Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is finally out and millions of players are diving back into From Software’s challenging RPG for another round of death and victory. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki recently admitted that the DLC might even be too hard. Fear not because we have guides on how to get you through some of the game’s tougher encounters including its formidable boss fights. Today’s focus will be on Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Here’s how to beat the spellsword boss.
As the lore goes, Rellana, the Twin Moon Knight is the twin sister of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon (the base game’s legacy boss overseeing Raya Lucaria Academy). It’s also worth noting that Rellana is a completely optional boss fight as players do not need to fight her in order to progress the game. However, if you want the full DLC experience, we recommend fighting her. Here’s how to beat Rellana, what prep work needs to be done and the best strategies.
How to Beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Prep Work
Unlike Messmer The Impaler, Rellana doesn’t need as much prep work. She wields the Twin Blades, new Light Greatswords in Shadow of the Erdtree. Each blade can harness moon (magic) and fire abilities. For that purpose, we recommend these items for some preparation work. This requires a bit of exploration before tackling the fight.
- Flamedrake Talisman +3: Another reason why the Flamedrake Talisman +3 is one of the best Talismans for the DLC. Use it to negate some of Rellana’s fire damage as it grants a 20% immunity to the element. The Talisman can be found in the Fort of Reprimand.
- Spelldrake Talisman +3: This Talisman grants a massive boost to magic damage resistance and can be found in Castle Ensis where Rellana is located. Use it to negate 20% of her magic damage.
- Pearldrake Talisman +3: The Pealdrake Talisman +3 vastly negates non-physical damage which is perfect for Rellana’s fight if you don’t plan on getting hit with melee attacks. Unfortunately, this Talisman can only be found up the road from Castle Ensis in the Shadow Keep, though you can easily return to Rellana afterwards. You don’t have to defeat her to progress.
- Weaknesses: Rellana is weak to holy, slash and frostbite. Holy damage is probably going to carry you as, in our testing, it seems to be the most effective.
Best Strategies to Defeat Rellana
Now that you have the necessary items to mitigate a lot of her elemental damage, it’s time to fight Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Here’s a breakdown of everything you can expect and what we recommend trying:
- Roll Into Her Attacks: Like Messmer (which is true for almost every boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, actually), most of Rellana’s attacks can be avoided by rolling into them. Luckily her attacks are a bit more telegraphed so you have a split second to dodge. She also doesn’t have too many erratic combo strings – at least not in the first phase.
- Distance Doesn’t Mean Safety: Rellana’s heaviest attacks arguably strike at a distance. In the first phase, she mainly charges you to close the distance and deliver melee strikes but in her second phase when the magic and fire comes out, keeping your distance is going to almost always trigger her powerful spells. Our suggestion is to keep close as much as possible and try to bait her melee attacks more often.
- Colossal Weapons: Rellana is tricky stagger since she has quite high poise – unless if you have the right build for it. With colossal weapons, you can stagger her with heavy attacks. Use this to your advantage if you play aggressively.
- Second Phase: In Rellana’s second phase, she’ll imbue her blades with magic and fire elements. This is a much harder phase to juggle as she now unlocks a variety of new attacks that hit at close distance and at range. However with the right Talismans to negate the damage, it might hit a little less harder.
- How to Dodge Twin Moons: Rellana’s signature move is called Twin Moons. This starts when she cocoons herself in two moons in the air. At this stage, be prepared for three consecutive AoE ground slams that will absolutely kill you if you don’t dodge them. You simply have to time your jumps and jump over the shock waves as they only do horizontal damage on the floor. You can also use Bloodhound’s Step to flash through them, or if you’re feeling risky, roll into them as well (though this takes a bit more practice).
- Mimic Tear: If you’re using Spirit Ashes, the best one is once again the Mimic Tear. If you’re running a holy or frostbite build, your Mimic Tear will mirror you and allow you to inflict ailments much faster. It also serves as a good distraction for Rellana to get a few clean hits in.
It’s best to stay calm during this fight and read your opponent. Rellana’s moveset might seem imposing at first but it’s easy to study. Only create distance when you have an opening and need to heal as those magic/fire attacks will strike you at range.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is now available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Make sure you also check out our guide on how to beat Messmer The Impaler.
