Elden Ring Crystalian tips and strategy

How to prepare for Crystalian

There are three different versions of the Crystalian located throughout Elden Ring: In the Academy Crystal Cave, the Atlus Tunnel, and the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. Don't worry though, because the tips we're about to give you apply to the boss no matter which iteration you're fighting.

To fight the Crystalian, we'd recommend using one of three options. You can either utilise powerful ranged-based magic attacks against the boss duo, use blunt weapons, or weapons infused with Blood-based special attacks.

We'd actually advise on pursuing the latter of the options, because the Crystalian is weak to blunt weapons, but they're also weak to Blood damage, and combining the two is a great recipe for success.

Crystalian tips: How to beat Crystalian

Whenever you're facing off against the Crystalian, you're going to be fighting two bosses at once. A spear and staff-wielding duo are found in the Academy Crystal Cave, while a spear and ringblade-using duo are located in the Atlus Tunnel.

The one exception to this rule is the Crystalian found in the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel, who fights on their own with a Ringblade.

All Crystalian foes have one spinning attack you'll need to watch out for. When the boss winds up their hands behind them, they're about to launch into the air and spin around the whole arena, rapidly slashing after you.

Back well off during this phase, although if you are caught a little close to them, the attack is relatively easy to dodge around, as it doesn't come back around more than once.

The spear Crystalian mainly uses stab attacks to get at you. These can either be outright parried if you're using a shield, or dodged through towards the boss to land a quick hit or two after they're done with the attack.

It's also a good idea to jump and strike the head of the Crystalian, because this is far more likely to stagger them than a conventional melee attack.

The ringblade Crystalian attacks from range, and they're one to watch out for. They can either throw circular blades towards you from the side, or send a buzzsaw-like blade towards you on the ground.

We'd recommend dodge rolling through these attacks towards the boss, as if you're using a heavy blunt weapon or one with a Blood attack, you can stagger the foe relatively easy with a heavy attack.

You might not be surprised to learn the Crystalian with the staff uses crystal-based magic against you. Chiefly, the boss will summon a host of crystals to rain down on you in one go if you stay too close to it for too long, and will also fire out a burst of crystals in a fan formation towards you from a distance.

If you're fighting the Crystalian on your own, it might be a good idea to take down the one with the staff first.

It's a really good idea to use an Ash summon with the Crystalian, if you've not already summoned another player for the fight. We'd recommend going with the wolves if possible, as they'll distract one character while you can lay into the other.

Crystalian reward

When the fight with the Crystalian is over, you'll gain a few rewards depending on which location you were in:

• The Academy Crystal Cave Crystalian rewards you with 3,300 Runes, as well as the Crystal Release Sorcery
• The Atlus Tunnel grants you 1,350 Runes and the Somberstone Miner's Ball Bearing
• The Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel iterationwill reward you with 3,000 Runes, and the Smithing-Stone Miner's Ball Bearing

Now that you've dealt with one, or possible more iterations of the Crystalian, it's time to return to the open world of Elden Ring for more adventure.