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FromSoftware games come full circle as ingenious Elden Ring players use fire to cheese a tough Shadow of the Erdtree fight without even entering the boss arena
Defeat the tough boss Rellana in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with a cheesy strategy reminiscent of an old Demon's Souls trick, using the Flame of the Fell God incantation from outside the arena to burn her from afar.
If Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC bosses have been kicking your ass, then this cheesy strategy to defeat one of the hardest ones without even entering the arena is a great way to get revenge, with a method that's very reminiscent of an old Demon's Souls trick.
The boss in question is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight – the fast, powerful foe waiting at the end of Castle Ensis. With a sword in each hand and the ability to blast you into oblivion with some seriously strong magic, she's definitely one of the trickiest new foes added in the DLC, but thankfully, there's a way to beat her before she can even see you.
As demonstrated by YouTube content creator Tyrannicon, it turns out that all you need to beat Renalla is the Flame of the Fell God incantation, which you get by defeating the Adan, Thief of Fire boss in Liurnia of the Lakes' Malefactor's Evergaol. It requires 41 Faith to use, but allows you to summon huge, exploding fireballs that also set the surrounding floor on fire.
It's this floor-burning effect that comes in clutch for this boss cheese. By heading to the back of Castle Ensis and using the incantation right by the fog gate, the fireball enters the arena. In this TikTok from USA Gameplays, you can see that Renalla takes damage from her toasty surroundings, but because you've not entered the room, she stays put and doesn't move out of danger. Send out enough fireballs, and eventually, you'll see that all-important 'Legend Felled' message on your screen, complete with all the goodies for defeating her, and the fog gate will disappear.
While this strategy probably wasn't left in intentionally, it's amusing how similar it feels to the old Demon's Souls cheese that involves firing arrows at its notorious Maneater boss through the fog gate. Some things never change, I guess.
Admittedly, it's worth keeping in mind that Rellana isn't one of Shadow of the Erdtree's mandatory bosses, so if you're struggling with her, then you can just avoid her altogether. It might be quite cathartic to totally turn the tables on her like this, though, so do with this cheese-infused information what you will.