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What Is Radahn Immune To? An Elden Ring Deep Dive

General Radahn, the Starscourge, is one of the most iconic and challenging bosses in Elden Ring. His immense power stems from his mastery of gravity magic and his sheer physical prowess. When facing him, understanding his vulnerabilities and, more importantly, his immunities is crucial for success. Radahn is immune to Scarlet Rot and Madness.

Understanding Radahn’s Resistances and Immunities

Before delving into specific strategies, it’s essential to clearly understand what affects Radahn and what simply doesn’t work. While he isn’t immune to everything, his high resistances and specific immunities necessitate a tailored approach.

Defining Immunity

In Elden Ring, immunity means a status effect cannot be inflicted at all. Accumulation of the status effect meter will not lead to the effect triggering. Unlike resistance, where the build-up is slower, immunity renders the attempt entirely ineffective.

The Key Immunities: Scarlet Rot and Madness

As stated earlier, Radahn is completely immune to two status effects:

Scarlet Rot: This devastating status effect inflicts significant damage over time. Many players try to use it to cheese the fight, but it’s completely useless.
Madness: This status effect causes immediate and substantial damage while also temporarily reducing FP. Like Scarlet Rot, it has no effect on Radahn.

Understanding Resistances

While immune to Scarlet Rot and Madness, Radahn has varying resistances to other status effects and damage types. Resistances mean the build-up to a particular status effect will take longer than usual. Here’s a breakdown:

High Physical Resistance: Radahn boasts significant resistance to all forms of physical damage, including Standard, Slash, Pierce, and Strike.
Moderate Resistance to Holy: He has a decent resistance to Holy damage, meaning it’s not the most efficient option but can still contribute.
Lower Resistance to Fire, Magic, and Lightning: These damage types are where you’ll find more success. While he still possesses resistance, they’re considerably less than physical or Holy.
Bleed and Frostbite: Radahn is not immune to these status effects, but they have limited effectiveness. While you can build them up, the effect is often short-lived or negligible given the fight’s dynamic nature.
Poison: Similar to Bleed and Frostbite, Poison build-up is possible, but its damage output is often insufficient to justify its use.
Sleep and Death Blight: These status effects have not been proven to be particularly effective on Radahn. While some players may report minor successes, they are inconsistent and not reliable strategies.

Optimizing Your Strategy Based on Radahn’s Immunities

Knowing what doesn’t work is half the battle. With Scarlet Rot and Madness ruled out, you can focus on more effective strategies:

Exploit Elemental Weaknesses: Prioritize weapons and spells that deal Fire, Magic, or Lightning damage. Consider using buffs that increase these damage types.
Strategic Summons: The NPC summons available during the Radahn fight are invaluable. Focus on keeping them alive and resummoning them as needed. They serve as excellent distractions.
Mounted Combat: Torrent offers unparalleled mobility. Utilize hit-and-run tactics, striking when opportunities arise and retreating to avoid his powerful attacks.
Prioritize Defensive Stats: Radahn deals massive damage. Focus on boosting your vigor and equipping armor with high physical resistance.
Ranged Attacks: If you’re struggling in melee combat, consider using bows or spells from a distance. While his projectile attacks are formidable, you can maintain a safe distance and whittle down his health.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Radahn’s Immunities and Weaknesses

1. Can I use the Rivers of Blood katana against Radahn?

While the Rivers of Blood katana deals Fire damage and has a Bleed effect, its effectiveness against Radahn is limited. Radahn’s high physical resistance, moderate Fire resistance, and only moderate susceptibility to Bleed make it less effective than other options that focus more heavily on raw elemental damage. However, some players have found success, so it isn’t completely useless if your build is already optimized for Bleed.

2. Does Radahn have any specific weaknesses besides elemental damage?

Besides elemental damage, Radahn is somewhat susceptible to staggering. Heavy attacks and jump attacks can disrupt his attacks and create openings for follow-up strikes. However, staggering him consistently can be challenging due to his high poise.

3. Is it worth using spirit ashes other than the NPC summons in the Radahn fight?

While the NPC summons are the most readily available and easily resummoned, certain spirit ashes that deal elemental damage (like Lhutel the Headless, who deals Holy damage) can be useful. However, be mindful of their survivability and prioritize resummoning the NPC allies when they fall. Ultimately, NPC summons are generally better due to their unlimited availability.

4. What talismans are most helpful when fighting Radahn?

Several talismans can significantly aid you in the Radahn fight:

Radagon’s Soreseal/Marika’s Soreseal: These talismans boost Vigor, Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane, but increase damage taken. Be cautious, but the stat boost can be worth it.
Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Significantly increases physical damage negation.
Green Turtle Talisman: Increases stamina recovery speed.
Crimson Amber Medallion: Increases maximum HP.
Lightning Scorpion Charm: Increases Lightning attack power, if using Lightning-based attacks.

5. Can I use consumables to buff my damage against Radahn?

Yes, consumables like Fire Grease, Magic Grease, Lightning Grease, or Bloodboil Aromatic (careful with the last one due to its drawbacks!) can temporarily increase your damage output against Radahn. Experiment to see which consumables best complement your weapon and playstyle.

6. How does Radahn’s phase transition affect his resistances?

Radahn’s resistances do not significantly change during his phase transition. He primarily gains new attacks and becomes more aggressive. Your strategy should remain consistent throughout the fight.

7. Is it possible to defeat Radahn at a low level?

Yes, it is possible to defeat Radahn at a low level, but it requires exceptional skill, patience, and a well-optimized build. Utilizing the NPC summons effectively, exploiting his elemental weaknesses, and carefully managing your resources are crucial for success.

8. Can I inflict Frostbite on Radahn to lower his damage negation?

Yes, you can technically inflict Frostbite on Radahn, but its effectiveness is questionable. Given his high resistances and the fight’s dynamic nature, the debuff might not be worth the effort of consistently applying Frostbite. There are usually more efficient damage options.

9. Does Radahn’s armor affect his immunities or resistances?

Radahn’s armor does not directly affect his immunities or resistances. His immunities and resistances are inherent to his character, not influenced by his equipment.

10. Are there any glitches or exploits that can be used to defeat Radahn more easily?

While glitches and exploits may exist, they are subject to change with game updates. Relying on these methods can diminish the sense of accomplishment and may not be reliable in the long run. Focus on learning his attack patterns and developing a solid strategy instead.

11. What is the best spirit ash to use against Radahn?

Although NPC summons are unlimited, the strongest summonable Spirit Ashes to assist in the battle are the Black Knife Tiche or Lhutel the Headless. This is due to their ability to apply %-based health damage or their high physical resistance with Holy damage, respectively.

12. Can I parry any of Radahn’s attacks?

No, Radahn’s attacks cannot be parried. Focus on dodging and blocking instead of attempting to parry his powerful strikes.

13. Can I backstab Radahn?

No, Radahn cannot be backstabbed. Like parrying, attempting to backstab him is futile.

14. How does coop change the immunities of Radahn?

Radahn’s immunities do not change in coop. All that changes is Radahn’s HP increases.

15. Is Radahn immune to gravity magic considering he is a master of gravity?

Interestingly, while Radahn is a master of gravity magic, he is not fully immune to it. Spells that pull enemies closer or deal gravity-based damage can still affect him, although his resistance to them is higher than average. Using gravity magic against him is not the most effective strategy, but it is possible.

What is Radahn immune to?