How to defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is essentially the first major boss you will encounter in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Although the Dancing Lion isn't nearly as challenging as some of the other bosses in the opening area of the game, namely Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, or Commander Gaius, it is still quite a significant step up in terms of difficulty compared to the base game.

What makes the boss challenging is its sheer aggression and the ability to harness different elemental attack types during battle. Additionally, the boss has a very weird hitbox, where it only takes damage if you attack its head and hindlegs, but not its torso or middle section.

In addition to that, the Dancing Lion has a lot of HP, which can take a while to whittle down, especially if you're trying to defeat it without any summons. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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How to easily defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Location of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion's legacy dungeon (Image via FromSoftware)

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is found in the western part of the Gravesite Plains, at the Belurat Tower Settlement. Although you can technically beeline straight to the boss, I highly recommend exploring the opening parts of the map, especially for the Scadutree Fragments and the Revered Spirit Ashes, which will very much come in handy for the boss fight.

Additionally, make sure you talk to every NPC that you come across on your path to the Belurat Settlement, especially Redmane Knight Freyja, since doing so will make her one of the allies that you can choose to summon for the boss fight. Lastly, I highly recommend using a colossal Elden Ring weapon for the battle as well as Fire Grease.

Here are a few tips that should help you easily defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

• The boss always starts the battle with a lunge attack followed by a bite grab that can technically one-shot you if you're running a "glass cannon" or low-vigor build. Upon entering the fog door, quickly dodge to the left or right to avoid this attack.
• Keep a lock on the boss' head since that's where you will be dealing the most damage. I highly recommend using jumping attacks paired with the Claw Talisman and the Blade of Mercy to deal as much damage as possible in the first phase.
• Once the Dancing Lion's health reaches 75%, it summons a lightning storm that also imbues its own attacks with that element. Make sure you keep a distance from the boss while the lightning is active. You can continue dealing damage with jumping attacks once the lightning subsides.
• One of the attack stings of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion involves the creature getting up on its hind legs and spinning with a smoke of cloud surrounding it. You can avoid this attack by jumping as soon as the smoke reaches you or by simply sprinting away from the boss.
• Make sure you use the entire length of the arena to your advantage. If you're trying to beat the boss solo, it will feel like a battle of attrition, but it's not that challenging once you get an idea of the Lion's attacks.
• In the final phase (<35% HP) the Dancing Lion imbues its attacks with Frost, and you can avoid them the same way as the Lightning attacks.

The Remembrance of the Dancing Lion (Image via FromSoftware)

Defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion is all about timing your attacks and knowing when to back away. Since the arena is fairly big, you will have ample space to simply unlock and sprint away from the elemental attacks of the boss. Additionally, summons (whether it be the Mimic Tear or Redmane Freyja) can help a lot with this boss fight.

Defeating the Divine Beast rewards you with 90,000 Runes, Remembrance of the Dancing Lion, and the Divine Beast Helm.