A specialty of Elden Ring is the variety of horrifying-looking and extremely hard-to-beat bosses that it presents us with. Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, is one of those out-of-this-world bosses that’ll surely leave you in jitters.
This boss doesn’t belong in The Lands Between, it descends from the Cosmos. Elden Ring lore depicts the terrifying tale of this entity, who wiped out the Eternal Cities ages ago. Despite the terrifying appearance of the Boss, it’s not very difficult to defeat — especially when you have the following tips and tricks at your disposal.
Table of Contents
Tips and Tricks to Fighting Astel
- Prepare a high Vigor build to counter this boss, as it can easily wipe you out if you lack it.
- Focus most of your attacks on its head — especially its third eye — and limbs as they are easier to hit. You can use crit damage when striking the eye, which also causes the Boss to stagger.
- It’s better to stay close in front of the boss most of the time so that you can predict its attacks.
- The Boss’ moves usually take some time to land so if you pay attention and learn them, you can dodge or block them.
- If you summon a Spirit Ash in this battle, it’ll be greatly helpful to you in landing some heavy attacks. Rather than a melee Spirit Ash, try to summon a high-level ranged variety such as the Jellyfish which has more mobility for faster dodging. Summon them after you survive the first attack to avoid them getting one-shotted right in the beginning.
- Get as much Magic Resistance in your build as you can, as most of the Boss’ unavoidable attacks will inflict Magic damage. You may want to equip the Carian Knight’s Shield for this battle.
- The boss is fully immune to Frostbite, so don’t bother using any Frostbite abilities or items.
Astel Boss Moves
Teleport: Astel Boss in Elden Ring will teleport pretty frequently to keep you on your toes. You’ll know it’s about to teleport when a white orb of light appears above it and it slowly goes upwards to reach it. Its teleportation will cause AoE damage around the orb.
After this, it’ll either reappear in your sight or fly overhead to launch a deadly Grab attack, so be very careful if you don’t immediately see it reappearing. Sometimes it’ll also launch the Laser Beam attack or the Meteor Shower attack right after teleporting, both of which are hard to avoid.
Laser Beam: Astel Boss in Elden Ring will lift its head, close in its pincers, and create a bright purple orb. Then it gradually lowers the pincers and “nods” or “flinches” its head right before zapping you with a laser beam. You can’t outrun this laser, but you can both block it with a shield or dodge by rolling.
Tail and Pincer Attacks: The Boss will raise its tail in the air and either strike you or stab you with it, or click its pincers twice at a time to squish you between them. Roll around and reach the back of its head. So, when it clicks the first time, and the second hit will also miss. You can then use the opportunity to strike. Sometimes, you will notice the pincers are glowing, and this indicates an oncoming charged attack.
Grab Attack: As mentioned before, Astel Boss in Elden Ring will try to grab you with its arms. This deals a lot of damage. If you’re nearby, roll away right when it makes a hugging motion.
Gravity Swipe Attacks: These attacks involve the Boss lifting its hands with a purple orb in them and striking you in a swiping motion. The attacks leave a path of Magic that explodes, dealing additional damage.
Gravity Slam: This is one of the most damaging attacks, where you’ll float in the air for a few seconds and then get slammed into the ground. When you notice a bit of an electric charge around Astel and the area underneath it starts to emanate a white glow, run!
Meteor Shower: Once Astel’s health bar reaches around 60%, the Boss will start using its most powerful move. There will be countless portals in the sky above, and you will be peppered with meteors. The only way to dodge these is to run as far as possible from the boss. And then, try to roll away from meteors that are about to hit you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are the most frequently asked questions about Astel in Elden Ring.
Where to Find Astel Boss
The boss is located in the furthest corner of the Grand Cloister in the Lake of Rot.
First, you should travel to the underground Ainsel River and keep going forward from the Lake of Rot. Beyond the lake, you will find a temple named the Grand Cloister. Head inside to find a Site of Grace before finding the waterfall with a coffin beside it. If you go down inside the coffin you will find Astel.
Can I finish Elden Ring Without Defeating Astel?
You can finish the main story without encountering this boss. However, if you want to complete all endings, you will eventually need to beat this boss to reach Ranni’s ending. It’s recommended you take on this boss by following Ranni’s questline. As the area that will be unlocked after defeating Astel Boss in Elden Ring will only be accessible once you obtain the Dark Moon Ring from that questline.
