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It's no secret that the Flame of Ruin burns deep in the Mountaintops of Giants, but there are some things that weren't supposed to be known beyond the bounds of the Forge. Adan, Thief of Fire, is a boss in Elden Ring who stole one of these secrets and ran off with it, to use for his own ends.

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Found in the Malefactor's Evergaol in southwest Liurnia of the Lakes, Adan, Thief of Fire is a tough boss thanks to this powerful Incantation and his variety of other Fire-based spells. He's relatively tanky, and some of his moves come out at lightning speed, but there are ways to punish him - especially when he uses Elden Ring's unique Flame of the Fell God spell.

Adan, Thief of Fire's Moveset And Weaknesses

Elden Ring Adan Thief of Fire Guide Malefactors Evergaol Victory

Adan, Thief of Fire has a moveset split between melee combat and Fire-based Incantations. He wields a large flail whose attacks come out much faster than most anticipate, including a multi-hit combo move that ends with a spinning attack Adan uses to close distance. When he casts long-windup spells and immediately after his string of attacks you have a chance to get a few hits in.

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Adan, Thief of Fire is not particularly weak to any particular attack in Elden Ring, though he isn't immune to anything either. He appears to be a little resistant to Fire damage, but it's not enough to make a meaningful impact, especially with the right Incantations.

Adan's Moveset

  • Flame of the Fell God: The Flame that Adan stole. Adan raises his hand, stands still for a moment, and summons a massive fireball that tracks the player (much like Rennala's Full Moon). It moves slowly towards the player and explodes when close. However, it doesn't last forever, and Adan will cast it again if the fireball doesn't reach the player. Massive damage, and easy to avoid if Adan isn't actively hitting you.
  • Flail Combo: Perhaps Adan's most dangerous move, in which he viciously swipes side to side several times and finishes with a spinning attack forward. Medium damage on each hit, but very punishable - just get behind him or use ranged spells, as he doesn't stop attacking until the combo is complete.
  • Flail Smash: Adan raises his flail high and smashes it in front of him. High damage, but well telegraphed and easy to dodge left or right.
  • Catch Flame: Adan uses the Prophet's starting Incantation if the player gets too close, and often uses it immediately after another melee attack. High damage, don't stay in close combat too long.
  • Crimson Flask: Adan has a healing flask too, but can only use it once. When his health hits about 50% he will likely stop fighting to chug, which is a great opportunity to strike.

Adan's Weaknesses

Adan is not notably weak to any kind of attack, however he is slightly resistant to Fire damage. Incantation-users should stray away from using their Flame spells unless there's no other option - the difference in damage is small, but can be meaningful over the course of the fight.

While Adan doesn't have any damage type weaknesses, he is very easily staggered. A Heavy attack with most non-Dex weapons will stagger him for a moment, opening up for another Light attack or two. Use a mix of jumping attacks and charged attacks (when you can) to break his Posture, though Heavy attacks seem to be enough to break his stance if strung together quickly enough.

Strategies For Beating Adan, Thief of Fire

Elden Ring Adan Thief of Fire Guide Malefactors Evergaol

Adan, Thief of Fire is not the hardest Evergaol early-game fight in Elden Ring - that honor probably goes to the Crucible Knight in Stormhill. However, his moveset variety and fast attacks make it more than a walk in the park. Don't stay too close to him after he completes a combo or his overhead Flail Smash attack and you can avoid being hit by Catch Flame.

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While players can't use Ashes for this fight, or other player summons, as long as you have some kind of Ranged attack you can trivialize this boss. Even simple throwing weapons are enough to keep his Posture from regenerating in melee combat, and Sorcerers, Incantation users, and Ranged players can easily dispatch him from afar.

Spellcasting/Ranged

Spellcasters and Ranged players will find this fight much easier than Melee players as Adan frequently stops to cast Flame of the Fell God, giving you plenty of time to cast spells from a distance. Because the Flame of the Fell God dissipates after a while, as long as you stay on the opposite side of the arena from Adan you can get through this fight without taking any damage. Just like with every Evergaol fight, prepare your most powerful spell at the edge of the arena before Adan spawns, then cast it right as he appears out of the mist. It's basically a free hit, so make it count.

Melee Strategies

Melee fighters will find Adan a bit more of a pain than Ranged players, but it's nothing too major as he can be staggered by Heavy attacks just as easily as he can be punished from a distance. With a good shield you can block most of his hits without taking too much Stamina damage (and a high Guard Boost can cause his attacks to bounce off every time). As much as it's a good idea to keep the attacks up to break his Posture, don't get greedy as Catch Flame can come out lightning quick. When you see him casting Flame of the Fell God, move away and wait for it to dissipate.

Rewards For Beating Adan, Thief of Fire

Elden Ring Adan Thief of Fire Guide Malefactors Evergaol Flame Of The Fell God

Adan, Thief of Fire drops his namesake spell upon defeat - Flame of the Fell God. It's an Incantation that requires 41 Faith to cast, a high requirement this early in the game. It's a very powerful spell, but not one that you ought to use in the middle of combat. Instead, use Flame of the Fell God to open up a fight and deal a huge chunk of damage without spending any FP.

It's not that Flame of the Fell God is a bad Incantation, it's just very easily punishable. Just like Adan, players need a few seconds to actually summon this gigantic fireball, and during this wind-up enemies have a wide-open window to interrupt your cast. It's not a spell worth speccing into early in the game, but with high Faith later on it's devastatingly powerful and knocks almost every enemy prone instantly, especially if they are caught unawares.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

MORE: Complete Guide To Elden Ring: Weapons, Tips, Tricks, Bosses, & Builds