The Grave Warden Duelist and Putrid Grave Warden Duelist are two notorious optional bosses in Elden Ring that leave quite the impression on the player, owing to their uniqueness and striking difficulty to beat. Both Grave Warden Duelists serve to protect the secrets of the ancients, but the corruption of the land has affected them, too.
Both Grave Warden Duelists are field bosses, with relatively similar visual features. The Grave Warden Duelist can be found roaming the Murkwater Catacombs, located in Limgrave. While the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist can be found in the Consecrated Snowfield Catacombs.
Grave Warden Duelist Overview
Hit Points:
Grave Warden Duelist will have 2,376 HP on your first playthrough.
Types of Damage:
Grave Warden Duelist deals major Stamina damage.
Weaknesses:
Grave Warden Duelist is weak to Slash damage.
Weapons:
Grave Warden Duelist wields two Battle Hammers and will often use his chain as a weapon for a long-range attack.
Parrying the boss:
All of Grave Warden Duelist’s overhead attacks can be parried, with a rather generous parry window that starts once the animation for the hammer swing is initiated.
Main Attack Pattern:
Grave Warden Dualist will primarily attack what’s in front of him, making his attacks rather predictable and easy to evade. He will alternate between a set number of hammer attacks that deal different amounts of damage.
Combos:
Throughout the fight, the Grave Warden Dualist will perform two different combos: a 3-Hit Combo and a 6-Hit Combo. Both are always followed by a jumping slam attack, so be wary of that.
Special Attacks:
- Chain Swing: Keeping out of the Grave Warden Duelist’s range will trigger this attack, where he extends the reach of his hammer by spinning it over his head with a chain and releasing it toward you.
- Choke Grab: The Grave Warden Duelist will randomly lunge toward you and grab you by the neck, dealing significant damage over a short period of time.
- Scream: While the Grave Warden Duelist doesn’t have a second phase, he will, at some point in the fight, let out a battle cry that strengthens his attacks for the duration of 30 seconds. It isn’t uncommon for the Grave Warden Duelist to perform this action more than once.
- Lunge: The distinctive aspect of this attack is that it locks onto your character, allowing the Grave Warden Duelist to follow your direction, making it much more difficult to evade.
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist Overview
Hit Points:
It is yet to be confirmed how much damage the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist can withstand. However, it can be stated without any doubt that it’s much more than its Limgrave counterpart.
Types of Damage:
Like his Limgrave equivalent, the Putrid Warden Dualist deals significant Stamina damage.
Weaknesses:
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist is weak to Bleed weapons and Magic and Fire damage.
Weapons:
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist wields a double-handed ax and will often use a ball chain for longer-range attacks. He will occasionally use Scarlet Rot, either by releasing a snake or by spewing it himself.
Parrying the boss:
While it is possible to parry most of Putrid Grave Warden Duelist’s attacks, it is highly unadvisable, as he constantly spams combos, making it difficult to consistently parry his attacks. Plus, it’s very demanding on your stamina.
Main Attack Pattern:
During the first phase, Putrid Grave Warden Duelist will alternate between three different attacks, with the odd special attack in between. As he enters the second phase, however, he will start to perform long-range attacks and vertical jump slams that deal devastating damage if they connect properly.
Combos:
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist will perform several variations of his ax attacks in quick succession, and will often follow it up with either a long-range attack using his ball chain, a kick, or a slam to the ground.
Special Attacks:
- Scarlet Rot Snake Grab: Putrid Grave Warden Duelist will try to catch you napping and randomly release a snake that inflicts Scarlet Rot.
- Scarlet Rot Spew: If caught in his line of sight, Putrid Grave Warden Duelist will spew a stream of Scarlet Rot directly in front of him.
- Stomp: If the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist senses you lurking behind or beside him, he will quickly react by stomping on the ground, creating a moderately large AoE around him.
Pre-fight Preparation
Grave Warden Duelist
Summon Spirit Ashes
While any spirit ash should suffice, we highly recommend Northern Mercenary ashes, as it can absorb much of the Grave Warden Duelist’s hits, as well as deal significant damage to him. You can get the Northern Mercenary ashes fairly early in the game by beating Erdtree Burial Watchdog, a mini-boss found in Cliffbottom Catacombs in the East Liurnia Region.
Caster should use Glinstone Pebbles
Assuming you are at Intelligence Level 11 at the very least, casting Glinstone Pebbles should make defeating the Grave Warden Duelist much easier. Just maintain your distance and spam the spell.
Melee Players Should Use Ash of War: Barricade Shield
Seeing as you’ll be in close quarters with the Grave Warden Duelist at nearly all times, a shield upgrade, such as Ash of War: Barricade Shield, could go a long way towards helping you defeat the Grave Warden Duelist.
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
Equip a Bleed Weapon
You should exploit Putrid Grave Warden Duelist’s weakness to Bleed Weapons by equipping one. Alternatively, if you have no Bleed Weapons, you can coat your weapon in Blood Grease for a similar effect.
Remove Unnecessary Items
You should remove any disposable heavy items in order to make your character as light and agile as possible, to be able to perform quick evasive rolls.
Summon Black Knife Tiche
Summoning a spirit should make this fight easier by distracting the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist and slowly chipping away at his health. Our choice of Black Knife Tiche is influenced by her agility, allowing her to dodge his sluggish attacks. That being said, you’re free to summon any spirit ash of your choice.
Level Up Before Entering the Boss Fight
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist is no easy boss to beat. He can withstand a lot of damage before succumbing to his injuries. It’s highly advised to reach at least level 80 before going toe to toe with him.
Casters Should Use Charged Spells
Spells such as Comet Azur and Meteorite can pack quite the punch with their heavy damage and extensive AoE, making them an invaluable asset in your battle with the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist.
Fight Strategy
Grave Warden Duelist
Melee Strategy
Don’t Stray Too Far from The Boss
Straying far from the Grave Warden Duelist will trigger his long-range chain attacks, which pack devastating damage. So, it’s best to stick close to the boss. Plus, as a melee player, you’ll need to constantly be in close quarters to inflict any damage.
Dodge Into Attacks
As a melee player, you’ll need to constantly seek to place yourself in an attacking position. Dodging into attacks will allow you to avoid getting hit while creating an opportunity for you to backstab the Grave Warden Duelist for a hefty hit.
Don’t Be Greedy
Once you find yourself in a striking position, deliver a good hit or two and retreat, as the Grave Warden Duelist can quickly retaliate.
Use Your Blocks Sparingly
You should alternate between blocking and dodging because the Grave Warden Duelist can easily wreak havoc on your stamina, leaving you vulnerable to attacks, with no way of safely evading them.
Roll Into Jump attacks
Once the Grave Warden Duelist leaps into the air, you should roll towards him, which will place you directly behind him, giving you ample time and space to execute a perfect backstab.
Be Wary of Grab Attacks
Keep an eye out for his right hand. If you notice the Grave Warden Duelist drop the hammer from his hand and start to wind up his arm, quickly roll back and get out of his range, as that signals the start of his choke grab attack.
Ranged Strategy
Keep Your Distance
There is no reason for you to keep a close distance between you and the Grave Warden Duelist. You should utilize your spells and projectiles from a distance, so as to avoid sustaining any damage.
React Quickly to The Boss’ Lunge Attacks
Since you’ll be a good distance away from the Grave Warden Duelist, he will attempt to catch you off guard by lunging at you. Good reaction times, paired with well-timed dodges, should allow you to avoid sustaining any damage.
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
Melee Strategy
Don’t Stray Too Far from The Boss
Straying far from the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist will trigger both his charging attacks and his extended chain attacks, which pack devastating damage. So, it’s best to stick close to the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist. Plus, as a melee player, you’ll need to be in close quarters at all times to inflict any damage.
Always Aim to Place Yourself Behind the Boss
You should try to dodge diagonally into the boss’ attacks in order to place yourself in a prime position for a backstab. It should be easy to telegraph the boss’ attacks, as they’re slow and predictable.
Ranged Strategy
Keep Your Distance
There is no reason for you to keep a close distance between you and the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist. You should utilize your spells and projectiles from a distance, so as to avoid sustaining any damage.
Be Prepared to Dodge the Boss’ Extended Chain Attacks
Since you’ll be keeping your distance from the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist, he’ll often try to catch you off guard by performing a long-range attack with his extended chain. You’ll need to be attentive and react quickly to his attacks, so as to avoid sustaining any damage.
Rewards
Grave Warden Duelist
Upon defeating the Grave Warden Duelist, you’ll be rewarded with 1,700 Runes on your first playthrough. You’ll also receive Banished Knight Engvall Ashes. This ash spirit should come in handy, especially early to mid-game.
Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
Upon defeating the Putrid Grave Warden Duelist, you’ll be awarded 80,000 Runes on your first playthrough. In addition, you’ll receive a Rotten Gravekeeper Cloak, a type of chest equipment weighing 6.3 Elden Ring weight units.
And finally, you’ll receive a Great Grave Glovewort, a type of Bolstering Material used to strengthen your spirit ashes by 10 additional points.
