Elden Ring: How to beat Leonine Misbegotten

Need help beating the Castle Morne boss Leonine Misbegotten in Elden Ring? This frightful lion-warrior boss guards the beach below Castle Morne in the Weeping Peninsula, and he's far tougher than he may appear at first glance. But thankfully, with the right equipment to hand and the right gameplan in your mind, beating Leonine becomes quite a bit easier. Still not easy, mind you - but well within the realms of the possible.

Below I'll walk you through our top tips and tactics for defeating Leonine Misbegotten in Elden Ring. You can check out footage from my fight with Leonine, before delving into individual tips that will give you a decisive advantage against Castle Morne's strongest inhabitant.

Elden Ring Leonine Misbegotten boss fight walkthrough

Leonine Misbegotten is the major boss of Castle Morne - though, curiously, he doesn't actually live in Castle Morne, but on a tiny island off the beach below the castle. Once you find him, you'll also find that he's a tough adversary: full to the brim with sweeping arcing sword-strikes and relentless aggression.

Here at the RPS treehouse we all agree that Leonine Misbegotten is one of the toughest opponents in Limgrave (we're counting the Weeping Peninisula) as part of Limgrave here), so you should feel no shame in needing a little help. Have a look at the video below to watch how I bested Leonine, and then read on for our top tips on how to give yourself the greatest chance of victory against him.

Leonine Misbegotten boss fight video walkthrough:

How to beat Leonine Misbegotten: top tips for success

Here are our top tips for succeeding in your fight against the toughest foe in Castle Morne, Leonine Misbegotten:

1. Stay away from the coast
2. Interrupt Leonine's combos with Parries or Shield Bashes
3. Don't deplete your stamina reserves
4. Watch out for the timing on Leonine's final combo strike

1. Stay away from the coast

Like certain other boss fight arenas (looking at you Margit and Godrick), you have to be careful while fighting Leonine Misbegotten to stay in the centre of the arena, because instant death awaits you should you step off the arena's edge. Unlike those other fights though, it's hard to tell where those edges are, seeing as it's all water.

Your best bet is to immediately run towards the centre of the island when you first pass through the mist, and then stay near the centre for the entirety of the fight. If you need to back up, try and back up in a circular fashion to avoid being pushed into the water by Leonine's attacks.

2. Interrupt Leonine's combos with Parries or Shield Bashes

Leonine Misbegotten is fair handy with that sword, and he's a big fan of combo-ing together sweeping attacks with it. This leaves you with a conundrum: do you dodge-roll everything and risk not getting close enough to deal damage as a melee character? Or do you try to weather the assault, risking a stagger as your stamina depletes?

I found a powerful third option to be: interrupt those combo attacks as early as possible with your best shield. I'd advise either:

• An ordinary shield with the Parry skill and 100% physical damage negation;
• A tower shield with the Shield Bash skill.

Both these skills are very effective at breaking up Leonine's attacks. The Shield Bash is much easier to use than the Parry, but it uses up your stamina big-time, and doesn't leave Leonine as vulnerable to counterattacks. Tower Shields also tend not to have full 100% physical damage negation, so even while blocking you'll end up taking a little bit of Health damage. But you can see from the above video just how effective Shield Bash can be against Leonine.

3. Don't deplete your stamina reserves

It's worth reiterating about your stamina: you don't want to be caught with no stamina against Leonine's attacks. That's his whole gameplan: whittle away at your stamina with his massive combos until you're staggered, then swoop in for the kill.

If you're using the Shield Bash skill, be aware that it uses a tonne of stamina each time, so sometimes it's best not to press your advantage. Instead, wait for your stamina to replenish, and be content with the bit of damage you dealt out with the Shield Bash itself. But whatever your equipment, make sure you play it safe, and don't use up all your stamina attacking, as you'll need it for blocking or dodging Leonine's next attack.

4. Watch out for the timing on Leonine's final combo strike

Leonine Misbegotten has a few different possible combos that he can use against you, but several of them end with the same punishing downward strike attack with the sword. This move is very painful if it connects, and it's harder to avoid than you think, because he delays that attack in particular, breaking the otherwise monotonous rhythm of the preceding combo.

Be prepared for this downward strike, and don't panic: pick your moment to dodge carefully.

With the above tips fresh in your mind, you're ready to decisively beat the boss of Castle Morne once and for all. And as a reward you'll gain the Grafted Blade Greatsword - one of our picks for the best weapons in Elden Ring. To supplement your newfound armaments, be sure also to check out our guide on the best armour in Elden Ring.