If you love exploring, the odds are good that by the time you’ve reached the Mountaintop of the Giants, you’ve run into more than your own fair share of horrible bosses that spontaneously appear in the open field. Everything from the Tree Sentinel in the very beginning of the game to the various dragons that pop up sporadically around the Lands Between. One such boss has given a lot of players some headache, so here’s how to beat the Death Rite Bird in Elden Ring.
Preparation and getting there
The boss is located in the far north-eastern part of the map, in the Mountaintop of the Giants, so you will have to beat Morgott the Omen King before you can travel there. You can’t see this boss in the distance, as it will fade in when you get close enough. It is highly recommended that you bring a weapon that can break through poise easily, such as a Colossal weapon (if you can wield one) as well as the Mimic Tear Ashes. We didn’t see a summoning pool to summon players for this boss, so your Ashes will be your only ally. Finally, your weapon should be +15 or greater, preferably closer to +20.
The camera hates you
Stop nearby the Shrine of Marika and inch forward into the arena until your Ashes light up. Summon the Mimic, heal back up, and cast any buffs before mounting up on Torrent and riding in. The boss will be active and still for a few seconds as it finishes fading in, so take this time to wallop it on the noggin up to two times before dashing away. Dismount Torrent and get ready for a hard encounter.
The boss can be targeted in two separate ways — the head and the body. If you target the head, be aware that if you get up in the monster’s stomach region, the camera will freak out (because the head is technically behind you and constantly moving.) It’s best to target the head when you’re going to connect a jump attack and then switch targets to the body or turn off target lock entirely until you’re ready to attack again.
Boss Attacks
The Death Rite Bird has two phases and many disjointed and delayed attacks. Here is a full list of its attacks:
- Spear Swipe: It will swipe at an area targeted at you or your Ashes ally. This can combo up to four times, but it’s well-telegraphed and easy to dodge. Dodge into the boss to get a hit in after the combo ends.
- Spear Slam: The boss will rear back its spear for several seconds before finally slamming it on your position. He has a quickened version of this, too, so be careful and don’t roll too early — it does autocorrect and will hit you. Sometimes this attack leaves flames on the ground, and sometimes it doesn’t, so be aware of where you’re rolling.
- Spit Fire: Death Rite Bird will explode a flame near itself and shoot it in your direction. Don’t roll too early, or else it will autocorrect and hit you. Also, you must roll to the sides — rolling forward or backward will hurt.
- Quick Pecks: This is one of the most dangerous moves about this boss. Death Rite Bird will quickly peck one to two times directly in front of it, dealing rapid heavy damage. You typically will not have enough reaction time to see this happening, so it’s best to play safe and attack at an angle of the boss.
- Madness Shriek: Death Rite Bird will shriek around its head, causing rapid, repeated hits of magic damage. He can combo this twice, and we’ve seen it burn a maxed-out Mimic Tear from half-HP to zero HP. Avoid this at all costs — it has a small radius, so you can attack the boss back for a few seconds.
- Grab: The boss, if it’s at a distance away from you, will do a brief Madness Shriek before charging. This move comes out very fast, so if the boss shrieks far away from you, prepare to dodge to the side. This grab is a one-hit KO.
- Flatten: The boss will slam its claws on the ground. It hurts quite a bit, but has a slow recovery, so you can get a few hits off on the boss if you time your dodge right.
- Wings of Spears: After the boss hits 70%, it can use two new attacks. This one has the Death Rite Bird floating in the sky, illuminating its wings. It’s preparing to drop a massive AoE on you, and your only option is to sprint far away from the center of impact and start rolling. The spread is random, so it could hit you even if you’re a long-distance away.
- Point-Blank AoE: The second of the “Phase Two” attacks, this attack has the Death Rite Bird pointing its spear at the ground and charging it up. You cannot dodge through this attack — you must sprint far away and wait for it to pass. This attack also is a one-hit KO.
Strategy
After following the above actions as your first few seconds of combat, your goal is to duck and weave in and out of the boss’s attack range while waiting for it to make a move with long recovery or focus on your Mimic partner. The boss’s weak point is its Tweety-bird face — it takes extra damage here, and you will have an easier time breaking its stance and opening it up for a critical by striking it.
The best method is to wait for an opportunity and use a Jump Attack before backing off and waiting to see what it does next. Once you crumple the Bird, you can get one or two light attacks in before initiating the critical attack for free damage. The boss will jump around the arena, and even to a lower level of the arena as well, but eventually, it will make its way back towards you. Your reward for finally ending this Bird’s reign of terror is the Death Ritual Spear, which can call down spears in the same manner as the Bird’s phase two attack.
