After stacking an ungodly amount of buffs, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss can be defeated in a single hit so strong that even its second phase cutscene can't save it

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree screenshot
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss is arguably the most formidable foe in the entire action RPG, but it turns out you can actually take it out in one single hit if you're prepared enough. 

Warning: spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss are ahead.

Promised Consort Radahn is a menace, but multiple players have now demonstrated that you can delete him from the game in a matter of seconds. One of these is Twitch streamer Ainrun, who, over the weekend, stacked an ungodly amount of buffs to end the fight right as it started. 

After chugging Wondrous Physick, inhaling consumables like the Bloodboil Aromatic, and popping skills like Rallying Standard and Seppuku, the player heads into the boss arena. Then, after using the Royal Knight's Resolve Ash of War to charge up the Tarnished's next move, the streamer lands a ferocious charged attack to deal 93,000 damage and remove Radahn's entire health bar. You've almost got to feel sorry for the boss – while he starts his cutscene to enter his second phase, as soon as it's over, he falls to his knees as he and Miquella fade out of existence, no doubt wondering what the hell just happened.

If swords aren't your style, then there are other ways to do this, too. Not even a week after Shadow of the Erdtree was released, YouTube content creator Titus Actual demonstrated how to take Consort Radahn out in a single hit using the Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike incantation. Similarly, this requires a massive amount of buffs and preparation to actually work – so many, in fact, that a large part of the challenge is popping them all fast enough that the first ones don't wear off by the time you enter the fight. To counter this, Titus Actual had to swap around equipment while entering the boss arena to save time.

This Build 1 Shot the Entire Elden Ring DLC - YouTube This Build 1 Shot the Entire Elden Ring DLC - YouTube
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So, if you've been stuck on Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss for a while and just want to get it done, this is definitely one way to do so, even if remembering the list of buffs you need to pull off may honestly be harder than the regular fight. You can always check out our guide to beating Shadow of the Erdtree final boss Radahn for some top tips.

Elden Ring yapper beats Shadow of the Erdtree DLC using voice controls, taking down the final boss in a flurry of "wow," "panic," and "shrimp."

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.