From one of the easiest to one of the hardest boss of Elden Ring depending on how you approach the fight, here's how you can defeat the God Devouring Serpent.
Reach Rykard
To start, you have to go through the Volcano Manor. You have two options in this area, you can either agree to join the faction when offered, which will earn you a key. With it, you can take a secret passage that will take you through the entire dungeon, and will eventually lead you to Rykard. The other option is to also join the faction, but complete all their missions, then you will be teleported in front of the boss directly. Nothing prevents you from doing both, it is even encouraged. Just avoid killing Rykard before completing the quests.
Preparations
- The important thing is to equip Viper Bite, it is fundamental for this fight. It's certainly possible to kill the boss without using it, but it's going to be difficult from a distance, and horribly difficult in melee because of the lava. There is no need to upgrade the weapon at the forge, by the way.
- Prefer a ranged spirit summon like the Ancestral Disciple. A melee spirit will wade through lava and just get crushed.
- Level talismans, give preference to life bonuses, as well as resistance to physical and fire damage. Talismans that increase damage from charged, jump, and skill attacks can also help speed up combat. The turtle talisman that improves Stamina regeneration too.
- You may need to change the distribution of your Healing/Mana Vials depending on how you use Viper Bite. The skill is more effective, but it consumes a lot of FP, if your Spirit score is reduced, you will rather favor heavy / jump attacks and use healing potions to keep you alive.
Stage 1: God Devouring Serpent Elden Ring
- The combat is very simple in absolute terms. Stand a good distance from the boss, just far enough away to hit him with Viper Bite light attacks. You can give a few blows in the air before approaching it to gauge its range.
- Viper Bite quick hits are seductive, but they tend not to flinch the boss, making you more vulnerable to his attacks. Need to make better use of Special Skill, Charged Attacks and Jump Attacks. You can't melee to land the critical hit, but it does give you a few seconds of peace to keep attacking.
- By staying away, the snake's attacks that can hit you are quite limited. Roll sideways to avoid his punches. He really hurts, so play defensively, you clearly have the advantage in damage, there's no need to take risks.
Stage 2: Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy
- The fight will become much more difficult and intense during the second phase. We'll have to avoid sword blows and lava projections. Do not hesitate to retreat towards the entrance in order to maintain the distance with the boss. Getting stuck against the edges of the room, or in the middle of the lava is deadly. Continue your lateral rolls, or backwards, the boss' attacks are really devastating.
- During this phase, it will be all the more important to bring down the boss by multiplying the special, jumped and/or charged attacks. But once the boss attacks are identified, it's quite easy.
