How to Beat the Frenzied Duelist - Elden Ring Boss Guide

Rewards: rune v2 elden ring currency 6 700, Putrid Corpse Ashes
Summons Available: Yes
Boss Location: Gaol Cave (Caelid)

The Frenzied Duelest can be a tough enemy because of his vicious combos. There are other variations of this enemy that you will encounter, but this is likely your first time seeing one, and it’s the only one of this variation in the game. Let’s look at some different ways to take him down.

General Tips

The boss can be backstabbed
A good time to attack is when he slams his axe in the ground
Boss doesn’t have much range

General Strategy

Depending on the spirit ashes you have available to summon (since this area is fairly early on), they may or may not be much help to you in this fight. Usually when you can backstab the boss, you can usually use your summons as a diversion to get behind them. However, this bosses movements are erratic, and his attacks often sweep around his body. Also, because he dishes out so much damage, weaker melee summons will die quickly.

As a result, we’ll follow the standard practice with summons, which is summoning a ranged unit if you’re attacking with melee hits, and using melee summons if you’re primarily attacking with range. Hopefully you can get him to aggro on you enough that your ranged spirit ashes can get some hits in, and vice versa. Either way, if the spirit ash dies quickly or you’re not using them, you’ll want to choose your attack timing wisely with this boss.

Early Ranged Spirit Ashes:
- Noble Sorcerer Ashes
- Spirit Jellyfish Ashes
Early Melee Spirit Ashes:
- Skeletal Militiaman Ashes
- Rotten Stray Ashes

Luckily, this bosses main weakness is his lack of range. Even his melee weapon, the axe, is relatively short, compared to other bosses. This means you can back roll away from his attacks and be in relative safety. Do this at the beginning, without attacking, and get a feel for his combos. If you get double or triple hit by one of his combos, then you will likely die.

One of his attack combinations ends with slamming his axe in the ground (image 1). This is the best time to attack, whether that’s rolling in for a backstab or a ranged attack. He will also sometimes to do this attack by itself without a combo.

elden ring frenzied duelist boss guide backstab v1 — Image 1

The fight gets interesting when the Frenzied Duelist, well…frenzies. After half of his health is gone, he will do a rage animation and his body will glow slightly red. His attacks become a little more vicious (but still very similar), and he will gain an attack where he swings a ball on a chain. This attack has some range, but it is also a punishable attack, as he lags for a moment after finishing it — perfect opportunity for another counter-attack (image 2).

elden ring frenzied duelist boss guide backstab ball chain attack v1 — Image 2

This boss will punish you dearly if you try to rush in and attack, and we couldn’t stagger him with our lighter build. However, if you play patiently and avoid his combos, while attacking at opportune times, you’ll come out victorious.