In Elden Ring, the forces of chaos were quite discreet, with rats and a few possessed enemies. As a player, we embodied the main threat to the world, with the end of the Lord of the Exalted Flame. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC finally allows us to measure ourselves against this true avatar of madness and destruction.
Preparations
- You can reach level 15 and above of Shadow Realm Blessings by searching the first area well. This will help you greatly in this fight.
- A spirit summon will help you greatly in this fight. For once, it may be viable to choose something other than Mimic, in order to favor a creature that does not fear Madness, like the new Golem.
- This boss’s damage is mostly Physical and Fire-type. Talismans and buffs that can reduce this damage will significantly help you survive.
- But it’s not all that simple, since the Lord of the Exalted Flame relies directly on the madness affliction (yellow bar on the screen) to inflict immense damage on you, and consume your PC. Plan for Sobering balls can save you. Some talismans that increase Focus, or reduce the impact of afflictions are also an option.
How to reduce Dementia?
A good way to avoid being affected by Madness is to equip talismans like the Talisman of Focus +2. Some armor sets will also help you, for example the Armor of Solitude, found on the Black Jail Knight, at the beginning of the DLC. It gives a huge bonus in this area, if you have the Stamina to equip it without being overloaded.
Phase 1: Midra
This can hardly be considered a real phase, but it should not be underestimated either. Midra will try to jump on you, in order to inflict heavy damage.
He can also hit you, or let out an area roar. You can take advantage of this phase to recover your runes, cast your buffs, and most importantly: kill Midra while trying not to take damage, in order to start the next phase well.
Phase 2: Midra, Lord of the Exalted Flame
Now things get serious. You should know that this boss is formidable at any range, but we found him a little less dangerous up close. In any case, you won’t have much choice, since he performs air loads formidable after firing a volley of spells.
A notable weakness of Midra is that he is quite vulnerable to effects breaking his posturewhich allows you to critically hit him, then charge him when he gets up. This allows you to cut off a large portion of his health by being aggressive.
Midras almost always starts this phase with a volley or two of flames at mid-range. This spell will be used regularly when you’re not in melee range. It’s not very difficult to dodge.
The Exalted Flame Lord will usually follow up with his ultimate Eye of Flame. It’s easy to see coming, he spreads his arms and flies away. The problem is that this projectile has a huge range and area of effect. Rather than backing away as far as possible, we’ve noticed that get behind the boss then continue sprinting is much more effective, the eye of fire then falls directly under him. Of course, this only applies to melee characters.
There is a minor version of the fire orb, which he throws without flying away. The range and size of the explosion are smaller, but he does not hesitate to throw it in melee. Do not hesitate to flee when the orb appears on his eye.
One of the most fearsome ranged abilities is his straight shot volley. If you’re far away, it’s best to run sideways, since he pivots too quickly for rolls. Avoid jumping in front of the boss when he uses it, the result would be insane.
The Exalted Flame Lord has a fairly wide range of melee attacks, with some pretty exotic moves like his whirlwind during which he attacks multiple times. The upside is that you can see them coming.
Be careful, when Midra makes a piercing strike forward, the thorns of his sword will deploy after a moment and hit you if you dodged laterally. It is better to perform a second dodge quickly to get out of range, for example, on his flanks.
When the boss jumps forward, you absolutely have to dodge, otherwise you’ll be impaled and take absurd damage. Even if you manage to dodge, run away, since he’ll make thorns appear from the ground afterwards.
Another particularly formidable attack is his flaming sword strike. It makes a cone of flames appear on the ground. Even if you dodge, there is a chance that you will end up in it, or in the next 3 to 4 cones. The best option is probably to stick to the boss, the flames will miss you, and the sword too if you are well positioned.
Reward: Exalted Flame Lord’s Memory
This may come as a surprise, but you can return to the Round Table to trade memories from the expansion’s bosses. Press “RB” from the map.
You have two rewards to choose from:
- Damnation Swordfish : A weapon that deals holy damage, but no madness. The special ability allows you to crucify your enemies.
- Midra’s Exalted Flame : Spawns an eye that spreads flames of madness as you move while carrying it.
