The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring has unleashed a barrage of formidable bosses, testing even the most seasoned Tarnished. Among the first major roadblocks in this new realm is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a captivating yet deadly encounter awaiting at the culmination of Belurat, Tower Settlement, the DLC’s initial Legacy Dungeon. This guide will delve into everything you need to know to not only locate this regal adversary but, more importantly, exploit the Dancing Lion’s weaknesses and emerge victorious. Prepare to face a spectacle of graceful yet brutal attacks, and learn how to counter them to claim your hard-earned rewards.
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Navigating to the Dancing Lion Boss Arena
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion stands guard at the pinnacle of Belurat, Tower Settlement. Beginning from the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, venture westward through the tunnel. You’ll soon discover another Site of Grace, accompanied by NPCs just outside Belurat’s entrance, ready to guide you into the legacy dungeon.
As you delve into Belurat, your path will lead you to the Small Prayer Room Site of Grace. From here, ascend the stairs towards the Omen Knight, then make a left turn. Before reaching the waterfall drop, turn right and proceed down the alleyway. Look for another alleyway on your left, guarded by two Shadow Undead. Eliminate these foes in the water runoff area and follow the runoff to find an opening on your right. Ascend the ladder within this room to reach an elevated walkway.
Continue along the path to the right until you spot an area filled with murky water beneath the walkway on your left, near the path’s end where a broken bridge lies. Carefully jump down into this watery area and proceed until you enter a room on the opposite side, infested with man-flies.
Dispatch the man-flies and ascend the next ladder. From this point, the route becomes more straightforward. Head outwards, then to the left, where you’ll find a Revered Spirit Ash and a staircase leading further upwards. Ascend these stairs to finally reach the Dancing Lion’s domain, marked by a Site of Grace conveniently placed just outside the boss door.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Guide: Weaknesses and Combat Strategies
Exploiting the Dancing Lion’s Weaknesses
While the Dancing Lion doesn’t exhibit a pronounced elemental weakness in the traditional sense, it’s crucial to understand its resistances and vulnerabilities to effectively strategize your assault. The boss utilizes Lightning, Frost, and Storm attacks, indicating a natural resistance to these elements.
Therefore, direct elemental counters might not be as effective. Instead of focusing on exploiting a specific elemental weakness, prioritize damage types that the Dancing Lion is not resistant to. Physical, Fire, Holy, and Magic damage are all viable options.
However, the true “Elden Ring Dancing Lion Weakness” lies in its susceptibility to status effects. Scarlet Rot, Bleed, and Poison are highly effective in chipping away at its health bar. While Frostbite can also be inflicted, the Dancing Lion’s inherent frost resistance makes it less reliable compared to the other three status ailments. Weapons and spells that inflict Bleed, Poison, or Scarlet Rot will be your greatest assets in this fight. Consider weapons that can apply multiple status effects, such as those that combine Bleed and Poison for a more potent approach.
For armor, prioritize physical defense and resistances to Lightning and Frost. While elemental resistances are helpful, maximizing physical defense is key to mitigating the majority of the Dancing Lion’s damage output.
Ultimately, understanding the Dancing Lion’s moveset and reacting appropriately is as crucial as exploiting its weaknesses. Learning to anticipate its attacks and knowing when to dodge and counter-attack will significantly increase your chances of survival.
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Dancing Lion Moveset and Counter Strategies
The Dancing Lion fight unfolds in two distinct phases, each with its own set of attacks and challenges. Mastering both phases is essential for victory.
Phase One: Before Elemental Transformation
| Move | Description | How to Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Three-Chain Swipes | The Dancing Lion executes three consecutive swipes, holding the final strike momentarily before lunging. | Dodge into the attacks to evade most follow-up strikes. Anticipation in close combat is key. |
| Debris Spew | The boss sprays a burst of debris at the target, dealing Physical damage. | Dodge to the left, right, or directly into the projectile. The attack is telegraphed by the Beast rearing up slightly. |
| Debris Spew Circle | The Dancing Lion rotates while spewing debris in a wide circle, covering a significant area for three rotations. | At mid to long range, jump over the debris as the boss rotates. At close range, dodge into the debris. |
| Lip-Smack Grab Attack | The Beast rises on its hind legs and lunges after a loud lip-smacking sound. | This well-telegraphed move is easily dodged by moving away. However, a successful grab will inflict substantial damage. |
| Spin & Backflip Dances | Spins in place for AoE damage or backflips to reposition and deal significant damage, especially when behind it. | Watch for the boss “holding” an attack stance, similar to Margit’s slam or a Dragon’s spin attack. Dodge into the attack upon seeing this. |
| Head Slam | The Lion Dancer rears up and slams its head down, causing Physical damage in a small area. | Dodge away to escape the AoE. Dodging into the Dancer will leave you vulnerable within the damage zone. |
| Hovering Charge | The Lion Dancer hovers briefly before lunging at the player, often followed by a Lip-Smack grab. | Dodge into the Dancer at the last moment to avoid the hitbox and create a window for counter-attacks, if it doesn’t immediately follow up. |
Phase Two: Elemental Transformations
Phase two commences with the Dancing Lion transforming, gaining elemental powers and new attack patterns while retaining all phase one moves. After reaching 50% health, the boss will transform roughly every 20-30 seconds.
| Move | Description | How to Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Transformation | The boss levitates and becomes imbued with Lightning, Frost, or Storm, altering its attacks based on the element. | Avoid standing too close during transformation. Observe the elemental change and prepare for phase two attack patterns. |
| Lightning Form | – Debris breath attacks now inflict Lightning damage. – Lightning strikes randomly around the boss with every attack. | Watch for lightning strike indicators on the ground during attacks. Maintain distance to avoid close-range lightning strikes. |
| Frostbite Form | – Debris breath attacks now inflict Frost damage and Frostbite. – Gains a Frost Stomp move, similar to Hoarfrost Stomp, dealing heavy Frostbite and Physical damage. | Dodge into the Frost Stomp or sprint to the side if timed well. Jumping over the stomp is possible but requires precise timing. |
| Storm Form | – Melee attacks can create tornadoes that eventually expand outwards. – Other attacks generate wind gusts radiating outwards, dealing physical damage. | Dodge into the tornado after the boss telegraphs its outward expansion. Dodge into wind gusts to effectively avoid their hitboxes. |
| Rapid Transformation | Upon reaching 10-20% HP, the Divine Beast cycles through all three elemental forms, randomly using their attacks and abilities. | Apply the counter strategies for each Phase 2 form and ability. Adapt quickly to the random elemental shifts and attack patterns. |
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Effective Strategies for Defeating the Dancing Lion
General Tips:
- Equip armor and talismans that boost Lightning and Frost resistance. Consider utilizing new talismans from the DLC for enhanced elemental defense.
- Prioritize high physical defense armor without hindering your roll speed. Heavy rolling can be detrimental due to the boss’s rapid attacks and primarily physical damage.
- The Dancing Lion’s hitboxes are located at its front and rear. Attacks to the midsection are ineffective. Focus on attacking the head for increased poise damage.
- Utilize jump attacks to evade certain moves like the Frost Stomp and spinning debris breath.
If you find yourself struggling, remember that exploring other areas to strengthen your character is a viable strategy in Elden Ring. Returning when better equipped can make a significant difference.
Melee Strategies:
- Breaking the Dancing Lion’s poise is difficult but achievable. Employ heavy Colossal Weapons with jumping attacks and Guard Counters.
- Focus attacks on the head to maximize poise damage and stagger the boss more quickly.
- Stamina management is crucial. Use stamina-enhancing talismans like the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman to maintain mobility and attack opportunities.
- Shields with 100% Physical block are highly effective for melee combat, especially when buffed against Lightning and Frost.
Spellcaster Strategies:
- Maintain awareness of the boss’s reach, as it can quickly close distances and cover large areas, even with summons.
- Utilize HP-sapping spells like Black Flame Incantations to deal percentage-based damage against the boss’s high health pool.
- Area-of-effect spells like Spiral Glintstone, Burn, O Flame!, or Black Flame Ritual can hit both of the boss’s hitboxes simultaneously for significant damage. Aim Spiral Glintstone at the face after a combo, and use Incantations to blanket the area.
- Employ resistance-boosting buffs like Protection of the Erdtree or Scholar’s Shield to mitigate elemental damage.
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Optimal Spirit Ashes and Summons: Mimic Tear and Freyja
The Mimic Tear remains a top-tier Spirit Ash in Elden Ring, copying your build and equipment with increased health, further enhanced by Revered Spirit Ash Blessings in the DLC.
Alternatively, consider summons that provide multiple allies, such as Greatshield Soldier Ashes, or the fast and HP-sapping Black Knife Tiche.
For the Dancing Lion specifically, summoning the NPC Redmane Freyja, whom you likely encountered before Belurat, is highly recommended. Freyja is a capable warrior who can effectively draw aggro and withstand the boss’s attacks.
However, be mindful that summoning NPCs or players increases the boss’s HP, which can prolong the fight if your summons fall.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Rewards
Upon defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, you’ll be rewarded with the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion. This valuable item, typical of Remembrance bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, can be exchanged with Enia at Roundtable Hold for one of two powerful rewards:
- The Enraged Beast Talisman: Amplifies the potency of Storm skills (Storm-based spells and Ashes of War).
- Ash of War: Divine Beast’s Frost Stomp: A potent Frost Stomp Ash of War, delivering significant Frostbite buildup in a frontal area, surpassing the standard Hoarfrost Stomp.
To acquire both rewards, duplicate the Remembrance at a Walking Mausoleum without a bell, which are capable of duplicating non-Demigod Remembrances.
Additionally, the Dancing Lion drops the Divine Beast Head armor piece. This visually striking, albeit comically large, head armor is rumored to enable communication with the Empyrean Grandam, who summons the Dancing Lion spirit at the fight’s commencement.
To find the Empyrean Grandam, proceed to the Small Prayer Altar Site of Grace in Belurat. Head outside and to the left to find two casters on a bridge. Bypass or defeat these Hornsent spellcasters to reach the Storage Room. The Belurat Storage Room Key is required to unlock the door, behind which you’ll find the Hornsent Grandam and continue the associated questline.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
**Base Game** Elden RingReleased June 21, 2024
Developer(s) FromSoftware
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
Genre Soulslike, RPG
Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
