Radagon’s Reckoning: The Ultimate Summoning Guide

So, you’ve reached the agonizingly difficult encounter with Radagon of the Golden Order and are wondering who to call upon for aid? The short answer is: Black Knife Tiche or the Mimic Tear. These two Spirit Ashes consistently prove to be the most reliable and effective options for tackling this challenging boss. Let’s dive into why, and explore other viable, and less viable, choices.

Understanding the Radagon Fight

Before summoning anyone, it’s crucial to understand Radagon’s strengths and weaknesses. He’s a relentless, aggressive boss with a diverse moveset that deals both physical and Holy damage. He teleports, slams, and throws waves of energy, demanding quick reflexes and precise timing.

• Strengths: High damage output, fast attacks, resistance to bleed, and decent poise.
• Weaknesses: Vulnerability to Fire damage, susceptibility to staggering, and manageable poise (allowing for critical hits).

Understanding these elements is vital in choosing the best summon to exploit these weaknesses and help even the odds.

Top-Tier Summons for Radagon

1. Black Knife Tiche: Agility and Assassination

Black Knife Tiche is arguably the best summon for this fight for a multitude of reasons. Her primary advantage is her exceptional agility and evasiveness. She can dodge many of Radagon’s attacks, allowing her to stay alive longer than many other summons.

Beyond her survivability, Tiche’s Black Flame imbued attacks deal percentage-based health damage, which is incredibly effective against bosses with large health pools like Radagon. Furthermore, she excels at closing the distance, allowing her to consistently apply pressure and draw aggro away from the player.

2. Mimic Tear: A Reflection of Power

The Mimic Tear remains a top-tier choice throughout Elden Ring, and Radagon is no exception. The Mimic Tear’s effectiveness is based on your own build. It duplicates your character, including equipped weapons, armor, and spells. If you’re using a powerful, well-optimized build, your Mimic Tear will be incredibly effective.

Its strength lies in its versatility. If you’re running a melee build with high poise damage, your Mimic Tear will relentlessly stagger Radagon. If you’re a caster, it will provide additional ranged support and draw aggro. The Mimic Tear’s survivability can also be increased by equipping defensive talismans and heavy armor prior to summoning.

Viable Alternatives

While Tiche and the Mimic Tear stand out, other summons can provide valuable support in the fight against Radagon.

1. Lhutel the Headless: A Tanky Distraction

Lhutel the Headless is known for its impressive survivability and ability to draw aggro. Lhutel can teleport to evade attacks and throws spears that can stagger enemies. Lhutel isn’t a damage dealer, but her ability to stay alive and consistently distract Radagon can provide crucial breathing room for the player.

2. Dung Eater Puppet: An Aggressive Melee Ally

The Dung Eater Puppet, if you’ve completed the character questline, is a surprisingly effective option. His aggressive melee attacks and high health pool allow him to withstand a decent amount of damage while dealing substantial poise damage to Radagon.

Less Effective Summons

While theoretically any summon can provide some assistance, certain options are less optimal for the Radagon fight due to their low survivability or inability to deal meaningful damage. These include:

• Godrick Soldiers/Noble Sorcerer: These are early-game summons that lack the necessary health and damage output to survive for long against Radagon.
• Fanged Imps: While they can inflict bleed, Radagon’s resistance to bleed makes them ineffective.
• Slow, Heavily Armored Summons: While they may seem tanky, their slow movement speed makes them vulnerable to Radagon’s fast attacks.

General Tips for Summoning

• Upgrade Your Summons: Always upgrade your chosen Spirit Ashes to their maximum level (+10) with Roderika at the Roundtable Hold. This significantly increases their health, damage, and overall effectiveness.
• Time Your Summoning: It’s generally best to summon your Spirit Ash immediately upon entering the boss arena. This gives them time to draw aggro before Radagon focuses on you.
• Manage Aggro: While your summon is distracting Radagon, take advantage of the opportunity to heal, buff, or unleash powerful attacks. Be mindful of Radagon’s aggro shifts and be prepared to dodge and reposition as needed.
• Use Fire: Radagon is surprisingly weak to fire. Weapons like the Blasphemous Blade and the Sword of Night and Flame work great, as do fire Incantations and Sorceries.
• Take advantage of staggering: Because Radagon can be staggered and reliably Critically Hit, it’s a good idea to use melee weapons that deal huge Poise damage like Colossal Greatswords or dual-wielded Katanas.

The Elden Beast Complication

Keep in mind that defeating Radagon immediately transitions into the Elden Beast fight. Any health your summon has remaining at the end of the Radagon fight will carry over into the Elden Beast encounter. Consider summons with survivability to help make the Elden Beast fight easier. The Games Learning Society encourages players to experiment with different summons to discover their own optimal strategies. You can explore different strategies by visiting the GamesLearningSociety.org website.

FAQs: Demystifying Radagon Summons

1. Is there a summoning pool near the Radagon fight?

Yes, there is a Summoning Pool near the Radagon fight. After taking the elevating platform up, you’ll find the Schoolhouse Classroom Site of Grace. The Summoning Pool is located there.

2. Can I summon Sorceress Sellen for the Radagon fight?

While the article mentions summoning Sellen for the Red Wolf of Radagon, she is not available for the Radagon of the Golden Order fight.

3. What level should my Spirit Ashes be for the Radagon fight?

Your Spirit Ashes should ideally be at their maximum upgrade level (+10). This significantly increases their health, damage, and overall effectiveness.

4. Is Radagon weak to bleed?

There’s been debate online, but the general consensus and experience suggest that Radagon is not particularly weak to Bleed damage. Other damage types are more effective.

5. What talismans should I use for the Radagon fight?

Consider equipping talismans that reduce Holy and Physical damage, such as the Haligdrake Talisman, Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, and Pearldrake Talisman.

6. What incantations are effective against Radagon?

Black Flame incantations are highly effective against Radagon due to their percentage-based health damage.

7. Is Radagon resistant to any damage types?

Yes, Radagon is resistant to bleed damage.

8. Does summoning increase Radagon’s health?

Yes, summoning a Spirit Ash will slightly increase Radagon’s health pool. However, the benefits of having a summon to draw aggro and deal damage usually outweigh this drawback.

9. Can I summon other players for the Radagon fight?

Yes, you can summon other players for co-op assistance in the Radagon fight.

10. What weapons should I use against Radagon?

Weapons that deal high poise damage and can stagger Radagon are ideal. Colossal weapons, dual-wielded Katanas, and weapons with fire damage are all good choices.

11. Can Radagon be parried?

Yes, Radagon’s attacks can be parried, but it requires precise timing and knowledge of his moveset. It’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

12. What is Radagon weak to?

Radagon is surprisingly weak to fire damage. Any flame-based attacks, skills, and spells can very quickly dispatch him.

13. What happens if my summon dies during the Radagon fight?

If your summon dies, you can re-summon them if you still have FP and haven’t already used your flask of Cerulean Tears. However, it’s often better to conserve your FP for healing or offensive spells.

14. Should I focus on dodging or blocking Radagon’s attacks?

Dodging is generally more effective than blocking against Radagon, as his attacks can quickly deplete your stamina. However, a shield with high Holy damage negation can be useful for mitigating some of his attacks.

15. What if I’m struggling to beat Radagon even with a summon?

If you’re still struggling, consider leveling up your character, upgrading your weapons, and experimenting with different builds and strategies. Don’t be afraid to respec your character at Rennala if needed. This might involve exploring different areas and bosses to gain more runes.