Phase 1 Strategy — The Radahn Festival
The Radahn Festival is a unique gimmick fight designed around NPC summons. Before the fight, gold summon signs are scattered across the entire battlefield — use them constantly. The NPCs (including Blaidd, Alexander, and others) do significant damage and distract Radahn while you attack from range or behind. Stay on Torrent for mobility; Radahn's arrow volleys can one-shot you on foot. His phase 1 moveset includes gravity magic, massive sword swings, and his signature cross-slash AOE. Fextralife's Radahn guide covers all summon locations and attack patterns.
Phase 2 — Meteor and Gravity Magic
At 50% HP, Radahn disappears and transforms into a meteor that crashes back down. Watch the sky carefully — he appears as a tiny dot before transforming into a massive fireball. Sprint perpendicular to his trajectory line to avoid the impact zone. After landing, his moveset intensifies: he gains four purple gravity orbs that orbit him and explode after a delay. He also acquires new gravity pull attacks and extends his combo strings. Post-meteor, his gravity magic creates persistent AOE zones on the ground. Wikipedia's Elden Ring lore explains Radahn's tragic backstory and his connection to the stars.
Summon Management Strategy
The key to the Radahn fight is continuous summoning. NPCs that die can be resummoned from new gold signs that appear after they fall. Rotate between different summon signs based on your position. Blaidd and Alexander are the tankiest summons and survive longest. The finger-maiden summon provides healing support. Never fight Radahn alone — even a single NPC drawing aggro gives you the window to land charged attacks. Scarlet Rot is extremely effective; use the Antspur Rapier or the Rot Breath incantation to proc rot, then let the NPCs maintain aggro while the damage ticks.
Best Equipment and Builds
Recommended level 65-80 with a +12 to +15 weapon. Bleed and rot are the most effective status effects against Radahn's massive health pool. The Antspur Rapier with Seppuku lets you apply both rot and bleed simultaneously. For ranged builds, Loretta's Greatbow or the Lion Greatbow (available in his arena after defeating him) deal massive damage. Radahn resists magic but is vulnerable to physical damage. Equip the Bull-Goat Talisman for poise and the Radagon Icon for faster casting if using incantations.
Arrow Volley — How to Survive
Radahn opens the fight with a devastating arrow volley from across the battlefield. The arrows have two distinct attack patterns: the rapid-fire barrage that tracks your position (dodge on Torrent by sprinting zigzag) and the gravity-enhanced mega-arrow that homes in (dodge at the last second). If you stay near the starting area, his arrows will pass over low-lying cover spots. Use the scattered wreckage and flags on the battlefield as visual cover — Radahn cannot target you through solid objects. Once you close to mid-range, he switches to melee combat and the arrows stop.
Rewards and Aftermath
Defeating Radahn rewards 70,000 runes, the Remembrance of the Starscourge, and Radahn's Great Rune. His Great Rune reduces HP, FP, and stamina negation — it's less useful than other Great Runes but enables specific builds. The Remembrance can be exchanged for Starscourge Greatsword (dual colossal swords with gravity weapon art) or Radahn's Spear. Critically, Radahn's death triggers a starfall event — a meteor crashes into Limgrave, opening the path to Nokron, the Eternal City. This event is required for Ranni's questline and accessing certain late-game areas.
Location and Festival Trigger Conditions
The Radahn Festival takes place at Redmane Castle in eastern Caelid. To trigger the festival, you must progress Ranni's questline until she directs you to seek the hidden treasure of Nokron, or alternatively, reach the Altus Plateau via the Grand Lift of Dectus. Once either condition is met, the festival begins automatically and Redmane Castle transforms from a hostile gauntlet into a celebratory arena. The ramp leading to the boss gate opens, and NPC summon signs appear across the battlefield. Speak to Jerren on the main platform to hear the festival announcement dialogue, which provides contextual lore about Radahn's past as a mighty general who conquered the stars themselves.
If the festival is not active when you arrive, you may need to exhaust Jerren's dialogue at the castle entrance and then rest at the nearby grace. An alternative method involves taking the trap chest in the Tower of Return in Weeping Peninsula, which teleports you to a divine tower overlooking Radahn's arena. The earliest possible access to the festival is after reaching Liurnia and advancing Ranni's quest, but the recommended level of 65-80 suggests waiting until you have cleared most of Liurnia and Caelid. Summoning the festival NPCs is entirely optional but strongly recommended for first-time players.
Lore — The Strongest Demigod's Tragic Story
General Radahn was once the mightiest of all demigods, the son of Radagon and Rennala. He learned gravity magic from an Alabaster Lord to continue riding his beloved scrawny horse, Leonard, despite his immense size. This gravity magic is what allows him to hold back the stars — he literally arrests the movement of celestial bodies, preventing the fate-telling astrologers from reading the future. During the Shattering, Radahn and Malenia clashed in the Caelid Wilds in a battle that ended in a stalemate when Malenia unleashed the Scarlet Rot, devastating all of Caelid and leaving Radahn mindless and mad. The rot also consumed Malenia's arm and leg, leading to her prosthetics.
Radahn's Great Rune tells us that the shattering of the Elden Ring "demigods all" but Radahn remained "the strongest" even in madness. His gravitational power is so immense that even in his mindless state, he continues holding back the stars — a tragic reminder of his former glory. The festival itself is organized by Jerren, a warrior who respects Radahn enough to grant him an honorable death rather than letting him rot in madness. Radahn's connection to the Eternal Cities is also significant: by holding back the stars, he prevents Nokron and Nokstella from being revealed. His death triggers the starfall that opens Nokron, directly enabling Ranni's Age of Stars ending.
Recommended Buffs and Consumables
Before entering the Radahn fight, prepare by stocking essential buffs and consumables. Boiled Prawns (sold by Blackguard Big Boggart) provide 15% physical damage negation for 60 seconds — crucial for surviving Radahn's arrow volleys and gravity attacks. Exalted Flesh boosts physical attack power by 20% for 30 seconds, significantly increasing your damage output during punish windows. For the Physick Flask, combine the Opaline Hardtear (general damage reduction) with the Crimson Crystal Tear (emergency healing) for maximum survivability. The Greenburst Crystal Tear is also effective for extended stamina recovery during the chase phases of the fight.
Status effect consumables are particularly valuable here. Rotbone Arrows or the Rotten Breath incantation can proc Scarlet Rot in 2-3 hits, dealing thousands of damage over its duration. Bleed arrows with a shortbow let you apply bleed buildup from a safe distance while NPCs maintain aggro. For melee builds, grease consumables — particularly Blood Grease or Poison Grease — add status buildup to your weapon without stat investment. Remember to re-summon NPCs immediately when they fall; their survival is your primary damage window. The Physick Flask effects last 3 minutes, so use it strategically before engaging rather than during the fight.
Radahn Festival NPCs — Complete Summon Guide
The Radahn Festival features the largest number of summonable NPCs in any boss fight in Elden Ring. Blaidd's summon sign is located on the northeastern cliff edge near the battlefield entrance — his Royal Greatsword deals massive poise damage and he survives longer than most summons due to high HP. Alexander the Warrior's sign appears near the center of the battlefield; his tanky AI and War Cry buff make him ideal for drawing aggro while you attack from range. Finger Maiden Therolina's sign appears in the southeastern area and provides healing support, though her AI is less aggressive. The Great-Jar Knights' signs appear at various locations and provide heavy-hitting melee support. Summon the NPCs in order of their proximity to your position rather than running across the entire battlefield to reach a specific sign.
NPC resummoning is key to the Radahn strategy. When an NPC dies, their summon sign reappears at the same location within 15-20 seconds, allowing continuous replacement. The optimal tactic is to summon all available NPCs as quickly as possible at the start of the fight, creating a massive distraction that lets you land charged attacks or cast spells from a safe distance. Keep Torrent nearby for quick repositioning and resummoning. The NPC AI prioritizes survival when low on HP — some NPCs will retreat to heal before reengaging. Take advantage of these lulls to reapply buffs or use healing items. The record for NPC-only Radahn kills demonstrates that with sufficient patience, the summons can defeat Radahn without player input, though this takes approximately 10-15 minutes due to their low individual damage output.
The Mounted Radahn approach is a popular alternative strategy. Use Torrent to approach Radahn while zigzagging to avoid his arrow volleys. Once close, summon an NPC to draw aggro, then dismount and attack from behind. The Carian Greatsword sorcery and Loretta's Greatbow are both effective at range. Radahn's gravity magic creates small AOE zones that persist for several seconds — avoid standing in these purple areas. His four gravity orbs in phase 2 can be destroyed with ranged attacks, reducing the number of explosions you need to avoid. The Jerren NPC, who announces the festival, also participates as a summon with a sorcery-focused fighting style. Using all NPC summons simultaneously creates enough chaos for the player to focus on dealing damage without constant pressure.
