Okay, so I decided to tackle the “second dancing lion” in Elden Ring. I’d heard some chatter online about it being a bit different, a bit tougher, and I was ready for a challenge. I mean, I thought I was ready.
First thing I did was make sure my gear was up to snuff. I’d been rocking a pretty solid melee build, focusing on strength and endurance, with a bit of dexterity thrown in for good measure. My trusty weapon, a Greatsword, I made sure it was fully upgraded. I also checked my inventory for consumables. Plenty of healing flasks, some buffs for stamina and defense – check, check, and check.
Then I watched some videos of other players. Most guides are the same, but I just want to get some tips.
I went back to the game after I thought I got everything prepared.
Facing the Beast
I found the second dancing lion, It’s really annoying.
The fight itself? Man, it was a whirlwind. This thing was fast. Way faster than the first one I encountered. It had this new series of stomps and swipes that I hadn’t seen before. It’s relentless, and I found myself dodging and weaving constantly. I kept trying to get behind it, land a few hits, and then roll away before it could retaliate.
I burned through my healing flasks pretty quickly. I’m not gonna lie, I panicked a few times. There was this one moment where it chained together like three attacks in a row, and I barely managed to dodge the last one. My health bar was down to a sliver.
Adjusting My Strategy
It must have been five times? six times? I forget. My strategy clearly wasn’t working. I needed to change things up. I decided to switch to a lighter weapon, my Uchigatana. I figured the increased speed would help me get in more hits and dodge more effectively. I also decided to focus more on staggering the lion. I knew that if I could break its posture, I’d have a window to land some serious damage. And I started to really pay attention to its attack patterns. I mean really pay attention. I was looking for tells, little movements that would give away what it was about to do.
Victory! (Finally)
Back into the fray I went. The lighter weapon definitely helped. I was able to get in, land a few quick hits, and get out before it could counter. I also started to get the hang of its attack patterns. I could see when it was about to do its stomp combo, and I was ready to dodge. Slowly but surely, I started to wear it down.
Then, it happened. I landed a perfectly timed heavy attack right as it was recovering from a swipe. It staggered! I rushed in and unleashed a flurry of blows. I took a deep breath and delivered the final hit. It was done, that was exciting.
It took some serious trial and error, I had to adjust my strategy, and It needed to keep calm under pressure. But that is what I love about this game.
