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Being the culmination of FromSoftware's past six titles, Elden Ring possesses some of the most challenging boss encounters in their catalog, with Starscourge Radahn being at the top of the list. Aside from a handful of end-game bosses, Starscourge Radahn may very well be the most demanding boss in the entire game.

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While Starscourge Radahn is an optional boss, taking him down is required for a specific ending and will give you access to Nokron, Eternal City. However, you only need to eliminate two Shardbearers to gain access to Leyndell Castle, so choose wisely if you wish to keep your sanity.

Updated October 26, 2023, by Sean Murray: Radahn is certainly one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring, but he's not invincible. That's why we've updated this guide with improved formatting and more breakout tips to make beating Radahn easier than ever. We've also included links to other helpful Elden Ring topics.

Starscourge Radahn Overview

Promotional Image of Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring

Starscourge Radahn Overview

Location

Caelid

Optional

Yes

Summons

Players and Spirit Ashes

Drops

  • 70,000 Runes
  • Remembrance of the Starscourge
  • Radahn's Great Rune

Weak To

  • Hemorrhage
  • Scarlet Rot
  • Pierce

Starscourge Radahn is a Demi-God, and an optional boss found in Caelid. However, this is a mandatory battle if you want the ending associated with Ranni, the Witch. This encounter is one of Elden Ring's more challenging ones, so be prepared before even thinking about coming here. We recommend you be at least Level 65 or 70 for this boss fight.

Putting an end to Starscourge Radahn's tyrannical deeds will reward you with 70,000 Runes and the Remembrance of the Starscourge, which can get exchanged for unique items via Enia at the Roundtable Hold. You will also get Radahn's Great Rune, which raises your maximum HP, FP, and Stamina when using the Rune Arc consumable item.

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Starscourge Radahn Attacks

Starscourge Radahn attacking in Elden Ring

Starscourge Radahn has a ton of attacks that can be extremely hard to keep up with, and that's just when speaking about his first phase. As with most grueling FromSoftware encounters, Radahn has two phases, with his second one making him much more aggressive, stronger, and almost impossible to approach.

Luckily for you, this fight is a significantly challenging gimmick fight as opposed to the history of the more set-piece ones in FromSoftware's past titles. Though incredibly unforgiving, complex, and brutal, it isn't impossible and is quite manageable once you see what's going on and what you're expected to do. So, don't lose hope, Tarnished!

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How To Bear Starscourge Radahn

Starscourge Radahn rides his horse across the Rot-infected lands of Caelid during a cutscene in Elden Ring.

Whether you love playing a ground-based melee character, want to use Torrent, or even take him down using magic from a safe distance, Radahn doesn't discriminate when it comes to making your life miserable. No matter your playstyle, Radahn will test your limits, which is why he's such a challenging boss.

Torrent Strategy

A player character riding Torrent towards Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring

Using Torrent is arguably the best method of taking Radahn down, as you can ride around the arena and summon many NPCs to fight alongside you. This strategy allows you to have the NPCs distract Radahn, opening up a lot of uncontested hits in the early goings.

Furthermore, summoning NPCs will enable you to create separation to heal or call back in fallen NPCs to keep the fight going.

The most challenging aspect of Torrent is the second phase of the battle, where you will have to juggle summoning allies while also picking the best opportunities to strike and run, then repeat the process over and over again. It's recommended to always have NPCs up for the second phase, especially whenever he uses his "Planetary Devastation" attack. This will allow you to watch from a safe distance as he fights the NPCs.

Just making contact with one of those boulders will kill you instantly, And since it's late into the fight, you want to play it safe here.

But not too safe. As soon as the boulders are down, charge back in, deal damage, then bounce and summon more NPCs. Repeat all of this until he is dead!

Ranged Strategy

Casting a Magic Incantation in Elden Ring

Ranged users may have an easier time with Radahn than others due to the Rock Sling Sorcery being highly effective in this fight. If you possess the Meteorite Staff and this spell, use them both to your advantage. In just three to four Rock Sling hits, you will have Radahn staggered, allowing you to breeze right through the first phase. Furthermore, you will want to find the sweet spot in this fight, which is somewhere in the mid-range area.

Though, be mindful of Radahn's speed. He's pretty fast for his size and will close in on you extraordinarily fast, which will be the end for most ranged-focused players.

In general, it's also recommended to use Torrent here and summon the NPCs for support and to draw Radahn's attention, allowing you to cast your spells carefree.

Melee Strategy

A melee user swinging at Radahn in Elden Ring

If you insist on not using Torrent, we strongly urge you to bring a melee weapon capable of causing the Bleed or Rot ailments, as Radahn is weak to those. Then, we also suggest using the NPC summons to draw his attention, allowing you to get in several uncontested attacks to build up your status effects.

However, when it comes to the second phase, be prepared to dodge a lot and sprint around the battlefield to bring back fallen NPCs. NPCs are crucial to this encounter, especially for ground-based melee users.

Just be sure to be patient, take it one attack at a time, and try inflicting ailments on him to take large chunks of his health away periodically.

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General Tips For Beating Starscourge Radahn

Starscourge Radahn earing a corpse in Elden Ring
  • Be Level 65-70 or higher.
  • Use Torrent and summon the NPCs whenever they become available.
    • You cannot use Torrent when summoning other players, so stick with the many NPCs you have at your disposal.
  • Avoid using player summons if possible. Torrent + NPCs is the way to go this encounter.
  • Be patient, and don't get greedy with your attacks. One or two attacks are OK, don't go overboard.
  • Ranged users should focus on using Rock Sling with the Meteorite Staff for maximum damage output.

Next: Elden Ring: Complete Guide And Walkthrough