Highlights

  • Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss may end up surprising many players.
  • The final phase of this battle is extremely challenging, comparable to Malenia.
  • The fight is a thrilling spectacle and a fantastic way for FromSoftware to surprise players.

Major Spoilers Ahead! While care has been taken not to go into specific lore details, this article reveals the identity and details of Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss encounter.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has somehow surpassed many people's expectations, even though it's fair to say they were already sky-high. Thanks to the plethora of new content, made up of areas, items, and bosses, fans have been able to dive right back into the world of Elden Ring as if they'd never been away. The DLC contains many surprises that will catch players off guard, but none more so than the identity and nature of the expansion's final boss encounter: Radahn, Consort of Miquella.

Much of FromSoftware's marketing for the DLC was centered around a new antagonist, Messmer the Impaler, and many believed that he would be the main boss of the expansion. However, Messmer is actually encountered much earlier, around the mid-way point of the DLC. Eventually, having finally caught up with Miquella, intending to stop him, the player discovers that he has none other than Radahn as his consort. The battle that ensues is a thrilling spectacle, and when the dust settles it will likely be considered as one of FromSoftware's toughest-ever boss fights.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Final Boss Fight is a Suprise For Many

For many, the sight of Promised Consort Radahn emerging in all of his glory will be a jaw-dropping moment. Throughout the base game, stories of General Radahn's infamy are heard through various NPCs and bits of lore, but the actual encounter against him at Redmane Castle feels like the player is fighting a weakened, maddened version of the Demi-God, far past his prime. That isn't to say it's not a tough fight in its own right, but it probably isn't quite the duel that the player expected. Thankfully, Shadow of the Erdtree's finale gives players a chance to go toe-to-toe with a prime version of Radahn.

The fight itself is brutal and unforgiving. Radahn is absolutely relentless in his offense. During the first phase, he will utilize his twin greatswords in a number of fast, devastating combos, each one with a different number of hits. He can disguise them to throw the player off, and opportunities to heal, or call a Spirit Summon in for aid, are extremely limited. He can also use magic to hurl huge rocks at the player, and another of his attacks will pull them in close before he unleashes a ground stomp causing magic spikes to pierce the ground and deal huge damage. That's just phase one. At around 70% health, Radahn enters his second phase, which quickly makes phase one feel like a cakewalk in comparison.

Radahn's Ultra-Difficult Final Phase Will Likely Be a Topic of Discussion for the Fan Base

During Radahn's final phase, with Miquella on his shoulders, he will use all of the same attacks, but now they are more powerful. Making matters even worse, Miquella will blast Holy magic as a follow-up to pretty much all of his attacks. The onslaught is seemingly never-ending, and they also have a few extra tricks up their sleeve just when the player thinks they've seen it all. The difficulty of the fight overall is certainly comparable to Malenia, Blade of Miquella, who many crowned the toughest boss in Elden Ring prior to the DLC's launch.

Exactly who is tougher out of Radahn and Malenia will likely be debated for a while. Either way though, it's a shocking, spectacular way to wrap up the expansion. Messmer the Impaler will feel like a bit of a distant memory by the time players finally conquer Radahn. There's no denying it was a fantastic way for FromSoftware to pull the rug from the feet of those thinking Messmer would be Shadow of the Erdtree's last challenge.