Elden Ring Fire Giant Boss guide: How to beat the Fire Giant

Update: Elden Ring has had plenty of updates, so we've updated this Elden Ring Fire Giant boss fight guide to reflect any changes made to the game. There's also some new tips and tricks for taking on this huge foe.

You’re near the climax of your journey in Elden Ring. Depending on how long it took you to get here, you’re about to embark on the final leg of the journey to mend the titular Elden Ring. Alas, there is Fire Giant sized obstacle in the way.

Before you can conclude your time in The Lands Between, you need to take care of one major obstacle standing between you and the Forge of the Giants: the Fire Giant. He’s essentially the guardian of the Forge, and though his fight is not mechanically challenging, it is long. In this Elden Ring Fire Giant boss guide, we'll tell you if you need to fight it, how to beat it, and what to do after you've beaten it.

• When should you fight the Fire Giant in Elden Ring?
• How to make the Fire Giant boss fight easier in Elden Ring
• How to beat the Fire Giant in Elden Ring
• Is the Fire Giant in Elden Ring a mandatory boss fight?
• What to do after beating the Fire Giant in Elden Ring

When should you fight the Fire Giant in Elden Ring?

The Fire Giant cannot be fought until you’ve unlocked the Mountaintops of the Giants area of Elden Ring, which you can access after defeating Morgott, the Omen King.

Unlike him, the Fire Giant is not a Shardbearer. He is also a boss you cannot skip. Considering how challenging the Mountaintops of the Giants zone is in general, you should spend a little bit of time exploring it and powering up your weapon and overall level to stand a better chance at taking down the Fire Giant.

We suggest going into the fight with a level 110-115 character, using a weapon at upgrade level +18/+19.

How to make the Fire Giant boss fight easier in Elden Ring

The Fire Giant boss fight is not actually hard, considering where he falls in the game. It is, however, arduous thanks to the boss’ massive health pool. If you have a Rune Arc, use it before you enter the arena, just so you can up your chances of surviving his hits.

We’ve not found the Fire Giant to be sensitive to any particular type of elemental damage, so your choice of Spirit Ash summon will depend on your build. Generally, ranged spirits will do better against him. Melee-based spirits will spend most of the fight running to reach him, given the gigantic arena where the fight takes place – so they’re fairly useless.

How to beat the Fire Giant in Elden Ring

The main problem you’re going to run into in this fight is the Fire Giant’s sheer scale. It’s going to be hard for you to effectively track him, which will make the process of dodging his attacks require a bit of guesswork.

What you should do is lock onto his left foot when you’re close, and switch to his chest when you’re at a distance. This will ensure he remains – mostly – in the frame, letting you anticipate his different attacks.

It’s worth noting that you can get on the back of your horse during this fight, which, as we’re about to explain, can be crucial. Don’t bother bringing a shield, so you may as well maximise your damage output by two-handing your weapon.

It helps to think of the Fire Giant as a normal humanoid boss running in slow motion. It takes longer for him to do basic moves, given his size, so use that to your advantage and don’t roll early.

While the Fire Giant’s super armour can be broken, there’s no way to do a critical attack, so use the opportunity to deal damage instead.

Fire Giant boss fight phase one: Attack the Giant's leg

The first phase is the hardest of the two, believe it or not. Get on the horse as soon as you go through the mist gate and dismount only when you reach him. You should otherwise avoid staying on horseback for this phase.

The one attack you’ll have to watch out for as you’re making your way through to him is one where he’ll stick his saucer into the ground and drag it across to shovel a volley of debris and ice towards you, which will knock you off your horse.

This attack is easy to anticipate, because he almost always opens the fight with it – particularly if you’re approaching him on horseback. Simply jump or double jump through it and the i-frames will save you. Do not sprint on the horse, as your first instinct will likely be dodge (same button).

Once you’re close enough, lock onto his left foot (the one with red hair and a splint on it) and start attacking. The boss will kneel down once enough damage has been done to that leg, at which point the threads over it will disappear. Take this opportunity to land a few more hits before he gets back up. When he does, lock onto the same leg again – you cannot lock onto the other one.

In this phase, the Fire Giant has a tendency to roll to his left (and sometimes to the front towards you), which will almost assuredly kill you if you’re on the wrong side of that. A simple roll will save you, even if you roll into him. This is actually part of what makes this fight exhausting, because every time he does that, he’s going to create some distance, and you’ll be spending a few seconds trying to get close to him again.

The saucer is also used in another attack that starts with a frontal slam, followed up by a swipe from right to left (his left to right). They’re slow and easy to avoid.

When the red threads on his left leg break and the splint comes off, the Fire Giant will gain a few more attacks. First, he’s going to reach into his abdomen and pull out a roaming fireball, which will track you for a while before it explodes. We recommend baiting the explosion early by getting close and rolling away as soon as you see it about to detonate. You can choose to stay away until it explodes on its own, but that will make the fight even longer.

One other move you have to watch out for is a fire throw, which you can dodge to avoid. It has a faster casting animation, and you’ll see him open his palm towards you before he does it. Equpping gear or Talismans that aid with your fire damage negation will be helpful here, but they are not at all vital to beating this oaf of a boss.

Finally, the boss will occasionally slam his saucer into the ground to produce a well of fire around him, which will probably catch you if you’re behind him or at his sides. When you see him about to slam the ground, roll away to avoid the coming fire sprouts and don’t get close until the attack is over. He can summon the same well of fire by slamming his hand to the ground, too.

You can actually sort of hide under his left foot to avoid the fire (and keep attacking him), but it’s risky. Only do this if you’ve done the fight a few times and know the exact safe spot.

Outside of that, he tends to alternate between stomping his right and left foot when you get too close. These are also fairly well-telegraphed. You’ll see him raise his foot and bring it down it a second or so later. Time your dodge to avoid taking damage as it lands.

Generally speaking, watching the movement of the braids around his waist will help you intuit which attack he’s about to do in this phase. For instance, they lower to the ground as he begins the wind-up (crouches) for his roll.

Fire Giant boss fight phase two: Dodge fire attacks and attack the Giant from behind

The Fire Giant is now on his knees, and that’s how he’s going to remain for the rest of this phase. He starts off phase two by placing both of his palms to the ground to create wells of fire around him. Stay away and use this opportunity to get back on your horse, which you should try to stay on in the second phase.

He’ll also lean back and send hails of fiery rocks out of his chest in a random pattern. Keep moving to avoid them, or stay under his back and use it for cover. Your main goal in this phase is to simply get - and stay - behind him. This will keep you safe from a number of attacks, but could make anticipating his moves a little worse.

Although the Fire Giant is less mobile in this phase, his attacks have wide arcs that are more easily avoided on horseback than they are on foot. Nevertheless, he will continue to roll to his left (and sometimes right) every once in a while. What he’s really trying to do is reposition so he can unleash his attacks from the front, but you can circle around to his back on your horse every time he does that.

You’ll be able to land several hits if you stay behind him, which you’re going to need to do consistently because of his massive HP. If you find yourself in front of him and at a distance, watch out for a one-two fire spell throw, which you can dodge twice to easily avoid (or jump twice on horseback). The animation for this move is short, so be alert. The direction the spell comes out is deceiving, too, and it looks like it’s not headed towards you. Don’t focus on that, simply dodge when the fireballs leave his hand.

The large roaming fireball also returns in this phase, except there are now two of them. The tactic is the same: bait the explosion and dodge or sprint away so you can focus on the boss.

A little later into this phase, the Fire Giant will start doing a left elbow drop, and lay there for several seconds. His hitbox is large, so try not to get caught under his side as he falls; you’ll most likely die. If you dodge into him, you’ll be faced with his buttocks, so keep attacking.

Is the Fire Giant in Elden Ring a mandatory boss fight?

Yes, you must fight the Fire Giant in Elden Ring if you want to make your way through the game's main storyline. While some bosses in Elden Ring are optional, the Fire Giant is not an optional boss. So get reading the tips on this page so you learn how to beat it.

What to do after beating the Fire Giant in Elden Ring

Though the Fire Giant may not possess a Great Rune for you to power up, you still need to kick-start the last section of the game. This can only be done after making one more choice, which will open up to you after you defeat the Fire Giant.

A new Site of Grace will appear on the rim of the Forge itself after you defeat the boss. Make your way up there - try not to fall - touch the Site of Grace and rest. Melina will show up to explain what needs to be done, and offer you a choice. In case you haven’t been keeping up, the Forge needs a kindling to start working again, granting you the flame you need to burn the Erdtree.

This is a crucial moment that could decide which ending you get, so don’t hurry it.

If Melina does not immediately appear to you upon resting, restart the game and go back to the nearby Site of Grace then make your way to the Forge. It’s not clear why she sometimes doesn’t spawn, but some players have reported needing to restart the game to trigger her cutscene.

Plenty more boss fight tips like this one can be found in our useful Elden Ring guide. And, seeing as you’re closer than ever to the ending, here’s how to start New Game Plus (and what you can expect). If that’s not your thing, check out this round-up of 14 hidden mechanics the game doesn’t tell you about.