Journeying through the mysterious and captivating realms of the DLC "Shadow of the Erdtree" in Elden Ring can reveal many local mysteries, intriguing encounters, and particularly, bosses. By defeating these bosses, you'll earn rewards that will make you stronger or simply test your skills in yet another battle.

Among the many secrets of this world lies the formidable boss, Scadutree Avatar – a giant sunflower-like creature. Since this boss is optional, players can easily miss it if they don't thoroughly explore the Land of Shadow. Although this boss isn't the toughest in Elden Ring, the encounter can be memorable, so players shouldn't skip this boss. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to find and defeat the Scadutree Avatar.

Scadutree Avatar location

The Scadutree Avatar is located in labyrinthine catacombs in the spectacular Land of Shadow. This boss is off the main path, which is why you might miss it. Therefore, always pay close attention to your surroundings and explore every nook and cranny in the game.

The first step in your journey to encounter Scadutree Avatar is to find it. The boss is located near the Tree-Worship Sanctum site of grace (where you can also find Marika's Rune), accessible through one of the many branching paths in the Shadow Keep. This boss is entirely optional, and the arena where you fight it contains nothing noteworthy except for the boss itself. This means you can bypass it initially and return later when you're more prepared.

The boss can be found at the Scadutree Base, accessible through the Sunken Chapel in the Shadow Keep’s Church. While you can take on this boss as soon as you enter the eastern part of Shadow Keep, it’s better to leave this fight for later.

Equipment Before Facing Scadutree Avatar

Firstly, it’s important to prepare well for the battle with the boss. As mentioned earlier, Scadutree Avatar isn’t the toughest boss, but it has several powerful attacks that can be fatal for your character, so having defensive items and enough flasks will be useful.

Scadutree Avatar has a few phases but a relatively small health pool, making it not too difficult depending on your gear. You can summon Erdtree's Spirit Ashes to help lengthen the fight by distracting the boss while you attack, but this isn't strictly necessary, as it can be managed solo.

Melee or hybrid build characters perform well in this encounter. With the right gear, you can boost your survivability against deadly attacks, and when the boss exposes its head, you can deal the most damage up close. The boss is quite weak to fire and magic damage, so using these elements can also give you an advantage.

However, note that Scadutree Avatar's attacks cannot be parried, and you cannot stagger it, but it can be stunned and punished at the end of each phase. Be prepared for the boss to inflict a bleed status effect on you, which can cause significant damage when the debuff meter is high. Having Stanching Boluses consumables and the Bestial Constitution spell or the Lord’s Aid incantation can help manage this issue, giving you extra durability in the fight.

When choosing a weapon, consider equipment that can exploit the boss's weaknesses. An ideal choice is a ranged build that allows you to use magic or fire projectiles aimed at the creature’s head, which can help deal extra damage when the boss’s head is too high for melee attacks.

The Blasphemous Blade is an excellent choice for dealing significant fire damage up close, especially when combined with the Shard of Alexander Talisman, which boosts your weapon’s power. Since Scadutree Avatar uses fire-based attacks, it’s useful to have a talisman that increases your fire resistance, such as the Flamedrake Talisman +3. To counter bleed damage, equip any armor and talismans that provide protection against this effect.

First Phase of the Battle with Scadutree Avatar

Now let’s break down the fight itself. Scadutree Avatar has three phases, each with its unique attacks, and you’ll need to adapt to the changing enemy moveset.

In the first phase, the boss mainly uses area-of-effect (AoE) attacks. As soon as you enter the arena, it may slam its hands into the ground, sending thorny branches toward you. Of course, you’ll need to dodge this attack, but initially, you might not manage this successfully. It’s best to stay close to the boss, as it can also lower its head to crush you, which you can dodge by rolling to the side and then making a few attacks. The boss can also swipe its arms one or two times in a row, which also requires you to dodge to the side to avoid the hit.

When Scadutree Avatar summons its thorns from the ground, you should immediately run to areas of the ground without pools, from where the thorns begin to sprout. If you don’t, you’ll take damage. After this, Scadutree Avatar will start launching numerous thorns at you, charging up a special attack that you won't miss. Once the thorns get too close, simply roll to the side.

Second Phase of the Battle with Scadutree Avatar

Once you kill Scadutree Avatar, it will respawn, and the fight will transition to the second and more aggressive phase. At the beginning of this stage, it will start to run towards you three times in a row, which you can dodge with simple rolls, like most enemy attacks or with a shield that blocks 100% of physical damage.

When you stand far away, it will again start sending homing thorn beams. To dodge them, wait until the beams get close and then roll in any direction. Watch out for the boss moving around the arena using its arms, and dodge to the side to avoid its head.

Third Phase of the Battle with Scadutree Avatar

The third phase of the fight occurs after you kill the boss a second time, and it’s supposed to be the "hardest", but this is very relative. Scadutree Avatar charges up with energy, resulting in a beam burst that hits the entire arena.

To dodge this attack, just roll again, timing it right when the explosion animation happens. When hitting the boss a third time, you’ll notice you’re dealing more damage to Scadutree Avatar. You won’t see any new unique attacks in this phase. When the boss’s health reaches zero, finish it off by attacking its head; otherwise, the boss will revive and you’ll continue the fight.

So, to achieve a final victory over Scadutree Avatar, you need to defeat it three times. Each time you reduce its health to zero, the boss falls as if stunned, giving you the chance to perform a critical strike, which reduces its health for the next phase.

After defeating Scadutree Avatar, you’ll receive 260,000 runes and the Remembrance of the Shadow Sunflower, which you can take to the Finger Reader in the Roundtable Hold. Additionally, it drops Miquella’s Great Rune, which may come in handy in the final boss fight.

Tips for Battling Scadutree Avatar

Scadutree Avatar isn’t as aggressive and dangerous as some other bosses, but its attacks deal significant damage and can sometimes be annoying. Most attacks can be avoided by the good old rolls, which are a hallmark of this game, as well as most souls-like games.

• The fight is divided into three phases. In the first phase, the boss usually stands still and uses fewer attacks. It takes more damage and can be easily stunned with colossal weapons.

• In the second phase, the boss becomes more resilient and aggressive. To avoid its thorns, simply roll at the right time, and to escape the thorns that sprout from the ground en masse, stand on a safe patch of ground.

• Stay close to the lower part of the boss's body to inflict constant damage, but be ready to roll when it moves.

• If you have enough healing flasks, you should be able to handle the boss, no matter how hard its blows may be.

• After killing the boss in each phase, finish it off by attacking the head to reduce its health in the next phase.

By following these strategies and understanding the boss’s moves, you can easily defeat Scadutree Avatar and enjoy the rewards it drops, which will be a bonus for your next encounters with other bosses.

Journeying through the lands of the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is filled with many interesting and hidden bosses, whose battles will provide you with an interesting experience. Destroying them will give you additional resources that you can use later in the game.