How to beat Romina, Saint of the Bud in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

One of the main bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is Romina, Saint of the Bud. She’s a formidable boss who has numerous heavy-hitting and fast attacks, alongside the Scarlet Rot. If you happen to be stuck, here’s what you have to do to defeat Romina.

Romina location in Shadow of the Erdtree

Romina is located in the Church of the Bud, west of the Shadow Keep. To access this area in Elden Ring, you’ll have to reach the Rauh Ancient Ruins first, which is done by navigating through the Shadow Keep itself. After you reach the Storehouse Grace, go left and you’ll find an elevator. This will take you to the West Rampart, where a ranged enemy will be waiting. Mount Torrent and run through the area and reach the second elevator. Navigate through all of the Scarlet Rot and other enemies and you’ll eventually reach Rauh Ancient Ruins East.

Left of Rauh Ancient Ruins is an elevator that will take you down to another area where you’ll have to navigate several tunnels and doors that will eventually bring you to the Rauh Ancient Ruins West Grace. From there, it’s just a light walk to the Church of the Bud Main Entrance Grace, where Romina‘s boss fog-gate will be located.

How to defeat Romina in Shadow of the Erdtree

There are two ways of defeating Romina, and any other boss for that matter: with or without the Mimic Tear. We believe the latter to be superior and way easier, but if you’re up for a challenge, Romina is still doable without one.

Beating Romina with Mimic

To defeat Romina in this manner, you’ll need to have the Mimic Tear Ashes, which are unlocked in the base game’s Night’s Sacred Ground area. Summoning the Mimic does not add HP and damage to the boss like a regular summon would, making this option fantastic, especially if you have Bleed or similar stats on your weaponry. Here’s what you need to do:

Equip yourself with Bleed or Frost

Bleed and Frost give a massive percentage-based damage proc once the build-up bar is full. Both of these stats should wreck Romina’s health bar, dealing thousands of damage depending on how far you’ve leveled up both regularly and in terms of the DLC’s Blessings. In addition, make sure you have at least five Scadutree Blessings and two or three Revered Spirit Ash Blessings to make the fight more tolerable.

Summon the Mimic as soon as you enter

Quickly summon the Mimic when you enter the arena. You should have just enough time to do this before Romina initiates an attack. Summoning the Mimic costs HP, so heal up immediately and run to the side until the Mimic catches her attention.

Let the Mimic fight until it dies

The Mimic will undoubtedly perish eventually and you’ll have to deal with approximately a third of Romina’s HP. This is when solo player tactics come into play. If you don’t have a Mimic or if it has died, keep your distance and watch for her telegraphed attacks. Romina has exceptionally well-designed telegraphing and you should be able to dodge just about any attack with relative ease. Keeping yourself at a medium distance should work most of the time, though pay attention to her Centipede attack, for which coming closer might be the better way to go.

Beating Romina without Mimic

To defeat this boss without a Mimic Tear Ash, you’ll need some extra protection. Equipping some sort of Shield or Defensive Weapon will be a game-changer with this boss fight. Romina has a knack for jumping around, swinging wildly, and unpredictably attacking you with her Centipede and Scorpion Tail. A good shield, such as the Erdtree Greatshield or similar, will be your way out of this boss fight. Make sure you also keep a constant eye on the Scarlet Rot build-up as Romina can quickly fill that bar and do massive damage to you.