Radagon of the Golden Order is the final boss players will face in Elden Ring, although it is only the first form. After his defeat, he’ll seemingly be transformed by The Greater Will into the Elden Beast—meaning players have two really tough back-to-back fights. Beating Radagon of the Golden Order means players can exhaust most of their flasks and abilities, and go into the second fight wholly unprepared.
No matter the level, Elden Ring’s final boss is quite difficult. Not only does it strain flasks, but even with maximized gear, it’s difficult to defeat the boss. Particularly, it’s worth noting that Elden Ring’s Bleed builds are a particular disadvantage, as both Radagon and The Elden Beast are immune to such tactics. However, if players are looking to defeat Radagon easily, there is one method to make these fights much easier.
Elden Ring: Tips and Tricks Against Radagon and The Elden Beast
Prior to the cheese method, here are some general tips and tricks to tackling Radagon and The Elden Beast:
- Have the best sorceries, weapons, and equipment possible for your build
- Do NOT focus on Bleed in a melee build; instead, focus on raw DPS
- Find and equip the Haligdrake Talisman, as it reduces damage taken from Holy attacks, and both Radagon and The Elden Beast use Holy moves.
- The Mimic Tear Ash is still super useful after Elden Ring update 1.03, and the Haligdrake Talisman increases their ability to tank damage.
- The goal to pull this tactic off/beat both of these bosses is to limit how many supplies are used against Radagon and save as many resources as possible for The Elden Beast
Elden Ring: How to Beat Radagon of the Golden Order Easily
This method was seemingly discovered by YouTuber Tyrannicon and independently verified by Game Rant. We can confirm it still works after Elden Ring update 1.3.
Once players cross the golden light to initiate the fight, they should skip the cutscene and IMMEDIATELY, while the screen is still black, hold their sprint forward. The very first thing Radagon does is slowly turn around, and if players can get in his face before he is fully turned, he’ll just stand there. He won’t attack or retaliate against the player. However, should the player use certain spells or lock on to Radagon, he will become hostile. Keep these things in mind:
- Do NOT melee attack Radagon.
- Do NOT lock-on to Radagon.
- Do NOT move once he stops moving.
- It may take a time or two to get the positioning/time just right, but once it does, it then allows players to cheese the boss.
Once Radagon is standing still, there are a few options. There are certain spells Elden Ring players can use without him retaliating, such as Comet Azur, but the one thing most Elden Ring builds should have access to is a bow. Players should stock up on 99 arrows, as well as equip the Arrow’s Sting Talisman. Without locking on, players can use this (and poison mist) to kill Radagon by constantly hitting him. It does take a little time, but after some Poison Mist hits and arrow strikes, he’ll eventually go down after using crudely 80 arrows.
Players should NOT continuously hit him with arrows. Depending on their Elden Ring build and damage output, about 30 arrows will break Radagon’s Poise and make him fall to the ground. If he does this, he will attack the player and end this cheesing method. Instead, players should let loose 15-20 at a time, count to 30, and then repeat until Radagon is defeated or drastically reduced in health.
What players should note is that, if they are not doing enough damage to kill him, this is still a great way to deal tons of damage without taking a single hit. If they exhaust their arrows, depending on their builds and abilities, Radagon could still have 50% health left if players aren’t fully geared for this tactic. However, that’s still enough to summon a Mimic Tear and begin to deal quick and heavy damage to Radagon, ending the fight quickly and without using a lot of resources.
This Elden Ring Strategy Only Leaves The Elden Beast To Deal With
Of course, once Radagon falls, there is still The Elden Beast to beat. The Elden Beast, on its own, is not too difficult of a boss once players learn his patterns—the hardest part of the Elden Beast is going into the fight with few supplies, a weak Mimic Tear Ash, and so on. By cheesing Radagon, either until death or until beating him only requires a few more hits, players can ensure they go into The Elden Beast fight unscathed.
This is a huge advantage, especially if players reduce their Holy damage via the Haligdrake Talisman. The Elden Beast is still hard, but having proper flasks and such make him much easier. Here, what players should do is let loose with their best abilities and utilize the raw power of their build, with the exception again of bleed builds, and they should be The Elden Beast with relative ease. Once it has fallen, players will be able to continue playing, pursuing other optional endgame bosses like Malenia, or begin New Game+.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.