So you’ve made it to the top of the tower in Belurat. Pat yourself on the back, this is no easy task on your own. Those idiots with the giant maces aren’t kidding. Unfortunately, you have one last challenge to face before you leave the place, and if you’re having trouble getting through the Divine Beast’s deadly dance, we’re here to help.
Abilities of the Divine Beast “Dancing Lion”
If there is a pattern with all bosses, Shadow of the Earth Treeit’s that they have absolutely no rest. For most of them, this is metaphorical, as they will initially try to catch you off guard with a move that can one-shot you if you’re not careful. In Dancing Lion’s case, this is ironic, as the first thing he does when he sees you is let out an ice-cold breath that can suck the life out of you, and if you just stand there when you enter his room, you’ll be done for in about two or three hits. He will usually try this move later as well if you stray too far from him.
If you survive that first explosion, the lion will come in close to jump, spin, twirl, and bite, and fast. And because the design of this thing is so wild, it can be hard to tell what’s an incoming combo and what’s just the lion backing up. The easiest attack to predict is when he stands on his hind legs before doing a spinning combo that ends with him head-butting in the air. However, this can be confused with his bite attack, where he rears up and smacks his lips a few times before making you his chew toy, taking most of your health in the process. That’s just phase one.
Phase two is where he uses the rest of his elemental attacks. First, he switches to lightning and tries out a series of area attacks that create lots of very beautiful and very dangerous patterns on the ground. He also throws a spear at you, which he then turns into a giant lightning rod. His ice attacks work the same way, only instead of the very beautiful patterns, they’re mostly just puddles of ice that eventually explode and torment you with frostbite. Finally, there are his wind attacks, where he either spits a tornado at you or becomes one himself. If you’ve ever wondered what a Geostorm would look like on four legs, here it is.
Strategy: Defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion
Luckily, while this fight can become a chaotic and messy disaster due to the many elemental attacks, it can also be a fight where you get some extra help. Not only can you summon Spirit Ashes, but there’s also a summoning sign for Redmane Freyja right outside the door. However, there’s still the question of whether you’ll actually manage to summon said Spirit Ash, which can be risky since the freezing breath comes as soon as you get through the door. It’s doable; just be prepared to roll left or right immediately after the summoning animation. If you bring the Mimic Tear, maybe take a swig from your flask when you’re done to replenish your HP.
Once the lion jumps at you, the fight basically turns into one of those cartoon dust-ups full of fists and curses, but with Freyja and your Spirit Ash in play, you have the privilege of creating some distance while they do their work. Magic users will have an easier time, as they can stay at medium range and cast spells at him all day; just pay attention to when the lion has you in his sights, and don’t be in the middle of an animation when he flies at you looking for a snack.
Melee fighters should choose the right moment to rush into the fray, especially after the lion attempts a spin combo. However, roll out for a breather after two or three hits, especially if you’re near a wall. The targeting camera tends to go a little crazy during this fight. If you tank him, your greatshield should be able to take a hit or two of the combo and still have some left for a few more hits. Weapon-wise, you’ll want to run with speed rather than power here. The lion is far too fast to mess around with anything with a slow run-up, but if you jump in at just the right moment when Freyja and your Spirit Ash attack this thing, you can break him out of his stance with some regularity.
You’ll need to be a bit more strategic when engaging in phase two, though. With the lightning, you can spot the patterns on the ground that indicate where it’s going to strike and weave between them to get close to the lion. However, if you’re too eager to land hits, chances are you’ll get hit by the lightning when you least expect it. Again, distance is good, but here the lion will also throw spears at you that you should be far, far away from before they explode. The same goes for the ice. The explosions don’t do as much damage as the lightning, but if you’re caught in a layer of ice when the explosion occurs, the frostbite effect can build up and bring your defense stats to rock bottom, which usually means the lion’s next hit will be your last. Either wait a minute or have a freeze bolus ready to fire when you’ve rolled out of harm’s way for a second. The lion’s tornado attacks can do quite a bit of damage, but fortunately they are also the easiest attacks to dodge.
The lion will periodically switch between all three, but when his health is running low he’ll basically switch between them whenever it suits him, which can get unpredictable, but the same principles apply. Pick your moments to jump in, slash at him when your summoned buddies do, and don’t get so caught up in the fight that you don’t see the next big attacks.
When the lion finally sleeps tonight, you’ll get a ton of runes and a memory item that you can trade in for either a talisman that improves storm abilities or an ice-element stomp attack. That’s all well and good, but the S-tier reward is the Divine Beast’s Head, a nearly universal piece of gear that improves stance, attacks, and defense for melee fighters, as well as magical attacks and defense. The only real flaw is that it provides zero focus (meaning you’re vulnerable to all attacks that cause madness) and the head is so obnoxiously large that it’s sometimes hard to see around.
Oh, and if you’re using magic, hopefully you managed to get to the storage room downstairs near the small Altar of Mercy. Take a quick trip there, put on the animal head, and talk to the little old lady inside to learn some lore and the Watchful Mind spell.
