Shadow of the Erdtree Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Guide

Most of the time, a first boss is a nice warm-up for the game, unless the game is Elden Ring. You’ll need to be on your toes to overcome Shadow of the Erdtree’s first boss, which is Divine Beast Dancing Lion.

Despite its somewhat oafish and lumbering appearance, the thing is quick. Pair that with elemental lightning, wind, and ice abilities, and you’ve got a real problem on your hands. However, there are a lot of ways to handle this beast.

Make sure to enter the battle prepared. Bring some gear with physical defense, lightning defense, and resistance to frostbite.

How do I defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree?

In the first phase, the Dancing Lion relies solely on physical strikes and debris spewed from its maw. Rolling into or past the Lion’s physical attacks is easy enough, allowing you an opportunity to counter attack.

Be particularly wary of the Lion’s grab attack, signaled by it rearing up and making a loud noise. This move is incredibly damaging if it connects, however should be easy to dodge if you know it’s coming.

In the second phase, the Dancing Lion taps into its elemental abilities, shifting between lightning, wind, and ice forms. The Lion transitions into these forms by levitating and screaming, with an aura of the corresponding element appearing around it.

In lightning form, bolts strike around the Lion during attacks, limiting your dodge area. In wind form, additional wind projectiles radiate from its melee attacks. This makes it difficult to move in on the Dancing Lion. In ice form, the Lion’s attacks cause frostbite buildup and create ice spikes on the ground.

Stay mindful of what form the Dancing Lion is and reach accordingly. As long as you know what elements coming you should be able to react and doge effectively. When it’s near death, the Dancing Lion will rapidly switch between all three elements in an attempt to overwhelm you. However, it doesn’t do anything new just keep an eye on the element.

Finally, the NPC summon for this boss, Redmane Freyja, is particularly useful for this fight. She can go 1v1 with the Dancing Lion for a bit if you need to break away and heal or setup.

Elden Ring is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Shadow of Erdtree DLC appears on June 21, 2024.