In Elden Ring, developer FromSoftware has created a masterpiece. Its challenging battles and beautifully-designed open world mean players can spend hundreds of hours getting lost and discovering hidden gems without tiring. Boss fights are a major part of this journey and the Tarnished can find over 100 bosses throughout The Lands Between. However, only 12 of these are required to beat the main story. The Godskin Duo is one of these boss fights, but it comes with a major twist.
The Godskin Duo is found in the Crumbling Farum Azula, which becomes accessible after players defeat the Fire Giant in the Mountaintops of the Giants. The Godskin Apostle and Godskin Noble can both be faced individually elsewhere in the game, but in this instance, players will face both at the same time. Consequently, this boss fight can be one of the game’s toughest. The key to victory is learning how to divide the enemies and focus on fighting on one front at a time.
Breaking Down The Fight Against The Godskin Duo
The Godskin Duo battle is unique in that the pair share a health bar. Damaging either enemy will chip away at this overarching health pool and deal damage individually. Unfortunately for the Tarnished, if one enemy is defeated, it will be respawned until the shared pool is fully depleted. The Godskin Duo have the same move sets as when they are fought individually, so there are no major surprises in this fight.
The Godskin Apostle is more nimble than his counterpart and can dodge attacks effectively. On top of regular sweeps and stabs, he has a quick jump and a powerful spinning blade attack. He also has several fast combinations which can be devastating if the Tarnished gets caught in them. The Godskin Noble, on the other hand, is slower, but deals a lot of damage. Alongside his regular sword stabs, he has a stomp attack that can knock the Tarnished to the ground, leaving them exposed. Both enemies also wield two types of black flame attack: a very fast fireball and an area-of-effect attack where the user conjures black flames to surround them and expand outwards for a short distance.
Unlike other boss battles, there is no cutscene that triggers a combined second phase. Instead, when each individual enemy’s health bar is depleted halfway, they will enter their own unique second phase, triggered by floating into the air and landing to cause a magical explosion. The Godskin Apostle becomes stretchy and has a massively increased range of attack, while the Godskin Noble grows even larger and can roll around the arena to crush the Tarnished.
Strategies For Defeating The Godskin Duo
As the Godskin Duo can be fought individually elsewhere in the game, players may wish to attempt these battles first to become accustomed to their individual fighting styles. Once ready, the biggest asset in this fight will be the upgraded mimic tear summon, the Recusant Bernahl summon (by the arena entrance), and some sleep arrows. These will help to divide the two enemies, meaning the Tarnished can focus on dealing damage to one without worrying about attacks from the other. Players should also try to defeat one enemy first, as even though they’ll respawn, they will temporarily be out of the fight.
Approaching these enemies one at a time is key. In their first phases, players should treat the battle like any other fight by dodging or blocking before counterattacking. The Godskin Duo both wield their weapons in their right hand and magic in their left hands. Knowing this will help players to anticipate the appropriate dodge. Many of their weapon attacks are designed to hit players who dodge too early, so it’s essential to remain calm and time dodges when the actual attacks come, rather than spam rolling when the attack animation begins.
The enemy’s second phases do make the fight more challenging, but patience and focusing on one at a time will still be key. When the Godskin Apostle becomes stretchy, it’s time to back off as far as possible and let any summons take the damage, as it’s nearly impossible to safely get close. Similarly, when the Noble enlarges, he’s likely going to start rolling. Players shouldn’t try to get hits in, as they’ll simply be crushed. Instead, retreat and wait upon one of the broken pillar stands where the Noble’s rolls cannot reach. Once these special attacks are finished, players get closer and deal damage again until the shared health bar is depleted and the pair are defeated.
What You Get For Defeating The Godskin Duo
Defeating the Godskin Duo with reward players with 170,000 runes, the Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bering [4], and the Ash of War: Black Flame Tornado. The Bell Bearing can be offered to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold to add Smithing Stone [7] and Smithing Stone [8] to their shop. The Ash of War creates a vortex of damaging black flames around the user. After victoriously completing this fight, players can also progress to the game’s next legendary boss: Maliketh, the Black Blade.
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