How to defeat Promised Consort Radahn: A Practical Guide

Hey there, fellow Tarnished! After countless attempts (aka deaths) and several controller-testing moments, I’ve put together a reliable strategy for taking down Promised Consort Radahn. Grab your flask, because this is going to be one wild ride.

While this is not a new strategy, it is far away from being a cheese. We are not using “Unseen Form” and “Assasins’s Gambit” to become invisible and make Radhan end up in a rock where he eventually dies. You still have to fight, but you use a combination of weapon, shield and armor that works very well with the Promised Consort.

As you may have guessed we are using the “hide behind a shield and poke him to death” approach. I know there’s people out there telling you that the only way of defeating the Promised Consort correctly is learning how to dodge all his attacks or how to parry him or maybe both. Actually, I don’t care! If you have plenty of time and are eager to learn all the mechanics, it’s fine, but other people may not have the time, skill or just want to finish their casual playthrough – and that is legit as well. In my opinion, you can use whatever the game offers you to overcome the challenges it throws at you. Ok, that being said, let’s have a look at the setup.

The Battle-Tested Setup

• Weapon: Spiked Spear (+25) with Blood Affinity – Our primary damage dealer
• Shield: Black Steel Greatshield (+25) with Ash of War “Barricade Shield” in Sacred affinity – Your lifeline against Radahn’s onslaught, especially in phase 2. Going with the Sacred affinity reduces the protection against physical damage to 95%, but gives you 100% holy damage negotiation.
• Armor: Tree Sentinel Set with Fire Knight Helm – Providing that crucial balance of protection and increases maximum HP by 2%, stamina by 5%, and equip load by 4% thanks to the Fire Knight Helm. You end up with a decent 76 poise.
• Talismans: Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, Greatshield Talisman, Spear Talisman, Erdtree’s Favor +2
• Wondrous Physick: Opaline Hardtear, Thorny Cracked Tear
• Great Rune: Radhan’s Great Rune (yes, you can use his own rune against him), to raise max HP, FP and stamina or Malenia’s Great Rune to recover HP with attacks after receiving damage.

Stat Spread (Level 200)

Starter class: Bandit

Gear Alternatives

Let me give you some alternatives to the chosen setup that will also work well with the overall strategy.

Armor

If you put some more runes into Endurance think about using the Solitude Set (96 poise) or the Verdigris Set (100 poise).

Weapon

The Antspur Rapier: A thrusting sword inflicting scarlet rot buildup while being customizable with Ashes of War and capable of dealing both standard and pierce damage. Using it in Blood affinity will inflict scarlet rot and hemorhage.

Mohgwyn’s Sacred Spear: A powerful Great Spear that scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Arcane, deals physical and fire damage, causes blood loss buildup.

Shield

The Fingerprint Stone Shield: An exceptionally heavy greatshield, featuring an intricately carved fingerprint design and offering outstanding defensive capabilities, particularly against physical and elemental damage. “Barricade Shield” in Sacred affinity will give you 95% physical damage negotiation and 93,75% holy damage negotiation.

An Overall Strategy That Works

1. Defensive Approach: Use your Black Steel Greatshield with Barricade Shield to block Radahn’s powerful attacks. The sacred affinity will help mitigate his holy damage.
2. Offensive Openings: After blocking, look for opportunities to counter-attack with your Spiked Spear.
3. Blood Loss Build-up: Consistently landing hits with your blood-infused Spiked Spear will gradually build up blood loss on Radahn, dealing significant damage when it procs.
4. Maintain Distance: Radahn can close distances quickly, so be prepared to create space when needed. Use your shield to block his ranged attacks and look for openings to close in.
5. Poise Management: The Tree Sentinel armor provides good poise, allowing you to withstand some of Radahn’s attacks without being staggered. This is crucial for maintaining your offensive pressure.
6. Stamina Management: Be mindful of your stamina when blocking with your greatshield. The Barricade Shield skill will help, but don’t let your guard down.

The Battle Strategy

This fight is all about patience and positioning. The blood-infused Spiked Spear will be doing most of our heavy lifting through regular attacks, while the bleed buildup works its magic in the background. No fancy weapon arts needed – just good old-fashioned pokes between blocks.

Your rhythm should look something like this:

1. Keep that shield up and Barricade Shield active when needed
2. Look for openings after his combo strings
3. Get in 1-2 quick pokes with your spear
4. Reset your position and manage your stamina
5. Repeat until victory

The Tree Sentinel armor isn’t just about looking imposing – its balanced defenses are crucial for surviving both Radahn’s physical onslaughts and his holy damage phases. Combined with the sacred-infused greatshield, you’ll have solid protection against his entire moveset.

Where to Find Key Items

• Spiked Spear: farm Marionette Soldiers wielding spears. The best locations are around the Converted Tower in southeastern Liurnia of the Lakes and near the Witchbane Ruins in the eastern Weeping Peninsula.
• Black Steel Greatshield: defeat Black Knight Garrew in Fog Rift Fort, located in the western part of Scadu Altus.
• Tree Sentinel Set: found in the “Auriza Hero’s Grave”, located in the Capital Outskirts, near the eastern ramparts of Leyndell, Royal Capital after you managed to let the three chariots collide.
• Fire Knight Helm: farm Fire Knights inside the Shadow Keep. The best location is the Storehouse, Seventh Floor Site of Grace, where you can repeatedly defeat a Fire Knight.
• Antspur Rapier: defeat NPC-Invader Maleigh Marais who spawns alongside the Stone Golem west from the Shaded Castle.

Key Tips

• Watch your stamina bar – blocking with a greatshield is stamina-intensive
• Don’t get greedy with attacks – one or two pokes, then reset
• Keep some distance when you need to heal – Radahn loves to punish flask usage
• If the fight is still too difficult for you alone, think about getting help from the Mimic Tear. Poking Radhan together will create way more damage and the Mimic will give you welcomed diversion during the fight.
• In case you run out of Rune Arcs, check out our article Learn About 20 Underrated Items in Elden Ring Now where we explain how to farm this powerful consumable.

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Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Each attempt gets you more familiar with his patterns, and eventually, you’ll find yourself dodging attacks you used to fear.

Stay determined, Tarnished. With this setup and strategy, you’ve got everything you need to add another god to your collection. If you like, drop a comment below with your own Radahn strategies or improvements to this guide that you have found. And hey, if this guide helped you take down the Promised Consort, give it a share with your fellow strugglers.

Now get out there and show Radahn why they call you Elden Lord. May grace guide your spear (and your blocking timing)!

And don’t forget to check out our other Guides and Builds as well.