The fight before the fight
Radagon is the second-to-last boss in Elden Ring, fought immediately before Elden Beast. The two are stacked back-to-back with no Site of Grace between them — die to Elden Beast and you restart at Radagon. That structure is what makes Radagon hard: it's not just beating him, it's beating him with enough flasks and FP left over for the next fight.
This is a two-boss gauntlet, not a single fight. Going into Radagon at half flasks means losing Elden Beast even if you win here. Reset and re-rest if you're short.
Phase 1 — the hammer
Radagon enters with a holy two-handed hammer and Morgott's memory of his old moveset. Expect ground waves, delayed hammer slams, teleport-into-overhead, and a quick triple combo when you get close. The delays are real Elden Ring delays — count two beats after the wind-up before rolling.
Hammer combos
The standard 3-hit combo opens with a horizontal swing, follows with an overhead, and finishes with a ground slam. The ground slam is the punish window. Roll into the third hit, get two light attacks, retreat.
Ground wave
Radagon raises the hammer and sends a horizontal wave of holy energy along the ground. Jump — don't roll. The wave is fast and the iframes on a roll are tighter than a clean jump.
Teleport-into-overhead
Radagon vanishes and reappears above your character with a slow downward strike. The animation is generous; sidestep right and you get a guaranteed punish on the recovery.
Teleport overhead. Sidestep right. Free hit. The animation looks scary, the punish is one of the cleanest windows in the fight.
Phase 2 — holy AOE rings
At 50% HP, Radagon gets the Elden Ring runes orbiting him and adds AOE ring explosions to most of his attacks. Combos that ended in a single ground slam now end in a ring explosion two beats after the slam. The ring is wider than the visible animation, so the punish you trusted in Phase 1 will kill you in Phase 2 if you don't wait.
Ring radius is bigger than it looks
This is the single biggest cause of first-attempt deaths in Phase 2. The visible ring graphic underrepresents the actual hitbox. Roll back after every combo instead of punishing into the recovery, then close in once the ring fizzles.
New combo: triple slam
Phase 2 introduces a three-overhead-slam combo with the ring at the end. Roll the first two normally, then roll backward on the third or you eat the ring. Don't punish until after the ring.
Stars of Ruin substitute
Radagon throws a fan of three slow holy projectiles in Phase 2. Sidestep them or run parallel — rolling into them costs stamina you need for the follow-up.
In Phase 2, wait two beats after every combo. Whatever punish window you used in Phase 1 is now a death trap because of the AOE ring.
Build advice
Radagon resists holy and slash. He takes more from pierce and strike. A heavy hammer or a great-spear with a strike Ash of War (Lion's Claw, Stomp) gets the most damage per opening. Lord's Divine Fortification is one of the better buffs you can wear for the holy AOE pressure.
Stat priorities
- Vigor 50+ — you will get hit. The question is whether you survive it.
- Endurance for stamina — long combos eat stamina; you need rolls AND a punish.
- Flask split — at least 7 Crimson, 7 Cerulean. Going in with depleted flasks loses Elden Beast even if you win Radagon.
Summons
Mimic Tear is the obvious answer. It duplicates your full kit and aggros Radagon while you punish from the side. Black Knife Tiche is excellent if you have her — she out-damages most other summons and her holy resist matters here.
The winning mindset
Radagon is the easier of the two-boss gauntlet, but the easier one is still hard. The biggest mistake is treating Phase 2 like Phase 1. The biggest mistake after that is running into Elden Beast with three flasks left and no FP.
Key principles
- Two beats after every combo in Phase 2. The AOE ring kills people who punish too fast.
- Jump the ground wave, don't roll it. Tighter timing on a roll, easier on a jump.
- Save flasks. You're fighting two bosses. Three Crimson left after Radagon is a loss.
- Sidestep right on the teleport. Cleanest punish in the fight.
- Strike weapons over slash. Damage per opening is what gets you through both fights with resources to spare.
Summary
Radagon is a skill gate disguised as a phase 2 surprise. The first phase is recognizable Elden Ring boss DNA — hammer combos, delays, ground waves. The second phase adds the AOE rings that catch every player who tries to punish on Phase 1 timing. The whole fight is timing rather than damage, which is why Sidekick AI's real-time voice coaching shines: calling “wait — ring incoming” one beat before the explosion fires is the difference between a clean punish and a flask sip.