How to beat Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Facing Promised Consort Radahn, the climactic final boss of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, is a battle that will test even the most seasoned Tarnished. Restored to his prime and bolstered by Miquella’s divine power, Radahn’s two-phase fight blends relentless aggression, devastating Holy magic, and gravity-defying attacks. Can you survive this ultimate trial and bring down one of FromSoftware’s most formidable foes?

Rewards for defeating

Rewards for Defeating

Defeating Promised Consort Radahn, the final boss of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, rewards players with 500,000 Runes and the Remembrance of a God and a Lord. These items can be used to acquire powerful abilities or weapons, or traded for Runes to further enhance your character. Additionally, conquering Radahn signifies the completion of all main bosses in the DLC and unlocks a special cutscene that concludes the Shadow of the Erdtree storyline, marking a monumental achievement in the game.

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For defeating the boss, you will receive 500,000 runes and Remembrance of a God and a Lord, which you can exchange for:

Greatsword of Radahn – a huge sword that deals partial magic damage, a unique moveset that uses two swords at once when wielding the weapon two-handed. It has two variations differing in special ability: The Lordhas a series of blows that trigger golden lasers, Light has a fast air attack that creates golden lasers,
Light of Miquella – incantation, creates a gigantic luminous explosion.

How to prepare for Radahn?

To prepare for the battle against Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, meticulous planning is crucial. First, ensure your character is at rune level 180-200 with 60 Vigor and two near-maxed damage stats to withstand Radahn’s relentless attacks. Equip items that boost Holy resistance, such as the Dragoncrest Shield and Golden Braid Talismans, to counter his holy-infused strikes in the second phase. Weapons or spells that inflict Bleed or Scarlet Rot, like Rotten Breath or the Rotten Crystal Sword, exploit his vulnerabilities effectively. Additionally, summon Spirit Ashes or allies to help manage aggro and create openings for attacks. Finally, practice precise dodging and stamina management, as Radahn’s combos and area-of-effect attacks leave little room for error.

Radahn is one of the hardest bosses in entireElden Ring – probably the absolute hardest. Before the fight, you should make some preparations, without which your chances of victory are almost zero. Stock up on:

Scadutree Blessing at least level 15 – each level of Scadutree Blessing increases the damage you deal and reduces the damage you take. The higher it is, the better – the maximum blessing level is 20, and before the fight with Radahn it should be at least level 15. You can increase your blessing level by collecting Scadutree Fragments. We also recommend defeating the Commander Gaius boss at the Shadow Keep – he guards as many as five fragments.
Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman – Radahn deals huge physical damage, which you want to reduce as much as possible – the best way is to use a legendary talisman located in one of the locations in the basic game. We have described where to find it on a separate page of the guide.
Golden Braid – in the second phase of the fight, almost every attack of Radahn is accompanied by pillars of light that deal huge holy damage. You also want to reduce them – the best way is to use this legendary talisman located in the shaman village behind the secret exit from the Shadow Keep. We have described how to unlock this exit on a separate page of the guide.
Heavy armor – put on the heaviest armor you have that will not exceed your load capacity, i.e. it will not change your load from light to medium or from medium to heavy. Every percentage of damage resistance counts in this fight.
Shield – consider equipping a medium or heavy shield with 100% physical damage reduction and high holy damage reduction. Some of Radahn’s attacks seem impossible to dodge – your dodge animation will end at the exact same moment Radahn does his next attack. Using a shield will make dealing with his combos much easier.

Radahn in a nutshell

Radahn in a Nutshell

Promised Consort Radahn, the final boss of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, is a reimagined version of the infamous Starscourge Radahn, restored to his prime as Miquella’s champion. Found at the peak of Enir-Ilim, this encounter is a grueling test of skill, patience, and preparation. With devastating gravity magic, relentless melee combos, and Holy-infused attacks in his second phase, Radahn leaves little room for error. His battle is considered one of the hardest in FromSoftware’s history, demanding precise dodging, stamina management, and strategic use of Spirit Ashes or allies to survive his onslaught.

Learn Radahn’s moves during the first phase of the fight – the second phase is very similar, so learning the first phase will be very useful.
You can block his two swords attacks, but they will push you away – it is better to dodge them towards the boss, which will give you a chance to counterattack.
The best opportunities to attack come right after the jumping attack, the crossed swords attack, and at the end of the combo that starts with a ground stomp (avoid the earthquake at the end by rolling behind Radahn).
Radahn uses gravity magic to get closer to you – watch out for the spinning air strike and dodge towards the boss.
The gravity field attack will pull you towards the boss. Dodge away from the boss when Radahn crouches and electrifies his swords. If Radahn pulls you in, don’t dodge his next attack – sprint away from him to avoid the stones shooting out of the ground.
To avoid the meteor shower, sprint away from Radahn at a slight angle and dodge to the opposite side.
The fire sword combo consists of a thrust, a slash and an explosion – dodge away from the boss to avoid the explosion.
In the second phase, Miquella joins the fight – almost all of the boss’s attacks are now accompanied by pillars of light falling from the sky. Stay just in front of Radahn – the light hitboxes usually won’t reach you there.
Be patient – a single mistake can kill you. The second phase is long and you have very few opportunities to safely attack the enemy.
When Radahn spreads his arms to the side, he summons a huge explosion of light – sprint away from the center of the explosion. You have to react very quickly because you have very little time to escape.
Beware of the grab that Radahn uses suddenly or after throwing a large luminous disc. The boss crouches with his swords spread and then jumps – dodge when he is in the air. Getting grabbed twice is instant death.
Watch out for the ground stomp combo. Taking the swords from the ground is accompanied by a huge explosion – after rolling behind Radahn, dodge again to avoid the explosion.
After the meteor shower, Radahn summons four illusions that attack you one by one, then plunges his swords into the ground, takes them out, and summons a massive explosion of light. Block all these attacks or get hit by the illusions – the most important thing is to avoid the explosion, which deals enormous damage.
When Radahn jumps into the air and starts summoning illusions without a meteor shower first, he will usually perform three quick sword slashes.
When Radahn raises his swords diagonally upwards, he prepares to charge – circle him to get out of the way of the illusions and block or avoid the charge.
When Radahn performs the crossed swords attack, dodge towards him to avoid the swords and lasers, which will give you an opportunity to attack.
When Radahn’s health drops, he will begin crossing glowing swords over his head. Block or keep dodging – the most important thing is to avoid the last jumping attack, which cannot be blocked and is accompanied by an explosion of light.

How to defeat Radahn?

To defeat Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, players must master precise dodging and stamina management. The fight begins with Radahn charging gravity magic and spinning toward the entrance, requiring immediate evasion to avoid massive damage. His attacks often come in extended combos, ending with a ground slam that produces an aftershock. Players should dodge into his sword swings and avoid overcommitting to attacks, focusing instead on timing their strikes carefully. Utilizing Spirit Ashes can help divert Radahn’s aggression, while managing his devastating Gravity Magic attacks—such as meteors and thorn summons—requires disciplined movement. In the second phase, Holy Damage explosions and illusions appear, demanding players to stay mobile and identify real threats amidst distractions. With patience and strategic use of summons, Radahn can be defeated, marking a climactic end to the DLC.

The fight with Radahn is long and extremely demanding – get ready for many trials. However, the first phase of the fight is not overly difficult. Use this phase to learn the boss’s moves – most of the attacks in the second phase are very similar to those in the first. If you want to win, you must learn the first phase almost to perfection, being able to complete it without using many healing flasks.

Radahn attacks with long combinations of slashes that deal physical damage – you can block them with a shield. Some of his slashes are performed with both swords at once – you can also block these, but they will push you away upon impact. It is better to dodge through them towards the boss, which will give you a moment to counterattack.

During the fight, you don’t have many opportunities to attack – you will have the most opportunities by dodging towards the boss at the end of his combos. Your best chances are after a jumping attack (Radahn can perform one or two attacks in a row), after a crossed sword attack (attacks with one sword, then with the other, then both at once), and a combo that always starts with a stomp (stomp, one slash, two quick slashes, a diagonal strike from above and taking out the swords from the ground – avoid the diagonal strike by trying to roll behind Radahn, so he won’t hit you by taking out the swords from the ground).

As you might expect, Radahn uses gravity magic during combat. When you are far away from him, he can surround himself with purple electricity, jump into the air, and hit while moving like a corkscrew. Dodge towards Radahn just before he hits, and you will avoid damage and have a moment to counterattack.

The boss can also summon a gravity field that will pull you towards him, even from the opposite end of the arena. Radahn crouches and crosses his electrified swords in front of him – dodge away from the boss to avoid being pulled. If you are too close when he uses this attack, Radahn will immediately perform a powerful slash that will make sharp spikes appear from the ground – don’t dodge, sprint away from him and you can avoid damage.

Radahn’s last gravitational attack is a meteor shower – the boss electrifies his swords and holds them to the side, swings the swords and jumps into the air, and then throws several meteors at you. Sprint away from Radahn while turning slightly left or right. Just before the meteors hit you, dodge in the opposite direction, right or left at a 90-degree angle.

Also remember about the fire sword combo – Radahn performs a thrust, a slash, which leaves a fiery gap in space – the gap will then explode. Dodge away from Radahn to avoid the fire from the gap.

Phase two begins when Radahn drops to about 2/3 of his health. Miquella will join the fight, clinging to Radahn’s back. Almost all of the boss’s attacks are now accompanied by pillars of light falling from the sky. The safest way to avoid them is to stay right in front of Radahn, as close as possible – the light pillars’ hitboxes usually don’t reach there. You have to be patient – in the second phase you have much fewer safe opportunities to attack because of the light.

Radahn usually begins this phase by spreading his arms to the sides and summoning a huge explosion of light. You have to sprint away from it, and you only have a moment to do so, so don’t stop or slow down. After the explosion, you can approach again, carefully avoiding the pillars of light falling from the sky.

One of the boss’s most dangerous new attacks in this phase is the grab, which Radahn can use as a single move or immediately after throwing a large glowing disc. The boss crouches with his glowing swords spread out and then jumps towards you – dodge when he is in the air. Once Radahn catches you, he won’t deal any damage to you, but Miquella will start whispering in your ear. If you get caught again, Miquella will steal your heart and force you into service – it is instant death and you will have to start the fight from the beginning. However, succumbing to this attack will reward you with a unique gesture.

The ground-slam combo becomes much more dangerous in the second phase, because taking out the swords from the ground is accompanied not only by an earthquake, but also by a huge explosion of light. Avoid the combination as you did in the first phase by getting behind Radahn’s back – but you need to dodge one more time behind his back to avoid the explosion.

Radahn’s multiple combos are now preceded by four illusions that charge towards you. They deal microscopic damage, but can knock you off balance and stagger you, leaving you vulnerable to a real attack. This happens, for example, after a meteor shower – Radahn flies through it towards you, sticks his swords into the ground and takes them out, creating a huge explosion of light. Avoid the final blow and the explosion – it may be safer to block the entire attack, taking some damage but not risking immediate defeat.

Illusions also accompany an air attack without a meteor shower (three quick sword strikes), a crossed sword attack (sideway charge, then forward, then slashes) and a new charge attack (Radahn raises his swords diagonally up – walk around him to avoid the illusion and dodge or block the real Radahn when he rushes towards you).

Radahn starts using his most dangerous combo when he has about 1/3 of his health left. The boss raises his swords and crosses them over his head, then starts performing very fast slashes. Most of the slashes will go over your head if you stay very close to Radahn. You must dodge the jumping slash and the subsequent explosion – this way you will avoid most of the damage.

What are the key differences between Radahn in the base game and the DLC

The key differences between Starscourge Radahn in the base game and Promised Consort Radahn in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are as follows:

Story and Context

Base Game: Radahn is depicted as a fallen demigod, corrupted by Scarlet Rot and reduced to a mindless beast in Caelid. His battle is part of the Redmane Festival, where players summon allies to face him in a chaotic open-field duel.
DLC: In Shadow of the Erdtree, Radahn is resurrected by Miquella, who uses Mohg’s remains as a vessel to bring his soul back. He is revealed as Miquella’s “promised consort,” fighting in his prime with enhanced abilities and tied deeply to the DLC’s narrative.

Arena and Mechanics

Base Game: The fight occurs in an expansive open field, allowing players to summon numerous NPC allies and use Torrent for mobility. The battle emphasizes ranged combat, hit-and-run tactics, and dodging large-scale meteor attacks.
DLC: Radahn’s fight takes place in Enir-Ilim, a legacy dungeon with tighter spaces that demand precision. Torrent is unavailable, making the battle more grounded and reliant on dodging complex combos and AoE attacks.

Abilities and Phases

Base Game: Radahn has two phases, with his second phase introducing meteors and wider AoE attacks. His moves are powerful but straightforward compared to other bosses.
DLC: Promised Consort Radahn features faster animations, more intricate combos (up to six strikes), and devastating new abilities like “Holy Bombardment” and “Lightspeed Slash.” These attacks are visually overwhelming and harder to predict, pushing players to master advanced mechanics.

Difficulty

Base Game: While challenging, Radahn’s fight is considered manageable with proper preparation and NPC summons. His attacks are telegraphed, allowing players to learn patterns over time.
DLC: The difficulty is significantly ramped up, with undodgeable moves, chaotic visuals, and instant-kill attacks. Many players have criticized this iteration as overly frustrating due to its unpredictability and reliance on luck rather than skill.

Rewards

Base Game: Defeating Radahn grants the Remembrance of the Starscourge and Radahn’s Great Rune, advancing Ranni’s questline.
DLC: Players receive the “Remembrance of a God and a Lord,” offering unique items like two versions of Radahn’s Greatsword or the “Light of Miquella” incantation.

In summary, while Starscourge Radahn in the base game represents tragedy and decay, Promised Consort Radahn in the DLC embodies divine power at its peak but introduces significant gameplay challenges that polarize player opinions.

What makes Radahn’s fight in the DLC more challenging than in the base game

Radahn’s fight in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is significantly more challenging than his base game counterpart due to several factors:

Enhanced Mechanics and Arena

Complex Combos: Radahn’s attacks are faster, more intricate, and include devastating new abilities like “Holy Bombardment,” “Lightspeed Slash,” and “Heavenly Eruption,” which are harder to predict and dodge.
Restricted Mobility: Unlike the open-field battle in the base game, the DLC fight occurs in Enir-Ilim, a confined legacy dungeon. Torrent is unavailable, forcing players to rely solely on precise dodging and positioning.

Phase 2 Difficulty Spike

Miquella’s Buffs: In Phase 2, Radahn is empowered by Miquella’s Holy magic, amplifying his original attacks and introducing lethal AoE effects. Many moves become visually overwhelming, making it difficult to track or counter them.
Instant-Kill Attacks: New mechanics include undodgeable moves like a grab attack that can instantly kill players if landed twice, adding to the frustration.

Unforgiving Design

Cluttered Visuals: The fight features chaotic animations that obscure attack patterns, making learning and adapting more difficult for players6.
Luck Over Skill: Some players argue that surviving Radahn’s second phase feels more reliant on luck due to unpredictable attack timings and frame rate drops during visually intense moments6.

Mandatory Fight

Unlike optional bosses like Malenia in the base game, Radahn must be defeated to complete the DLC, adding pressure for players struggling with his extreme difficulty.

In summary, tighter spaces, enhanced abilities, chaotic visuals, and mandatory progression make Promised Consort Radahn one of FromSoftware’s most punishing boss fights.