With the release of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion , players now have the chance to encounter the mysterious Rellana, a knight who once belonged to the royal family of Caria. In this guide, we will look at how to prepare for her encounter, what techniques will help you survive her deadly blows, and how to defeat this powerful “princess in exile.

Who is Rellana?

Rellana was born into the royal family of Caria, whose lands were famous for their special traditions of sorcery and magical practices. According to legend, she trained with her older sister Rennala the Full Moon from childhood, but showed much greater interest in knightly duels and the art of close combat. One of her mentors was Count Ymir, the court sorcerer. 

Over the years, Rellana gradually honed her physical strength and magic to take the throne, though she later abdicated and chose the path of exile, defecting to Messmer the Impaler.

It is believed that as a sign of her break with the Caria line, Rennala gave her sister shining hair the color of the night sky, symbolizing the final renunciation of the royal dynasty. Together with the princess, her loyal warriors left, among whom was the chambermaid Moonrithil. Gradually, Rellana began to be called the “Sword of Messmer.” Since then, wherever she appears, lunar charms and raging flames invariably accompany her steps.

The Quest for Rellana: The Path to Ensis Castle

Rellana has settled in Castle Ensis, located in the Plain of Tombstones. Now we will tell you how to get to her arena.

Front side of the castle. 

At the main gate you will find the first point of grace. Here you will begin your ascent up the stairs to the inner courtyards of the castle. The enemies guarding the approaches resemble the mages from the Academy, but are strengthened by the abilities from the add-on.

A halt at Ensis Castle

As you move deeper into the fortress, you’ll come across another point of grace. This place is useful if you want to take a break, but be careful: there are knights with two-handed weapons wandering around.

The master’s quarters of the castle

At the end of the path, the spacious hall of the lord awaits. Nearby is the last point of grace, you can activate it right before the door with the boss. It will make repeated attempts at battle easier, because after death you will not have to run through the entire castle.

Key vulnerabilities

Rellana has a unique combination of damage and an impressive amount of health. And also a fairly high balance indicator and good protection from most negative effects. Let’s look at her vulnerabilities below.

Protection from negative effects

Here is a complete list of Rellana’s protection against various effects:

Like most bosses, Rellana is immune to madness and “instant death” effects, but is susceptible to poisoning and rot. When the sleep effect accumulates, she does not fall into a full unconscious state, but loses concentration for a couple of seconds.

Damage Type Resistances

Here are the boss’s defense indicators against different types of damage:

Rellana is especially vulnerable to piercing damage and lightning. This means that spears, rapiers, and other “poke” weapons deal increased damage to her, and applying lightning (either a ready-made enchanted weapon or a lube to a spear/rapier) provides the added benefit of quickly interrupting her attacks and increasing her chance to stun.

From knightly fury to magical flame

The fight with Rellana is divided into two phases. The first lasts until the boss has about half of her health left. In the second phase, she gains additional fire and magic effects that strengthen each series of attacks.

First stage: onslaught of blades

At the beginning, Rellana actively uses melee techniques. Her attack set includes protracted combos. A typical technique is a long series of slashes and thrusts, during which the boss often moves in an arc, trying to get around the target. The finale of such a protracted series is either a strong diagonal swing or a double thrust with swords. At this moment, the safest window for response opens.

Rellana often attacks with her swords crossed, slashing forward twice in quick succession, a so-called “cross” move. She also has a special charged move, raising her swords above her head and swinging them diagonally, which she can repeat again.

In some cases, the boss prefers short but sharp series, such as two quick diagonal strikes with the left sword in a row. It is also worth remembering that Rellana can suddenly jump a long distance, performing a vertical strike from below upwards.

In addition to purely knightly maneuvers, there is also a place for magic in this stage. Rellana is able to create floating blades (like “Magic Blades” or “Karian Phalanx”), which after a short pause fly at the player. Although these projectiles are relatively easy to bypass, you cannot relax – the boss can interrupt the ranged attack at any time and suddenly switch to a series of close-range attacks.

Another spell to watch out for is “Fleeting Moonlight”: the sword in her right hand glows blue, then Rellana releases a horizontal “moon” wave. The attack can be jumped over or dodged to the side.

Second stage: magic is combined with flame

Once the boss is at about half health, Rellana’s right sword will be infused with magical energy, and her left sword will burst into flames. Many of her attacks will gain delayed waves or fiery flashes that will cover the battlefield a second after the main attack.

The transition to this phase is often accompanied by a “two-element attack”: Rellana spreads her blades apart (one sparkling with magic, the other with flames), and then delivers a combination series. In addition to enhanced versions of previous techniques, new ones appear. For example, the “whirlwind combo”, when the boss, spinning, delivers circular strikes and can finish the attack with an additional magical or fire volley.

Rellana can also enter the “moon stance”, releasing several magical waves in a row (diagonal, horizontal and one with a slight delay – vertical). Having noticed the beginning of such a stance, it is better to move to the side and roll over each wave in time. No less dangerous is the “fire stance”, in which a fiery whirlwind rises around Rellana, and marks appear on the floor, exploding with flames after a while. 

And finally, the main feature of the second phase is the summoning of two dark moons. Having taken off, the boss creates two lunar spheres that fall onto the arena with a delay, generating shock waves. Moreover, after two main lunar attacks, a third, slightly slower one almost always follows. The best way to survive is to watch the moment of the fall and roll in time or jump over the wave itself, if the timing allows.

Tips and tricks

To defeat the boss, use these tips:

What is given for victory

Defeating Rellana will reward you with 240,000 Runes. You will also receive the Memory of the Twin Moon Knight, which can be used to obtain her Twin Swords or Twin Moon Attack. The fight with Rellana is a test of your ability to recognize false pauses and react correctly to a large volume of combinations. With good preparation, competent rolls and the right choice of attack time, you can survive both stages and win. Do not give up, and let the victory over Rellana become your new pride in the world of Elden!