There are many bosses in Elden Ring that are spread across the Lands Between. Today, we’ll be talking about one of the fan favorites. You’ve probably guessed it, I am talking about Starscourge Radahn. He is a difficult boss that can take a lot of tries before you finally best the might general. That this this guide will show you how to beat Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring and where you can find him. If interested, you should also read through our extensive Elden Ring tier lists and build guides.
If you are new to the game, this guide will help you out immensely. While you won’t face this mighty foe immediately, some players wander off from the main path and accidentally head over to him thinking that he is easy. However, if your character is low level, it will be nearly impossible to kill him. With that said, let’s dive right in and take a look at how you beat Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring: How to Beat Starscourge Radahn
As aforementioned, we will show you how you can easily beat this boss and how you can get to him. Plus, we’ll be discussing the optimal level that your character should have before you go to fight him. But, before we begin, let’s take a brief look at his backstory and lore so we are familiar with the character. Elden Ring has lore spread across the world so it was fun finding out about Radahn from different characters’ perspective.
Backstory / Lore
Radahn is a Great Rune holder and a demi-god in the world of Elden Ring. Presently, he has completely lost his mind and is corrupted by the Scarlet Rot that infected him during the fight with Malenia. He was destined for greatness as he was born to Queen Rennala and Radagon – both of whom you can fight in Elden Ring.
Early Life
Eventually, Radahn grew massively in size and outgrew his scrawny horse names Leonard. He learned gravitational magic in Sellia under a master who was an Alabaster Lord because he did not want to abandon his trust steed. After mastering the magic, Radahn conquered the stars, using his powers to imprison them and earning him the moniker of “Starscourge”.
Related: How to Adjust FoV (Field of Vision) in Elden Ring
The Shattering
After the assassination of Godwyn – first of Marika – she shattered the Elden Ring. This was hereby known as The Shattering. After that, the demigods all faced each other to claim the Lands Between and become its ruler.
From his stronghold of Redmane Castle, Radahn led his armies against the forces of the other demigods, until only he and his half-sister Malenia were left standing. Both the demigods fought to a draw but then Malenia unleashed her Scarlet Rot, destroying a large portion of the continent and corrupted Radahn from the inside.
Despite completely losing his mind, he still kept his arnaments, armor, and his undersized horse. On top of that, he still held the stars under his control. He also still held a Great Rune – a part of the Elden Ring. Eventually, a ceremony was held where mighty warriors from across the continent would participate and try to finally put the General out of his misery.
This is where the player comes in. You, along with your friends, participate in the festival of Radahn and try to kill him so the general can get his wish and the stars can be freed.
Related: What Happens When You Start NG+ in Elden Ring?
Where to Find Him?
Finding him is easier said than done if you are new to the game. Radahn is located East of Limgrave (your starting area) in Caelid. The area is a vast barren wasteland thanks to the Scarlet Rot spread by Malenia. There are tons of extremely strong enemies roaming this area so be extremely careful when picking a fight with someone.
Ideally, the player should be at least level 65+ before making their way here. You can easily get to that level in Limgrave if you explore every nook and cranny. There are tons of bosses to face there as well! However, once you make it to Caelid, stick to the bottom area of the map. Follow the road and you’ll come across a large castle.
At this point, there are two ways to enter this dungeon. Firstly, you can enter through the main gates and fight your way to the boss. If you don’t want to fight any enemies, use the teleporter that is conveniently situated at the entrance of the castle. From there, head up the stairs and activate a Grace Site. Now, you can go ahead and make your way forward where you’ll find various NPCs like Blaidd, Alexander, and more.
Related: Elden Ring Stats and Attributes Explained with Best Class Combinations
Talk to the person who is explaining the festival about a war in which General Radahn wants to die an honorable death. Once you interact with him, he will ask you if you’re ready or not. Say “I’m ready” and the gates will open. Walk past them and go down the elevator to find yourself in front of another teleporter. Use it and you’ll instantly start the boss fight.
Tips to Beat Radahn
Radahn has a metric ton of attacks which are extremely difficult to keep up with. He not only hits like a truck, but is also quite fast for his size. There are two phases of the fight so you’ll have to keep that in mind when fighting him. A good thing is that you can summon various NPCs to assist you in the fight. Three NPCs can be found right in front of you as the fight starts. The remaining are scattered as you make your way towards Radahn.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you can summon the NPCs again after they die. Their summoning symbol will appear near the area where you are fighting Radahn in melee range. So, don’t worry if they die once or twice, you can always summon them back. Also, there are more NPCs near Radahn that can only be summoned at that specific point. I didn’t know about this and I kept fighting him solo after the NPCs died once, so it was an especially tough fight for me.
Also, if you do not like to use summons because you feel that the game becomes “too easy”, I suggest trying to take on Radahn once or twice alone. If the fight is difficult, summoning allies in this specific fight isn’t a bad thing. This is meant to be a battle where the great warriors of the Lands Between all work together to beat the mighty general.
Related: Elden Ring Staff Tier List | Best Weapons Ranked
Phase 1
As soon as you start the fight, Radahn will charge his bow and fire a homing arrow toward you. This can deal A LOT of damage if you do not dodge it. Keep in mind that you cannot dodge this arrow on horseback so you’ll be forced to walk and roll. When the fight starts, head straight and summon the three aliies in front of you. Then make your way towards Radahn but stay a bit to the right side. You’ll come across Alexander, so summon him as well.
Also, while you are walking – or riding – towards Radahn, keep an eye on him because he will continuously fire the arrows. Once you reach a specific distance, he will fire a barrage of massive arrows that will fall from the sky and track your location. Outrun this on your horse and continue riding towards the general.
Eventually, you’ll get into melee range and he will pull out his two colossal swords an dash towards you. His attacks are quite fast and he can land various combos that can instantly show you the notorious “You Died” screen.
During this phase, we suggest sticking to his left hip and continuously attacking him while he is distracted by your allies. As soon as two or three NPCs die, immediately gain distance and summon them again to keep the cycle going.
Also, he is extremely weak to Scarlet Rot, which is weird considering he is consumed by it, but I won’t complain. On top of that, you can also use Hemorrhage damage to hurt him badly. Occasionaly, he will use his magic in phase 1 to slam the ground and have an explosive aftermath a second later. Luckily, this attack can be telegraphed from a mile away. I suggest that as soon as you see him holding the swords above his head, run to his back and spam heavy attacks to potentially stagger him. Having a weapon that deals Bleed damage is a plus.
Related: Elden Ring: Best Early Game Rune Farming
Phase 2
After chunking down his HP, Radahn will take Leonard and launch himself high in the air. For a moment, you’ll think that he ran away, but that is not the case at all. After a short while, you’ll hear a loud sound. Turn around to see the massive Radahn raining down like a meteor to signal that phase 2 of the fight has just begun.
At this point, Radahn will use his gravity magic to use various spells. Be extremely careful as these spells can one-shot you at this point in the game. His moveset is mostly the same as phase 1 but there are a few alterations. Firstly, he uses more magic than before and will launch the large rocks directly toward you. If you avoid them, he will again use his gravity magic to levitate the rock above him.
Plus, he also uses gravitational pull to bring you close to him and stagger you for a bit. If you are hit by this, immediately start rolling and try to gain some distance from him. After pulling you in, he will spam melee attacks so be careful or you might die with a few of his deadly combos.
However, the fight is usually over after the first time he fires the rocks toward you. If not, repeat the process and deplete the remaining HP of Radahn to bring him down. Once his HP bar finally hits zero, you get the satisfaction like never before. You did something that even Malenia, Blade of Miquella couldn’t accomplish – kill General Radahn.
Rewards
Now that you’ve finally defeated the might General Radahn, let’s take a look at the rewards you get. But first, give yourself a pat on the back because you’ve accomplished an extremely difficult feat. First of all, you immediately get 70,000 Runes and the Remembrance of the Starscourge, which can get exchanged for his weapon and armor at the Enia at the Roundtable Hold. Plus, he also drops the Radahn’s Great Rune.
Secondly, you finally unlock the Nokron Eternal City which you have been hearing about from various NPCs such as Blaidd, Ranni, and Alexander. You can also get Blaidd’s armor and weapon if you complete his quest related to the secret city.
That’s everything you need to know about how to beat Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring. We would love to hear your thoughts on the boss and did you manage to beat him? Let us know in the comments below about your favorite boss fight in Elden Ring.
