Starscourge Radahn

Altus route: rest at any Site of Grace on Altus Plateau (Grand Lift of Dectus arrival, Ruin-Strewn Precipice exit, or any other Altus rest). One grace is enough.

Ranni route: enter Ranni’s service at Ranni’s Rise, speak with Blaidd, Iji, and Seluvis at the three towers, then talk to Blaidd in Siofra River about Radahn — or ask Iji about Jerren when that option appears.

Either path starts the Radahn Festival at Redmane. You still have to travel to the castle and take Jerren’s portal; finishing the requirement alone does not put you in the dunes.

Skip Altus entirely by taking Ranni’s early path. Reach Ranni’s Rise (Caria Manor is the usual door), speak with Ranni, and accept her service.

Talk to Blaidd, War Counselor Iji, and Seluvis in the three towers beside the rise so their later dialogue options appear.

Go down to Siofra River and find Blaidd on his hunt. Finish the conversation where he ties the sealed stars to General Radahn — that is the usual way to start the festival early.

If you are already at Iji’s road forge north of the manor, ask him about Jerren and the festival when the option is available. Same result, fewer underground steps.

Then travel to Impassable Greatbridge or Redmane. Starting the festival early only opens the event; Radahn still fights like a mid-game shardbearer.

If Redmane still plays like a normal castle with knights and a plaza fight, the festival has not started yet — rest at an Altus grace or finish the Blaidd / Ranni step.

Already visited Altus but the plaza looks empty? Rest at a Redmane grace, reload, or fast-travel away and back so the castle can update.

Before the festival, Redmane has its own enemies and loot. Clearing it first is fine; once the festival begins, the plaza switches over to the war gathering.

You cannot open the Wailing Dunes portal from outside without the festival. The fight is behind that event, not behind a fog wall out on the open sand.

Pierce weapons and skills for raw damage.

Scarlet rot for long residual pressure while you resummon or heal.

Bleed or frost as secondary status if rot is not available.

Avoid holy-primary kits unless you have no other upgrade path.

Pierce is the cleanest physical answer — spears, thrust swords, and piercing weapon skills beat his slight slash and strike padding.

Holy is his strongest defense. Magic, fire, and lightning all hit softer than physical pierce; still usable if that is your build, just slower than pierce or a stacked status plan.

Scarlet rot builds fastest. Bleed, frost, and poison also work; sleep is slow; madness does nothing.

He is not weak to gravity just because he uses it. Bring rot pots, arrows, or a thrusting weapon and play the arena — do not mirror his sorceries unless your kit is already built for them.

Aim for level 55–70 with a +12/+15 standard weapon or +5/+7 somber. Get Vigor to 30 or higher before you treat the bow phase as optional.

Equip a pierce weapon or something that applies rot or bleed as your default. Leave holy-first kits behind unless you have no better upgrade path.

Fill HP flasks first. Keep at least one FP flask if you will cast Rotten Breath, throw pots, or lean on weapon skills.

Scarlet rot pots or arrows help. Bring Exalted Flesh or whatever body buff you already trust. A fire-defense liver is optional — surviving the meteor is mostly about running clear, not stacking negation.

Rest at Chamber Outside the Plaza, tidy the pouch, and decide before the portal whether you will use festival summons. It is easier to call them again mid-fight if that choice is already made.

You load in facing a long dune approach. Radahn is already drawing the greatbow on the far rise — the first stretch is a ranged gauntlet, not a fair melee duel.

Mount Torrent right away. Gallop in wide curves; riding straight into Rain of Arrows and gravity arrows is the usual early death.

Weapon piles stuck in the sand block gravity arrows until they break. Duck behind one if a homing shot is locked on, then move before the next volley shatters it.

Golden summon signs sit on the approach and along the flanks. Call Blaidd, Alexander, Lionel, Therolina, or whoever is available before you settle under the horse.

Only commit to sword range once you are close and at least one summon is up. Trading arrows on foot with a slow weapon is how runs die before the real fight starts.

Once you are under him, phase 1 is cavalry blade strings, Cragblade spikes, gravity pulls, and the odd bow shot if you drift too far away.

Stay near the rear legs and hip. Standing in front trading light attacks into double-blade sweeps and tramples is how most melee attempts end.

Blade Sweep Combo: wide left-right sword hits from horseback. Stop your own combo by the second swing, roll into the later hits or pass under Leonard, then take one jump thrust or two lights on the finish — not a long skill.

Cragblade: gravity gathers on a sword, then stone spikes burst up through the sand in a line. When the blade loads dark purple, sprint sideways on Torrent instead of blocking in place.

Gravity Pull: sand and lock-on drag you inward. Peel off to the side on horseback the moment the pull starts. Holding block through it drops you into a free blade follow-up.

Collapsing Stars: inward gravity coils on you or a summon like a grab setup. Gallop sideways, then close again only after the coil drops.

If every summon falls, do not hold the center alone. Loop the dunes, call fresh signs, and come back in with help. Phase 1 rewards patience more than raw damage.

At about half health he howls, launches straight up, and leaves the arena. That is the meteor transition — gallop away immediately and keep your eyes on the ground, not the sky.

The crash wrecks anything under the impact. If a summon is still mid-field, let them take it; your job is to be outside the blast, heal if you were clipped, then call signs again.

After he stands, four rocks rise beside him and launch at you or your summons. Keep moving on Torrent; standing still to finish a spell under a rock is a free death.

Airborne Spin Charge: he floats, blades out, and corkscrews across the dunes. Leave early — late rolls still clip the spin. Hit him only after he lands and pauses.

His phase 1 blades and gravity tools stay in the kit, now chained faster between rocks. Same rule as before: one or two hits after a rock volley or finished spin, then get out.

A clean phase 2 loop is: keep a summon on him, wait out the rocks, thrust or apply rot on the recovery, remount before the next charge. Forcing a third light into a spin is the usual wipe.

Pierce weapons, heavy thrusts, and jump thrusts do the honest work. Fight the legs; mount up and leave when a full double-blade sweep or spin charge starts.

After Blade Sweep Combo or Cragblade finishes, spend one charged heavy or skill — not a long weapon skill that locks you into the next swing.

If you stay off Torrent after the opener, every gap close is on foot. Phase 2 rocks and spins punish slow chases hard; most melee clears still remount between hits.

Let a summon hold his attention for the heavy hit, then roll or hop back to Torrent. Greed is how mounted combos erase a 30-Vigor bar.

Rotten Breath, poison mist, pots, or other lingering pressure beats pure glintstone trades while he gallops through magic resistance.

Cast after a summon draws Blade Sweep Combo, after Cragblade spikes settle, or when the last phase 2 rock has already launched. Stop casting if a pull or spin starts mid-spell.

Keep a piercing backup weapon for empty FP. Gravity sorceries look right on theme, but they are not a free win — status and summons matter more than copying his kit.

Without festival NPCs you still have Torrent. Path the bow phase cleanly before you take any blade trade.

Scarlet rot or bleed from range replaces the missing help. Apply once under the horse, remount, and hit-and-run while the ticks work.

Respect the meteor and the rocks. Save flasks for phase 2; spending the whole bar on phase 1 greed is the usual solo reset.

If you are still learning the moves, use summons for one clear look at the tells, then try without them once the meteor timing feels natural.

Festival summon signs are the main help in this fight: Blaidd, Alexander, Lionel, Okina, Great Horned Tragoth, Finger Maiden Therolina, Patches, and Jerren once phase 2 is live.

Ride from sign to sign on the approach and flanks. When a champion falls, loop the dunes and call another — each NPC has more than one sign, and a used sign only removes that copy.

For a first clear, call a heavy body first (Lionel, Tragoth, or Alexander), then Blaidd, then Therolina for chip damage. Patches leaves almost immediately; do not count on him as a tank.

Jerren matters most after the meteor. If phase 2 opens with nobody alive, refresh the field before you try to handle rocks and spins alone.

Spirit ashes are separate from festival signs. Summon an ash only when you have stamina and space after the portal — the dunes already get crowded with champions.

Easiest honest clear: full festival summons, Torrent, and scarlet rot or pierce damage. Call fresh signs whenever the squad falls; that is the normal festival help, not a glitch.

Rot pots, arrows, and long kiting still work if melee feels bad — apply rot, remount, and wait out the ticks while summons hold his swords.

Edge-of-arena cheeses exist (northern cliff falls; southern shore so the meteor drops him into the water). They are finicky and can break after patches — if either fails twice, stop and fight him properly.

Underleveled and only need the kill for Ranni’s path? You still have to defeat him. A cheese is just another way to get the kill, not a way around it.