Tree Sentinel Boss Fight: A Joust For The Ages
The Tree Sentinel is the first field boss you come across in Elden Ring and can be very unforgiving to the uninitiated. It is probably best to come back to take him on at a higher level, but it is certainly possible to take him on early in the game.
Admittedly, it is best to avoid the Tree Sentinel initially as he is a bit of a pain to fight on foot. That said if you go just a bit further north towards the ruined Church of Elleh and activate the Site of Grace there you can unlock your Spirit Steed, Torrent. Once Torrent is yours this fight will be a lot easier, even at level one.
Head back to the Site of Grace in the destroyed church near the hill the Tree Sentinel rides around. Make sure you save here just in case it takes more than one attempt, as it very well could, learning his patterns. Once you have done that it is time to go and fight the big bad knight.
Horseback Melee Strategy
The Tree Sentinel has almost no long-ranged attacks, but some of his halberd swings can catch you by surprise even if you think you are safe. The best way to handle him is to ride up and wail on him from behind until he finishes raising his halberd over his head and the boss music begins.
The trick is to keep moving and juke him out. His bashes are incredibly easy to dodge and leave him vulnerable, so ride close to him and dash away when you see him begin to strike. Most times when you are close it will result in one of his shield bashes and gives you a great opportunity to come back in for a few quick slashes. Heavy attacks will also interrupt his patterns and buy you a little extra time for a quick light attack and dash away.
While the Tree Sentinel does have a few swings where his halberd reaches behind him, they are easily telegraphed. That being the case it is a good strategy to wait for him to strike then ride up behind him. Slash the back of the knight and his horse. From this angle, you can get a few extra strikes compared to a normal ride-up assault, but don’t overstay your welcome or his halberd will make you regret it.
Horseback Ranged Strategy
Battling the Tree Sentinel with a ranged strategy is arguably the easiest way to win this fight. If you can find a spot to shoot him safely then do that. This is a solid way to start the fight and you will have the opportunity to knock off a fair chunk of his health. Although, the Tree Sentinel is likely to get wise to what you’re doing and move out the way.
As stated above, this boss does not have a ton of ranged attacks, only long-distance lunges. Make sure to keep moving and dodging his strikes put distance between the two of you and fire at him while he recovers from his attack animations. Keep your shield handy, just in case any of his attacks do connect, but I recommend keeping your head on a swivel and dodging him. Long-range spells work best here, as this means you don’t need to get close to him to do damage.
While it is certainly possible to fight the Tree Sentinel on foot it is a serious pain. I recommend sticking to one of the two horseback strategies I mentioned above or a combination of the two. Once you bring down the golden knight behemoth you will receive his Golden Halberd as a reward.
Elden Ring is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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