Elden Ring has plenty of unique and challenging bosses you’ll face along your journey, and one of them is Starscourge Radahn. This demigod is a formidable foe with many ranged and melee attacks capable of dealing incredible damage if you aren’t prepared.
With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on the way, Elden Ring players will need to take down Radahn to unlock access the new content, but it can be tricky to reach the boss if you’ve never done it before.
Before you can challenge Radahn, you need to trigger the Radahn Festival. Doing this isn’t exactly straightforward, but if you know where to go, you can do it quickly.
How to start the Radahn Festival in Elden Ring
Starting the Radahn festival isn’t as simple as it may seem. In fact, there are two ways to do it: Reach Altus Plateau, or progress Ranni the Witch’s questline far enough until you learn the secrets of Nokron.
I suggest using the Altus Plateau method, as you’ll naturally reach the region as you proceed through the game. But if you’re pursuing Ranni’s quest anyway, it might be the quicker method of the two.
Reach Altus Plateau
There are two ways to get to Altus Plateau: Use the Grand Lift of Dectus in the northern portion of Liunia of the Lakes, or ascend by foot through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice at the bottom of the valley. The lift is the path of least resistance, but you’ll need both halves of the Dectus Medallion to activate it. You don’t need the medallion to access Altus Plateau through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, but you’ll need to fight a Magma Wyrm boss, which can be challenging for new characters.
The right half of the Dectus Medallion is in a chest up a ladder in Fort Faroth, in Caelid. The left half is in Fort Haight, in the east of Mistwood in Limgrave.
Once you’ve collected both halves and activated The Grand Lift of Dectus, or reached Altus Plateau through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, head back to Redmane Castle, which you’ll be able to reach via a teleporter at the Impassable Greatbridge.
Then, head through the castle until you encounter NPCs gathered in a courtyard. Continue up the stairs and speak to Witch-Hunter Jerren overlooking the courtyard to begin the Radahn Festival. Afterward, you’ll be able to proceed through the building ahead to reach the boss.
Progress through Ranni’s questline
You can start Ranni’s questline after clearing Caria Manor. The area in the top left of Liurnia is home to Ranni’s Rise, and inside you can meet and choose to serve Ranni. Next, speak to the NPC spirits that appear, then start the questline that takes you to Siofra River via the well in the Mistwood (in Limgrave).
Head east through the underground zone until you find Blaidd overlooking a ledge. Speak to him and exhaust his dialog, then head to Seluvis’s tower, south of Ranni’s Rise. Speak to Seluvis about Nokron and follow his instructions to find Sellen near the Waypoint Ruins. You’ll need to take out a boss underground before speaking to Sellen, but it’s fairly easy.
Return to Blaidd and speak to him about fighting Radahn, then venture to Redmane Castle courtyard. You’ll now be able to head upstairs and speak to Witch-Hunter Jerren to begin the Radahn festival and finally battle Starscourge Radahn.
