Elden Ring boss guide: How to beat Godskin Duo

To say that Elden Ring's Godskin Duo boss fight sucks is an understatement. Not only do the two bosses gank you and make it nearly impossible to dodge their attacks, but they also attack so rapidly that you can't get in hits of your own. They deal tons of damage, too, meaning that every mistake you make is incredibly costly. And unfortunately, unlike many of Elden Ring's bosses, you need to kill them in order to progress through the story.

With that said, the Godskin Duo, as annoying as they are, can be taken down with the right approach and careful preparation. Here's how you can overcome Elden Ring's worst boss fight and continue your journey through the Crumbling Farum Azula area.

Elden Ring Godskin Duo general tips

These tips will help you prepare and plan for your fight with the Godskin Duo in Elden Ring, as well as give you a good idea of what to expect from the battle.

• Both bosses use black fire magic, so wearing fire-resistant gear is a good idea. It can be the difference between surviving an attack or dying.
• A highly-upgraded medium or greatshield is highly recommended for this fight. There are situations where both bosses attack at once, making dodging very hard. A stable shield will help in these moments since you'll be able to use it to block attacks from both bosses.
• There are six pillars around the arena you can use to try and kite the bosses. This won't always work, but sometimes you can get one of the bosses to walk into one of the pillars for a long time, splitting the two of them up and allowing you to fight one of them alone for a little bit.
• Using the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash Summon or summoning other players is highly recommended. Having a durable ally that can distract one of the bosses makes it possible to fight the other solo, making the fight much easier.
• Both bosses are susceptible to both Bleed and Frost, so use weapons that inflict these status effects if you have them. They'll do lots of extra bonus damage that can make the fight go much quicker.
• Above all, be patient. The bosses in this fight don't give you much time to attack between their own moves, so don't get greedy. Only hit them once or twice after avoiding one of their own attacks, then be ready to dodge again.

Elden Ring How to beat Godskin Duo

Unlike most Elden Ring boss fights, Godskin Duo doesn't have any phases, though the boss enemies do change their behavior a bit each time they get to around half health. Here's how you can get through this brutal boss fight.

• The bosses have a shared healthbar, so killing both of them isn't an instant win. They'll respawn one another (or respawn from air) until the shared healthbar is depleted fully. Therefore, your goal in this fight should be to try and take out one of the bosses and then to take out the other one before it spawns in another version of the one you killed first, allowing you to avoid fighting both of them at the same time as much as possible.
• When the fight starts, immediately spawn in your Spirit Summon and get behind one of the six pillars in the arena. The bosses tend to spam you with black fireballs in the opening seconds of the fight, so getting into cover is important.
• Try to get one of the bosses to separate from the other one, then land a hit or two between their attacks. Note that the lankier boss performs lots of slashing attacks, while the larger one uses rapid thrusting attacks.
• Continue to use the pillars as cover from the black fireballs thrown by the bosses. They stop the fireballs completely and aren't destroyed by them. You can also use the pillars as cover for healing up or reapplying buffs.
• If both bosses start attacking you at once, either block with your shield or attempt to sprint away and then dodge. Being too close to them when you try to dodge both of them at once will usually result in you getting hit anyway due to you not having enough i-frames to avoid both attacks fully.
• When each boss reaches half health, they'll begin using a new special attack. Both can be avoided by using the pillars as cover. The lanky boss will create a whirlwind of black flame, while the larger boss will begin rolling around the arena. These attacks will break the pillars, but the stump of them will remain and will physically prevent the bosses from getting close to you. Note that the stump of a broken pillar won't protect you from fireballs anymore.

By using the pillars to kite the bosses, taking cover behind them to heal or avoid fireballs, and by remaining patient and attacking only when it's safe to do so, you'll eventually be able to defeat this awful and annoying boss fight. Hopefully, players will never have to deal with anything like this from FromSoftware ever again.

Elden Ring is finally here, and it's available for $60 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC. It's one of the best Xbox games you can play right now if you're a fan of challenging RPGs, and we strongly recommend it.