THE Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring is the first free-roaming boss in the game. You will encounter this guy on horseback in Limgrave, the first area after the tutorial.
You will also encounter two of these Elden Ring bosses together: the Tree Sentinel Duo – keep the stairs near the Atlus highway intersection. Both versions of this boss have the same attacks, so you can apply the same strategies to defeat them in both situations.
So, read on for our advice on how to beat the Sentinel Tree And Tree Sentinel Duo in Elden Ring below.
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How to beat the Tree Sentinel and Tree Sentinel duo in Elden Ring
You will see the first Tree Sentinel as soon as you exit the world from the grace site “The First Step”. You can theoretically challenge him a few minutes into the game, but it would be better to level up a bit before then and upgrade your weapons.
He will only start attacking you when you are close enough to him. His red boss bar will then appear and he will enter combat mode.
It’s amazing how far he can chase you as long as you don’t sprint right away. However, if you lure him too far away, or to a place where his behavior can be exploited, he may simply be put in his place in the middle of a fight.
The best way to approach the Limgrave Tree Sentinel is with a sneak attack from behind., easy to install thanks to nearby rocks and bushes. With two heavy hits from R2/RT, this can already deplete a quarter of its HP, depending on your level and strength.
You don’t quite have this luxury against the Tree Sentinel Duo on the Atlus Plateau, but the following tips apply to both versions of this boss.
The best way to fight Tree Sentinels is on horseback. The fight is much easier with the help of Torrent and maneuverability, especially since he simply blocks many attacks without taking damage, sometimes even taking the entire broadside of his halberd.
Torrent is faster and more maneuverable than running on foot, and you can get out of the danger zone much faster, making Tree Sentinel’s halberd a little less scary than on foot.
Combat on horseback is therefore strongly recommended for reasons of mobility, but it is of course also possible without a mount while galloping.
The guard and his horse can be dangerous. When the Sentinel’s horse whinnies and stands on its hind legs, dodge to the side and land a few hits. If it takes too long, the halberd is immediately ready and does a lot of damage.
You have to be very careful when the horse jumps and lunges forward. The guard then hits the ground with his massive shield, dealing area damage in a set radius. Even if you’re a few steps or meters away, this attack can hit you – and its effects are massive.
With the second shield attack, he can shoot you from the side like a pestle. Luckily, dodging isn’t that difficult here.
His normal attacks consist of riding towards you and either:
- Drag it across the ground and attack from below
- Slam it vertically into the ground from above where you are standing
Both cost a lot of stamina when blocking, which is why dodging is the best tacticespecially since there is a window of time to counterattack.
If you stay near his weapon for too long, he will charge you with his halberd. It’s not fun, so you’ll have to be a little mobile (like I said, Torrent is perfect for this).
The Tree Sentinel doesn’t have an insane number of moves – the few it does have pack a punch like a steam engine, so whatever you do, avoid the jump attack with the devastating shield hammer, stay mobile , use your horse. , and you will soon have him defeated.
Your rewards for defeating the Limgrave Tree Sentinel are 3200 runes and one Golden Halberd.
Then the rewards for defeating the Altus Plateau Tree Sentinel Duo are 20,000 runes, Great Shield of Erdtreeand one Hero Rune (1).
If you’re looking for more help with Elden Ring, check out our Nokron Eternal City walkthrough or our Siofra River walkthrough.
