So you have reached the top of Belurat Tower. Give yourself a pat on the back, this is not an easy task in itself. Those assholes with the giant masses aren’t kidding. Unfortunately, you have one last challenge to complete before you leave the premises, and if you’re having trouble getting through the divine beast’s deadly dance, we’ve got your back.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion Abilities
If there’s one trend among all the bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s that they have absolutely no cold. For most of them, it’s metaphorical, because they start by trying to surprise you with a move that can shoot you if you’re not careful. In Dancing Lion’s case, it’s ironic, since the first thing he does when he sees you is release an icy breath that can drain the life out of you, and if you stand there when you first enter in his room, it’s the end of you in two or three blows. He will usually try this move if you get too far away from him later as well.
If you survive this initial explosion, the lion will come closer to jump, spin, spin, and bite, and will do so quickly. And because the design of this thing is so wild, it can be hard to tell what is an incoming combo and what is just a Lion taking a step back. The easiest attack to anticipate is when he stands up on his hind legs before executing a spinning combo that ends with a mid-air headbutt. That said, this can be confused with his bite attack where he rears back and smacks his lips several times before making you his chew toy, destroying most of your health in the process. This is only the first phase.
For phase two, he will use the rest of his elemental attacks. He’ll first switch to lightning, and try a bunch of area-of-effect attacks that make lots of very pretty and very dangerous patterns on the ground. He will also throw a spear at you which he will then transform into a huge lightning rod. His ice attacks work the same way, except instead of really pretty patterns, they’re mostly puddles of ice that eventually explode and afflict you with Frostbite. Finally, there are his wind attacks, which simply involve either spitting a tornado at you or becoming one himself. If you’ve ever wondered what a Geostorm would look like on four legs, well, here you go.
Strategy: Defeat the Divine Beast, the Dancing Lion
Fortunately, while this fight can turn into a chaotic and messy disaster with all the elemental attacks going on, it’s also a fight where you’ll have some extra help. Not only can you summon Spirit Ashes, but there is a summon sign for Redmane Freyja right outside the door. There remains, however, the question of being able to summon said Spirit Ash, which can be risky since the icy breath arrives the second you walk through the door. It’s doable ; just prepare to immediately roll left or right once the summon animation ends. If you bring the Mimic Tear, maybe take a sip from your flask when you’re done to replenish your HP.
Once the Lion jumps towards you, the fight turns into one of those cartoon dust clouds full of fists and swearing, but with Freyja and your Spirit Ashes in play, you have the privilege of creating a certain distance while they go to work. Magic users will have an easier time, as they can stay at mid-range and cast spells all day; just keep an eye out for when the Lion has his sights set on you, and don’t be in the middle of an animation when he flies towards you looking for a snack.
For melee users, choose your moment to jump into melee, especially after the Lion attempts a spin combo, but come out for a breather after two or three hits, especially if you’re near a wall. The locked camera tends to go a bit haywire during this fight. If you tank it, your Greatshield should be able to absorb one or two hits from the combo and leave some for a few hits. As for weapons, run with more speed than power here. The Lion is way too fast to mess with anything with a slow climb, but if you step in at just the right time when Freyja and your Spirit Ash can tackle this thing, you can break it into position with a certain regularity.
You’ll need to be a little more strategic about when to embark on phase two, however. For the lightning bolt, you’ll be able to see the patterns on the ground to know where it’s about to strike, and sneak between them to get closer to the Lion, but if you’re too zealous in trying to strike, the chances are good . You’re stunned when you least expect it. Again, distance is good, but, here, the Lion will also throw spears at you that you want to be very, very far away from before they explode. The same goes for ice cream. Explosions don’t do as much damage as lightning, but if you’ve wandered into a pile of ice when they explode, the effect of frostbite can worsen, leaving your defense stats at their lowest, meaning usually that Leo’s next move will do so. be your last. Either wait a minute or have an icy bolus handy when you’re out of danger for a second. The Lion’s tornado attacks can do decent damage but, fortunately, they are also the easiest attacks to dodge.
The lion will switch between all three at regular intervals, but when its health begins to fail it will switch between them whenever it pleases, which can become unpredictable, but the same principles apply. Pick your moments to launch, launch at him when your summoned friends do, and don’t get so caught up in the fight that you don’t see the next big attacks.
When, finally, the lion sleeps tonight, you’ll receive a ton of runes and a Remembrance item that you can exchange for either a talisman that enhances storm abilities or an ice elemental stomp attack. This is all well and good, but the S-tier reward is the Divine Beast Head, which is a near-universal piece of equipment, increasing balance, attack, and defense for melee users, as well as attack and defense magical. The only real flaw is that it provides no focus (meaning you’re vulnerable to any attacks that inflict madness), and the head is so obnoxious that it can sometimes be difficult to see around you.
Oh, also, if you’re a magic user, I hope you managed to enter the storeroom near the small altar grace site. Take a quick trip there, carry the beast head, and talk to the little old lady inside for some history and the Watchful Spirit incantation.
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