There are numerous extraordinary and extremely difficult bosses to defeat in Elden Ring. The studio behind the game, FromSoftware, decided that many of these bosses are completely optional to defeat.
One of these optional bosses is Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy. In this guide to defeating Rykard, you’ll find all kinds of information, from the most useful equipment and best weapons to other strategies that will allow you to defeat this powerful Elden Ring boss quickly and easily.
This guide will also include the recommended level for attempting to defeat him.
Rykard is one of the numerous optional bosses available to defeat in Elden Ring. There are several ways to find and defeat this boss, but if you want to avoid completing Tanith’s contracts, you can head directly to the mansion to find him. To reach this specific region, which belongs to Mount Gelmir, you’ll need to start from the northwest of Altus Plateau.
Continue doing this until you reach the Rainbow Stones, where you’ll read a message that triggers a cinematic. In this cinematic, you will fall from a cliff. You will have to defeat a boss in that new place.
Once defeated, you will have to locate these specific stones once more in order to teleport as close to Volcano Manor as possible. Once there, you can explore, find Rykard, and defeat him.
Tip
When you’re in that area, you can rest before teleporting to the Audience Pathway area, which will automatically allow you to fight this boss.
In the central hallway of Volcano Manor, you should look for the Temple of Eiglay. There, you’ll find the Godskin Noble, another boss to defeat. Once you defeat him, you can leave the area where this boss was and find the Magma River, which is key to reaching Rykard.
When you’re in that area, you can rest before teleporting to the Audience Pathway area, which will automatically allow you to fight this boss.
One of Rykard’s few notable weaknesses is his vulnerability to Frostbite. To prepare for defeating this boss in both of his phases, it is advisable to gather items and weapons that increase Frost damage.
Among the recommended items to bring to the battle against Rykard are the Freezing Pot or the Roped Freezing Pot. If your character leans toward sorcery, you can use Adula’s Moonblade or the Frozen Lightning Spear.
The other two weaknesses are slash or pierce damage. This boss, in particular, deals a significant amount of normal damage, fire damage, pierce damage, and, in his snake mode, also poison damage.
Just before facing this boss, you’ll find a body that you can loot to get the Serpent-Hunter spear. This weapon is particularly effective against Rykard and has the advantage of being usable by practically any build you choose.
Tip
The Serpent-Hunter Spear is an effective weapon for those who haven’t prepared a build to fight Rykard, as it uses unique attacks to fight the boss at range.
Another important detail to keep in mind when facing this boss is that you cannot land any critical hits. Since he’s immune to these, you’ll need to dodge a lot, and parrying is not an option.
- Serpent-Hunter spear
- Frozen Lightning Spear
- Roped Freezing Pot
- Freezing Pot
This Loadout isn’t the only way to defeat Rykard, however as the Serpent-Hunter spear also has its own unique attacks that can only be activated in this arena that allow it to take on the boss at range.
To start the battle, you need to approach the center of the room inside Volcano Manor. There you’ll encounter the God-Devouring Serpent, which is the first phase of this massive boss, Rykard.
| Optional: | Yes |
| Best Level to Be: | 110+ |
| Weak to: | Frostbite, pierce, and slash |
| Difficulty: | 7/10 It’s comparatively simple to defeat this boss; all you need to focus on is not getting damage from the magma. |
| How to Cheese Rykard: | Using the Serpent-Hunter spear as the main weapon. |
| Rewards: | 130,000 Runes in Elden Ring Rykard’s Great Rune Remembrance of the Blasphemous |
| Worth the trouble: | Yes |
The serpent’s attacks are fairly manageable, and keeping your distance is the best strategy to deal significant damage with each attack. One of the most common attacks the serpent will use is spitting poison, which doesn’t have much range, so backing away will allow you to dodge it.
On the other hand, to deal quick damage, you’ll need to land ranged attacks with high frostbite, slash, or pierce damage. Occasionally, the serpent will try to bite you with a relatively swift attack, but it’s avoidable.
To reach the second phase and finally try to defeat Rykard, you’ll need to completely deplete the serpent’s health, at which point it will transform into the other boss.
Once Rykard’s phase begins, the fight becomes much more challenging as he moves more, and his attack range increases. In his snake form, the magma beneath him wasn’t a major concern, but now, as Rykard, it is something to watch out for, and you’ll need to be cautious not to take burn damage.
Use burn-resistant potions to mitigate this. At this point, it’s a good idea to summon your Spirit Ashes to distract the boss and make him attack in another direction while you deal significant damage.
His primary attacks involve using his sword, swinging it at an absurd range with each strike. You’ll need to try to dodge this or even retreat to avoid getting hit. At some point, as his health decreases, he will start throwing giant fireballs, which can deal a large amount of damage.
The most important thing to remember is to avoid getting too close to him, as his body emits magma that can harm you even when he’s not actively attacking.
In short, to earn the rewards from this particular boss, the best approach is to use the Serpent-Hunter spear, which has special attacks that are ideal for the range of this specific boss.
Combining this weapon with frost potions, Spirit Ashes, and keeping a considerable distance will help you defeat Rykard quickly and efficiently.
Who is your favorite Elden Ring boss? Let us know in the comments!
#Beat #Rykard #Lord #Blasphemy
