How to defeat Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign is one of the most chaotic Night Boss encounters introduced with The Forsaken Hollows DLC. It looks wild at first glance, a towering lion costume hiding a human form beneath, and its constant elemental phase shifts make the fight feel overwhelming.

That said, its patterns are readable once you know where to stand and which attacks are worth punishing. Here’s how to unlock and defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign.

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Where to find Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign

Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign is exclusive to The Forsaken Hollows DLC, so the boss will not appear if the DLC isn’t installed. It shows up as one of the possible Night Bosses at the end of the second night during Dreglord’s expedition.

For a fair but manageable experience, Level 12 is the recommended level (Image via FromSoftware || YouTube/@MACandCRACK)

You don’t need to manually unlock it, but you won’t see it outside that Night 2 boss pool.

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How to beat Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign cycles through several elemental phases: neutral, lightning, frost, wind, and more. The safest rule throughout the fight is simple: do not challenge its head unless you absolutely have to. Most of the dangerous lingering hitboxes appear around the lion’s face, especially during frost and wind phases.

Duel with Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign (Image via FromSoftware || YouTube/@MACandCRACK)

Staying toward the rear lets you chip away safely, but you still need to watch for backflips. When the lion flips, create distance immediately since the landing can hit anyone behind it.

Understanding the spinning breath and barrel roll attacks

Across nearly every phase, the Dancing Lion uses variations of its spinning breath attacks. From a neutral stance, it spins three times while breathing in an arc.

The trick here is patience. The breath is jumpable, and the final rotation is the safest punishment window. Strafe away from the early spins, time a jump through the breath, and punish after the last rotation.

Most phases, except wind, add three explosions before transitioning into the spinning breath. You can either:

• Outrun the entire sequence (all phases except wind), or
• Punish the first lunge if the phase lacks extra elemental hitboxes

Wind phase is the exception. The second wind lunge will always catch you, so don’t try to outrun it.

Dealing with the double lunge

One of the most common wipe attacks is the quick double lunge. If you roll backwards and you might clipped twice. Instead, roll past the lion’s head on the first lunge. This causes the second lunge to overshoot entirely, giving you a clean opening to hit its back.

Because the head carries most of the danger, it is safer to fight locked off so they can position freely behind the boss, even though it makes camera control harder.

Managing elemental phases and lightning attacks

During the lightning phase, the arena fills with strike markers across the ground. This is not a damage phase.

This fight is less about raw damage and more about positioning, patience, and knowing when not to swing (Image via FromSoftware || YouTube/@MACandCRACK)

Focus on dodging until the lightning ends. The glowing spots on the floor show exactly where the strikes will land. Stay moving and don’t commit to attacks here.

The lion can also fire lightning from its mouth and follow it with a full spin across the arena. Time a dodge roll at the very end of the animation, right before the hit connects, to avoid damage.

Team positioning and aggro control

Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Elden Ring Nightreign mostly attacks from the front. Ideally, one player, preferably ranged, keeps its attention. Melee players should stay behind and focus on its large back hitbox.

If you’re behind the boss:

• Back away when it backflips
• Re-engage after spins and breath attacks
• Save stamina for dodging, not chasing

This keeps the fight controlled instead of frantic and will let you win the battle.

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If this article is to your liking, you can check other Elden Ring Nightreign content below:

• How to complete Scholar's Remembrance in Elden Ring Nightreign
• All bosses in Elden Ring Nightreign
• Best PC Optimization Guide for Elden Ring Nightreign