Elden Ring: Step-by-step tutorial to combat Astel's boss

Astel, Spawn of the Void is a fairly unique encounter with some unexpected tricks you'll need to navigate to win. Get everything you need to take down the horror from beyond with the walkthrough tutorial below to battle the boss from Elden Ring Astel.

Step-by-step tutorial to fight the boss from Elden Ring Astel, The Spawn of the Void

The battle with Astel is quite simple. There are no cutscene phase changes or second health bars. This is true for the harder Astel, Astel, the Constellation of Darkness, whose attack patterns are largely the same but deal more damage. Like all of the best fights in boss, this one is all about studying your opponent. There are no gimmicks here.

Astel almost always opens with a Violet Cosmic Laser, which we'll discuss in detail below. Once you learn how to dodge it, you can quickly close in to start dealing damage. Astel has a lot of threatening close-range attacks, but most of them come from his head or forearms. Keep an eye out for these and you'll be able to see everything except the upcoming Gravity Wave.

How to Beat Astel: Top Tips for Success

Here are our top tips for winning in the fight against boss Astel, The Offspring of the Void:

1. Aim for the head and limbs
2. Look at Astel's head to dodge the cosmic laser
3. Astel's Gravity Wave Short
4. Avoid Frostbite Weapons and Spells

1. Aim for the head and limbs

Astel's torso, if you can call it that, is made of hardened crystals and takes very little damage. If you get under Astel and start swinging in the middle, you'll have a hard time killing him. However, Astel's limbs and head take significantly more damage.

Astel's many leg-arm-abomination limbs are fairly easy to hit, making them your surest targets. If you can hit the head, you'll deal even more damage and might even break Astel's balance for a critical hit. Standing near the head makes you vulnerable to Astel's bite and grab attacks, so do so at your own risk.

2. Look at Astel's head to dodge the cosmic laser

The Cosmic Laser looks frustrating at a glance, but there's actually a way you can use to time your dodge. Astel begins the attack by backing up and charging, before lowering her head and looking down at you. Just before releasing the beam, Astel's head pops up a little. Roll when you see this move and you can reliably dodge the Cosmic Laser.

3. Astel's Gravity Wave Short

If you've fought one of Fallingstar Beast's many bosss, you'll recognize Astel's Gravity Wave attack. This ability creates a translucent purple field around Astel and suspends debris in the air. After a few seconds, it will lift you up, then crush you and the debris to deal massive damage. Even if you avoid the initial lift, falling debris will damage you if you return to the field too soon.

The lifting part of Gravity Wave works like a clamp and cannot be blocked. It's possible to time your roll to avoid both lifting and falling debris, but it's really hard to do reliably. It might seem obvious, but your best bet is to simply run out of Gravity Wave. It can be tempting to sneak into another attack and then try to dodge, but it's rarely worth it.

4. Avoid Frostbite Weapons and Spells

Astel's elemental and status resistances are all identical, with one exception. Astel is completely immune to the Frostbite status. The continued popularity of the Icerind Axe and Hoarfrost Stomp skills means that many players using these builds will encounter Astel and find their damage frustrating.

If you're using Frostbite and wondering why your damage is so low against Astel, that's probably your problem. If you need an alternative weapon for combat, check out our guide to the best Elden Ring builds for some suggestions that match your existing stat profile.

That's all you need to defeat Astel, Spawn of the Void! It's one of the coolest fights in the game, so don't sweat the difficulty too much and enjoy the ride. If you're trying to find Astel, the Constellation of Darkness, or another optional boss, check out our complete list of boss locations in Elden Ring. We also have a guide to the best weapons in Elden Ring and the best armor of Elden Ring to help you prepare for the endgame.