Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: How to beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

Many players have struggled to beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion - but with these tips, you'll be able to take down the boss with ease.

Boss breakdown

Rellana is likely the second major boss players will encounter in the Shadow Realm, found at the end of Castle Ensis.

She is a relentless boss to face, pulling out lengthy combos with hard-hitting attacks. Furthermore, her second phase activates the magic qualities of her twin blades, introducing projectile magic attacks, fire-based AoEs, and a deadly triple-attack moon spell.

While it might seem like the case, Rellana isn't a mandatory boss for the main path in Shadow of the Erdtree. She serves as the quickest route into Scadu Altus and the Shadow Keep, but you can take an alternate route laid out in our area walkthrough if she's really causing you trouble.

However, following the strategy I've laid out below should make the fight a lot more manageable, letting you get over the line and progress through the game.

Strategy, tips & tricks

First Phase

You'll quickly find this to be a trend with many of Shadow of the Erdtree's bosses, but Rellana will almost always use a projectile attack as her first move - so make sure to be ready to dodge as soon as you're through the fog gate.

This can switch up between delayed phalanx attacks to a wide projectile arc, so you'll need to stay on your guard and watch out - especially if you plan on summoning Spirit Ashes.

There aren't too many complications when it comes to her first phase moveset, but you'll need to try to learn her lengthy combos as much as possible. While she is very much aggressive within her combos, there is space to be had between attacks to heal or get hits in.

The easiest way to deal with this first phase is with a 100% physical damage negation shield, as that will fully block all of her attacks. Make sure that your stamina is high enough and you should be able to deal with her fairly easily.

If shields aren't your thing - and they aren't particularly mine - I'd recommend rolling away from her if you can, as her flurry of quick attacks will catch up to you when dodging inwards or sideways.

Second Phase

Rellana's second phase commences at around half health, and is telegraphed when she crosses her swords and pushes them out to summon fire and magic.

At the start of this phase, she will do one of two attacks associated with either element. You can predict the fire-based attack through a tell when she holds both blades horizontally in a prepared stance.

The fire-based attack is an AoE with aftershock, where she spins fire around her twice, and then the ground erupts with fire. I found that it's best to simply stay clear when she's doing this, and only engage when you're confident that you won't be hit by one of the ground bursts.

For the magic-based attack, she'll summon a gigantic magic sword, raised vertically in the air. This will charge up three levels and then slam vertically down. It will always then be followed up with a horizontal swipe shortly after, so make sure to dodge both before engaging again.

Her standard moveset remains largely the same here too, only with the added bonus of magic and fire damage that make the aforementioned shield strategy weaker. Fire and magic damage negation Talismans help a lot in this phase regardless of whether you're using a shield or focusing on dodging, so make sure that you've got them equipped.

Where most players will falter in the second phase though is with Rellana's own Twin Moon spell, as it's almost guaranteed to kill you if you get caught within its attack.

However, this is perhaps the easiest attack of all to dodge, as all you need to do is jump just before the moons drop to avoid all damage. There will be two attacks from the moons dropping, and then a third and final shockwave once Rellana herself hits the floor. It'll probably take a bit of practice to nail the timing, but once you've got it you'll never be hit by the attack again!

Recommended equipment

While any build can break through Rellana's defences with the right strategy, here is some equipment that might make the process easier:

Having the right Scadutree Blessing is one of the most important aspects of success in this fight, as that'll raise your damage and damage negation. I'd recommend getting to at least Blessing Level 4 or 5, which you can easily do with pickups in Gravesite Plain, listed in our complete locations walkthrough:

In terms of status resistances, Rellana is weakest to Poison, Scarlet Rot, and Sleep. She has stronger resistance to Bleed and Frostbite - although you can cause both with enough buildup. However, she is completely immune to Madness, so don't rely on that for any damage.

Rewards

• 240,000 Runes
• Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight
  • Rellana's Twin Blades (Weapon)
  • Rellana's Twin Moons (Sorcery)

240,000 Runes should be enough to get a level-up, and I'd definitely recommend picking up Rellana's Twin Blades from her Remembrance, as it's one of the best weapons you can use in-game.