Shadow of the Erdtree is – as you would expect of an Elden Ring DLC – filled with challenging bosses. The first that you will likely come across is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. As his name suggests, he is a prancing mutated Lion . . . thing. And, as his name suggests, he moves about in erratic and unpredictable ways. Expect back flips, weird leaps, savage physical strikes, and projectiles.
How to beat Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Shadow of the Erdtree
The first phase of the fight has the Divine Beast Dancing Lion largely using physical attacks against you. The best tactic here is to use your dodge rolls. Learn the timing window and roll into Dancing Lion. Once you’re up close, you can deal a little damage yourself. Don’t get carried away, though; deal a few quick strikes and then get out of there.
If you see Dancing Lion rearing up, he is going to go for a big lunge attack. This one is pretty easy to avoid with good dodge rolling, but it’s deadly if it catches you; it’s a nasty grab that does a lot of damage – and probably will one-shot you. Also, keep an eye out for its spinning attacks, where he reigns debris down on you. He spins three times, and the debris can be jumped over.
Key Strategy: The main thing with this fight is learning attack patterns. Even though the Dancing Lion moves in an absolutely bonkers way, this means that his moves are very telegraphed. You can still do well in the fight with a standard melee build, if you just learn each leap and lunge.
Warning: The other key takeaway from this fight is that it may just be your first and most abrupt reminder that all your previous levelling in the main game isn’t worth a great deal here in the Realm of Shadow. Check out our guide on where to find the Scadutree Fragments in order to greatly improve your chances.
In the second phase of the fight, we get to deal with the lion in its elemental forms – just in case we weren’t already relishing his company. The beast shifts between wind, lightning, and ice. The moveset doesn’t actually change all that much, but you do now have to be on the lookout for things such as Frostbite buildup. Also, be on the lookout for the weird smoke-spewing attack that he sometimes does the moment you enter the arena – just run to one side and you can avoid it easily enough, but it can get you off guard.
Switch your defensive style in response to each form: roll away from lightning attacks, roll toward wind attacks (the better to deal damage), and the ice form is best avoided by jumping, because a load of ice spikes shoot out the floor. Your windows to deal damage in this fight are tight, and they get a little tighter as the fight goes on. To make things a little bit easier for yourself, summon Redmane Freyja to help you out; she’s a real unit in battle, and very useful for distracting the Dancing Lion and giving you more openings.
Monday, June 24, 2024
Shadow of the Erdtree is – as you would expect of an Elden Ring DLC – filled with challenging bosses. The first that you will likely come across is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. As his name suggests, he is a prancing mutated Lion . . . thing. And, as his name suggests, he moves about in erratic and unpredictable ways. Expect back flips, weird leaps, savage physical strikes, and projectiles.
How to beat Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Shadow of the Erdtree
The first phase of the fight has the Divine Beast Dancing Lion largely using physical attacks against you. The best tactic here is to use your dodge rolls. Learn the timing window and roll into Dancing Lion. Once you’re up close, you can deal a little damage yourself. Don’t get carried away, though; deal a few quick strikes and then get out of there.
If you see Dancing Lion rearing up, he is going to go for a big lunge attack. This one is pretty easy to avoid with good dodge rolling, but it’s deadly if it catches you; it’s a nasty grab that does a lot of damage – and probably will one-shot you. Also, keep an eye out for its spinning attacks, where he reigns debris down on you. He spins three times, and the debris can be jumped over.
Key Strategy: The main thing with this fight is learning attack patterns. Even though the Dancing Lion moves in an absolutely bonkers way, this means that his moves are very telegraphed. You can still do well in the fight with a standard melee build, if you just learn each leap and lunge.
Warning: The other key takeaway from this fight is that it may just be your first and most abrupt reminder that all your previous levelling in the main game isn’t worth a great deal here in the Realm of Shadow. Check out our guide on where to find the Scadutree Fragments in order to greatly improve your chances.
In the second phase of the fight, we get to deal with the lion in its elemental forms – just in case we weren’t already relishing his company. The beast shifts between wind, lightning, and ice. The moveset doesn’t actually change all that much, but you do now have to be on the lookout for things such as Frostbite buildup. Also, be on the lookout for the weird smoke-spewing attack that he sometimes does the moment you enter the arena – just run to one side and you can avoid it easily enough, but it can get you off guard.
Switch your defensive style in response to each form: roll away from lightning attacks, roll toward wind attacks (the better to deal damage), and the ice form is best avoided by jumping, because a load of ice spikes shoot out the floor. Your windows to deal damage in this fight are tight, and they get a little tighter as the fight goes on. To make things a little bit easier for yourself, summon Redmane Freyja to help you out; she’s a real unit in battle, and very useful for distracting the Dancing Lion and giving you more openings.