How to beat the Elden Ring Red Wolf of Radagon boss fight

The Elden Ring Red Wolf of Radagon boss fight has players go up against a giant hound - perhaps not what they were expecting to find in the magical and scholarly Raya Lucaria Academy. Still, Elden Ring loves to surprise you, and the monstrous guard dog summoning magical projectiles is a tough boss fight for any unprepared player. It's also worth getting ready to deal with it now, as variations of the Red Wolf can be found after this, as optional boss fights with special rewards. But no matter which version you're fighting, we'll show you how to beat the Red Wolf of Radagon boss fight in Elden Ring below, including strategies, tips and rewards.

Table of Contents

• Preparing for the boss fight
• General Tips and Tricks
• Rewards

How to beat the Red Wolf of Radagon in Elden Ring

The Red Wolf of Radagon is a boss fight that occurs about two thirds of the way through Raya Lucaria Academy, a fast-paced encounter where simply keeping up with this beast can be difficult. With that in mind, here's some things to keep in mind before going into this fight to help you prepare:

• There's actually a little bit of a trek to the Wolf from the last Site of Grace. If you're taking that route, play very carefully to avoid taking damage from the sorcerers and potboys waiting on the path - the last thing you want is to go in with reduced health or Flasks. Avoid fighting them whenever possible - savvy players will be able to duck-and-roll past them all without taking much damage, or any at all.
• The Wolf is fast, capable of bouncing around the arena, tackling the player and leaping out of melee range in an instant. For that reason, you probably can't afford to have the Heavy Load status - if you do, you'll really struggle to keep up.
• Shields can be useful, but not exclusively. The Wolf's ranged attacks probably will break through them for at least some damage, so if you have one equipped, don't depend solely on it.
• The rapid movement of the Wolf (not to mention its high magic resistance) means this'll be a hard fight for sorcery users, as your slower projectiles will often miss, and not do much damage even when they land. If you have an alternative method you should take it, otherwise have a lot of FP Flasks to refuel.
• Spirit Summons that tank attacks are a great strategy. Most Summons won't be able to keep up with the Wolf's rapid movements, so extra damage shouldn't be your priority when choosing a Spirit friend. Instead, pick something like the Skeletal Militiamen, who can self-resurrect, or your own Lone Wolves, who spread out and draw focus easily. The fight becomes a lot easier when the Wolf isn't targeting you, as it doesn't have a lot of AOE attacks and can really only go after one opponent at a time.

Now you have a basic idea of how to prepare, breach the fog door and get ready for one of the speediest, most evasive enemies in the game. 

Red Wolf of Radagon tips and tricks

Now that you're in the thick of it, you'll need to know how to actually confront the Red Wolf of Radagon. This boss fight doesn't have too much in the way of strange surprises or unexpected powers, but the Wolf's agility can be frustrating for slower characters. Here's some helpful tips for moment-to-moment wolf hunting.

• The moment you enter the arena, trigger your Spirit Summons. The Wolf will only give you a moment, and then you probably won't get another chance in the fight.
• The Wolf doesn't have much health by the standards of most bosses, relying more on avoiding attacks than simply enduring them. Attacks will do more damage than you think, so aggressive playing can devastate its health bar (if you have the care to do it without getting hit back).
• We mentioned shields before, now here's where they come into play. The Wolf's bites, pounces and physical attacks can all be blocked, but most shields will only reduce the damage taken from its magic strikes, rather than fully negate it. Block teeth and claws, but you should try to dodge-roll from any arcane projectiles.
• There's benches on either side of the arena that can prove a problem - the player has to attack them to break them, but the Wolf can just destroy them by moving through them. Be careful not to get stuck or impeded by these.
• The Wolf is able to create floating blue daggers rapidly and easily. Once it does, you have a two second window before these magical projectiles fire at a target. They're not too difficult to avoid once you have the timing down, but the Wolf often uses this window to attack, meaning you'll be in danger from two different directions. Always keep these daggers in view and be ready for the follow-up strike after they appear.
• The Wolf's biggest attacks are signified by a giant fiery sword that appears in its mouth. These moves do high damage and tend to have a wide, sweeping range. The moment you see it appear, back away and get ready to roll for safety. 

Red Wolf of Radagon rewards

Play this fight aggressively while pulling the Wolf's focus off you as much as possible and it shouldn't cause too much trouble. It's definitely worth beating for spellcasters whenever possible, as aside from a bulk payment of 14000 Runes, players will also get a Memory Stone, a special item that permanently increases the number of spells the player can have prepared at any one time. 

More importantly, killing the Wolf puts down a new Site of Grace in the arena known as the "Debate Hall", and opens up the final stretch of Raya Lucaria Academy to the North, which you'll need to get through to beat Rennala, the final boss of this area (if you're having trouble with her, we've got a full guide on how to beat Rennala in Elden Ring here). There's also a few other, optional Red Wolves scattered around the Elden Ring map, so keep some of these tips in mind in case you find them.

Elden Ring Tree Sentinel Boss guide | How to beat Margit in Elden Ring | How to beat Godrick in Elden Ring | How to beat Radahn in Elden Ring | Can you beat the Grafted Scion at the beginning? | Elden Ring main bosses | Elden Ring early bosses