Summary
A lot of people are playingElden Ringright now, mostly for the expansionShadow of the Erdtree.I’m in the less punctual camp of Tarnished venturing into the Lands Between for the first time, hoping to catch up to the zeitgeist after I hack and slash my way through the base game. I finishedSekirorecently, and if anything could make me feel prepared for facing Malenia at the end of the line, it’s the fact that I’ve already gotSekiro’s final challenger Isshin Ashina out of the way.
Compared toSekiro, the earlier parts ofElden Ringdon’t tend to be that brutal. There’s obviously much more potential totake advantage of buildsand items or simply grind until everything’s manageable, but I tend to just run with whatever I’m enjoying, and the general pool of challenges that can be tackled by level 50 or 60 hasn’t been overwhelming. That’s not to say thatElden Ringhasn’t managed to surprise me, andone boss in particular made a mark in a very different wayfrom the typical video game fight.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - FromSoft’s Greatest Hits
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.
Starscourge Radahn Shows Why Elden Ring Is Special
A Potentially Tough Fight Surprised Me With Emotion
Starscourge Radahn, to my understanding, is a pretty infamousElden Ringfight. Consumed by the Scarlet Rot, the shardbearer can be found in a wasteland of vanquished challengers outside Redmane Castle in Caelid. His presence is overwhelming — and a little bit funny, considering the way he dwarfs the horse beneath him — and his attacks can be absolutely devastating. I didn’t have the misfortune of facing the launch version of Radahn, but despite some nerfed hitboxes, my first couple of runs of the fight had me fairly spooked.
The initial nerf to Radahn also reduced his damage unintentionally, resulting in asubsequentElden Ringpatchthat restored some of the initial difficulty while maintaining the hitbox improvements.
Even on horseback,dealing damage to Radahn while avoiding his return blows can be tough, and my health bar going into the fight definitely suffered from Vigor being a bit under-represented in my stat array. I can handle an intimidating first impression, but the fact that the fight seemed geared for horseback didn’t exactly inspire me to rally against it. Although I’ve generally lovedElden Ringbosses so far, anything I have to fight on the Spectral Steed tends to rank lower, as I tend to tire of circling my enemies at high speeds fairly quickly.
There’s another big element to the Starscourge Radahn fight, though, which is the ability to summon Radahn’s fallen challengers back for another bout. At first, I assumed this was a finite resource, but I realized that it wasn’t after dusting myself from a few defeats. So I took the coward’s path, deciding that the Tarnished’s true calling is simply to rally the fight against Radahn. I’ve not yet touched summons for any otherElden Ringboss, butI beat Radahn by calling his foes to arms again and againuntil he fell beneath the might of blows that weren’t mine.
Starscourge Radahn Is Elden Ring’s Most Misunderstood Hero (Theory)
Elden Ring’s Starscourge Radahn may look like a traitor, but in actuality, he may be the only thing defending the Lands Between from celestial beings.
Staying hands-off with Radahn seems like it would be boring. It’s not. Mechanically, there’s still enough challenge in dodging his attacks and racing to summon spots, but that wasn’t what really grabbed me. As the music swelled, and I watched the specters of fallen fighters go once, twice, and thrice more unto the breach,I found myself surprisingly moved.Beneath all ofElden Ring’s grim challenges, it’s a game with an extraordinary amount of beauty, and bringing Radahn to his end served as an emotional climax on a level that I didn’t expect.
Elden Ring’s Loneliness Gives Companionship Meaning
Connections Stand Out In An Isolated Journey
What made the Radahn fight so rewarding for me is that it isn’t a beautiful moment in isolation, but a high point for a particular spirit that pervades the entirety ofElden Ring.The game is often lonely, and it wields loneliness well. Whether riding across an open plain or taking a corridor of hostile creatures step by step, the journey of the Tarnished frequently places a solitary figure against a grand, decaying, and deeply hostile world.
I’m Obsessed With What Is Arguably Elden Ring’s Worst Feature, & DLC Won’t Fix It
Shadow of the Erdtree is guaranteed to deliver more of my favorite part of Elden Ring, but it will still be poorly implemented despite its charm.
My Tarnished isn’t truly alone, however, and allthe connections that can be found inElden Ringfeel so meaningful because of the loneliness that’s so pervasive in their absence. Sites of Grace provide small comforts, but theRoundtable Hold where allies congregateoffers a deeper sense of restoration. Even a bandit in the wild can feel like a friendly face, and after a bit of chat and a sample of some prawns, that can turn out to be more or less true.
Fighting Radahn Is A Major Elden Ring Payoff
Elden Ring Reminded Me That I’m Not Alone
The best thing thatElden Ringdoes with its loneliness is the Messages mechanic, which I first fell in love with in theDark Soulsseries. Not every player leaves helpful, kind, or funny notes in the Lands Between, but many do, and it makes for a wonderful sense of community. Climbing a comically long ladder and finding that someone has left “Well done, Snake,” at the end does a lot to make it feel like the daunting journey isn’t one that I’m undertaking alone.No one else is present with me, but they’ve trod these paths before.
The allies in the Starscourge Radahn fight are very much like this, echoes of others who have dared to fight. Maybe I should have charged my steed forward with them, plunging my blade into Radahn himself again and again until I managed the feat or accepted that I’d have to come back later. That might have been more in the spirit of the challenge, and the praise that the Tarnished receives after the fight might have felt more earned. Even with a less aggressive approach, however, it’s a powerful scene in the midst of the chaos.
Elden Ring: How To Defeat Starscourge Radahn
To defeat Starscourge Radahn in Elden Ring, Tarnished will require a high level of skill, help from NPCs and players, or a simple exploit.
Difficulty might be the claim to fame for many of the bosses in FromSoft titles, but they work because they’re so much more than that. FromDark SoulstoSekirotoElden Ring, the best fights evoke beauty, grandeur, and even sorrow alongside the clashing of blades. I’m still scared of whatElden Ringcould have in store for me in the late game, and doubly so of everything thatShadow of the Erdtreecontains. More than that, though, I’m excited about everything else thatElden Ringmight make me feel, and I have Starscourge Radahn to thank for that.
