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The new bosses in the Elden Ring DLC are no joke – even the earliest bosses that players will likely encounter present some of the toughest challenges in the entire game. First among these is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a boss encountered at the end of the first major Legacy Dungeon in Shadow of the Erdtree.

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This Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss guide contains everything you need to know to find your way to the Dancing Lion boss fight, and everything you need to know to beat the Dancing Lion. Don't be too intimidated by its terrifying design and flowing movements, and focus on following mechanics, to eventually beat Dancing Lion back into the ground from which it rose – and get some nifty Dancing Lion boss rewards, too.

How To Get To The Dancing Lion Location

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lion Dancer Boss Location Belurat Tower Settlement

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss is found at the very end of the Belurat, Tower Settlement legacy dungeon. To get to Belurat, head west from the Three-Path Cross site of grace, through the tunnel, to find another Site of Grace with two more NPCs just outside the entrance.

Enter Belurat and continue through the Legacy Dungeon until you reach the Small Prayer Room site of grace. Walk up the stairs toward the Omen Knight, then turn left. Turn right and walk down the alleyway before you reach the waterfall drop. You should see another alley leading left toward two Shadow Undead. Kill the Shadow Undead in this water runoff area, and follow the runoff, to find another room to your right. Climb the ladder here to reach an upper walkway.

Continue on the path to the right until you see an area filled with dirty water below the walkway on the left, near where the path ends with a broken bridge. Jump down, then continue along this watery area until you enter a room on the far side that contains a number of man-flies.

Beat the man-flies here, then climb up the ladder. From here, the path forward is relatively linear – walk out, then to the left, to find a Revered Spirit Ash and a stairway that leads further upward. Take these stairs up to get to the Dancing Lion and a site of grace just outside the boss door entrance.

Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Walkthrough

Weaknesses, Strategies, Moveset, & More

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lion Dancer Boss Strategies Divine Beast

Dancing Lion Weaknesses

  • The Dancing Lion does not seem particularly weak to any one element, and even uses Lightning, Frost, and Storm attacks in its moveset.
  • Instead of trying to counter the Dancing Lion with elemental weaknesses, focus on learning the boss' moveset to anticipate and react correctly to telegraphed attacks.
  • Swap out your Elden Bling for an armor set that provides Physical, Lightning, and Frost defense (focusing on Physical). Other elements do not matter in this fight.
  • Though it is not affected by one weakness in particular, attacks that do not use Lightning, Frost, or Storm damage will deal more damage to this boss than others. It is susceptible to Bleed and Frostbite, too (though resistant to the latter).
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Dancing Lion Moveset & Counters

Phase One (Before Elemental Transformation)

Move

Description

How To Counter

Three-Chain Swipes

The Dancer will swipe from side to side three times, holding its final strike for a moment before lunging

Easy to dodge, though hard to anticipate in close combat. Dodge into these attacks to avoid most follow-up strikes.

Debris Spew

Sprays a blast of debris at the target, dealing Physical damage

Dodge to the left or right, or into this long-range projectile, to avoid its hitbox. The Beast will rear up slightly before spewing.

Debris Spew Circle

Rotates in place and sprays debris in a circle covering a huge distance, for three full rotations

Either jump over the debris as the boss rotates when at mid to long range, or dodge into the debris when at close range

Lip-Smack Grab Attac

The Beast rises up on its back legs and lunges at the target after smacking its lips loudly

This move is very well telegraphed, and easy to dodge away from – but if you get grabbed, it's going to take a lot of HP away

Spin & Backflip Dances

Spins in place to deal AoE damage around the beast, or backflips in place to deal immense damage to one target, while re-positioning. Flips are common when behind the boss.

Hard to spot, look for the boss to "hold" an attack (like Margit's slam or a Dragon's spin attack) while standing up, then dodge into it

Head Slam

The Lion Dancer will stand up tall, then suddenly slam its head down on the player, dealing Physical damage in a small AoE

Dodge away from this attack to get out of its hitbox, if you dodge into the Dancer then you'll recover in the AoE zone

Hovering Charge

The Lion Dancer will hover in mid-air for about two seconds, then suddenly lunge at the player. Often followed with a Lip-Smack grab

Dodge into the Dancer at the last moment before it connects to avoid its hitbox and have a few seconds to attack back, if the Dancer doesn't continue attacking

Phase Two (including all moves from Phase One)

Move

Description

How To Counter

Transformation

Floats up into the air and becomes imbued with one of three elements, changing its attacks

Just don't stand right next to it when it transforms, but watch out for the follow-up. After reaching 50% HP, it will transform roughly every 20 to 30 seconds.

Lightning Form

  • Alters the debris breath attacks to have Lightning damage
  • All other attacks cause lightning to randomly strike the area around the attack

Watch for lightning strike areas on the ground that spawn with each attack. Dodge away from the boss during this phase to avoid these close-range lightning strikes.

Frostbite Form

  • Alters the debris breath attacks to deal Frost damage and cause Frostbite
  • Gains a Stomp move, like the Hoarfrost Stomp, which deals immense Frostbite and Physical damage

Dodge into the Frost Stomp, or sprint to the side of it if you have time. You can jump over this attack, but it is difficult to time correctly.

Storm Form

  • Can create a tornado when dealing melee attacks that will eventually blast outward
  • All other attacks create wind gusts that radiate outward, dealing physical damage

Dodge into the tornado, after the Dancing Lion telegraphs that it is sending it outward. Dodge into wind gusts in general to avoid their hitboxes effectively.

Rapid Transformation

The Divine Beast gains the abilities of all three phases, randomly swapping between each element and attacks, when it gets down to around 10% to 20% HP

Apply counter tips from other Phase 2 Forms and abilities

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Strategies To Beat Dancing Lion

General Dancing Lion Boss Tips

  • Equip gear that grants resistance to Lightning and Frost damage, and Talismans that enhance these resistances too. Consider pre-casting buffs and using powerful new Talismans that grant even more resistance to these damage types.
  • Equip the highest-defense-granting gear you have available without heavy rolling, as the majority of this boss' damage is Physical, but its attacks also come out fast and Heavy rolling is practically a death sentence
  • The front and back of the Dancing Lion are the only hitboxes on the boss. Attacking the midsection deals no damage – but of the two, attacking the head deals more damage than the rear.
  • You can jump over a number of the Dancing Lion's attacks - like the Frost Stomp (when timed correctly), the spinning debris breath attack, and some others.

If you are having trouble with any boss in Elden Ring , you can always go out to explore other areas to get stronger before returning to try again. This is ultimately the most effective strategy to overcome any boss in the game.

Melee Dancing Lion Strategies

  • It is difficult to break the poise of this boss, but not impossible. Use an extremely heavy Colossal Weapon and use a combination of jumping attacks and Guard Counters.
  • Aim for the face in stead of the rear of the boss to deal more Poise damage and stun it faster.
  • It can be hard to keep up with this boss as it dances and cavorts around the arena. Consider equipping a Stamina-enhancing Talisman (like the new Two-Headed Turtle Talisman) to more easily catch up to the boss and have Stamina to avoid its onslaught of melee attacks.
  • Shields can be incredibly useful for this fight, especially when imbued with buffs that increase their defenses against the boss' three damage types. A 100% Physical block shield will go far in protecting you in melee range.

Spellcaster Dancing Lion Strategies

  • The Dancing Lion has attacks that cover a huge range of the boss arena, and can catch up to distant foes very quickly. Being at a range does not mean you're safe for this fight, even with summons.
  • Use HP-sapping spells like those in the Black Flame Incantation category to deal percentage-based damage to this boss' enormous HP bar
  • Because of the boss' enormous size and dual hitboxes, a well-aimed spell can deal enormous damage. Try using the Spiral Glintstone spell on the boss' face when it finishes a combo, giving you a few seconds to aim and hit both hitboxes. Incantation-wielders can use the Burn, O Flame! or Black Flame Ritual spells to cover a wide area with flames and deal damage to both hitboxes reliably.
  • Use Resistance-boosting buffs, like the Protection of the Erdtree incantation or the Scholar's Shield sorcery, to help negate some of the overwhelming elemental damage of this fight
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Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Rewards

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lion Dancer Boss Rewards Remembrance

After you beat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss, it will reward the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion item. As one of the ten Remembrance bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, this unique Dancing Lion reward can be traded with Enia at Roundtable Hold for a choice between two items.

  • The Enraged Beast Talisman: Enhances the potency of Storms (Storm-based spells and Ashes of War)
  • Ash of War: Divine Beast's Frost Stomp: Stomp the ground in front of you for a great amount of Frostbite buildup. Essentially a stronger Hoarfrost Stomp.

If you want to get both of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion rewards, Shadow of the Erdtree players must duplicate the Remembrance at a Walking Mausoleum. Walking Mausoleums that don't have a bell can duplicate non-Demigods.

In addition to the Remembrance, the Dancing Lion drops a unique piece of Head Armor: the Divine Beast Head. This extremely heavy head armor is comically large when worn, but is said to allow the Tarnished to speak with the Empyrean Grandam, the NPC who called to the Dancing Lion spirit at the beginning of the fight.