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The new bosses in theElden RingDLC are no joke – even the earliest bosses that players will likely encounter present some of the toughest challenges in the entire game. First among these is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a boss encounterat the end of the first major Legacy DungeoninShadow of the Erdtree.
This Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss guide contains everything you need to know to find your way to the Dancing Lion boss fight, and everything you need to know to beat the Dancing Lion.Don’t be too intimidatedby its terrifying design and flowing movements, and focus on following mechanics, to eventually beat Dancing Lion back into the ground from which it rose – and get some nifty Dancing Lion boss rewards, too.
Updated July 25 ,2024 by Erik Petrovich: Now that Shadow of the Erdtree has been out for a month, players have a better understanding of how to beat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss, found towards the start of the DLC. Though most strategies discovered in the first weeks remain the same, some important new Divine Beastweaknesses in Shadow of the Erdtreehave been discovered by players, including the Dancing Lion weakness to Scarlet Rot, Bleed, and Poison buildup. This guide has been updated to include new details on what to do to beat the Dancing Lion boss, as well as a new brief overview of the best spirit ashes and summons for the first maor Remembrance boss in the Elden Ring DLC.
How To Get To The Dancing Lion Location
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss is found at thevery end of the Belurat, Tower Settlement legacy dungeon.To get to Belurat, head west from the Three-Path Cross site of grace, through the tunnel, to find another Site of Grace with two more NPCs just outside the entrance.
Enter Belurat and continue through the Legacy Dungeon until you reach theSmall Prayer Room site of grace. Walk up the stairstoward the Omen Knight, then turn left.Turn right and walk down the alleywaybefore you reach the waterfall drop. You should seeanother alley leading left toward two Shadow Undead. Kill the Shadow Undead in this water runoff area, andfollow the runoff, to find another room to your right. Climb the ladder here to reach an upper walkway.
Continue on thepath to the rightuntil you see an area filled withdirty water below the walkway on the left, near where the path ends with a broken bridge.Jump down, then continue along this watery area until you enter a room on the far side that contains a number of man-flies.
Beat the man-flies here, then climb up the ladder. From here, the path forward is relatively linear –walk out, then to the left, to find a Revered Spirit Ash and a stairway that leads further upward. Take these stairs up to get to the Dancing Lion and a site of grace just outside the boss door entrance.
How To Counter
Three-Chain Swipes
The Dancer will swipe from side to side three times, holding its final strike for a moment before lunging
Easy to dodge, though hard to anticipate in close combat. Dodge into these attacks to avoid most follow-up strikes.
Debris Spew
Sprays a blast of debris at the target, dealing Physical damage
Dodge to the left or right, or into this long-range projectile, to avoid its hitbox. The Beast will rear up slightly before spewing.
Debris Spew Circle
Rotates in place and sprays debris in a circle covering a huge distance, for three full rotations
Either jump over the debris as the boss rotates when at mid to long range, or dodge into the debris when at close range
Lip-Smack Grab Attac
The Beast rises up on its back legs and lunges at the target after smacking its lips loudly
This move is very well telegraphed, and easy to dodge away from – but if you get grabbed, it’s going to take a lot of HP away
Spin & Backflip Dances
Spins in place to deal AoE damage around the beast, or backflips in place to deal immense damage to one target, while re-positioning. Flips are common when behind the boss.
Hard to spot, look for the boss to “hold” an attack (like Margit’s slam or a Dragon’s spin attack) while standing up, then dodge into it
Head Slam
The Lion Dancer will stand up tall, then suddenly slam its head down on the player, dealing Physical damage in a small AoE
Dodge away from this attack to get out of its hitbox, if you dodge into the Dancer then you’ll recover in the AoE zone
Hovering Charge
The Lion Dancer will hover in mid-air for about two seconds, then suddenly lunge at the player. Often followed with a Lip-Smack grab
Dodge into the Dancer at the last moment before it connects to avoid its hitbox and have a few seconds to attack back, if the Dancer doesn’t continue attacking
Phase Two (including all moves from Phase One)
Transformation
Floats up into the air and becomes imbued with one of three elements, changing its attacks
Just don’t stand right next to it when it transforms, but watch out for the follow-up. After reaching 50% HP, it will transform roughly every 20 to 30 seconds.
Lightning Form
Watch for lightning strike areas on the ground that spawn with each attack. Dodge away from the boss during this phase to avoid these close-range lightning strikes.
Frostbite Form
Dodge into the Frost Stomp, or sprint to the side of it if you have time. You can jump over this attack, but it is difficult to time correctly.
Storm Form
Dodge into the tornado, after the Dancing Lion telegraphs that it is sending it outward. Dodge into wind gusts in general to avoid their hitboxes effectively.
Rapid Transformation
The Divine Beast gains the abilities of all three phases, randomly swapping between each element and attacks, when it gets down to around 10% to 20% HP
Apply counter tips from other Phase 2 Forms and abilities
Strategies To Beat Dancing Lion
General Dancing Lion Boss Tips
If you are having trouble with any boss inElden Ring, you can always go out to explore other areas to get stronger before returning to try again. This is ultimately the most effective strategy to overcome any boss in the game.
Spellcaster Dancing Lion Strategies
Best Spirit Ash & Summon For Dancing Lion: Mimic Tear & Freya
InElden Ring, it’s really hard to beat the Mimic Tear in terms of the game’s best Spirit Ashes. It copies your equipment, spells, and build and gives it a boosted HP bar – plus, in theElden Ring DLC, the Mimic Tear benefits from Revered Spirit Ash Blessings.
If you want to avoid following the overwhelming top pick of the Spirit Ash meta, consider using a Spirit Ash that can summon multiple hardy allies like the Greatshield Soldier ashes. Black Knife Tiche, another fan-favorite, is great for this fight for her speed and ability to sap max HP with Black Flame.
For the Dancing Lion boss,Elden Ringplayers are able to summon an NPC they likely met before entering Belurat: Redmane Freyja. An intimidating warrior in her own right, Freyja can hold her own against the Dancing Lion for a long time, and will help to get its attention off of you in rough moments.
However, summoning NPCs or other players before entering a Fog Gate increases the boss' HP, which can make things more difficult if your summoned partner dies.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Boss Rewards
After you beat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss, it willreward the Remembrance of the Dancing Lionitem. As one of the ten Remembrance bosses inShadow of the Erdtree, this unique Dancing Lion reward can be traded with Enia at Roundtable Hold for a choice between two items.
If you want to get both of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion rewards,Shadow of the Erdtreeplayers must duplicate the Remembrance at a Walking Mausoleum. Walking Mausoleums that don’t have a bell can duplicate non-Demigods.
In addition to the Remembrance, the Dancing Lion drops a unique piece of Head Armor: the Divine Beast Head. This extremely heavy head armor is comically large when worn, but is said to allow the Tarnished to speak with the Empyrean Grandam, the NPC who called to the Dancing Lion spirit at the beginning of the fight.
To get to the Empyrean Grandam, head to the Small Prayer Altar Site of Grace within Belurat, Tower Settlement. Head outside and to the left to see two casters on a bridge. Either run past or defeat these Hornsent spellcasters to find the Storage Room. You must have the Belurat Storage Room key to open this door, behind which sits the Hornsent Grandam location and the continuation of the Grandam and Divine Beast Head questline.
