How to beat Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree promises some epic new boss encounters and first among them is Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Here’s how to take down this first major DLC boss.

Divine Beast Dancing Lion was one of the first bosses we saw in the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree trailer and the creature also serves as the first major Legacy Dungeon boss. This means the battle is mandatory and that the Dancing Lion must be defeated before you can progress in the story.

As the first story boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s time to see what the expansion is made of.

Divine Beast Dancing Lion location

Finding the Dancing Lion in Shadow of the Erdtree is relatively straightforward, just progress through the first Legacy Dungeon known as Belurat, Tower Settlement until you reach the top of the tower at the Theatre of the Divine Beast.

You’ll know you’re about to face a boss by the huge arena and the golden summon signs on the ground.

How to beat Divine Beast Dancing Lion

The Dancing Lion is incredibly fast and is a master of the elements. Once the battle starts, it will pepper you with lightning, wind, and frost attacks from the outset.

Frostbite buildup can be deadly in this fight, so if this causes you difficulty, consider using something to buff you against it such as a consumable or a Talisman.

Phase 1

When the fight begins, the Lion will stalk toward you before attacking. Having an NPC or a Spirit Summon will be a great way to keep the Dancing Lion from fixating on you, allowing you to get some lucky shots while its back is turned. You can roll toward the Lion to dodge many of its attacks, and staying close to the beast is a great way to avoid most of its projectiles.

It’ll also waste time playing out its follow-up attacks while you’re safely out of the way and gearing up for a counter. Every once in a while, the Dancing Lion will rear up and start biting the air, after this, it’ll reach out and grab you for a powerful attack. Luckily, it telegraphs this very clearly so it’s easy to avoid. However, this can be deadly if it connects.

There’s a second attack where it rears up and then starts spewing debris, this attack is more of an annoyance than deadly and can be blocked, rolled through, or avoided. Watch what it does with its mouth to differentiate between the two. However, the first and most dangerous attack has the longest wind-up time.

Phase 2

Once Divine Beast Dancing Lion reaches 50% health, it’ll transition into its second phase. Here it will switch between elements once or twice a minute. Its attacks will become more dangerous, but it’ll telegraph these changes by levitating for a moment, giving you a chance to get some hits in.

Its moves will now become more predictable as you’ll know what stage the Lion is in by how it looks. When the Lion enters its lighting phase, roll away from its attacks, but roll through its wind attacks and try to strike it in that brief opening. You can also jump over its ice attacks and even land a jumping strike if the boss is close enough.

Once the Dancing Lion’s health becomes critical, it’ll get desperate and start using its Triple Element Attack to try and bring you down. Just repeat the tactics above and try to keep your head, as in this stage the Lion is only a few hits until death.

The Dancing Lion is also susceptible to Hemorrhage and Scarlett Rot so if you’re using a build that makes use of bleed and other status ailments, this will make the battle end quicker by doing bonus damage. You’ll be rewarded with the Dancing Lion’s Head helm, as well as its Remembrance, which can be taken back to the Roundtable Hold.

NPC allies for the Dancing Lion

If you’ve met Redmayne Frejya, one of the NPCs that comprise the Followers of Miquella, and exhausted her dialogue, you’ll then be able to summon her for support against the boss.

Be warned, Divine Beast Dancing Lion will receive a buff for in health and power if you bring Freyja in with you.

Dancing Lion Rewards

The Dancing Lion drops the following after it’s been slain:

• 90,000 Runes
• Remembrance of the Dancing Lion

The Remembrance can be traded with Enia (even if she’s dead now) at the Roundtable Hold for runes or the Ash of War: Divine Beast Frost Stomp.

Dancing Lion weaknesses

The Dancing Lion is weak against the following elements, attacks, and status ailments:

• Pierce
• Fire
• Bleed
• Scarlet Rot

The boss is resistant to Lightning and Frostbite attacks. They can still harm it but won’t be hugely impactful when compared to lightning attacks.

Jumping into Shadow of the Erdtree? Check out what we thought of the expansion after spending many hours exploring the Shadow Lands. We’ve also got all of the new boss locations detailed in one place.