Elden Ring: How to beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight

Knowing how to defeat the Elden Ring Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight can save your life, as this ruthless improvement on the original calvary knight is even more brutal than before, and marks a chokehold in Elden Ring as he tries to prevent you from entering Leyndell, Royal Capital. Of all, he's just the latest in a long line of obstinate boss battles, and you're not about to give up now.

How to beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight in Elden Ring

To defeat the Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight in Elden Ring, players must abandon shields, play fast and cautiously, and pick their weapons carefully, as the Draconic Tree Sentinel has many resistances, and using the wrong kind of gear can result in you chipping away at minor amounts of health rather than doing any real damage. This boss has a different attack pattern and exploits than the Elden Ring Tree Sentinel Boss that we described in our Elden Ring Tree Sentinel Boss guide.

The most important thing to remember (and we'll go over this in more detail later) is that the Draconic Tree Sentinel is a boss who relies heavily on evasion. All of their assaults are tremendous hits that can knock guarded players unconscious or completely bypass their defenses, leaving them open to the next follow-up. Rather than futilely attempting to deflect or neutralize his strikes, you should try to avoid getting hit at all if at all feasible.

Take advantage of their vulnerability to Str/Thr damage, as well as Poison and Scarlet Rot.

The Draconic Tree Sentinel is particularly vulnerable to Strike and Thrusting damage, as well as Poison and Scarlet Rot status effects. If you can, make use of these! Rot Grease and Poison Grease are unquestionably beneficial. The Draconic Tree Sentinel, on the other hand, is extremely resistant to fire, lightning, and slashing damage, suffering significantly less damage from these sources than other creatures. Those with fiery claws (like ours) will have a hard time breaking through their armor.

Ensure you're safe from their Strike and Lightning attacks.

The Sentinel's attacks are a combination of Strike, Lightning, and Fire damage. If you have a choice between two armor sets, choose the one that is best suited to those damage kinds. In general, fire damage is the least common, therefore it should be the last thing on your mind.

Wherever possible, summon ranged minions and NPC helpers.

The Great Horned Tragoth and Millicent are two NPCs with summon signs nearby, albeit the latter can only be summoned if players have completed step 8 of the Elden Ring Millicent questline and killed the Godskin Apostle at Dominula Village.

If you're summoning using Ashes, you'll most likely want groupings of opponents or ranged fighters that the Sentinel will have trouble hitting. Because the Sentinel's tremendous assaults can devastate in a single, difficult-to-avoid hit, bringing in just one melee-focused buddy is likely to be squashed quickly. The Spirit Jellyfish isn't too horrible in this situation, as it floats out of reach and applies Poison from afar.

Stay out of their way by using consumables and items to boost your stats.

As previously said, the Poison/Rot Grease is a useful item, and you can also use Godrick's or Radahn's Great Rune to boost your stats and health. Check out our Elden Ring Great Runes and Rune Arc farming instructions if you're running low on Rune Arcs. And only ride Torrent if you're trying to heal by backing away, and even then, be cautious. Your loyal steed may be quick in a straight line, but he's a disaster when it comes to avoiding attacks.

In fight, stay on their shield side and remain a safe distance from the hammer.

As a general rule, keep on the Sentinel's shield side, as their massive hammer is always on the right. That isn't to say they can't hit you with the shield or other attacks, but it is generally easier to avoid. And, as previously stated, the Sentinel's hammer is not only lethal but also has a long range, with a massive shockwave erupting anytime it strikes the earth. To be safe, you must put some real distance between yourself and it.

Even worse, the horse has the ability to shoot fire from its mouth, which streaks across the ground as it comes down from rearing. Keep an eye on the environment because if the fireball collides with something, it will explode and cause damage to everything nearby. You can try to avoid the fireball, but it will hit a rock behind you and catch you in the blaze.

Despite this, if done from a safe distance, spellcasters may find this combat to be a little simpler. Although the Sentinel has ranged attacks, they aren't as deadly as his melee ones. It's always a good idea to stay out of hammer range. If you're a melee player with a large weapon, consider leaping heavy attacks. Though you won't be able to get a critical strike from it, you can stagger the Draconic Tree Sentinel and use it as a follow-up for more free hits or to retreat and heal.

To avoid being hit by lightning bolts in Phase 2, go to closer, faster combat.

The Sentinel enters phase 2 at half health, imbuing their attacks with Lightning damage and receiving new actions. You'll have to be even more cautious now, because their hammer attacks now emit electricity in addition to the regular shockwave, causing significantly more damage. At this time, the Sentinel receives a number of additional ranged moves, some of which are more lethal than others. In fact, whereas it was safer to stay far away in phase 1, you now want to engage in a mid-range back-and-forth with them, hitting them without getting so far away that they employ his devastating ranged techniques.

Many of the Draconic Tree Sentinel's strikes have such a wide range in phase 2 that you can't roll out of them. Instead, you must time your dodge's invincibility frames to coincide with the moment they hit you. It won't be easy, but it's your greatest opportunity.

Use the Poison Mist quick cheese approach if all else fails.

The Draconic Tree Sentinel can be cheesed with the correct gear, and with a boss like this, we don't blame you. Poison Mist, an Incantation gained by killing one of the Teardrop Scarabs at Castle Morne, is the only widely-used community method we've identified that still appears to work at the time of writing.

Once you acquire the spell, equip it with a Seal and sneak up behind the Tree Sentinel without alerting or assaulting them (it only takes Faith of 12). Simply cast Poison Mist at their horse's back, and it will poison and injure the Draconic Tree Sentinel without alerting them. Then just keep doing that and seeing the Sentinel's health deteriorate while they wonder why they're so sick.

They should die eventually, but if you're having difficulties sneaking up behind them, you can use an Ash summon to distract the Sentinel, then creep into place, quit, and come back into the game. Your spirit will have departed, and you'll be ready for the mist cheese now that the Sentinel has been de-alerted.

DRACONIC TREE SENTINEL REWARDS

The Draconic Tree Sentinel does not drop Remembrances, but killing the one defending the entry to Leyndell will reward you with 50000 Runes and the Dragon Greatclaw and Dragonclaw Shield, the same high-strength required Colossal Weapon and Greatshield that were used against you just a minute before. Meanwhile, in Farum Azula, the Sentinel drops 28000 Runes and the Malformed Dragon Armor set. It's a good set, albeit a little strange-looking, that justifies its weight with basic, reliable defensive numbers.

DO YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE DRACONIC TREE SENTINEL?

No, you do not have to defeat or kill the Draconic Tree Sentinel... although you most likely will. The major entry into Leyndell is through the Draconic Tree Sentinel and the North Gate, which is a necessary component of the game's plot that cannot be avoided. The only other way in is to complete Fia's questline - yes, Fia of the infamous Elden Ring embrace debuff.

As part of Fia's mission, you'll have to travel through Nokron and slay the Valiant Gargoyle, which will allow you to float in a coffin into the Deeproot Depths. Fia will be sitting close to a gateway here, and you'll see her again. If you kill two "Shardbearer" opponents (such as Godrick, Rennala, Radahn, or Rykard), this portal will activate and transport you directly to Leyndell. Fia's questline, on the other hand, is fairly difficult and is not a low-effort substitute for slaying the Draconic Tree Sentinel: both of these tasks will put a significant strain on your abilities.