Depending on your level, this boss can be tough to defeat. This Elden Ring guide will give you tips and strategies for overcoming them if you’re wondering how to beat Leonine Misbegotten.
Where to Find Leonine Misbegotten’s Location
The Castle Morne boss can be fearsome. We took him down after beating Margit, the Fell Omen but before we were strong enough to get through Stormveil Castle and fight the first demigod, Godrick the Grafted.
As mentioned, Leonine can be found at the end of Castle Morne, at the southern tip of the Weeping Peninsula. The fog gate for this boss is outside the southern walls of the castle, in its own small area just beyond a beach. See the map screenshot above for its precise location.
How to Beat Leonine Misbegotten in Elden Ring
Leonine has a large arsenal of moves and will often shorten the distance with heavy-hitting lunges. We recommend equipping a shield with high physical defense and playing the blocking game, staying in close to the boss. A good hit can take out quite a bit of his low health pool, so you really have to take advantage of your openings. Using Guard Counters with your shield is a good way to deal massive damage to Leonine Misbegotten.
Alternatively, you can fight the feral sword wielder from a distance using a bow or ranged magic. For this approach, we recommend fire, either by way of incantations like Fire Sling or by crafting Fire Arrows to use in your bow of choice.
Leonine Misbegotten’s Attacks
Leonine has a laundry list of attacks and many of them will stagger or kill you depending on when in Elden Ring you fight the boss. We will guide you through his move lists and let you know which attacks leave Leonine Misbegotten most vulnerable.
Attack 1: Lunge Strike
When Leonine lunges at you quickly and swings his sword horizontally, you are best to dodge forward. He usually follows this up with something else so now is not the time to get in a hit.
Attack 2: Plunging Attack
This is usually the last attack of a combo, so it’s a good one to punish. When Leonine leaps into the air you have enough time to dodge out of the way and hit back.
Attack 3: Big Swing
This move is self-explanatory. Leonine will take a big two-handed slash that has plenty of wind-up and will do what would likely be fatal damage if it hits. Once you do the fight a couple of times, this attack should be easy to recognize and punish.
Attack 4: Double Lunge Strike
Like Leonine’s first move, this lunging strike starts off with Leonine taking a gap-closing stab at you. He then stops and comes back at you with another attack from the opposite direction. Learn the positioning for this transition point and you can deal a large amount of damage to the boss.
Attack 5: Shockwave
This powerful AoE attack has a visual tell that you must look out for. When Leonine jumps into the sky and holds his sword with two hands, one on the hilt and one on the blade, that is your sign to get the heck out and dodge. He will come down swiftly, causing a shockwave that will stagger you and do significant damage. The radius is not super large, so just be diligent and watch Leonine while he is in the air.
Attack 6: Roar
This is a purely defensive move on Leonine’s part. His bark is louder than his bite, in this instance, and the roar is just a low damage move that will stop any attack in its tracks. If you are trying to combo him into oblivion, Leonine will roar to get you off his back. Just retreat and then get back in there.
Attack 7: Swipe
Another close-range, low damage attack, Leonine will swipe at you twice with his claws if you are not giving him personal space. Use this opportunity to either roll away and heal, or if you have the time, charge up a heavy attack. It will interrupt him and leave the boss vulnerable to take more hits.
Attack 8: Spinning Slash
Leonine will also do an attack with his two where he performs two spinning strikes. These can be dodged by rolling forward through them. Don’t freak out, you have plenty of time to dodge both and get in an attack.
Attack 9: Four-hit Combo
The deadliest of Leonine Misbegotten’s moves is also one that will leave him vulnerable if you can survive the onslaught. He has a couple of sets of moves that begin with horizontal slashes. You’ll want to stay back and not try to roll through these as they get fast.
In one variation of the combo, Leonine will raise his sword above his head and behind his back before slamming it down for a final blow. If you can position yourself to the side of the boss and out of the way of the attack, you can attack to your heart’s content during the final animation of the combo.
And that’s how you beat Leonine Misbegotten at Castle Morne in Elden Ring. When killed, Leonine will drop a powerful weapon, the Grafted Blade Greatsword, as well as 3,800 runes. Defeating him is also a necessary step for completing Hyetta’s questline. For more on how to kill bosses and make progress in other ways in the vast Lands Between, check out our Elden Ring guide page.
