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The final boss of Elden Ring is split into two phases represented by distinct characters. The first phase of the final fight belongs to Radagon of the Golden Order, an incredibly powerful figure who stands at the center of Elden Ring's history and story. The second phase belongs to the Elden Beast, a creature sent to the Lands Between by the Greater Will.
Radagon of the Golden Order wields the same hammer seen in the game's intro cinematic, and his attacks are as beautiful to witness as they are dangerous to be struck by. Radagon is one of Elden Ring's final bosses, but he's far from the game's hardest fight. Don't take the current Elden Lord lightly, though, as one wrong move can mean meeting the blunt end of Marika's Hammer.
Radagon of the Golden Order: A Brief Background
(Skip this section if you have not played through Brother Corhyn and Goldmask's questline)
The story of Radagon of the Golden Order is the story of the Lands Between, as he is intrinsically tied to just about every facet of the world as it has come to be in the present of Elden Ring. Long ago, Radagon was a mighty champion who led a Golden Army against the forces of the Carian Royal Family and the Academy of Raya Lucaria. He fell in love with Rennala, though, and gave up his titles and holdings to become her husband in what Miriel refers to as the miracle of the Church of Vows.
After a time, he left Rennala for reasons unknown, leaving her naught but the egg she cradles and a broken heart, which itself leads to the revolt against the Carian Royals. After Godfrey's eyes lost the golden hue of Grace and he was exiled from the Lands Between, Radagon became the second Elden Lord as consort to Queen Marika the Eternal. A major twist in this story that players discover in Leyndell is that Radagon is Marika, that they are two halves to the same whole.
Fans have speculated on whether this means they were the same person all along, or whether Radagon mantled the godhood of Queen Marika after becoming Elden Lord. Either way, the game is clear that Marika was the one who shattered the Elden Ring while Radagon tried in vain to repair it. We don't fight Marika at the end of the game because the Greater Will imprisoned her to become little more than the mere vessel of the Elden Ring's influence.
When her hair turns red and her feminine body transforms into a masculine one, we are seeing Radagon take over control in a desperate final attempt to stave off the Tarnished.
Radagon's Moveset (and How To Counter It)
Radagon of the Golden Order has a varied moveset that includes AoE attacks, grab attacks, thrown weapon attacks, close-range Hammer combos, and gap-closing jump and thrust attacks. He uses a mix of hard-hitting melee moves and Holy-based Incantations, and some of his attacks have strange timings that can be difficult to anticipate and dodge correctly.
There are a few Talismans that can be incredibly helpful in this endgame fight. The +2 versions of the Pearldrake and Dragoncrest Greatshield Talismans are fantastic boosts to defense across the board. Pair these two with the +2 version of the Haligdrake Talisman to get Holy absorption above 50%. Most of Radagon's attacks are slow or delayed, so be sure to pay attention to his movements and you'll have no problem dodging his regular attacks.
Radagon's Moveset
Holy AoE Cleave: Radagon rears his Hammer-arm back and swings in an arc in front, creating an explosive cloud of Holy essence and dealing AoE damage in a frontal cone, similar to the Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War. Like many of Radagon's attacks, the easiest way to avoid this is to dodge directly into the attack as he starts to swing.
Lightning Spear: Like the Incantation, Radagon creates a lightning bolt in his hand and thrusts it at the player after a brief delay. Very telegraphed and can be dodged by rolling right or left, but can be very annoying for ranged players.
Staggering Shove: Radagon will quickly lunge forward with his knee and interrupt or stagger the player, usually followed by a stomp or a slam attack. Hard to anticipate but can be blocked with a shield to give time to dodge the follow up.
Holy Slam And Uppercut: Radagon raises Marika's Hammer up, charges it with Holy energy, slams down to explode in an area after a delay, then finishes by rapidly pulling the hammer upwards. Dodge towards him right before he slams the hammer down and try to get behind him for a moment of opportunity.
Charged Stomp Combo: Radagon stomps on the ground to launch himself in the air, then after about a two-second delay smashes onto the player in a wide AoE explosion. Dodge away or sprint backward when you see him raise and charge his foot, count for two seconds, then dodge again.
Teleporting Explosion: Radagon rapidly phases to another location, leaving behind a small explosion. Deals medium damage but can happen pretty quickly.
The Elden Ring Combo: In what is perhaps Radagon's most iconic move, he stands tall, raises Marika's Hammer above his head, and slams it into the ground to deal Holy damage in an absolutely massive area twice. After the second slam he raises the Hammer for about two seconds, then slams it a final time to create the symbol of the Elden Ring in the ground and deal even more damage in an even wider area. As hard-hitting as this combo is, and even with the delayed final slam, it's surprisingly easy to anticipate each attack and dodge accordingly. As with most of Radagon's moveset, it's best to dodge towards the attack rather than away.
Hammer Combos: Radagon has two combos that can be infused with Holy and sometimes continue into a final explosive Slam attack. In a three-hit combo, he will swing Marika's Hammer in a diagonal arc in both directions then slam vertically after a brief delay. In a two-hit combo, Radagon will stomp to stagger the player, then quickly swing or thrust the Hammer towards them. Dodging these regular attacks is as easy as rolling towards him when he just barely starts to bring the Hammer down, or as soon as you see his foot start to come down for a stomp.
Strategies for Beating Radagon of the Golden Order
Radagon might not be the game's most difficult boss, but that's mostly because most players arrive at this final fight in the Erdtree having spent ages refining their build. Compared to someone like, say, Malenia, Radagon's attacks are slow but heavy-hitting. Spend some time getting used to the delayed timings of his slam attacks and practice dodging through attacks rather than away to create more attack opportunities.
The best Spirit Ashes to use in this fight are single-summons that can move quickly enough to avoid most of his attacks. Black Knife Tiche is a great choice for this fight as she is exceptionally fast and has a good mix of strong melee moves and reliable ranged attacks. Because of Radagon's weakness to Black Flame attacks, Black Flame Monk Amon is a good choice too, though he is exceptionally squishier than Tiche or the ever-popular Mimic Tear.
Easiest Strategy: Black Flame, Frenzied Flame, and Staggering
Elden Ring players who specced into Strength and Incantations will find the fight against Radagon easiest. This might seem counter-intuitive, as he's incredibly resistant to Holy Damage, but Incantation-users hardly ever use Faith for its Holy damage anyway. Radagon has almost no resistance to Fire attacks, the Black Flame, and the Frenzied Flame.
If you're a caster and having a hard time with Radagon, consider respeccing and hunting down the Black Flame or Flame of Frenzy Incantations to take down Radagon with ridiculous ease. Because Radagon can be staggered and reliably Critically Hit, it's a good idea to use melee weapons that deal huge Poise damage like Colossal Greatswords or dual-wielded Katanas.
Melee Strategy
Melee players have a few routes they can use when taking on Radagon. Staggering Radagon with Colossal weapons is a great way to interrupt his moveset, though his airborne attacks can't be disrupted. Thanks to his lack of Flame resistance using Fire Grease or the Flame scaling option on your weapon can raise damage output considerably. The main thing you should consider as a melee player, though, is positioning. Radagon is easier in close-quarters battle than ranged as he leaves lots of Light Attack opportunities between his slow swings. However, this also requires players to dodge most of his Hammer swings, which is a task easier said than done. Don't get greedy with your opportunity attacks – it's rare you'll be to get more than two hits at once.
Ranged and Spellcaster Strategy
Open the fight with your strongest spell or hardest-hitting arrows as Radagon will take his time closing the distance until you cast or shoot the first arrow. He has a lot of attacks that affect a wide area or can be thrust at the player with little time to respond, especially if you're in the middle of a casting animation. Consider summoning a Spirit Ash to distract Radagon and have space to cast spells. With or without summons, pay careful attention to Radagon when he launches into the air or when he prepares a Lightning Spear. It's better to dodge out of the way of these attacks than to get caught in them, no matter how close your spell is to being cast.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.