Your adventure in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree starts relatively simply. A field of graves, a few mini-bosses, a big fiery boy, and a smaller castle guarding the way forward. At the top of the castle is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, who could be the first major roadblock you encounter. Here’s how to beat her.
How to Beat Rellana in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Technically, you don’t even need to fight Rellana, Twin Moon Knight at all. You can skip her and all of her Castle Ensis entirely by taking the shortcut to Scadu Altus. However, if you want her cool sword or want to style on a boss with much higher stats thanks to Scadutree Fragments, you will need to know how she functions.
A few notes: Rellana is highly resistant to most status effects and has a very high stagger threshold. While it’s possible to apply Bleed and Frostbite to her, you’ll work hard doing so. I had better luck against Messmer and the final boss than I ever did against Rellana. She also tanks almost any attack you can throw at her that isn’t a fully-charged heavy or powerful Ash of War like Unsheath or Moonveil’s Transient Moonlight, for instance. Yes, I know they’re almost the same thing.
All Rellana, Twin Moon Knight Attacks in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
While Rellana does have two phases, the transition between them only adds a few attacks, and her repertoire is fairly limited, consisting mostly of simple sword combos and a few spells. Things get a little more interesting in phase two, but nothing crazy.
Rellana First Phase Attacks
Glintblade Phalanx
Just like the spell you can use, Rellana has a Glintstone Phalanx Sorcery she can cast, summoning three magic swords in the first phase and seven in the second. You can avoid them by running to either side or dodging the same, but they will only actually fire when she’s close to you, and they act independently of her, so you might be caught mid-combo if you aren’t careful.
Glintblade Group
Like her Glintblade Phalanx, this grouping creates three magic blades, but these fire instantly rather than based on proximity. She also only gets three in phase one, with that number increasing to seven in phase two. Dodging them is also a bit trickier, as they’re tracking is a bit better than the Phalanxes. Rellana can also have both the Glintstone Phalanx and her grouping active at the same time.
Carian Grandeur with Extra Greatsword
Rellana’s Carian Grandeur makes the one we get look like a toothpick by comparison, and she can fluidly combo it into a Carian Greatsword as well. Dodging both attacks follows the same rules as the player versions, however. She’ll charge Grandeur up three times, and you roll just after the third charge. Greatsword comes very quickly on Grandeur’s heels, but you need to delay the roll by about a quarter second to avoid being clipped.
Three Hit Combo with Double Slash
One of Rellana’s most common attacks is a three-hit combo that ends with a double slash. She’ll swing once with her right-hand sword and once with her left, then lift both swords up over her left shoulder and come down in a double slash that crosses the whole area in front of her body. All three attacks provide her with momentum, as well, allowing her to cut the space between you easily.
Spin Combo with Double Slash
Usually done after Rellana does a sidestep, this combo is a variation of the three-hit but is otherwise the same. It starts with her striking twice in quick succession as she spins, followed by a slower strike, then the double slash across her front.
Spin Strike and Jump Back
This combo is actually part of a dodge, with Rellana sidestepping in either direction, then spinning to strike once with her sword, and then doing a thrust to give herself some extra reach. She’ll then jump backward to return the fight to neutral, usually as an excuse to cast something.
Two Spins and Big Heavy Spin
This attack is one of Rennala’s gap closers. She pulls both sword arms across her front, then dashes toward you for a spin move and poke, followed by her stopping and charging up a heavy slash with her main weapon. You can dodge all of these attacks, as there’s room between them for it. You can also duck underneath the heavy attack with a dual Cross-Naginata poke or something like Raptor of the Mists.
Double Heavy Chop
A rarer attack but one you should still look out for, the double chop sees Rellana pull both swords across herself again, then chop once and immediately begin charging a second heavy attack. You don’t actually need to dodge either of these, as you can strafe around them, but they’re still slow enough to avoid on reaction.
Transient Moonlight
What, you thought FromSoftware wasn’t going to give Transient Moonlight to a boss? Foolish mortal, everyone Transient Moonlight’s now! Seriously, though, Rellana’s version works like the Moonveil light attack, sending out a horizontal magic laser beam, though hers travels quite a bit farther. You can roll it on reaction.
All Rellana Second Phase Attacks
You’ll enter the second phase of the fight against Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, at around 55-65% HP. She’ll stop what she’s doing and take the time to buff both of her swords, one with magic, the other with fire. Some of her attacks are also now empowered by the flames, with both magic and fire adding range to them. Fire-empowered attacks have a delayed hitbox on the flames, so dodging away doesn’t always work.
Transient Moonlight Spam
One of the more common openers for Rellana’s second phase is to send out five Transient Moonlight beams in quick succession. They come out as follows: first beam pair, second beam pair, single beam. The beams are angled, as well, so you’ll need to dodge side to side to avoid them.
Twin Moons
A much more powerful version of Rennala’s moon attack, once Rellana summons her twin moons, you need to roll at precisely the right time three times in a row or prepare for pain. First, when she enters the twin moon state, you should run a bit away to avoid the impact of AoE. Then, you need to dodge just before both moons land, as well as just before Rellana herself creates a massive shockwave of magical energy. If you fail any of the dodges, you’ll be knocked into the air and will take damage from whatever parts of the attack remain. Yes, they added an actual juggle state in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
Firestorm
Rellana’s other big move has her summon a massive fireball that she slams into the ground, and that summons additional pillars of flame throughout the arena. This attack is much easier to avoid than the twin moons, as you’ll know where the columns will be before they appear. Simply roll and run around them. You will want to be a good distance away from Rellana to avoid the AoE, however.
And those are all of the attacks and basic strategies you need to know to take down Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. It’s a fairly straightforward brawl of a fight but an enjoyable early challenge. For more on the Elden Ring DLC and the game in general, check out the Elden Ring guides hub, including a piece on where to find the rare Blessings of Marika.
