How to defeat the Soldier of Godrick in Elden Ring

Within 30 minutes of adventuring in Elden Ring, players will come across two mandatory bosses. The first is named the Grafted Scion, who is meant to show players exactly how difficult the game can be while also allowing players to taste combat for the first time. The second boss is called the Soldier of Godrick, who players will find much easier than the Grafted Scion.

But this isn’t to say that the Soldier of Godrick is a foolproof boss that can be taken down with ease. Certain builds and players of all skill levels can struggle with the large soldier. Since this boss is mandatory for players who jumped into the Cave of Knowledge, those who are struggling will need some tips to defeat the Soldier of Godrick.

The Soldier of Godrick in Elden Ring

The Soldier of Godrick has 384 HP, a large sword, and a couple of moves that can throw players off-balance if they’re not careful. Magic users, such as Astrologer or Prophet characters, might struggle more with this particular boss than melee builds. If players chose the Samurai and are choosing to use the shortbow, they’ll have some trouble as well.

Players will find that the Soldier of Godrick is fairly aggressive with their sword. While most of their moves are easy to predict due to a large windup before each attack, they will randomly perform a three-hit combo that can catch players off-guard. There’s no real way to tell when the soldier will perform this combo, so it’s best to keep as much distance as possible.

This is especially true for magic users. Astrologers should attempt to be as far away from the boss as they can, casting spells along the way. One way for Astrologers to deal simple damage to the boss is to begin casting spells as soon as they enter the arena. The Soldier of Godrick takes around three to four seconds to run to the player, giving Astrologers plenty of time to get off a few spells and run in the other direction.

Prophets, on the other hand, can cast their flame Incantation up close and then dodge away. This strategy works for any other magic class: attack only when the Soldier of Godrick is chasing after you or when they’ve just finished an attack.

For melee characters, there are a couple of different options available. The first option is to simply brute force your way through the boss. Spamming light attacks and dodging when the Soldier of Godrick is rearing up to attack is a solid strategy. While this might result in players getting hit a few times, they should be able to finish the boss off before perishing.

If players want to choose a safer route, they can attempt to break the Soldier of Godrick’s posture using heavy attacks. Recall how to perform a heavy attack from the previous tutorial in the Cave of Knowledge and use that against the boss. A heavy attack can deal around one-third of the soldier’s HP and stagger them for a couple of seconds. During this time, players can spam light attacks or charge up another heavy attack to repeat the process.

With any of these strategies, players should be able to defeat the Soldier of Godrick and progress to the main story and open world of Elden Ring.