How to Beat Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
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Elden Ring
How to Beat Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Promised Consort Radahn Tips
Promised Consort Radahn is FromSoftware’s most ambitious boss design in Elden Ring — a two-phase fight that requires mastery of both traditional Souls combat and the DLC’s unique holy pillar mechanics. His Phase 2 in particular divided the community at launch, with many players finding the visual density of holy light overwhelming. The sprint-lateral technique for pillar avoidance is the key insight that unlocks Phase 2 — once internalised it transforms an apparently chaotic attack pattern into a learnable, survivable sequence. The fight rewards players who invested in the DLC’s Scadutree Blessing progression and punishes those who ignored it, making it genuinely difficult to separate mechanical mastery from preparation quality. With maximum Blessings, a bleed weapon, Black Knife Tiche, and the lateral sprint technique, Promised Consort Radahn is one of Elden Ring’s most satisfying boss victories. For DLC progression, defeating him is required to see the true ending of Shadow of the Erdtree.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Beat Promised Consort Radahn
Stay close and aggressive in Phase 1 — Radahn’s sword combos have punishable gaps at melee range. In Phase 2 he gains Miquella riding him and launches devastating holy light attacks — dodge the light pillars by sprinting laterally, not rolling. Summon Black Knife Tiche — she survives Phase 2 longer than almost any other spirit.
1
Prepare before the fight — recommended level 150+. Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and the hardest boss in the game. Arrive at Soul Level 150+ with a fully upgraded +10 Somber or +25 Standard weapon and maximum Scadutree Blessings from the DLC (collect Scadutree Fragments throughout the Realm of Shadow to boost your damage and defence significantly — each fragment reduces incoming damage and increases outgoing damage). Without Scadutree Blessings you deal and take disproportionate damage.
2
Phase 1 — stay under his guard and attack after combos. Radahn’s Phase 1 is a heavily-armoured sword fighter. His attacks come in long multi-hit chains — count the swings and attack during the final recovery window. Stay at close melee range — many of his attacks pass over or around you at close range rather than hitting. Rolling through his swings toward his body consistently puts you in a safe punish position. Never attack more than 2–3 times before repositioning.
3
Phase 1 — dodge the meteor slam by sprinting away early. Radahn occasionally leaps into the sky and crashes down with a massive meteor slam — identical to his base game opening. The AoE is enormous. When you see him leap upward, immediately sprint away (not roll) from the impact point and keep sprinting until the explosion clears. Staying near the edges of the arena and continuing to sprint gives you enough distance to avoid the shockwave.
4
Phase 2 — the holy light pillars require lateral sprinting. At around 50% HP, Miquella descends and rides Radahn — Phase 2 begins. Radahn now launches columns of holy light that track your position and fall in sequences. The key counter is sprinting laterally (sideways) — the pillars follow your general direction but cannot turn fast enough to hit a sprinting player moving perpendicular to the attack. Do not roll into or away from pillars — sprint sideways continuously until the sequence ends.
5
Phase 2 — attack during Miquella’s embrace animation. When Miquella dismounts briefly and embraces Radahn in a healing/buffing animation — this is your free attack window. Sprint in immediately and land as many hits as possible during the animation. This is the most consistent high-damage window in Phase 2. After the animation ends, reposition and resume the dodge-punish pattern. Radahn’s Phase 2 attack windows are tighter than Phase 1 — accept 1–2 hits per opening rather than greedily landing 4–5.
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Scadutree Blessings are mandatory: the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC uses a parallel progression system — Scadutree Fragments found throughout the Realm of Shadow increase your Scadutree Blessing level, boosting damage dealt and reducing damage taken. Without maximum or near-maximum Blessings, Radahn’s attacks are fatal in 1–2 hits at any Soul Level. Explore the DLC thoroughly and collect every fragment before attempting this fight.
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Black Knife Tiche outlasts all other spirits: Black Knife Tiche’s extreme mobility and teleporting attacks allow her to survive Phase 2 holy pillars that instantly kill most other spirit ashes. She provides consistent damage throughout the fight and draws Radahn’s attention during critical Phase 2 transitions. Mimic Tear is also viable but dies more frequently in Phase 2. Summon before entering the fog gate.
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Holy damage negation helps in Phase 2: Radahn’s Phase 2 holy attacks deal primarily Holy damage. Equip the Haligdrake Talisman +2 (found in the DLC) and any armour with high Holy resist for Phase 2 survival. The difference between 20% and 50% Holy resistance can be 3–4 additional survivable hits in Phase 2 — often enough to push through a difficult phase transition.
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Bleed and Frost are highly effective: Radahn is susceptible to both Bleed and Frost status effects. The Rivers of Blood katana at +10 with 80 Arcane procs Hemorrhage every 3–4 hits dealing massive % health damage — among the most efficient DPS options available. Frost weapons that proc Frostbite reduce Radahn’s damage negation, amplifying subsequent hits. Combining both (dual Rivers of Blood) is the highest single-target DPS option in the game for this fight.
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Learn Phase 1 before worrying about Phase 2: the most common mistake is dying in Phase 2 without a consistent Phase 1 clear — making Phase 2 feel impossible because you arrive with depleted flasks. Master Phase 1 to the point where you lose fewer than 2 flasks on average, then begin learning Phase 2. A rested Phase 2 attempt with 5+ flasks remaining is dramatically more survivable than one with 1–2. Patience in Phase 1 wins the fight.
Who is Promised Consort Radahn in Elden Ring?
Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC — a resurrected version of Starscourge Radahn chosen as Miquella’s consort. He is significantly stronger than the base game Radahn, gaining holy powers from Miquella in Phase 2 where Miquella mounts him and amplifies his attacks with devastating holy light pillars. He is widely considered the hardest boss in the game.
How do you survive Radahn’s holy light pillars in Phase 2?
Sprint laterally (sideways) rather than rolling. The holy light pillars track your position but cannot turn fast enough to hit a player sprinting perpendicular to the attack direction. Move diagonally sideways across the arena while sprinting and the entire sequence passes behind you. Equipping the Haligdrake Talisman +2 for Holy damage resistance significantly reduces damage if any pillars do clip you.
What level should I be for Promised Consort Radahn?
Soul Level 150+ with a fully upgraded weapon and maximum Scadutree Blessings from the DLC. The Scadutree Blessing level matters more than Soul Level for this fight — without high Blessings you deal minimal damage and die in 1–2 hits regardless of Soul Level. Explore the entire Realm of Shadow collecting Scadutree Fragments before attempting this boss.
What is the best weapon for Promised Consort Radahn?
Rivers of Blood katana at +10 with 80 Arcane is widely considered the most efficient weapon — it procs Hemorrhage every 3–4 hits dealing massive percentage HP damage. Dual Rivers of Blood with the Bloodflame Blade incantation stacked is the highest DPS option. Any Frost weapon that procs Frostbite also works well by reducing his damage negation. Avoid Holy-infused weapons — Radahn has very high Holy resistance in Phase 2.