How to beat the Godskin Duo bosses in Elden Ring
Crumbling Farum Azula tips and strategy
Godskin Duo are two mandatory main bosses you need to beat in Elden Ring.
You can encounter the Godskin Duo a fair way into the Crumbling Farum Azula section of FromSoftware's RPG.
The fight against the Godskin Duo can be incredibly tough, especially when the two bosses outnumber you, so we'd advise using some co-operation for the tough fight ahead, or even a a spirit ash summon to help you on your way to slaying the boss.
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How to prepare for the Godskin Duo
If you've got the Mimic Tear Ash Summon, it's a near-essential part of the fight against the Godskin Duo, as it's great for distracting both foes, and can really hold its own if it's levelled up a few times.
Additionally, we'd recommend utilising either Bleed or Frost damage against the pair of bosses, but if you've found the Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War directly east of Caria Manor in a small lake, it's amazing for dealing consistent damage to both the Godskin Duo, despite the nerf effecting the casting time of the attack.
Godskin Duo tips: How to beat Godskin Duo
It's really important to say up front that each Godskin Duo has its own health bar. When it hits zero, that foe will be down for the count but it can actually be summoned back by its ally when they hold their finger aloft with black fire burning around it.
There's no dedicated timer for either Godskin Duo being summoned back, but it's paramount that you press the attack on one while the other is dead, because they're not staying dead forever.
What makes things more difficult is Godskin Duo are a tough pair to deal with. The most common attack to watch out for is where the pair throw an orb of black fire at you, which can be dodged by dodge rolling to either side when the orb itself it partway towards you and still in the air.
Let's tackle one Godskin Duo at a time. The bigger foe carries a rapier, and has some nasty range with the weapon, chaining multiple stabbing strikes towards you. It can also bring the hilt of the sword crashing down onto the ground immediately in front of it.
The trick here is to watch the boss' arm recoil, and as soon as it comes forward, dodge roll backwards and through the attack.
At roughly half health, the bigger of the Godskin Duo will transform, multiplying in size and sometimes rolling around the arena.
The rolling attack, where the boss positions itself on its side, is really hard to dodge, and it's honestly a better idea to just break off the attack and run as far as you can away from the boss during this phase, to avoid some hefty damage.
As for the second of the Godskin Duo, this one carries a scythe, and if you defeated the Godskin Apostle back at the Atlus Plateau, you've got a good idea of what to expect here.
Chiefly, this Godskin Duo strikes in quick motions, slashing around with the scythe, and jumping up into the air after a brief pause to bring the weapon crashing down. You want to steer well clear of both attacks, dodge rolling backwards while they're in motion.
Just like the other Godskin Duo, this one transforms as well when it reaches half health, turning into a slinky that stretches across the battlefield.
Watch out for this Godskin foe imbuing its scythe with black fire, because it's about to spin around a few times and unleash a huge area attack. Back well away from the boss in this phase, preferably sprinting away from it if you can.
Otherwise, you'll need to avoid the boss' stretchy attacks during this phase, which can see it dart forward with its top half to attack with the scythe.
If the boss has its scythe pointed to the ground, it's a stabbing attack that's followed up with a slice from its bottom half, whereas the alternative will see the boss spinning its scythe around, both of which you should back well away from.
Godskin Duo reward
The Godskin Duo fight rewards you with 170,000 Runes, which is actually less than the fight with the Fire Giant that preceded it, for some reason.
You'll also get the Smithing-Stone Miner's Ball Bearing, which can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold, and the Ash of War: Black Flame Tornado.
Continue on through Crumbling Farum Azula, and see the second main story boss of Elden Ring that awaits you there.
Continue to next boss: Maliketh the Black Blade
Need more help? Jump back to our list of Elden Ring bosses or our Elden Ring walkthrough.