Radagon of the Golden Order: A Tarnished’s Guide to Victory

Defeating Radagon of the Golden Order in Elden Ring is a crucial step towards becoming Elden Lord. The key to overcoming this formidable foe lies in understanding his weaknesses, exploiting them with the right build and strategy, and mitigating his strengths. In short, fire damage is your best friend. Equip yourself with fire-based weaponry, incantations, or sorceries. Also, reducing holy damage and understanding his attack patterns are critical for success. The right talismans and a well-timed dodge can mean the difference between victory and restarting the fight.

Understanding Radagon’s Weaknesses and Strengths

Exploiting Elemental Weakness: Fire Damage

Radagon’s most glaring weakness is his vulnerability to fire damage. Any source of flame will inflict significantly increased damage compared to other elements. Consider the following options:

• Weapons: The Blasphemous Blade is an excellent choice due to its innate fire damage and powerful weapon skill. The Magma Blade is another strong contender. The Sword of Night and Flame also deals good fire damage if you haven’t respec’d your character.

• Incantations: Black Flame incantations are particularly effective. They deal percentage-based damage over time, making them devastating against high-health bosses like Radagon. Other fire incantations, like Flame, Grant Me Strength, can significantly boost your fire damage output.

• Sorceries: While less common, fire sorceries like Catch Flame can be surprisingly useful, especially if you have a dedicated sorcery build.

Mitigation is Key: Reducing Holy and Physical Damage

Radagon deals both holy and physical damage. Equipping talismans to mitigate these damage types is essential:

• Haligdrake Talisman: Significantly reduces holy damage.

• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Reduces physical damage.

• Pearldrake Talisman: Offers resistance to non-physical damage, including holy.

Stacking these talismans, especially upgraded versions, can drastically improve your survivability. Also, the incantation Lord’s Divine Fortification helps reduce holy damage.

Mastering Radagon’s Attack Patterns

Identifying and Avoiding Key Attacks

Radagon’s attack patterns are complex and aggressive, but predictable with practice. The most dangerous attacks include:

• Grab Attack: His missing arm reappears before he lunges. The timing is delayed, so roll late into the animation. This attack can instantly kill some players.

• Hammer Smash: A powerful overhead attack that creates a significant AOE. Learn to recognize the windup and dodge accordingly.

• Teleportation: Radagon teleports frequently, often followed by a surprise attack. Be prepared to dodge immediately after he reappears.

• Holy Spears: He throws holy spears that deal significant holy damage. Roll through these projectiles to avoid taking damage.

Dodging and Positioning Strategies

• Aggressive Dodging: Radagon is relentless, so passive blocking is not viable for long. Embrace aggressive dodging, rolling through his attacks rather than away from them.

• Maintain Distance (But Not Too Much): While melee builds can work, maintaining a moderate distance allows you to react to his attacks more effectively. Too far, and he will spam ranged holy attacks.

• Take Advantage of Openings: Radagon has brief openings after certain attacks, particularly after his teleportation. Use these moments to unleash your most powerful attacks or heal.

Build Optimization and Gear Recommendations

Weapon Selection and Upgrades

As mentioned before, fire-based weapons are the most effective. Upgrading your chosen weapon to at least +22 is highly recommended for maximum damage output.

Armor Choices

Prioritize armor with high physical and holy resistance. While heavier armor provides more protection, it also increases your equip load, affecting your roll speed. Find a balance between protection and agility.

Spirit Ashes: Allies in Battle

While you cannot summon NPC phantoms for the Radagon fight, Spirit Ashes can be incredibly helpful. The Black Knife Tiche and Mimic Tear are popular choices. The Black Knife Tiche deals percentage-based health damage over time while the Mimic Tear essentially doubles your damage output.

FAQs: Mastering the Radagon Encounter

1. What level should I be to fight Radagon?

A recommended level for fighting Radagon is 120 or higher, with weapons upgraded to +22 or higher. This ensures you have sufficient health, stamina, and damage output to withstand his attacks and deal significant damage in return.

2. Does Bleed work on Radagon?

No, Radagon is completely immune to Bleed. Avoid using weapons or skills that rely on inflicting bleed damage.

3. Is Radagon weak to Frostbite?

Radagon is strong against Frostbite. It’s not advisable to build your strategy around inflicting frost.

4. Can Radagon be Poisoned or inflicted with Scarlet Rot?

Radagon is resistant to both Poison and Scarlet Rot. While you might be able to inflict these status effects eventually, it’s not an efficient strategy.

5. Can you summon NPCs for the Radagon fight?

No, there are no summonable NPCs for the Radagon fight. You can rely on other online players or Spirit Ashes for assistance.

6. What are the best Spirit Ashes for the Radagon fight?

The Mimic Tear and Black Knife Tiche are excellent choices. The Mimic Tear creates a copy of your character, effectively doubling your damage output, while Black Knife Tiche deals percentage-based health damage.

7. What is the best Great Rune to equip for the Radagon fight?

Godrick’s Great Rune is a solid choice, as it increases all of your stats. Morgott’s Great Rune, which increases your health, can also provide a valuable boost to survivability.

8. How do I deal with Radagon’s teleportation?

Radagon teleports frequently, often followed by an immediate attack. Be prepared to dodge as soon as he reappears. Don’t get greedy with your attacks; focus on reacting to his movements.

9. What is the most dangerous attack Radagon has?

Radagon’s grab attack, where his missing arm reappears, is arguably his most dangerous. The timing is deceptively delayed. Roll as late into the animation as possible to avoid it.

10. How do I reduce the Holy damage Radagon deals?

Equip the Haligdrake Talisman and/or use the Lord’s Divine Fortification incantation. Stacking these effects can significantly reduce incoming holy damage.

11. Can you cheese Radagon?

There are strategies that attempt to “cheese” Radagon, often involving specific positioning and timing. However, these methods are often unreliable and require precise execution. It’s generally more effective to learn his attack patterns and fight him legitimately.

12. What is the best armor set for the Radagon fight?

There is no single “best” armor set. Prioritize armor with high physical and holy resistance, while maintaining a manageable equip load for optimal dodging. The Crucible Tree Armor is a good choice if you want to stack holy resistance.

13. What are some alternative weapons besides the Blasphemous Blade?

Other effective fire-based weapons include the Magma Blade, the Godskin Peeler (with a fire infusion), and any weapon that can be buffed with fire grease or incantations like Black Flame Blade.

14. What if I don’t have a fire-based build?

If you don’t have a dedicated fire build, consider respecing your stats with a Larval Tear. Alternatively, use fire grease or consumables to temporarily imbue your weapon with fire damage. The Flame, Grant Me Strength incantation is universally beneficial, regardless of your build.

15. What comes after Radagon?

Defeating Radagon immediately triggers the fight against the Elden Beast. Be prepared for another challenging encounter! Since it starts immediately, make sure to maximize your health and FP before landing the final blow.

Defeating Radagon requires patience, practice, and a strategic approach. By understanding his weaknesses, mitigating his strengths, and mastering his attack patterns, you can overcome this formidable foe and claim your destiny as Elden Lord. Good luck, Tarnished!

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