How to beat Soldier of Godrick in Elden Ring

The Solider of Godrick is the first boss players will meet in Elden Ring, here’s how to beat this early challenge.

Not including the monster that probably killed you in the opening moments of Elden Ring, the Soldier of Godrick is the first mini-boss most players will face. The battle takes place before you even leave the cave and venture into the game’s open world – and into the clutches of the Tree Sentinel.

The Solider of Godrick is essentially a training boss and is entirely skippable, you’ll only fight him if you “take the plunge” when the first ghost you meet invites you to do so. However, we recommend fighting the Solider of Godrick, as doing so is a great, and relatively easy, way to learn how bosses work in Elden Ring. It’ll also net you a nice amount of Runes.

Contents

• Where is Solider of Godrick located?
• How to defeat Soldier of Godrick

From Software

The Soldier of Godrick is your first real challenge, but he’s only a taste of things to come.

Where is Solider of Godrick located?

Once you’ve experienced your first, inevitable death, either during the opening boss encounter or the other nasty trick the game pulls on you, you’ll then wake up in a cave called the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave.

If you like, you can simply walk out of the cave, past the first Site of Grace, and into Limgrave, although you’ll see a ghost sitting by a ledge before you do. This ghost will advise you to “take the plunge” into the ditch below to prove your worth. You don’t have to, but if you do, you’ll be headed towards the Solider of Godrick.

Jumping into this pit will take you through a very brief gauntlet where the game will educate you on the basic mechanics of Elden Ring. It looks very similar to the training section of Dark Souls 2.

Simply follow the linear path and you’ll eventually reach a fog gate. Walk through the fog to start the battle with this boss.

FromSoftware

This is the first of many fog gates in Elden Ring.

How to defeat Soldier of Godrick

Soldier of Godrick looks imposing, but he can be easily overcome by putting your combat lessons into practice. Souls veterans will find this first Elden Ring boss laughably easy, but newer players will need to make sure they don’t underestimate him.

The boss will rush towards you and swing his greatsword at you vertically before following up with a powerful uppercut that can stagger you and drain your stamina. The good news is he can be overcome in the following ways.

Melee fighters will need to dodge, block, and parry his attacks, then counterattack once he staggers. Or you can simply keep circling around him and take opportunistic swipes until he falls.

For magic and ranged fighters, the trick is to keep moving and take pot shots when you can while avoiding his powerful sword swings. If he should stagger, you’ll see a gold shine near his head. This means you can rush in and score a critical hit, but you need to be quick as he’ll recover in a few seconds.

Once he’s defeated, you’ll be able to return to the entrance of the cave from the boss arena and continue towards The Lands Between and your next challenge.

So, there you have it, all the tips and tricks you need to beat the Soldier of Godrick in Elden Ring. Make sure you check out our Elden Ring page for all the latest news and guides. 

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