Welcome to our basic guide for defeating DLC bosses in ELDEN RING! Here, we will provide a quick walkthrough on the fundamentals of taking down any boss in the DLC. Our tips are based on the experience of someone who has beaten the DLC at level 177, NG + 2, without any summons or Spirits. Keep in mind that everyone’s experience may differ, but with the right tools (such as Ashes, leveling, summons, and scad), the game can become much easier. So let’s dive in and learn how to conquer these challenging bosses!
Step 1: Fight the boss and attempt it for the first time(and probably die)
You will 100% die to these bosses, they are post endgame bosses and are made to be hard and catch you when you do things too quickly or impatiently. Try to make this first attempt last as long as you can to learn as much as you can about the fight. sometimes it will last a while and other times it will be over in a second. This is fine though as it is part of the cycle of the game along with the learning process.
Step 2: Make sure your eyes are open
Watch the boss as it attacks. Watching direction, type, and how they chain together certain ones. This will immensely help you in determining your next move in a fight and as long as you pay attention you will learn bosses fairly quickly. This only works if you are looking at the boss with the intent to learn and improve. Getting pissed is fine but when you start believing everything is out of your control it starts to become that way and you make stupid mistakes.
Step 3: Try out different dodge timings, directions, and tools
Not all bosses are made equal so naturally, the timing and delays on each attacks will all be different. See what works for each boss and experiment. Once you have watched them you must put your theories into practice and try out what you believe will work with your build and what you have seen the boss do. You will need to try all sorts of timings and directions to see what works with the particular boss you are on. Continue to try over and over until you reach the next step.
Step 4: Determine your win conditions
There are many different “win conditions” and they can range from proccing status effects to staggering the boss a couple times. It will range from different builds and bosses so you just need to determine yours. As you are experimenting with the boss you are fighting you will 100% find things that work better than others, sometimes it will be faster and sometimes it will take a while. Determine what works and is achievable in that specific boss fight and use it.
Step 5: Beat the boss
Now that you have practiced and have a good feel for the fight, beat the boss when you are able to. It could very well happen in the past couple sections by accident if you feel confident and are able to push through earlier.
Bonus tip 1: Panic and Timing
Sometimes you need to sacrifice a few hits to heal. Don’t panic heal as you will probably just need to heal again and then just waste flasks. Dodge until you have an opening then heal. Panic rolling and attacking is the enemy of you beating the boss. Make sure to not spam dodge. This one goes off step 2 so make sure to open your eyes and have watched how the boss moves. Many of the bosses do attacks that roll catch IF YOU SPAM ROLL so time everything as they swing. They are very easily dodgeable if you time it right and are patient.
Bonus tip 2: Assistance and Resources
Swallow your pride and use your resources. If you truly believe you can’t beat the boss or it is to hard use resources. You are not gonna beat a boss on the first try unless you get really lucky. Experiment and use different stuff (None of the bosses are unbeatable and you can complete the dlc with any limitations you put on yourself with enough practice and perseverance.) Bandai Namco did not make the game with your limitations in mind so if you truly cannot beat the boss after using every resource the game has given you, only then has the dev team failed. I completely understand the viewpoint of not using certain things, but you are supposed to use resources and while putting limitations on yourself is fine and makes the game more enjoyable for some (Myself included) it is also not the games fault then if you struggle as you are not using the tools given. The scad tree blessing is a huge help in the DLC and even without going out of my way to look for them I had gotten lvl 12 by the end
Final boss tips: Timing, Jumping, and Positions
Some bosses have extremely exploitable things that they do that you can abuse to beat them easily, I won’t go into too much detail as I believe that experiencing things for yourself is important and part of the enjoyment of the game but (Spoilers blacked out)
1. Some enemies require you to dodge much later in their attack and angle it correctly(For example hog rider charge you need to dodge very late and angle it right to avoid it)
2. Some you need to jump once or multiple times to avoid.(Putrescent frost fire attack along with the giant fire stomp will require you to jump alot)
3. Many bosses benefit from you hugging them really closely and in some cases allows you to avoid attacks completely and get free hits in for it.
This all goes along with the experimentation process as you will need to try all sorts of stuff to find out what works and be successful.
That’s All
Feel free to comment on your DLC experience and how you are dealing with the bosses as I love to find out new fun builds and ways to to approach fights.
And that wraps up our share on ELDEN RING: Basic Guide for DLC Bosses. If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by Physical Trauma, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!