aren't already mid-roll, you're taking damage.
- Frame drops were a massive issue at launch. Even on high-end PCs and PS5s, the sheer amount of particle effects when Miquella starts spamming light beams would cause the game to chug.
- The visual clutter is real. Sometimes you literally cannot see Radahn’s arms because of the glowing hair and the explosions. You have to learn the rhythm by sound rather than sight.
The Shield Poke Meta
Because this fight is so relentless, it birthed a specific "cheese" that became the standard for anyone who just wanted to see the credits. If you grab a Fingerprint Stone Shield and a heavy thrusting sword (like the Antspur Rapier with Scarlet Rot), you can basically hide behind the shield and poke him to death. It’s not flashy. It’s not "honorable" in the eyes of the hardcore community. But it works. And for a boss this aggressive, can you really blame anyone?
The Difficulty Nerf and the State of the Game
In Patch 1.14, FromSoftware did something they rarely do: they significantly nerfed the final boss. They tweaked the cross-slash attack so it was actually dodgeable. They reduced the damage of some of the light pillars. They even changed the visual effects so you could actually see what was happening.
Some purists cried foul. They felt like the "challenge" was being stripped away. But let’s be real. The original version of Promised Consort Radahn pushed the boundaries of what is actually "fun" in an action RPG. When a boss is so fast that the human reaction time literally can't keep up with certain combos, it's not about skill anymore—it's about luck and gear. The nerf made the fight feel more like a boss and less like an endurance test for your frustration levels.
How to Actually Beat Him Today
If you’re stuck on him right now, stop trying to play it like a Dark Souls boss. You cannot play passively. If you back away to heal, he will close the distance in a fraction of a second with a gravity-defying lunge.
- Parrying is actually viable. It sounds insane, but Radahn is very susceptible to parries. You need three successful parries to get one crit, but it stops his momentum dead in its tracks.
- Equip the Golden Braid. This talisman is found in the Shaman Village and provides massive Holy damage negation. Since phase two is almost entirely Holy damage, this is mandatory.
- Rot is his weakness. It’s thematic, isn't it? Malenia used rot to stalemate him in Caelid, and it still works here. He has a massive health pool, so letting a status effect do the work while you focus on survival is a smart play.
The Solo vs. Spirit Ash Debate
Look, Mimic Tear is there for a reason. If you use it, the fight becomes a chaotic brawl. If you don't, it’s a grueling 1-on-1. There is no "wrong" way to beat him, but be warned: summoning NPCs like Thiollier or Ansbach actually increases Radahn’s total health by a massive amount. Sometimes, summoning them makes the fight harder because they die early and leave you with a boss that has 60,000+ HP.
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Why This Ending Matters for Elden Ring
The final memory you see after the fight is polarizing. It’s just a short clip of Miquella praying for his "Promised Consort." Many players felt it was too brief. They wanted a long cutscene or more answers about the Greater Will or Melina.
But that’s FromSoftware. They give you fragments. The tragedy of the fight is that you’re killing a god’s dream of a better world. Miquella wanted to fix the broken, jagged edges of the Lands Between, but he was willing to steal everyone’s free will to do it. By defeating Radahn, you are choosing a world that is allowed to be broken, allowed to be sad, and allowed to be free.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Attempt
If you are staring at that fog wall and feeling the dread, change your mindset. This isn't a boss you beat by being better at the game; it’s a boss you beat by being more prepared.
First, go find the remaining Scadutree Fragments. If you aren't at least level 18 or 19 in the DLC blessing, you are making it twice as hard for yourself. Second, swap your armor. Fashion is great, but you need physical and holy negation here. Verdigris armor or the Solitude set are your friends. Third, stop rolling backward. Almost every attack in his kit is designed to catch you if you retreat. Roll to his right hip—your left. Stay close. Stay aggressive.
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The Promised Consort Radahn fight is the ultimate test of everything you’ve learned since you first stepped out into Limgrave. It’s loud, it’s bright, and it’s arguably unfair, but once that "God Slain" message appears on the screen, there is no better feeling in gaming. Go back in there and finish the story.