The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is proving to be a formidable gatekeeper in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, challenging even seasoned players right at the entrance of the Belurat, Tower Settlement. This majestic yet terrifying creature demands respect and a solid strategy to overcome. While its flowing movements and elemental attacks might seem overwhelming, understanding the Divine Beast Dancing Lion’s weaknesses and exploiting them is key to bringing this boss down.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to conquer the Dancing Lion, focusing on its vulnerabilities, effective strategies, and essential tips to emerge victorious from this challenging encounter in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Reaching the Dancing Lion in Belurat, Tower Settlement
Before diving into the fight itself and the Divine Beast Dancing Lion’s weakness, navigating to the boss arena is the first hurdle. The Dancing Lion resides at the culmination of Belurat, Tower Settlement, the first major Legacy Dungeon in the DLC.
To begin your journey to Belurat, start from the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. Head west through the tunnel to discover another Site of Grace, marked by the presence of two NPCs just outside the entrance to Belurat.
Once inside Belurat, progress through the dungeon until you reach the Small Prayer Room Site of Grace. From here, ascend the stairs towards the Omen Knight, then make a left turn. Shortly after, turn right into an alleyway, just before the waterfall drop. Look for another alleyway leading to the left, guarded by two Shadow Undead. Defeat them and proceed into the water runoff area. On your right, you’ll find an opening to a room. Enter and climb the ladder within.
Continue along the upper walkway, heading right. Look for an area with dirty water beneath the walkway on your left, near a broken bridge. Jump down into this watery area and proceed until you reach a room teeming with man-flies. Clear the room of enemies and ascend the ladder.
From this point, the path becomes more linear. Exit the room, turn left, and you’ll find a Revered Spirit Ash and a staircase leading upwards. Ascend these stairs to finally arrive at the Dancing Lion’s arena, marked by a Site of Grace just outside the boss fog gate.
Exploiting the Divine Beast Dancing Lion Weakness: Combat Strategies
Entering the boss arena can be intimidating, but focusing on the Divine Beast Dancing Lion’s weakness is crucial. While it may not have elemental vulnerabilities in the traditional sense, understanding its resistances and susceptibility to status effects is key to formulating an effective strategy.
Understanding Resistances and Vulnerabilities
The Dancing Lion is notably resistant to Lightning, Frost, and Storm damage, as these elements are integrated into its own attack patterns. Therefore, relying on these damage types will be less effective. Instead, focus on damage types outside of these elements, such as Fire, Magic, Holy, or Physical.
However, the true Divine Beast Dancing Lion Weakness lies in its susceptibility to status effects. Bleed, Poison, and Scarlet Rot are all highly effective against this boss. While Frostbite can also be applied, its high Frost resistance makes it less reliable compared to Bleed, Poison, and Scarlet Rot.
Therefore, incorporating weapons and spells that inflict Bleed, Poison, or Scarlet Rot buildup is a primary strategy to exploit the Divine Beast Dancing Lion’s weakness. Weapons that inherently deal Bleed damage, or those that can be infused with Poison or Scarlet Rot Ashes of War, will be invaluable.
General Combat Tips Against the Dancing Lion
- Prioritize Physical, Lightning, and Frost Defense: Equip armor sets and talismans that significantly boost your Physical, Lightning, and Frost defenses. Physical defense is paramount, as many of its attacks deal physical damage, but resistances to Lightning and Frost will mitigate damage from its elemental attacks.
- Focus on Learning the Moveset: Instead of solely relying on exploiting elemental weaknesses, mastering the Dancing Lion’s moveset is paramount. Anticipating its attacks and learning the dodge timings is crucial for survival and creating openings for attack.
- Hitboxes: The Dancing Lion’s front and rear are its only vulnerable hitboxes. Attacking its midsection will deal no damage. Prioritize attacking the head, as it takes more damage than the rear.
- Jump Attacks: Utilize jump attacks strategically. You can jump over several of its attacks, including the Frost Stomp and the spinning debris breath attack, creating opportunities to counter-attack.
Dancing Lion Moveset and Counters: Phases 1 & 2
The Dancing Lion fight is divided into two distinct phases, each with unique movesets and attack patterns. Understanding these phases and their counters is vital for effectively exploiting the Divine Beast Dancing Lion weakness and achieving victory.
Phase One: Before Elemental Transformation
| Move | Description | How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Three-Chain Swipes | Three consecutive side-to-side swipes, with a delayed lunging final strike. | Dodge into the attacks to avoid follow-up strikes and create openings. |
| Debris Spew | A blast of debris projectile dealing Physical damage. | Dodge to the side or into the projectile to avoid the hitbox. The boss rears up slightly before this attack. |
| Debris Spew Circle | Rotates in place, spewing debris in a 360-degree circle for three rotations. | Jump over the debris at mid-range or dodge into the debris at close range. |
| Lip-Smack Grab Attack | Rises on hind legs, lip-smacking sound cue, then lunges for a grab. | Well-telegraphed. Dodge away to avoid. Grab deals significant damage. |
| Spin & Backflip Dances | Spins for AoE damage, or backflips for single-target damage and repositioning. | Hard to spot. Look for “holding” animation before dodging into the attack. Backflips common when behind the boss. |
| Head Slam | Stands tall, then slams head down in a small AoE Physical damage attack. | Dodge away from the impact zone. Dodging into the Dancer puts you in the AoE. |
| Hovering Charge | Hovers briefly, then lunges at the player. Often followed by Lip-Smack grab. | Dodge into the Dancer at the last moment to avoid and counter. |
Phase Two: Elemental Transformation
Phase two begins after the Dancing Lion reaches 50% HP. It gains elemental transformations, cycling through Lightning, Frostbite, and Storm forms, each adding new attacks and modifying existing ones. Phase two retains all moves from phase one.
| Move | Description | How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Transformation | Floats and imbues itself with Lightning, Frostbite, or Storm, changing attacks. | Avoid standing too close during transformation. Watch for elemental effects to identify the current form. |
| Lightning Form | Debris breath becomes Lightning damage. All attacks have random lightning strikes in the area. | Watch for ground indicators of lightning strikes. Dodge away from the boss to avoid close-range strikes. |
| Frostbite Form | Debris breath becomes Frost damage and inflicts Frostbite. Gains a Frost Stomp AoE attack. | Dodge into the Frost Stomp or sprint/roll to the side if timed correctly. Jumping is possible but difficult to time. |
| Storm Form | Melee attacks can create tornadoes. Other attacks create outward-radiating wind gusts dealing Physical damage. | Dodge into the tornado after telegraph. Dodge into wind gusts to avoid their hitboxes. |
| Rapid Transformation | At low HP (10-20%), cycles rapidly through all three elemental forms and attacks randomly. | Apply counter strategies for each elemental form as it shifts. Requires adaptable gameplay and quick reaction to different attack patterns. |
Melee and Spellcaster Strategies
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Melee:
- Heavy Weapons and Poise Break: While difficult, poise breaking is possible with colossal weapons and jump attacks/guard counters aimed at the head.
- Stamina Management: Utilize stamina-enhancing talismans to keep up with the boss’s mobility and sustain attacks while dodging.
- Shields: 100% Physical block shields are highly effective for mitigating damage in melee range, especially when buffed against elemental damage.
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Spellcaster:
- Range is Not Safety: The Dancing Lion can close distances rapidly. Maintain awareness and be ready to dodge even at range.
- HP-Sapping Spells: Black Flame incantations deal percentage-based damage, effective against the boss’s large HP pool.
- Area-of-Effect Spells: Utilize spells like Spiral Glintstone (aimed at the head) or Incantations like Burn, O Flame! and Black Flame Ritual to hit both hitboxes and maximize damage.
- Resistance Buffs: Protection of the Erdtree or Scholar’s Shield can mitigate elemental damage, enhancing survivability.
Summoning Allies: Spirit Ashes and NPCs
Utilizing Spirit Ashes or summoning the NPC Redmane Freyja can significantly aid in the fight.
- Mimic Tear: Remains a top-tier Spirit Ash, copying your build and gaining boosted HP, further enhanced by Revered Spirit Ash Blessings in the DLC.
- Multiple Summons: Greatshield Soldier Ashes or similar summons provide multiple targets to draw aggro and can be very helpful.
- Black Knife Tiche: Fast-paced and deals %HP damage with Black Flame, a strong choice.
- Redmane Freyja NPC: Found before Belurat, Freyja is a capable melee summon who can effectively draw aggro and contribute to the fight.
Caution: Summoning NPCs or players increases the boss’s HP. Ensure your summons are durable and contribute effectively to offset the HP increase.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Rewards
Defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion yields significant rewards, including the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion and the Divine Beast Head armor piece.
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Remembrance of the Dancing Lion: Tradeable with Enia at Roundtable Hold for:
- Enraged Beast Talisman: Enhances Storm-based spells and Ashes of War.
- Ash of War: Divine Beast’s Frost Stomp: A stronger version of Hoarfrost Stomp, inflicting significant Frostbite.
- Remembrances can be duplicated at Walking Mausoleums without bells to acquire both rewards.
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Divine Beast Head: Unique and comically large head armor. Said to enable communication with the Empyrean Grandam, initiating a questline continuation accessible from the Small Prayer Altar Site of Grace in Belurat.
Conclusion: Mastering the Dancing Lion
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is a challenging but ultimately conquerable boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. By understanding the Divine Beast Dancing Lion weakness – its susceptibility to Bleed, Poison, and Scarlet Rot – and mastering its moveset, you can formulate effective strategies for both melee and spellcasting builds. Utilize the environment, summon allies when needed, and adapt to its elemental shifts in phase two. Victory over the Dancing Lion not only grants valuable rewards but also signifies a significant step forward in your Shadow of the Erdtree journey.
