Dark Souls 2 veterans probably have painful memories of the “Gank Squad” from one of the DLCs, in which a fearsome trio of notable NPCs acted as bosses. FromSoftware is doing it again in an improved version with Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, in a fight that can be quite easy, or on the contrary, horribly difficult, depending on your previous choices.
Variable boss difficulty
It’s already too late if you’re already ahead of Leda and her allies, but if you’ve anticipated things, or are preparing your next game, the following should be of great interest to you. The number and identity of the enemies you’ll face, as well as your possible allies, depend entirely on the quests completed in the DLC. Not all possibilities are known yet, this guide is intended to be updated in the future, but you may find yourself somewhere between the following two extremes:
- 6 to 7 companions gathered in front of youwhile having no allies on your side. Which potentially makes it an extremely difficult fight. Trying to reach the end of the DLC as quickly as possible, ignoring everything else can lead to this situation.
- Leda and Dane, facing you and 2 allies. In this case, the fight is of trivial difficulty.
You will probably encounter an intermediate difficulty, unless you have deliberately sought to obtain a specific result.
Impact of quests and choices on the boss
Not all variations of the fight are known yet, but here is a fairly comprehensive list of choices to make to make the fight more or less easy:
- Leda and Dane Mortefeuille: They are still present, and nothing can be done to stop them as far as we know. It is possible that helping Leda kill the Kerastian and Ansbach will have an effect, but this is not yet confirmed.
- Moore: Answer him “Stay sad forever.” in one of his dialogues, causes his early death, and therefore his absence during this fight.
- Freyja: Failure to complete her quest with Ansbach causes her to leave, and thus miss the fight.
- The Kerastian: Killing him with Leda, or helping him accomplish his revenge causes his absence. In the latter case, he might even be available as an ally, but this is to be confirmed.
- Ansbach: He is available as an ally in this fight if you give him the secret ritual scroll. He is absent if you kill him with Leda’s help. We do not know if he can be part of the opponents by ignoring these two quests, but it seems to be a possibility.
- Thiollier: He is a second potential ally by completing his quest with Saint Trina to the end. If he simply traveled south and you killed the Putrid Knight, he is absent. He can potentially assist Leda and her allies if you do not progress at all in his quests, but this is also to be confirmed.
Preparations
Aside from quest management, there are a few last-minute preparations you can make to tip the balance:
- A spirit summon is available. More than ever, the Mimic will be your faithful ally in this fight, since it will be able to occupy one or more enemies for a while. Its DPS will also make all the difference.
- All enemies deal primarily physical damage. There are a few offensive spells in the mix, but they are secondary.
- Regeneration bonuses via equipment and consumables are not too much in this fight.
- If Moore is present, have some Immunizing Pellets ready to dispel the Scarlet Rot.
Strategy
You can consider this boss to be composed of red invaders, with all that this implies in terms of AI behavior.
Not all enemies arrive at the same time, otherwise the fight would have been almost impossible to win. If you have a lot of opponents, consider this a DPS check. You need to kill each enemy as quickly as possible, before the next one arrives. You can absolutely end up with 3 enemies at the same time on the backwhich is pretty much a death sentence without an ally to distract them.
The order of appearance that we have been able to confirm is as follows: Freyja > Kerastien > Moore > Dane and Leda always arrive at the end and at the same time, if that does not increase the number of enemies above 3.
Each opponent hasonly one healing potioncapable of restoring all their health. Interrupting its consumption is a great way to kill it by surprise and gain the advantage. They have a lot of health.
If you are being chased by two enemies at the same time, pass near one of your allies (if any) to try to pass the buck, by regaining aggro. Ansbach is capable of defeating anyone solo, and even 2 against 1, he does well. No need to worry about him, you will certainly die before him or Thiollier.
Freyja, Knight of the Red Lion
A classic greatsword and shield user. She is particularly fond of jumping attacks, as well as the Wild Lion’s Claw skill, which causes her weapon to leap forward twice in a row. She always wields her sword in two hands before using it.
When holding her shield, she can use an area shock skill in front of her.
If you keep your distance, she throws pots of flame at you.
She is by far the easiest opponent to kill, since her hits are wide and easy to see coming. She also has no special abilities. Her high health and armor simply make her a more tenacious opponent than average.
The Kerastian
With his upside-down swords, charges, quick combos that apply bleeding, and his swarm of black flames, the Kerastian is a dangerous opponent. He is difficult to face cleanly, without getting hit. He can easily create a deadly combo in cooperation with Freyja.
Fortunately, he is also extremely fragile, making him a priority to kill. You can use his Black Flames incantation to quickly attack him. The spell tends to still trigger, however.
Moore
Far from being a simple, obese, whiny merchant, Moore is a horribly tough tank, with a ton of health and armor. If you melee him, he will block you with his shield, before unleashing a counterattack capable of instantly killing many characters.
If you keep your distance, he’ll throw Giant Pots of Scarlet Rot. It’s a bit of a pain, but it’s easy enough to deal with with a roll. In the worst case scenario, use an Immune Pellet. If you’re affected by the rot without realizing it, your health will quickly melt away.
Unless you’re playing a specialized spellcaster, it’s impossible to kill Moore quickly. Since Dane and Leda are about to arrive, it’s best to spare him and save him for the end, when all his friends are dead! He’ll have reasons to be sad forever. Kill him by attrition, sandwiching him with an ally, without taking any risks.
Dane Mortefeuille
This warrior monk is probably the most dangerous enemy in this fight when you try to flee. If you leave him alone, he will use a powerful area healing spell on all his allies, before sending you disks of light. Then, he will pursue you relentlessly, bombarding you with rapid blows, very difficult to dodge.
Your best chance of winning is to keep Leda and Moore busy, along with one of your allies, while you kill Dane quickly. If you can manage to duel him, it should go quickly either way, since he has little health and fights aggressively. Be wary of his shockwave and kicks.
If you are in range, you can take advantage of the healing spell he initially casts upon entering the area to try to take the initiative, and kill him quickly.
Leda, Knight of the Needle
Finally, Leda probably has the most fearsome single attack in the fight. She can quickly summon a series of swords that will pierce your position. This ability activates very quickly, the damage is immense, and she abuses it. Always be ready to dodge immediately after an attack. Your goal is to make Leda flinch in a loop, or even knock her to the ground, so that you can attack her more aggressively.
Leda also has normal rapier attacks. Her thrusting attacks are particularly formidable, with great range and damage. Fortunately, she is not too strong.
Awards
Leda’s sword is obtained immediately, and her special breastplate afterwards. You then return to Enir Ilim, with all the corpses of your victims scattered around the room. You will obtain their respective armor sets, weapons, and other notable items. This makes this by far the most profitable fight in the game, in terms of pure quantity.
There is no need to worry about the equipment of your potential allies, you will obtain it later. For the moment, they have some words to exchange, before helping you on the final boss. Prepare yourself to suffer.
