How to Defeat Midra, Lord Of Frenzied Flame

With a list of new bosses to take down in Shadow of the Erdtree, learning how to defeat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, is essential to completing the Elden Ring expansion. Frenzy was one of the many primordial forces in the base game, and the player could even choose to have it become the dominant order at the end.

Miyazaki has already stated that the events that occur in Shadow of the Erdtree will have no direct bearing on the story of the base game. Lore enthusiasts have a lot more to ponder over with the release of the expansion, and Midra has given us a better understanding of how the Flame of Frenzy operates within the world.

Midra is a Legend-class boss, making him a tough boss to take on even for veteran players. Finding him requires you to navigate your way through the Abyssal Woods before you find Midra’s Manse. As the player will understand while sneaking past the Aged Ones, Frenzy is going to be a major element to deal with in this Elden Ring boss fight.

When it comes to choosing your armor, you want to go with a set that offers high resistance against Fire and Madness. You can also choose the armor you used to fight the Furnace Golems, but make sure it’s not a heavy set as Midra is quite light on his feet. The Fire Prelate armor set has some of the highest fire resistance in the game, but make sure you are not over-encumbered when wearing it.

Midra is weak to Slash damage, so weapons such as the Darkmoon Greatsword, Bloodhound Fang, Reduvia, and Moonveil can be worthy picks. Midra can be affected by Bleed buildup, and this can help bring down his health quickly with the right setup. Midra is also susceptible to being staggered, so weapons that deal heavy stance damage will give you greater chances to land critical hits.

If you’re confident with your Elden Ring parrying capabilities, then keeping a Buckler Shield or the Misericorde in your off-hand to parry Midra is a viable option to get critical hit opportunities.

Keep in mind that you will need to parry three attacks before Midra can be stabbed. Midra is immune to Sleep and Madness, but all other Elden Ring status effects can be used, such as Scarlet Rot, Poison, and Frostbite.

The Flamedrake Talisman +3 will help reduce the Fire damage from Midra’s attacks. Resistance-boosting Talismans such as Clarifying Horn Charm +2 and the Ailment Talisman can help improve your survivability. You’ll also want to bring along some Clarifying Boluses to reduce Madness buildup and other items such as Boiled Crab for better defense and Blood Grease for higher Bleed buildup.

In your Wondrous Physick, you can choose the Stonebarb Cracked Tear for greater stance break opportunities. Aside from that, you can choose to buff your primary Elden Ring damage-dealing stat, such as Intelligence, Dexterity, or Faith. Your Ash of War should have great stagger potential, so Savage Lion’s Claw or Cragblade are good choices.

Magic and Faith users should include quick-casting spells or ones that have significant Bleed buildup. Swarm of Flies and Impenetrable Thorns are both great choices, as is Glintstone Nails for its tracking. Lucidity and Flame Cleanse Me can both eliminate Madness buildup, and Flame Protect Me can reduce the damage incurred from Fire attacks.

The moment you enter the arena, Midra will be kneeling in the center, bemoaning his fate. He will then proceed to attack you, and this may lull you into a false sense of security, as this is just his first phase!

While he is shambling on all fours, he can move fast enough to grab hold of you and inflict some serious damage and Madness. There are three main attacks to watch out for in his first phase.

• Midra’s Shout: The Elden Ring boss will rear back and wail, creating an AoE effect similar to other Roar attacks in the game. Sprint away when you see him pause and wait for the attack to end.
• Inescapable Frenzy: Similar to the incantation you get in the base game of Elden Ring, Midra will rush at you and tackle you to the ground. He will then proceed to burn your eyes with Frenzy, and this can often cause a Madness affliction as well. The attack can be stopped by hitting Midra and staggering him, or else dodging to the side at the last moment.
• Flail: Midra will swipe his arms wildly and inflict damage. This is another attack that can be easily dodged and interrupted.

Hit Midra a few times, and he will then transition into his second phase, which is his form as the Lord of Frenzied Flame. Midra can now use both the barbed greatsword in his right hand and the shard in his left for quick stabs. Midra will also incorporate several ranged fire attacks that inflict madness.

In his second phase, Midra is far more aggressive and deals a lot more damage. Many of his attacks will also leave burning areas on the ground that will damage the player and infect Madness. Remember, many of his wide swings can be parried, but it might take some practice before you know which ones to parry.

• Flame of Frenzy: Midra spews tongues of fire ahead of him that damage the player. He will use this twice at the start of his second phase, and he also has a close-range variant that has a shorter cast time. Roll sideways to avoid the attack and watch out for Midra ducking when close range.
• Sweeping Frenzy: Midra will release tongues of Frenzied Flame in an arc ahead of him. Roll forward into the attack, and you might end up behind him to deal some damage.
• Floating Slash: This move will appear when you are at a distance and Midra wants to get in close. You will see him float and draw back the sword before flying at you with a slash. Dodge forward when you see him rush at you, and you’ll be able to get a couple of hits to his back.
• Barbed Thrust: The Shadow of the Erdtree boss will shove his greatsword at you and could perform a second one where the barbs on the sword expand and deal extra damage. Roll sideways and be wary of the follow-up if you see him thrusting again.
• Golden Crux: Midra will jump in the air and attempt to skewer the player with his sword. The attack can be dodged by rolling away, but Midra will create an AoE explosion when he lands, so don’t get greedy.
• Frenzy Spin: The boss will raise his sword and then spin twice, after which he will pause and then spin three times again. The attack can take a lot of stamina to block with a shield, so roll to the right and gain distance until he stops spinning.

Once you’ve dealt enough damage to Midra in this form, he will levitate off the ground and start to glow. This is the start of his true second phase, and along with fireballs raining down around the player, Midra will crash down near him as Radahn did in Caelid. Start to roll away and sprint backward to gain distance and outrun the explosion.

The key to beating Midra is to maintain a balance between offense and evasion. Midra’s combo attacks leave quite a few attack windows towards the end but don’t go for more than two or three hits at a time. You can also use these windows to land any Ashes of War that can deal stance damage.

Mage builds might have an easier time as they can maintain distance and get off several spells while Midra is locked in his attack combos. Just be wary of the Floating Slash move, as mages will have to deal with that the most.

This Shadow of the Erdtree boss also has several attacks that have delayed swings, so understanding the timing of these attacks is essential to surviving this encounter. Also, be aware of the flames that spew from his sword with every swing in his second phase.

You may need a couple of attempts, but after learning Midra’s attack pattern, you should be able to take down this Lord of Frenzied Flame.

Which boss in the game have you found to be the most challenging? Let us know in the comments below and check out our other Shadow of the Erdtree guides for more tips and tricks.