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In Elden Ring's trailers and introductory cutscene, there are a number of notable characters, but few are as memorable or imposing as General Radahn. Known as "Starscourge Radahn," he is both a terrifying opponent and an incredibly important figure in the lore of Elden Ring.

Facing off against Radahn at the Radahn Festival is an immense challenge for players, and it will take precise dodging and creative use of the environment to even get close enough to engage him in combat properly.

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The Radahn Festival

elden ring blaidd quest

Players wishing to face Radahn will first need to make their way to the Radahn Festival in Southeast Caelid at Castle Redmane. The easiest way to reach the festival is via a portal that can be found right before the bridge that leads to the castle. This portal isn't always active, however. The easiest way to ensure the portal is activated is to continue Iron Fist Alexander and Half-Wolf Blaidd's questlines, and meet Ranni at her tower in Liurna of the Lakes. She will ask the player to attend the festival, and at this point, the portal will be active.

The portal can also be activated after spending a little time exploring Altus Plateau, after activating the Great Lift of Dectus in Liurna of the Lakes.

After passing through the portal and entering the courtyard, players can speak with a number of NPCs, including Alexander and Blaidd. Heading up the stairs and speaking to the announcer will trigger a cutscene and open the path to Radahn.

Facing the Starscourge: Phase 1

Elden Ring_Radahn Phase 1

Radahn's fight will begin as soon as players pass through the portal on the beach below Castle Redmane (accessed via a lift that becomes accessible once the announcer is spoken to).

He begins the fight by firing gravity-empowered arrows at the player, which can be dodged but will often stagger the player if they attempt to block instead. Players should run towards the swords stuck into the ground directly ahead of their starting point, as each cluster of swords can block a single arrow from Radahn.

Radahn will mainly fire these gravity arrows but occasionally shoots a scattershot of swords, which require careful dodging to avoid. He can also fire blades into the air, causing a sword rain that follows the player for a while, and can be avoided by mounting Torrent and riding away from it as quickly as possible to outpace the rain.

Elden Ring_Radahn_Summon Signs

There are golden summoning signs scattered throughout the arena, with three located directly behind the first cluster of swords. These summon signs will call out the other participants of the Radahn festival to aid the player, supplying them with a small army to assist in the fight against Radahn.

These signs are reusable and can be found all over the arena, so players should occasionally break off from combat to call in more help as Radahn reduces their numbers.

When in melee range, Radahn will primarily make sweeping attacks with his swords, which are best avoided from directly underneath him due to his sheer size, assuming Elden Ring players are attacking him with a melee weapon. Players will still need to dodge roll with good timing to avoid some of these attacks, such as the ground stab, which causes a gravity implosion and is sometimes followed up with an overhead slam that causes an explosion.

As he moves surprisingly quickly for his size, players should try to keep up with his movements and be ready to dodge after he makes a large move. If he moves a considerable distance, players can use Torrent to catch up with him.

When fighting Radahn with magic or ranged weaponry, it is important to observe his movements, ideally waiting for him to commit to a melee attack on summoned allies before casting spells or drawing back the bowstring. The Incantation "Ekzykes Decay" is exceptionally useful for damaging Radahn, as Scarlet Rot will do a lot of damage to him and continue to hurt him over time for the rest of the phase.

Elden Ring_Radahn_Sword Rain

Radahn is especially vulnerable to bleed and scarlet rot effects, which can be used to deal massive amounts of damage to him. This is especially useful during his first phase, where it is easier to strike him consistently.

After reaching half health, Radahn will launch himself into the sky and vanish. Watch the sky for an approaching meteor and either dodge roll to avoid damage from it or mount Torrent and sprint out of the way as fast as possible, as Radahn's explosive re-entry to the battlefield can do massive damage. The lull before the meteor appears is a good opportunity to heal up or use the flask of wondrous physick without interruption.

Facing the Starscourge: Phase 2

Elden Ring_Radahn Phase 2

Now that Radahn has re-entered the battlefield, his attacks will become faster, and he will begin to use magic attacks to launch bolts of energy and meteorites at his foes. Keeping summons around to distract him will give players the necessary breathing room to heal and/or cast spells.

The orbiting meteors he summons are dangerous due to their unpredictable nature, as they fire at his foes after a long delay, making it easy to overlook them in the heat of battle. Mounting Torrent before they fire and keeping distance while outrunning the projectiles can be a helpful tactic here.

Radahn also has a dangerous wave attack he will launch by dragging his swords through the ground, which should be dodge-rolled through or leaped over with Torrent, along with making increased use of his gravity attack that pulls enemies towards him, necessitating a well-timed dodge roll to avoid getting staggered.

Continue striking at Radahn whenever possible until he falls. Applying Scarlet Rot to him during this phase can be tricky, but it will deal a ton of damage to him and continue chipping away at him for the rest of the fight.

Elden Ring is available for Playstation 4, Playstation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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