Phase 1 Strategy — The Book Puzzle
Rennala's phase 1 is a puzzle encounter rather than a traditional boss fight. The arena is filled with singing students holding books. Ignore Rennala herself and focus on the students with golden glowing auras — these are the ones maintaining her protective shield. Breaking three of these auras by dealing damage will shatter her shield. Use sweeping weapons like the Bastard Sword or AoE spells like Glintstone Arc to hit multiple students at once. Fextralife's Rennala guide has optimal routes for locating all golden auras.
Phase 2 — Full Moon Magic Barrage
Phase 2 transforms the fight into a pure magic duel. Rennala uses her staff and the Carian Regal Scepter to cast a huge variety of sorceries including the devastating Full Moon spell and tracking Comet Azur-like beams. She also summons spirit versions of Wolves, Trolls, and even the Dragon Adula. Aggression is key — sprint to her immediately at phase start before she can summon spirits. Her poise is extremely low; a single charged heavy attack from a Great Hammer will stagger her, canceling her cast. Wikipedia's Elden Ring lore details Rennala's role as founder of the Carian royal family and the full moon sorceries.
Summon Spirits — Your Greatest Weapon
Ironically, summoning spirit ashes is extremely effective against Rennala despite her mastery of magic. The Lone Wolf Ashes or Skeletal Militiamen will draw aggro and interrupt her spellcasting. The Mimic Tear (available later if you backtrack) trivializes the fight. Use the summon aggressively — while your spirit occupies her, circle around and land charged attacks. Her summons (Wolves, Troll, Dragon) disappear when she takes enough damage, so don't bother killing them independently. Focus Rennala and her summons will vanish automatically.
Best Equipment and Stats
Recommended level 45-60 with a +8 to +12 weapon. Rennala has extremely high magic resistance (80% magic damage negation in phase 2) — physical damage is strongly preferred. Strike weapons like the Morningstar, Great Mace, or Brick Hammer stagger her quickly. The Spelldrake Talisman significantly reduces magic damage taken. For armor, prioritize magic defense — the Guardian Set offers good magic negation for its weight. The Green Turtle Talisman helps with stamina management as you'll be sprinting constantly.
Dodging Rennala's Sorceries
Rennala has one of the most diverse spell arsenals in the game. Her homing glintstone shards can be dodged by sprinting laterally. The Full Moon projectile is slow but tracks aggressively — roll through it at the last moment rather than sideways. Comet Azur deals massive damage if it connects; stay behind her or behind a pillar to avoid the beam. Her spirit summons have specific interrupts: hitting the troll with 2-3 attacks dismisses it, and the dragon disappears when Rennala takes a stance break.
Great Rune of the Unborn
Defeating Rennala rewards 40,000 runes and the Great Rune of the Unborn. This Great Rune is unique — it cannot be equipped but instead allows you to reallocate your attribute points when used with a Larval Tear at Rennala's location. This effectively gives unlimited respecs as long as you have Larval Tears. It also grants access to the Raya Lucarian chest containing the Carian Regal Scepter. Rennala's Remembrance can be exchanged for either the full moon sorcery Rennala's Full Moon or the Carian Regal Scepter, one of the best intelligence-scaling catalysts in the game.
Location and Raya Lucaria Access
Rennala is found at the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria Academy, a sprawling Legacy Dungeon in central Liurnia of the Lakes. To access the academy, you must first obtain either the Glintstone Key or the Academy Glintstone Key. The main Glintstone Key is found on a corpse at the academy's main gate, guarded by a magical dragon. Alternatively, you can find the Academy Glintstone Key inside the graveyard in the Liurnia lake region, near the Slumbering Wolf's Shack. Once inside, navigate through the debate parlor, the church where you face the Red Wolf of Radagon, and ascend the grand staircase with its fountains and resting sorcerers. The Debate Parlor grace serves as the closest rest point, with a short run through the grand library's entrance chamber to reach Rennala's fog wall.
Before facing Rennala, explore Raya Lucaria thoroughly for essential sorcerer items. The academy contains the Carian Regal Scepter (best intelligence-scaling staff in the base game), the Glintstone Staff, the Comet and Stars of Ruin sorceries, and the Lazuli Glintstone Sword. The Red Wolf of Radagon is a mandatory boss before Rennala, dropping the Memory Stone that increases spell slots. The academy's hidden areas include the Church of the Cuckoo with its imprisoned sorcerers and the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel leading to the bell bearing that allows unlimited Glintstone purchases. After defeating Rennala, you can also access the Divine Tower of Liurnia from the academy's rooftop, though the Carian Inverted Statue from Ranni's quest is required to reach the tower's top.
Respeccing Guide — Larval Tear Locations
Rennala's unique role as the only respec NPC in Elden Ring makes her one of the most important bosses to defeat, regardless of build. After her defeat, Rennala becomes a friendly NPC who can reallocate your attribute points using a Larval Tear. The respec process returns all your levels to their base values, allowing you to redistribute them freely. Each respec consumes one Larval Tear. There are approximately 18 Larval Tears per playthrough, found throughout the game world. Key locations include: two from the Eternal City Nokron (near the Mimic Tear boss arena), one from the Village of the Albinaurics (hidden behind the windmill), and one from the Caria Manor graveyard. The Stoic Golden Beggar enemy in Nokron drops a Larval Tear when defeated, and one is found in a chest at the converted tower behind Caria Manor.
Strategic use of respecs can dramatically change your playthrough. Respeccing allows you to try different builds without creating new characters: swap from a Strength build to an Intelligence build for Rennala's boss fight, or transition from a melee build to a Faith build for endgame incantations. Each respec also refunds your base class's starting stats, so low-level stat investments are fully recoverable. After respeccing, interact with Rennala again to memorize spells — she serves as the spell memorization NPC for the rest of the game. The Great Rune of the Unborn that Rennala drops when defeated is permanently active and cannot be equipped — it simply grants the respec ability. If you run out of Larval Tears, New Game Plus resets all Larval Tears, giving you unlimited respecs across multiple playthroughs.
Lore — The Queen Who Lost Everything
Rennala was once the most powerful sorceress in the Lands Between, the head of the Carian royal family and the ruler of Raya Lucaria Academy. She studied the full moon at the feet of the moon herself, mastering sorceries that even the Academy's founders could not comprehend. Rennala met Radagon when Marika sent him to conquer Liurnia, but instead of war, Radagon fell in love with Rennala and married her. Their union produced three children: Radahn, Rykard, and Ranni. Rennala's happiness ended when Radagon was recalled to Leyndell to become Marika's second husband and Elden Lord. Radagon's departure broke Rennala — her beloved Radagon left her to be merged with Marika, and she never recovered. The amber egg Radagon left behind became her obsession, which she clutches throughout the first phase of the fight as she continues trying to rebirth a child from it.
Rennala's fall from grace mirrors the collapse of the Carian royal family. After Radagon's departure, Rennala retreated into a dreamlike state, unable to accept the reality of her abandonment. The Academy of Raya Lucaria, once loyal to the Carian royal family, rebelled against her, locking her in the Grand Library. Some sorcerers took pity on her and protect her, which is why the Red Wolf of Radagon guards the academy's entrance — Radagon's lingering guilt manifested as a guardian for his abandoned wife. Rennala's connection to the full moon is crucial to Ranni's story: Ranni inherited her mother's lunar affinity and seeks the Dark Moon as an alternative to the Golden Order. The Carian royal family's crest, depicting the full moon crest, is found throughout Liurnia, a reminder of the dynasty that once ruled the region. Rennala's tragedy is that she represents the collateral damage of Marika and Radagon's political marriage — an innocent woman destroyed by the ambitions of gods.
The Carian royal family's legacy extends beyond Rennala's personal tragedy. The Carian Knights, including Loretta, are a recurring theme throughout the game. Loretta serves as Rennala's guardian, fought both at Caria Manor and later at the Haligtree as Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. The Carian Greatsword sorcery, Loretta's Greatbow, and the Adula's Moonblade incantation all derive from Carian royal techniques. Rennala's connection to the Full Moon is contrasted by Ranni's affinity for the Dark Moon — a deeper, more mysterious celestial body. The Glintstone Dragons, such as Adula who guards the Cathedral of Manus Celes, were traditionally allied with the Carian royal family, suggesting a deep bond between the dragon race and Rennala's lineage. The Carian throne room, visible through a window in the Grand Library, contains a massive full moon crest carved into the floor, symbolizing Rennala's former authority over both the academy and the surrounding region.
