Elden Ring's secret areas, such as the Consecrated Snowfield and Miquella's Haligtree, offer some of the game's greatest challenges. They also offer some of the greatest rewards, including powerful weapons, spells, and incantations. Players who wish to reach Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, and reap the rewards found within, will need to face off against Loretta.
Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree appears rather early in Elden Ring at Caria Manor. She is a specter who wields Carian Sorceries to tremendous effect from horseback, and blocks access to the Three Sisters area of Liurnia. Her physical form found at the Haligtree is a more dangerous foe, but doesn't share some of the resistances her spirit form had. This newfound weakness can be used to a cunning player's advantage.
Boss Overview: Attacks and Openings
Phase 1
Loretta has access to all of her tremendously powerful attacks from the first encounter. She can conjure the Glintblade Phalanx and attack with sweeps from her sickle, while harrying players trying to gain distance with glintstone stars. She also uses her signature attack "Loretta's Greatbow."
When Loretta attacks with side swings or sickle stabs, players should roll through the attack towards Loretta, angling their roll slightly in the direction of the swing so that they pass through unharmed. This will put players close to her, offering a chance to land a hit in melee between her attacks. With the stab, it is important to roll to the side rather than forward, so that the roll animation does not end while the player is still in contact with the stab and its hitbox.
When Loretta's horse rears up in preparation for her to swing down on the player, dodge to the right and hit her as she recovers from the attack. The same is true when the horse rears up and slams its hooves down on the player. When Loretta's horse performs a bashing attack, accompanied by Loretta slashing at the player, the trick is to dodge through the bash and to the right, avoiding the swing entirely.
In another attack, Loretta swings her sickle while leaping and then swings a second time in the air. This remains one of her more dangerous attacks, but players can dodge it by rolling away from the swings. She no longer waits for her health to drop below 80% before pulling out this attack, so players should watch out.
When she conjures the Glintblade Phalanx, players should wait for the swords to begin firing towards them and then either sprint to the side or roll as they are about to connect in order to avoid the damage. At a distance, sprinting is safer and less risky, while rolling tends to be more effective up close. The same rule also applies to her glintstone star attacks, which can deal a lot of damage if they connect.
Unlike her first appearance, she will use the Loretta's Greatbow Sorcery from the very beginning, charging up a magic arrow that travels quickly and explodes on impact. When the arrow is in flight, players can roll through it to evade the attack. When she jumps backwards while casting this sorcery, players can also dodge it by running toward her as she jumps back.
Phase 2
During the second phase, Loretta begins using two new attacks, Loretta's Mastery and Loretta's Slash. Loretta's Mastery is a more powerful variant of her Greatbow Sorcery, launching four homing arrows that can thankfully be dodged in the same way as Loretta's Greatbow. However, these deal considerably more damage should they hit.
Loretta's Slash has Loretta charge her sickle with magic as her horse rears up, before performing two empowered swings and then a jumping slam. The best way to avoid this is to run backwards when she begins attacking to evade the initial pair of swings. When the horse lands during the slam, that's the player's cue to roll forward through the attack to take advantage of the long recovery time and deal some damage.
Boss Overview: Resistances and Poise
Much like her phantom form, Loretta has 40% resistance to magic and fire, alongside a 20% resistance to holy damage. However, she has no resistance to lightning damage. This means that, in terms of elemental damage, she is most vulnerable to lightning, though the lack of water on the ground prevents players from getting the damage bonus they could enjoy in her first appearance.
Unlike her first appearance, this Loretta is made of flesh and blood, and thus can be afflicted by status effects. Scarlet Rot and Poison will build the most easily, alongside sleep (though it only staggers her). However, of the available statuses players can inflict, Bleed and Frostbite can be devastatingly effective against this version of Loretta. This can arguably make Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree an easier fight than her prior appearance, for players utilizing status effect-focused builds.
Elden Ring is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
