Elden Ring: How to Defeat General Radahn, the Starscourge (2024)

Elden Ring continues the tradition of brutal boss fights in Soulslikes, placing enemies like Margit, the Fell Omen and Godrick the Grafted right in players' paths early in the game. Starscourge Radahn , may not lie along the Tarnished's path to becoming Elden Lord, but he remains one of the most memorable and challenging boss fights in Elden Ring.

The General Radahn fight intersects several NPC questlines, including Ranni's. There are two ways to activate the fight—the first is to save Iron Fist Alexander, a pot-like being located in Stormhill, and the second way is to meet Blaidd, the Wolfman. After interacting with either NPC, they will mention a festival set in Redmane Castle and suggest they attend. Players must make their way to Redmane Castle, located in southeast Caelid. Once inside, players can activate the General Radahn fight by speaking to the Festival Master and resting at the nearby site of grace. They will then need to prepare for one of the hardest fights in Elden Ring.

Updated on June 25, 2024, by Antonio Samson: Elden Ring is known for its difficult bosses who players may have difficulties trying to overcome. This article was updated to provide further information on beating Radahn and to meet CBR's editorial and formatting standards.

Breaking Down The Fight Against General Radahn

Radahn's Three Phases of Intensity

General Radahn emerges as one of Elden Ring's most formidable adversaries, towering and imposing with his arsenal of weaponry and magic. Armed with a great bow that unleashes an infinite barrage of arrows, alongside a greatsword wielded in each hand and potent gravity magic, Radahn poses a significant threat capable of swiftly dispatching most Tarnished. Despite his overwhelming abilities, players can prevail with precise timing and perseverance.

The battle unfolds in three distinct phases, each escalating in intensity and tactics. The boss fight's initial phase sees Radahn employ his bow to unleash multiple devastating attacks. His standard arrow shots are accurate and swift, posing an immediate threat to any Tarnished caught unprepared. For his second attack, Radahn aims skyward, launching a volley of arrows into the clouds. These arrows descend in a focused column, tracking players' movements with deadly accuracy. The third bow attack consists of a scattershot, where Radahn releases five arrows simultaneously, often catching players off guard while they dodge the tracking arrows from above.

The battle transitions into its second phase as players close the distance and engage Radahn directly. Radahn puts his bow away and wields both greatswords, becoming a relentless melee combatant. His sweeping sword strikes cover wide arcs in front of him, ready to punish any Tarnished who fail to anticipate his movements. Each swing carries tremendous force, demanding quick reflexes and precise evasion to avoid being overrun.

Successfully weathering Radahn's onslaught and dealing significant damage triggers the final phase of the battle. Radahn ascends into the sky, marking the onset of his most devastating attack. Moments later, he plummets earthward like a comet, unleashing a cataclysmic impact upon landing. This attack is incredibly powerful and can instantly defeat all but the most resilient players. Mastering Radahn's attack patterns is crucial in all phases of the battle. This understanding, coupled with maintaining composure, is key to victory. Players can overcome Radahn's immense strength and emerge triumphant in this epic confrontation by timing dodges and seizing openings.

Strategies to Defeat General Radahn

Use Phantoms to Help Fight Against Radhan

After wading through the game's open world and entering the Wailing Dunes where General Radahn awaits, players should immediately summon as many friendly phantoms as possible. Phantoms can be summoned from the gold summoning signs that litter the ground and do not require any materials. These phantoms are crucial for distracting Radahn and allowing players to heal, buff themselves, or get in as many attacks as possible. They are fragile creatures, however, and Radahn will destroy them easily enough, so players should use the opportunity they provide to the fullest. Even if Radahn kills them all, their summoning signs will respawn in the third phase of the fight.

When Radahn is in his bow phase, players can rely on some environmental elements—such as broken swords and spears sticking out of the ground—as cover, and should slowly work their way towards the top of the hill where the Starscourge sits. Eventually, all the phantoms that players summoned will reach Radahn and his attention will shift to them, allowing players to close the rest of the distance between them and enter the fight.

If players can land enough successive attacks with their phantoms, Radahn will fall to his knees, allowing for critical strikes. This lets players heavily damage him before he enters his third phase. Even if players don't manage to stagger him, they should still crowd in and attack Radahn with their phantoms. Once the phantoms are gone, it becomes a one-on-one with them and Radahn, and that's a much harder fight.

Once Radahn has lifted off to space, players have a few seconds to breathe, but they should use this time to get on their horse, pick a direction, and ride. Shortly after blasting off, Radahn returns as a comet aiming straight for the player. If they aren't galloping as fast as they can in a lateral direction, they'll die in the resulting impact. Once Radahn crashes into the ground, players should resume summoning as many phantoms as possible for the final phase of the fight. Radahn will step up his use of gravity spells, but since they're mid- to long-range attacks, as long as players stay close to him, he won't attack.

Players should not attempt the General Radahn fight unless they can survive all of Elden Ring's Limgrave -- otherwise, they'll find more frustration than success. If players are having difficulties making it through each of Radahn's phases, they should ensure they know all of his potential attacks and how to avoid them. While Radahn has access to almost all of his attacks at any point in the fight, he usually confines them to each particular phase. Recognizing and memorizing enemy attack patterns is another staple of the developer's Soulslike games.

Best Builds to Defeat Radahn

The Greatsword Is A Great Option For The Fight

Strength builds are effective for players preferring melee combat and high damage output. During Radahn's second and third phases, players should use high poise to trade hits effectively, taking advantage of the heavy weapon's staggering potential. Jump attacks can inflict significant damage and potentially stagger Radahn, creating opportunities for critical hits.

When selecting weapons and equipment, prioritize Elden Ring's powerful Greatswords or Halberds for their extended reach and substantial damage output, which are crucial for exploiting openings in Radahn's defenses. Equip a Heavy Armor Set to bolster physical defense and poise, essential for enduring Radahn's powerful attacks without succumbing to stagger effects. It's worth considering a shield with high stability if adopting a defensive posture, enabling effective blocking and counterattacks against Radahn's strikes.

Allocating stats wisely is also crucial. Invest in Vitality to increase the health pool, ensuring resilience against Radahn's punishing attacks. Depending on the weapon choice, allocate points into Strength for Greatswords or Dexterity for Halberds to maximize damage potential. Managing Endurance efficiently is crucial, facilitating sustained blocking, dodging, and attacking during the fight. Consider bringing healing miracles to sustain spells and miracles, as Sacred Flasks are limited in number. Magic buffs can enhance the weapon's damage or provide defensive boosts, depending on the player's build and preferences.

As always in FromSoftware's largest action RPG, if players are having a hard time, they should switch to exploring Elden Ring's diverse open world and growing stronger before returning for another try. There's no issue with taking a diversion and making progress elsewhere, especially when grappling with a boss as gritty as General Radahan. But after learning to recognize attack patterns and using their stats and equipment loadout to their advantage, players should have what they need to beat Starscourge Radahn.

Elden Ring

Once ruled by the immortal Queen Marika, keeper of the Elden Ring, the Lands Between are now divided between several demigods. As the battling demigods fought over the ring, they created the Shattering, granting each of them a shard. As the Tarnished, it is up to the player to confront these demigods, collect their Great Rune pieces, repair the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord.

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Genre(s)

RPG , Action

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Metascore

96

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PS4 &PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

PS Plus Availability

N/A