The Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign’s The Forsaken Hollows DLC is a spectacular nightmare wrapped in traditional lion dance aesthetics. This Night Boss appears at the end of Day 2 during Dreglord’s expedition, and its constant elemental phase shifts make it one of the most challenging early encounters. Here’s everything you need to master this chaotic fight.
Table of Contents
Elden Ring Nightreign Boss Overview: Know Your Enemy
| Boss Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Boss Type | Night Boss (Day 2) |
| Location | Dreglord Expedition (Night 2) |
| DLC Required | The Forsaken Hollows |
| Recommended Level | 12 (Standard Difficulty) |
| Elemental Phases | Lightning, Frost, Wind, Neutral |
| Main Weakness | Fire Damage, Scarlet Rot, Bleed |
| Key Strategy | Target the back, avoid the head |
The Golden Rule: Stay Behind, Not in Front
The Dancing Lion’s most dangerous attacks come from its head, where lingering hitboxes create death traps during frost and wind phases. Your primary goal throughout this fight is positioning yourself toward the rear of the boss. While the camera control becomes trickier when fighting unlocked, this approach lets melee players chip away safely at the lion’s vulnerable back.
When the boss performs its signature backflip, immediately create distance—the landing can devastate anyone caught behind it. According to Fextralife’s Nightreign Wiki, this positioning strategy significantly reduces damage taken throughout the encounter.
Elemental Phase Survival Guide
Lightning Phase – The Patience Test When the arena fills with glowing strike markers, resist the urge to attack. This phase prioritizes dodging over damage output. The ground indicators show exactly where lightning will strike—keep moving and don’t commit to attacks until the barrage ends. The lion can also fire lightning from its mouth followed by a full arena spin; time your dodge roll at the animation’s end to avoid damage.
Frost Phase – Jump Attack Opportunities Watch for the Divine Beast Frost Stomp, where the lion raises its right foot before slamming down. As soon as you see the foot lift, back away immediately. Once ice shards erupt, you can punish with jumping attacks or perfectly timed dodges to land hits if you’re close enough.
Wind Phase – Easiest to Handle When the tornado charge begins, create distance immediately and strafe to one side. Dodge at the last second as the tornado approaches to avoid being knocked down. The wind gust can push you back even from a distance, so maintain spacing during this attack.
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Optimal Team Strategy for Co-op
The Dancing Lion’s design favors coordinated teamwork. Have a ranged player draw aggro from the front while melee fighters focus on the back. This tactic exploits the boss’s frontal attack patterns and allows sustained damage output. The human-in-lion-costume design means the back remains a consistently vulnerable target throughout all phases.
Combat Tips That Make the Difference
Weapons and Build Recommendations:
- Pierce damage weapons (Heavy Thrusting Swords, Great Spears) deal exceptional damage
- Fire-infused weapons like Blasphemous Blade exploit elemental weakness
- Status effect builds using Scarlet Rot or Bleed prove highly effective
Critical Don’ts:
- Never challenge the head directly during frost or wind phases
- Don’t commit to attacks during the lightning strike phase
- Avoid getting greedy when the boss rears up for its circular breath attack—it looks like an opening but it’s a trap
Phase Recognition: The boss cycles through neutral, lightning, frost, and wind forms throughout the fight. Study the spinning breath attacks that appear across all phases—the lion spins three times while breathing in an arc. Learning these patterns is essential for consistent success.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s the best way to handle the Divine Beast Dancing Lion’s spinning breath attacks?
The spinning breath attacks appear in nearly every phase and involve the lion spinning three times while releasing breath in an arc. The safest approach is to unlock your camera and position yourself behind the boss, creating space during the wind-up animation. Don’t try to dodge through the attack unless you’ve practiced the timing extensively—instead, create distance and wait for the combo to finish. The head carries most of the danger during these attacks, so staying near the rear eliminates much of the risk. Once the spinning ends, you’ll have a brief window to land 2-3 hits before the next attack begins.
Q: Should I fight the Divine Beast Dancing Lion solo or with a team in Nightreign?
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is significantly easier with a coordinated team in Nightreign’s co-op mode. The boss’s design favors having ranged players draw frontal aggro while melee fighters attack from behind, exploiting its vulnerable back. Solo players must manage all elemental phases and positioning challenges alone, which becomes overwhelming during the lightning phase when the arena fills with strike markers. If attempting solo, prioritize defensive play during elemental transitions and focus on learning the boss’s attack patterns rather than aggressive damage output. For first-time encounters, team play is strongly recommended—the fight is about positioning and patience rather than raw damage output.
