This Shardbearer’s bark is more fearsome than his bite.
Elden Ringfeatures plenty of over-the-top boss encounters, and a few of them involve gimmicks.
Such is the case with Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
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Luckily, a bit of preparation will help you fell this giant serpent.
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Getting To Rykard
There are two primary ways to do this.
The first is to make your way to Volcano Manor fromMt.
Gelmirand then proceed to accept and complete a series of assassination missions given to you by Tanith.
Accepting her offer will teleport you directly outside Rykard’s boss room.
The second method is to fight your way through Volcano Manor proper.
Inside one of the doors unlocked by the key is an illusory wall in the back right corner.
From there, keep fighting your way forward.
You’ll eventually have to engage in a boss battle against a Godskin Noble.
This weapon is essential to defeating Rykard, so go ahead and equip it.
Instead, gimmick fights revolve around using a special item or mechanic to emerge victorious.
In this case, that gimmick is the Serpent Hunter spear.
This allows you to attack the massive Rykard from a much greater distance than normal.
This fight is designed to be done with the Serpent Hunter.
Like many of Elden Ring’s iconic boss fights, the Rykard boss battle happens in two phases.
This serpent has a couple of key attacks to watch out for.
This attack can be safely blocked, or simply time your rolls to emerge unscathed.
There is one final, fairly damaging attack the serpent will use.
After rearing up, the serpent will slam its head into the ground and then flick its head up.
This will cause a lava earthquake to erupt in an incredibly large arc in front of its head.
From our experience, this can’t be dodge or jumped over.
The easiest solution seems to be blocking the attack, preferably with a high fire resistance shield.
Take your time and poke away at the beast until it’s “dead.”
You’ll still have to watch out for when it spins in place and throws fireballs, however.
He’ll also pull a big ol' sword covered in guts out of the serpent’s mouth.
Fortunately, Rykard isn’t that much more difficult than his previous form.
The big new addition is his sword, which he will use for a couple different attacks.
Slightly more problematic will be his thrust attacks with the sword.
He will stab multiple times in rapid succession so keep back and dodge accordingly.
These trails will then ignite, sending explosions all along the trail.
ensure to stay clear of any of these trails over the course of the battle.
At around 50% HP, Rykard will bust out some new moves.
Additionally, Rykard will have two new, incredibly powerful moves you’ll have to be wary of.
One will see Rykard raise his sword high above his head and emit an army of flaming skulls.
These skulls will follow you and explode after a short delay.
The important thing to remember when avoiding these skulls is to keep moving.
Do not stand still, lest you get hit by multiple skulls.
Otherwise, phase 2 functions much the same as phase 1 did.
Keep poking away at Rykard with the Serpent Hunter and before long you’ll be victorious.
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