Rykard is a demigod boss in Elden Ring and one of the shardholders you need to defeat to complete the game. Here’s how to beat Rykard.
The hardest part of dealing with Rykard in Elden Ring is finding him. The game cleverly hides him behind a series of side quests and events that ultimately lead to a showdown with this Elden Ring shard-holding demigod.
Rykard is hiding deep beneath the Volcano Manor and has created a cult-like covenant around himself, masking the truth about his current nature. This guide will contain spoilers, as the key to finding Rykard involves numerous characters that are involved in Elden Ring’s wider plot.
Contents
- How to find Rykard in Elden Ring
- Return to Rya and the Volcano Manor
- Exploring the Volcano
- How to beat Rykard
- Post battle
How to find Rykard in Elden Ring
The path to meeting Rykard starts well before the Volcano Manor and while you’re still exploring Lumaria of the Lakes. As you gallop around the swamp, you’ll notice a series of gazebos, each containing something interesting such as an item, a Site of Grace, or a portal. Although one houses an NPC in need of your help.
This is the mild-mannered Rya, who’s been the victim of a mugging. Rya will ask you to retrieve a pendant that was stolen and will direct you to a nearby shack where the mugger is boiling prawns.
Agree to help Rya and make your way to the mugger’s location. He will be incredibly rude to you and will try to extort you for 1000 runes in exchange for the pendant. Of course, you can kill him and loot his corpse, but we’d strongly advise against this.
The mugger, Blackguard Big Boggart, has an important part to play in Elden Ring’s story and will be a vital ally later. He’s also an important player in unlocking Dung Eater’s ending. So, simply shrug off his rudeness and hand over the runes for the pendant.
It’s also worth noting that the prawns he sells help buff your defense, something that can be very useful in the battles to come. He’ll later be found in the Altus Plateau selling crab.
Here, he’ll be much more friendly and will offer you some useful information regarding the Dung Eater – who you’ll meet soon enough.
Return to Rya and the Volcano Manor
Once you return to Rya, she will be grateful to you for helping her. As a thank you, she’ll give you a key item, an Invitation to the Volcano Manor.
After you’ve beaten Rennala and gained access to the Altus Plateau, you can continue heading north to Mt. Gelmir and the Manor near the summit.
Here you’ll be welcomed as a guest and may also meet some familiar faces from your journey. You’ll be given some assassination contracts to complete to prove your loyalty to the covenant.
Be warned, this sets you on a path towards a different ending, so if you intend to fix the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord, simply do what you need to do to ingratiate yourself with your hosts.
Killing the first few assassination targets is a great way to get the Manor’s inhabitants to trust you. These contracts have little effect on the game’s main plot, and they’ll drop some nice gear too.
However, be careful when a member of the Manor asks you to kill Tregoth if you haven’t defeated Redahn yet. Tregoth is a summonable ally in the battle and can make defeating that difficult boss a bit easier. Fortunately, killing Tregoth isn’t essential to furthering this quest.
After each successful assassination, you’ll learn more from the NPCs at the manor, particularly Rya, who will start to open up to you about her true nature. She’ll also express her misgivings about the goings-on at the Volcano Manor.
Once she’s shown you her true form, she’ll start directing you to the room next to her which leads to the main Legacy Dungeon.
Exploring the Volcano
While we won’t provide a full walkthrough of the Volcano Dungeon here, this will be where you eventually face Rykard once you reach the end.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
You’ll need to beat a mini-boss called the Godskin Noble when you’re close to Rykard. Once you do, return to Rya using the Site of Grace to tell her what you’ve learned. Rya will then encourage you to put an end to Rykard.
Continue on the path to Rykard, fighting the snake people on the way until you reach the portal that takes you to Rykard’s arena.
Remember, if you decide to go all-in with the Volcano Manor covenant, you can skip the Legacy Dungeon and just keep killing their assassination targets. You’ll eventually be granted an audience with Rykard that doesn’t involve fighting your way through an active volcano.
Be warned though, none of the NPCs you’re sent to invade are pushovers, the volcano path may be easier for some. If you do meet Rykard by invitation, you’ll be given the option to battle him during that scene.
How to beat Rykard
Rykard isn’t a traditional Elden Ring boss fight, like Radahn’s, it features its own gimmick and that is the key to victory. This is very similar to the Storm King fight from Demon’s Souls and the Yhorm battle from Dark Souls 3 in that sense.
Essentially, you’ll need to use a certain special weapon to bring Rykard down, rather than the one you’re using. The good news is this weapon is located to your left when you enter the boss arena and is ridiculously fun to wield!
Once you’ve picked up the Serpent-Hunter Swordspear, immediately equip it. You may also want to consider exiting the game (and boss arena), and then traveling to the Round Table Hold to upgrade it.
The weapon will allow you to attack Rykard from afar without having to walk across the lava that surrounds him. This causes continuous fire damage as you fight and makes the battle much harder. The weapon works like any other but casts a huge gust attack when you slash, and this is devastatingly effective against Rykard.
Tips to defeat Rykard
If you normally use a shield, we’d advise you to sling it on your back for this fight and use the Serpent-Hunter with two hands for maximum damage. This will make short work of Rykard in his first form.
When it comes to buffs, any incantations or gear that protects against fire and physical damage is highly recommended. Anything that increases your damage output is also helpful. Try to use a ranged Spirit Summon if you can, this way they’ll not be tempted to run into Rykard’s lava and burn to death. They can attack from a safe distance and distract Rykard while you pummel him.
If you’re typically a melee user and don’t have much use for FP then we’d advise you to rethink this now. Make sure you’re carrying some flasks to fill your FP bar, as many of the Serpent Hunter’s heavy attacks use FP, if you run out, you’re in trouble. So, make sure you allocate a few flasks to magic and not all of them to health.
Rykard will become more aggressive in his second phase and will start firing skulls at you. These really hurt, so dodging becomes more important once the fight starts again. Stick to your strategy and hit him with your new weapon while avoiding his attacks.
Post battle
The denizens of the Volcano Manor will be surprisingly easy-going about the death of their demi-god. None will be hostile once you return. The Lady of The Manor will leave peacefully, as will Rya, and the other members.
Patches will also move on to his next location. However, you can continue to hunt down assassination targets if you wish.
So, that’s how you take down Rykard in Elden Ring. Make sure you check out our Elden Ring page for all the latest news and guides.
How to change your appearance in Elden Ring | How to respec your character | Academy Glintstone Key | Smithing Stones | Elden Ring Stonedigger Troll | Elden Ring Margit the Fell Omen | Elden Ring Tree Sentinel | Elden Ring Grave Warden | Elden Ring Pumpkin Head | Elden Ring Soldier of Godrick | Elden Ring Godrick the Grafted | Elden Ring Red Wolf of Redagon | Elden Ring Rennala | Best Elden Ring settings | Elden Ring Flying Dragon Agheel | Elden Ring horse guide | Elden Ring Starscourge Radahn | Elden Ring Gold Scarab Talisman | Elden Ring health debuff | Elden Ring Icon Shield
