Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon in Elden Ring is one of the most memorable and unique boss fights. As a sorcery expert and head of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, she is optional but a tough boss. However, you can take her down without too much headache with the right strategy and weapons.
Although you can skip this fight to continue through your storyline but she is a Shardbearer, so you should have to encounter her and the final rewards are also worth getting into this combat. Our Elden Ring guide tells how to beat Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon including some valuable tips.
Elden Ring Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon Boss Fight
To enter this battle, you need to be at level 40-45, and your weapon upgrades will play a crucial role in deciding how hard it will be for you to face Rennala. Aim for a +7 or +8 weapon, preferably something with physical damage, as Rennala’s high resistance to magic makes sorcery less effective in this fight.
Also, get your armor sorted. You’ll want gear with high magic resistance, but don’t neglect your overall Poise and Physical defense—her students can still chip away at your health in the first phase if you’re not careful. And don’t forget to carry out your favorite Spirit Ash summon, you will need the summons to survive during the second battle phase.
Phase 1
The first phase of Rennala’s fight is more like a twisted game of hide-and-seek. Once you enter the boss area of the library, you will find Rennala, floating in a bubble. Surrounding her are many creepy scholars crawling around the floor like they’re attending the world’s weirdest study session. Leave all of them as they are, you have to find the students with a glowing yellow aura. There’s usually one glowing at a time, but you need to bonk three of them on the head to break Rennala’s magical bubble.
When you are looking for these glowy kids, the rest of the students will throw books at you. You can dodge the flying novels or take cover behind pillars. Also, once getting close to the glowing students, they’ll try to smack you with anything they’ve got, so take them out quickly—don’t worry, a single hit will break their glow. You don’t need to attack them with full force, simply disrupt their magic.
Once you’ve attacked three of these scholars, Rennala will come crashing down from her floaty bubble. Instantly rush in and deal as much damage as possible while she’s faceplanted on the ground. However, don’t get greedy. Be wary when a light comes out of her hand, it’s time to back off because she’s about to do an AOE Light explosion that will knock you flat if you’re too close.
Rinse and repeat this process until you’ve drained her health. Keep in mind that as the phase progresses, the glowing scholars hide better, so it might take a little longer to find them.
Phase 2
Phase two is where things get real—and magical. It happens in a separate battlefield with Rennala having again a full health bar and starts flinging spells. The setting changes to a wide-open, moonlit arena (super romantic, if it weren’t for the fact that she’s trying to murder you). The phase kicks off where she’ll start by shooting a massive laser beam straight at you. Whatever you do, don’t try to block it; sprint sideways to avoid it. It’s a fast-moving death ray, and you don’t want to be caught in its glow.
The key in this phase is to stay mobile. Rennala loves to cast all kinds of ranged magic, from slow-moving homing stars to icy shards. Thankfully, all of her spells have obvious wind-ups, like she’s giving you a heads-up that something awful is about to come your way. It means you can have a better chance to dodge them easily until you stay focused.
One annoying part of this phase is that she likes to keep her distance. She’ll float away from you constantly, which can be frustrating if you have to use your melee attack in this battle stage. But if you can land a few hits, you’ll notice that she’s surprisingly easy to stagger. Don’t hang out too long after striking her as she will counterattack with more spells.
Once you successfully drop her health down to 50%, she will start summoning Spirit Ashes. At first, it’s simple—just a few wolves or weaklings to mess with you. But as her health gets lower, the tougher minions will start appearing including knights, dragons, and even a massive troll that could crush you in one hit. The good news is that these summons don’t stick around for long. They’ll pop in, do a couple of attacks, and vanish. So don’t get distracted trying to kill them—focus on avoiding their hits with a successful dodge and keep your attention on Rennala.
And don’t forget, this is the perfect time to summon your Spirit Ashes as well. If you’ve got some wolves or imps on hand, summon them to keep Rennala busy while you close in and deal melee damage. One final tip: keep an eye on that giant magical moon she summons. It floats around slowly and eventually explodes, and can deal a good amount of damage – simply run away from it
Keep dodging, stay aggressive, and you will eventually defeat Rennala in the Elden Ring. The moon will fade, and you’ll have another Shardbearer down if you have health with any previously or might it be your first Shardbearer encounter.
A few Tips for the Fight
- Use Physical Damage: Rennala has high magic resistance, so stick to physical weapons or any magic that scales with Intelligence, like the Moonveil Katana or Carian Knight’s Sword.
- Watch for AOE Attacks: During the first phase, her explosions can wipe you out if you are not careful enough and do not focus on dodging. Back off as soon as you see her hands light up.
- Summon Help: Spirit Ashes like the Avionette Soldiers or Lone Wolves are suitable for distracting Rennala during phase two. Anything with multiple units works wonders since they can keep her busy while you land hits.
- Dodge, Don’t Block: Her attacks are best avoided by dodging rather than blocking, especially the slower homing spells and her big laser.
Rewards for Defeating Rennala
Killing Rennala rewards you with 40,000 Runes, the Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen, and the Great Rune of the Unborn. After the fight, Rennala appears as an NPC who can help you respec your character using Larval Tears. So if you’ve been regretting that one point you spent on Faith, now’s your chance to fix it.
This fight is also important to go after one of the specific game endings, so it’s not just a fun magical duel—it’s a key part of your journey through the Elden Ring. Afterward, the Lands Between are wide open for you to explore. So, no matter if you head to Caelid, finish up side quests, or challenge difficult bosses, the world is your oyster.
