Can You Avoid the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, you absolutely can avoid the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring. This imposing, horseback-riding boss is strategically placed at the very beginning of your journey, seemingly acting as a gatekeeper. However, the beauty of Elden Ring lies in its open-world design and flexibility. While the Tree Sentinel may seem like a mandatory challenge, it’s entirely optional and can be bypassed in several ways. Understanding how to navigate around this early hurdle can drastically impact your initial experience in the Lands Between. Let’s delve into the details of how you can successfully avoid this encounter and the reasons why you might want to.
Why You Might Want to Avoid the Tree Sentinel
The Tree Sentinel is often the first real boss many players encounter, serving as a brutal introduction to the challenges of Elden Ring. It’s a formidable foe, particularly for newcomers with limited resources and low-level characters. Here are some compelling reasons why you might choose to avoid it:
- Early Difficulty: The Tree Sentinel’s aggressive attacks, powerful strikes, and significant health pool can be overwhelming for fresh characters. Avoiding it allows you to explore other areas, gather resources, and level up before attempting such a demanding fight.
- Resource Management: Engaging the Tree Sentinel early often means depleting valuable resources such as flasks, healing items, and weapon durability. Avoiding the fight allows you to preserve these for more manageable encounters or later attempts at this boss.
- Exploration Freedom: Bypassing the Tree Sentinel opens up the starting region for exploration, giving you a better opportunity to familiarize yourself with the world’s layout, locate vital NPCs (like Kale at the Church of Elleh), and gather crucial early-game items.
- Optional Nature: Crucially, the Tree Sentinel is not a gatekeeper to game progression. You do not need to defeat it to advance the main story. Knowing this provides a freedom to choose your battles wisely.
Strategies for Avoiding the Tree Sentinel
So, how exactly can you sidestep this daunting foe? Here are several effective methods:
Taking the Scenic Route
The most straightforward way to avoid the Tree Sentinel is to simply go around it. Instead of approaching the Church of Elleh directly from the Stranded Graveyard (where the Sentinel patrols), take a wide detour to the side. Stick to the perimeter and approach the church from the left or right, effectively bypassing the boss altogether. This method requires minimal effort and is perfect for new players just starting their adventure.
Sneaking Past
Another tactic is to wait for the Tree Sentinel to patrol to the opposite side of the area. Once it’s far enough away, quickly hug the perimeter on your right side and carefully move past it. This method requires a bit of patience and good timing, but it’s a very reliable way to slip by unnoticed.
The Sneak Attack Strategy (Cheese)
While not strictly “avoiding” the fight, there’s a way to begin a combat encounter from a hugely advantageous position. If you approach the Tree Sentinel while crouching, you can get directly behind it. As long as you don’t sprint, walk, or attack, you will remain undetected. You can then initiate the fight with a powerful surprise attack. While it still results in a battle, it’s a cheese method that can make the fight drastically easier.
Is It Ever Worth Fighting the Tree Sentinel?
Although avoiding it is an option, engaging and defeating the Tree Sentinel has its benefits:
- Runes: Successfully taking down the Tree Sentinel provides a decent sum of Runes that can be used to level up your character early on.
- Golden Halberd: This powerful weapon is a reward for defeating the Sentinel. While its stat requirements can be demanding for early-game characters, it’s an extremely effective weapon once you can wield it, and it can carry you through a large part of the game.
- Pride and Experience: Beating the Tree Sentinel early can be a significant accomplishment, providing a confidence boost and valuable combat experience. It also gives you a sense of mastery over the game’s challenging combat mechanics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions related to the Tree Sentinel and avoiding it:
1. Is the Tree Sentinel a mandatory boss?
No, the Tree Sentinel is an entirely optional boss. You do not need to defeat it to progress through the main story of Elden Ring.
2. What happens if I ignore the Tree Sentinel?
If you avoid the Tree Sentinel, nothing significant will happen to your progress in the game. You’ll simply bypass the encounter and continue exploring the world. You can always return to fight it later when you are better prepared.
3. Can I fight the Tree Sentinel later?
Yes, you can always return to the area and fight the Tree Sentinel at any time. It will remain there until defeated.
4. What are the Tree Sentinel’s weaknesses?
Tree Sentinels have no resistance to lightning attacks and are also vulnerable to bleed and poison. They have low resistance to most melee damage besides slashing.
5. Can I parry the Tree Sentinel?
Yes, you can parry the Tree Sentinel’s halberd attacks, but you can’t perform a critical/visceral attack like you normally would on other enemies. If you knock it down, you can hit the yellow spot near its head with a critical attack.
6. Can you sneak up on the Tree Sentinel?
Yes, you can sneak up on the Tree Sentinel by crouching and approaching it from behind. This allows you to get a surprise attack when the fight begins.
7. Does the Tree Sentinel respawn?
No, the Tree Sentinel does not respawn. Once defeated, it’s gone for good.
8. Is the Tree Sentinel one of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring?
In a vacuum, the Tree Sentinel is not the most difficult boss. However, because it’s encountered early with a low-level character, and is also a field boss, it can seem overwhelming, acting as a major difficulty spike for new players.
9. What rewards do you get for beating the Tree Sentinel?
You receive 3600 Runes and the Golden Halberd for defeating the Tree Sentinel.
10. How can I prepare for the Tree Sentinel fight?
Prioritize using lightning-based attacks, bleed or poison damage. Level up and gather some stronger equipment. Explore the starting area thoroughly to boost your chances for success.
11. Can I poison the Tree Sentinel?
Yes, you can poison the Tree Sentinel effectively using items like Poison Mist incantation.
12. Can you ‘cheese’ the Tree Sentinel?
Yes, by sneaking behind the Tree Sentinel while crouching, you can get in a free, very powerful, opening attack.
13. Where else do I see Tree Sentinels in Elden Ring?
Tree Sentinels appear at various locations throughout Elden Ring, with a notably more powerful version found near the Capital Outskirts called the Draconic Tree Sentinel.
14. Is there Tree Sentinel armor?
Yes, the Tree Sentinel Set can be obtained by destroying the chariots in Auriza Hero’s Grave at the Altus Plateau.
15. What is the Draconic Tree Sentinel?
The Draconic Tree Sentinel is a stronger variant of the standard Tree Sentinel that you encounter later in the game, near Leyndell.
Conclusion
The Tree Sentinel is an iconic encounter in Elden Ring, but it’s crucial to remember it’s a challenge you can choose to undertake on your own terms. Whether you decide to avoid it entirely, sneak past it, or face it head-on, understanding your options allows for a more personalized and enjoyable Elden Ring experience. The choice is yours, Tarnished.