Lords of the Fallen boss guide: How to defeat The Ruiner

Lords of the Fallen, released in 2023, has one thing that every fan of the Soulslike genre craves: an abundance of brutal boss battles. The developers ensured that these encounters were featured throughout the game to serve as a checkpoint and to test your skills and adaptability to the scenario. Even in the early stages of the game, there are numerous difficult foes to defeat in order to proceed.

Lords of the Fallen is brutal, but in typical fashion for any Soulsborne title, it gives you plenty of tools to prepare for the situations. One of the bosses you will encounter early in the game is the Ruiner. This ferocious demon from hell will stand in your path and is one of the many challenges you must face to continue the game's main story.

You will come face-to-face with The Ruiner while exploring Fitzroy's Gorge. As you explore the realm of Lords of the Fallen, this guide will give you some insight about facing this towering beast.

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Tips to easily defeat Ruiner in Lords of the Fallen

You will come across the Ruiner upon this bridge in Fitzroy’s Gorge (Image via CI Games)

You will come upon a bridge that connects to the next region while exploring Fitzroy's Gorge in Lords of the Fallen. On this bridge, you will encounter Ruiner, the game's seventh main story boss. Despite being an early-game foe, he strikes hard, and what makes this fight particularly difficult is that it occurs on a small bridge that limits your movement.

If you are not careful, Ruiner will annihilate you at close range. He has inferno spells in his armory as well. Along with his axe, he also carries a massive shield that he can use as a weapon to deflect your blows. Here are a few pointers for overcoming the Ruiner in Lords of the Fallen.

• The Ruiner does not have any weakness against any particular class. He can be challenged no matter what you pick.
• Make sure you have ranged weapons before heading into the fight. Another thing that will help you in this particular battle is equipping gear sets with fire resistance.
• Also, remove any fire-based "inferno" spells or gear you have. Radiance is your friend here as he is weak to it.
• Now for the battle itself, The Ruiner will charge towards you as you approach the bridge. There will be some debris on the bridge. Take cover behind the debris and interrupt his charge.
• Going for a frontal assault against this monstrosity is not recommended, as he can block out most attacks with his massive shield.
• Occasionally, he can bash his shield into the ground, setting off explosions in a straight line and briefly leaving a burning pit in its wake. Be on the lookout for this attack and be prepared to avoid it.
• The Ruiner will summon small totems at times. Take out these totems, as they will provide various buffs to him.
• His blows are slow and deflectible. If you can stagger him, take advantage of this opportunity to heal or inflict damage. This is essential as The Ruiner does not give you many opportunities to heal. If you stray too far from him for a while, he will charge at you or cast his inferno spells.

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After defeating the Ruiner, you will get one Vestige Seed and pieces from the Ruiner set. These pieces are random, so you will not get everything. From there on, you can cross the bridge and continue your journey in Lords of the Fallen.