Does Radagon Bleed? A Deep Dive into Elden Ring’s Final Boss

The short answer is a resounding no. Radagon, the Golden Order’s stalwart champion and the penultimate boss in Elden Ring, is immune to bleed. If you’re planning your strategy against this demigod, you can safely shelve any Rivers of Blood or dual-katana bleed builds you’ve been relying on up to this point. He is a formidable opponent, and understanding his immunities and weaknesses is crucial for success.

Radagon’s Defenses: Understanding the Boss

Radagon’s design screams resilience. He’s the embodiment of Order, forged in gold and radiating divine power. His physical presence alone suggests he won’t be easily felled by conventional means. This is reflected in his in-game stats and immunities. He isn’t just resistant to status effects; he’s outright immune to bleed and sleep. He also exhibits strong resistance to frostbite and scarlet rot, making many popular status-effect builds significantly less effective.

The game deliberately challenges players who have become overly reliant on bleed builds. It forces you to adapt and explore different combat styles and strategies. It encourages strategic thinking and creative problem-solving. His immunities are strategically important to forcing players to alter tactics.

Fire: Radagon’s Kryptonite

While bleed is off the table, Radagon does have a significant weakness: fire. He is surprisingly vulnerable to flame damage, making fire-based attacks, skills, and spells incredibly effective. Weapons like the Blasphemous Blade and the Sword of Night and Flame (if you’re still using it at this stage!) can deal massive damage. Fire incantations and sorceries are also excellent choices. The key is to exploit this elemental vulnerability to quickly whittle down his health bar.

Adjusting Your Strategy: Beyond Bleed

Facing Radagon requires a shift in mindset and build optimization. Here are some key considerations:

• Weapon Choice: Opt for weapons that deal fire damage or have high raw physical damage. Consider weapons with unique weapon skills that can exploit his fire weakness.

• Incantations and Sorceries: If you’re a faith or intelligence build, focus on fire-based spells like Black Flame Blade or other Godskin incantations. Remember, Black Flame deals percentage-based damage over time, which can be very effective.

• Talismans: Equip talismans that boost fire damage or increase your overall damage output. The Fire Scorpion Charm is a must-have for fire-focused builds.

• Physick: The Cerulean Hidden Tear and the Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear are excellent choices for your Flask of Wondrous Physick. The former eliminates FP consumption for a short time, allowing you to spam powerful spells. The latter significantly boosts fire damage.

• Level and Stats: Aim to be around level 150 with at least 40 points invested in Vigor to withstand his powerful attacks.

The Elden Beast: Continuing the Challenge

After defeating Radagon, you’ll immediately face the Elden Beast, the true final boss of Elden Ring. While the Elden Beast is also immune to bleed, its weaknesses and vulnerabilities differ from Radagon’s. The Elden Beast’s large size and tendency to move around a lot make melee builds difficult. Use builds that incorporate Black Flame Blade, as he has 0 resistance to fire-based attacks and Black Flame incantations deal additional percentage-based damage over time. For more information on gaming and game-based learning, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about Radagon and the Elden Beast, addressing common concerns and providing helpful tips:

1. Can Radagon be poisoned or inflicted with scarlet rot?

While Radagon is highly resistant, he is not entirely immune to poison and scarlet rot. However, applying these status effects can be challenging and may not be the most efficient strategy.

2. What are some good alternatives to bleed builds against Radagon?

Fire-based builds are the most effective. Strength builds with heavy weapons that deal high physical damage can also work well.

3. Is Radagon weak to any other elemental damage besides fire?

Radagon has decent defenses against all elemental damage types except fire.

4. What level should I be to fight Radagon and the Elden Beast?

Ideally, you should be around level 150, with at least 40 Vigor. This will give you the necessary health and damage output to survive the fight.

5. What are the best spirit ashes to use against Radagon?

Black Knife Tiche is an excellent choice due to her agility and ability to deal percentage-based health damage. Mimic Tear is also viable if properly equipped.

6. How can I avoid Radagon’s teleport attack?

Radagon often teleports and follows up with a powerful AoE attack. When he disappears, prepare to dodge roll immediately after he reappears to avoid the blast.

7. What is the best way to deal with Radagon’s hammer attacks?

Radagon’s hammer attacks have long windups. Learn the timing and dodge roll through them. Consider using a shield with high guard boost to block some of the attacks.

8. Can the Elden Beast be cheesed?

While the Elden Beast is challenging, some players have found success using ranged attacks and strategic positioning. However, these methods are not always reliable and may require significant practice.

9. What are the Elden Beast’s weaknesses?

The Elden Beast is vulnerable to Black Flame Blade, as he has 0 resistance to fire-based attacks and Black Flame incantations deal additional percentage-based damage over time. High physical damage is also effective.

10. What talismans are most useful for the Elden Beast fight?

The Marika’s Soreseal, Radagon’s Soreseal, and Godfrey Icon are all helpful for boosting your damage output and spellcasting. The Erdtree’s Favor is also useful for increasing your HP, stamina, and equip load.

11. How can I avoid the Elden Beast’s Elden Stars attack?

The Elden Stars attack is one of the most dangerous moves in the game. Use the physick tear that absorbs magic damage and turns it into HP for defense. Otherwise, continuous sprinting and strategic dodging are required to avoid it.

12. Is it better to use melee or ranged attacks against the Elden Beast?

Ranged attacks are generally safer due to the Elden Beast’s large size and mobility. However, melee builds can be effective if you’re skilled at dodging and positioning.

13. Can Radagon be staggered?

Yes, Radagon can be staggered, allowing you to perform a critical hit. Heavy attacks and jump attacks are effective for building up stagger.

14. What stats do I need for the Rivers of Blood weapon?

Rivers of Blood requires 12 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 20 Arcane.

15. What are some of the other bosses that cannot be affected by bleed?

Spirit-type bosses, Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader, Black Blade Kindred, Black Knife Assassin, Cemetery Shade, Crucible Knight, Crucible Knight Siluria, and Crystalians are not affected by bleed.

By understanding Radagon’s immunities and weaknesses, and by adapting your strategy accordingly, you can overcome this challenging encounter and claim the title of Elden Lord. Good luck, Tarnished!