Elden Ring: How to Find and Beat Mohg

You can't start Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree until you've found and beaten Mohg, Lord of Blood. Here's how to do it.

Mohg
Photo: Bandai Namco

We now know that you’ll need to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood in order to access Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. We also now know that the vast majority of Elden Ring players have not yet beaten that boss. That will obviously soon be a big problem for many fans.

While Mohg is a tough fight, the biggest reason that most people haven’t beaten him is that he’s an optional boss hidden beneath several layers of secrets. So, if you haven’t yet crossed him off your Elden Ring checklist, here’s how to do it:

Elden Ring: What Level Should You Be At When You Fight Mohg?

It’s generally recommended that you reach Level 100 or higher before fighting Mohg. That level should afford you the stats you need to employ some of the strategies we’ll discuss. More importantly, it’s unlikely that you’ll even be able to reach Mohg before around that point in the game through the course of normal play.

However, if you haven’t beaten Mohg yet, I recommend reaching Level 150 before you try to do so. Why? Well, that’s the level you’ll probably want to be at before you start Shadow of the Erdtree, so you might as well hit it before the DLC drops.

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Elden Ring: How to Find Mohg

You can find Mohg in the underground area conveniently known as Mohgwyn Palace. To get to Mohgwyn Palace, you first need to unlock the Consecrated Snowfield area by collecting the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right) and Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left) items.

The Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right) item is found in the Village of the Albinaurics in the southwest region of Liurnia. It’s an optional location, but you’ll find it here on the map:

Village of the Albinaurics location Elden Ring

Once there, you should be able to spot a Site of Grace near the entrance. From there, head East and look for a cliff wall. Along that wall is a small path leading upward. Follow that path and you’ll come across a jar. Strike the jar, and you’ll find a character hiding inside. Speak to them, and they will give you this half of the medallion.

The Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left) item is found in Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants area. To get there, you’ll need to defeat Morgott the Omen King. Rest at a Site of Grace after that fight, and you’ll receive the Rold Medallion. That will allow you to activate the Grand Lift of Rold which will take you to the Mountaintops of the Giants area. Here’s where you’ll find the Grand Lift of Rold:

Grand Lift of Rold Elden Ring

From there, getting to Castle Sol is as easy as following the Sites of Grace markers on your map. If you need help, though, here’s where you’ll find it:

Castle Sol location Elden Ring

Once you’re there, you’ll need to proceed through the castle until you reach the boss of the area, Commander Niall. It will not be an easy fight. In fact, it’s one of the hardest boss fights in Elden Ring. Once you defeat him, though, proceed through the recently opened area until you reach an elevator. Head up the elevator, up the nearby set of stairs, and you’ll find a ghostly figure sitting next to this piece of the medallion. 

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Once you have the two pieces of the medallion, go back to the Grand Lift of Rold. This time, though, choose to use the Haligtree Secret Medallion (referred to by the game as the “Secret Medallion” at this point) to activate the lift.

Once you’ve done so, you’ll find yourself in the Consecrated Snowfield area. From there, ride north until you reach this area:

Mohg Portal location Eldne Ring

Near that location, you will find a portal that will take you to Mohgwyn Palace. Getting to Mohg from there is actually a relatively straightforward process that requires you to follow the most logical path forward. Ultimately, you’re trying to reach this area of the map:

Mohg Location Elden Ring

Once you’re there, though, you will need to defeat Mohg. This is where things can get tricky. 

Elden Ring: How to Defeat Mohg

Mohg can be a nightmare of a boss fight. Thankfully, those who need to do some quick leveling before taking him on will find the best rune-farming spot in Elden Ring incredibly close to Mohg’s boss arena.

In his first phase, Mohg will bounce around the arena and unleash some powerful (but slow) strikes. These should be relatively easy to avoid at this point in the game, but just know that many of those blows often inflict a devastating combination of Fire and Bleed damage. If you can make yourself more resistant to either effect without compromising your core strategy, be sure to do so. 

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Manage to whittle Mohg’s health down to around the halfway mark, and he’ll trigger a kind of super move. The damage inflicted during this time cannot be avoided via traditional means and results in Mohg hitting you with three devastating strikes. If these strikes do not manage to kill you (a likely outcome), they will leave you severely wounded and heal Mohg in the process. It’s the part of this fight that makes it so infamously difficult.

Survive that onslaught, and you’ll trigger the second phase of this fight. Phase 2 Mohg is stronger and quicker than he was before, but the real nightmare here is the blood and fire AoE spells he periodically unleashes. That attack turns most of the arena into a death zone and makes it incredibly difficult to get in close enough to unleash sustained melee strikes. Generally speaking, though, any strikes that Mohg lands during this phase will be especially devastating given the combination of status effects that are probably inflicted on you at this point. 

Beyond the usual things you can do to survive Elden Ring‘s toughest fights, here are a few things you can do to make the battle against Mohg at least a little easier.:

  • You can use an item called Mohg’s Shackle to essentially bind Mohg and stick him in one place during the first phase of the fight. It’s nice if you can get it, but it only works during the first phase of the fight, which isn’t nearly as difficult. You don’t have to go out of your way for it if you don’t want it, but it certainly makes things easier.
  • What’s far more useful is the Purifying Crystal Tear. This item largely negates the effects of the super attack that Mohg triggers between phases of his fights. You’ll still take damage but not nearly as much. It not only makes it easier (or possible) to survive those attacks but it allows you to get in some cheap hits during that phase shift since you’re able to stand your ground. Unless you are just a god by the time you fight Mohg, I highly recommend getting this item.
  • If you don’t have that Tear, you can heal through that transition phase and continue fighting as normal. Again, though, your stats will have to be incredibly impressive at that point in the game to withstand that damage long enough to heal yourself (or protect yourself from it outright). That’s why the Tear is generally recommended if not strictly necessary.
  • Strangely, Mohg is extremely susceptible to Bleed damage. If you have a Bleed-focused melee build, you’ll fare much better than other melee players. He is, however, resistant to Fire damage, so don’t think about trying that.
  • If you don’t have a good Bleed build available and you’re taking on Mohg as a melee player, you’ll want to be as mobile as possible. In general, mobility is king during this fight. You won’t be able to tank a lot of hits during this battle unless your resistance and Vigor are absurd, so you’ve got to be able to dodge most of Mohg’s strikes (especially when it comes time to avoid those AoE blasts.
  • Unsurprisingly, an upgraded Mimic Tear can carry you through much of this battle. The tear works best if its dealing Bleed or Cold damage, but just using it to distract Mohg is invaluable given how many of his early attacks are quite slow and leave him vulnerable to follow-ups. 
  • Magic users will have a much easier time during this fight. In fact, you can use the Night Comet or Comet Azur builds to effectively one-shot Mohg before the fight really begins. It’s even possible to kill him without triggering that second phase if you deal damage fast enough. 

Once you have defeated Mohg, you will receive Mohg’s Great Rune, Remembrance of the Blood Lord, and, most importantly, access to the portal that will eventually let you begin your Shadow of the Erdtree adventure.