Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy is another optional boss of Elden Ring that players do not need to defeat to progress the main storyline. He is the real form of the God-Devouring Serpent whose body has been taken over by Rykard. The following guide will provide all the details on Rykard Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring to help players locate and defeat him easily if they want.
Elden Ring Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Location
To find Rykard, enter Volcano Manor’s lobby and turn right along the corridor. By unlocking the first door on the right using the Drawing-Room Key, you can unveil the illusory wall in the back-right corner.
Continue straight until you reach a series of stairs on the left side of the corridor. To discover the Prison Town Church place of grace, head down the steps and follow the way past the enemies.
Open the rear doors of the church, turn right and over the roofs, then go down toward the fog door. From the fog door, turn left and follow the route down to the lizard monster. Turn right to locate a ladder against the building.
Climb this ladder to the rear of the steeple and enter the open window. Drop down to the south end of the building and proceed downstairs.
You’ll locate the Guest Hall place of grace if you head north and turn right. To the east of that chamber, enter the set of doors, turn right, and down the ladder. To get to the cage area, take the walkway east and up the steps.
Step into the elevator cage next to the fireplace, take the elevator up, and then head up the stairs to locate the Godskin Noble and a lever shortcut.
Defeat this foe and go towards right using elevator. Follow the way around to the left, across the bridge, and down to the trail on the left.
Follow the path up, jump over the lava lake on the rocks, and climb the mound to an open window. There will be a door on your right; open this door, walk up the stairs into the chamber, and turn right down the corridor.
Enter the chamber through the right entrance, past the whip-wielding Man-Serpent.
Enter the portal by going up the stairs and through the door on the left. Then go south to the boss chamber, where Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy will be found.
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Recommended Level and Weaknesses
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy is quite a tough boss in Elden Ring, so the recommended level for this boss fight is Level 70. Rykard Lord of Blasphemy is weak against Serpent-Hunter Sword, Frostbite, Slash Damage, and Pierce Damage.
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Attacks and Counters
If you want to have an easy time taking down Rykard Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring, it’s crucial that you learn his moveset before you initiate the boss fight.
To help you out with that, below, we’ve listed down all of the attacks of Rkyard Lord of Blasphemy and how you can counter each attack.
Sword Attack Combo
Rykard swipes his sword from left to right and then right to the left. He then ends the combo with a simple jab. However, there is a chance he continues the combo with a fourth attack where he slashes upwards with his sword, which causes the ground to explode.
To counter this attack, roll opposite to the direction his sword travels during the first two hits and then roll to the left to dodge the third hit. If he performs the fourth hit, roll backward to dodge it.
Stab Attack Combo
Rykard puts his sword to his side and then stabs three times at the ground near the player. There is a chance he continues the combo with a fourth attack where he slashes upwards with his sword, which causes the ground to explode.
Snake Attack
Rykard twists his head to reveal the serpent at the back, which then dashes towards the player to take a bite.
To counter this attack, roll towards the left at the very last moment.
Sword & Snake Attack Combo
Rykard swipes his sword from the left and then has the serpent perform a bite to the right. He then completes the combo with a lunge attack by the serpent, which comes from his left.
To counter this attack, roll opposite to the direction his sword travels during the slashes and same with the snake attacks.
Magma Jump
Rykard jumps either forwards or backward and then launches magma in random directions as he lands.
To counter this attack, you will have to continuously roll to dodge the magma projectiles.
Explosive Trails
A flaming skull comes out of Rykard’s mouth, which travels forwards and leaves behind a fiery trail. Shortly after, the fiery trail explodes sequentially from start to finish.
To counter this attack, all you need to do is run away from the trail left behind by the flaming skull.
Rykard’s Rancor
When Rykard’s HP falls down to 50%, he lifts his sword above his head and spawns multiple flaming skulls which drop down from the sky, aiming towards the player. The skulls then explode upon making contact with the ground or the player. And while the skulls are raining down, Rykard will continue attacking the player.
First, quickly run to Rykard when you see him charging to counter this attack. He’ll be completely open to attacks while charging, so do as much damage as you possibly can. When the skulls start falling down, you’ll have to carefully maneuver around the arena to dodge each skull.
Taker’s Flames
If the player survives the Rykard’s Rancor attack, Rykard will again raise his sword above his head and imbue his blade with fire. After that, he will then split the surface in front of him and cause a large explosion.
To counter this attack, first, take a look at how much HP Rykard has left. If he is very close to death, quickly finish him off as he’s raising his sword above his head.
If not, you can either run away to dodge the explosion or dodge as soon as the blade lands to avoid it.
Can Rykard Lord of Blasphemy’s Attacks Be Parried?
Unfortunately, none of Rykard’s attacks can be parried in Elden Ring. You’ll have to dodge his attacks the old-fashioned way.
How to Defeat Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Boss in Elden Ring
Take note that you can fight Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy in multiplayer as well. To bring Rykard down, you’ll need to equip a specific weapon other than the one you’re already carrying.
The good thing is that you’ll find this weapon to your left as you approach the boss arena, and it’s a lot of fun to use this weapon. Equip the Serpent-Hunter swordspear as soon as possible after picking it up.
You can use the weapon to strike Rykard from a distance, without having to go across the lava that surrounds him. As you fight, this generates continual fire damage, making the fight much more difficult.
When you slice, the weapon operates like any other, but it also throws a massive gust attack, which is lethal against Rykard.
While performing these attacks, keep on dodging the attacks of Rykard in the same direction of his sword.
Since Rykard is very large in stature, he is very slow to react. So whenever you see an opening while dodging his attacks, attack him and you will easily be able to inflict some damage.
Repeat this process and you’ll easily succeed in defeating Rykard Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring.
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Drops
Upon defeating Rykard Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring, you will be rewarded with 100,000 Runes, Rykard’s Great Rune, and Remembrance of the Blasphemous.
How to Cheese Rykard Lord of Blasphemy
If you want to take down Rykard as quickly and easily as possible, follow the strategy below to cheese Rykard Lord of Blasphemy in Elden Ring.
For this strategy to work, you will need a Spirit Ash, which will work as a distraction. The best Spirit Ash to use is the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, as not only will it serve as a distraction, but it will also help out a lot with taking the boss down.
And you will also need the Serpent Hunter Sword, which can be picked up from your left as you approach the boss area.
Before you initiate the fight, there’s an exploit that you need to learn how to do. Go through the mist wall, which leads to the boss area, and then jump on top of the rock to your immediate right.
This will take a few tries to do so, so be patient and take your time. Once you learn how to get up on top of the rock, come back down and go to the boss to initiate the fight.
After the fight starts, immediately summon your Spirit Ash and then run back to the rock. Get up on top of the rock, continue going up the hill, and then stand on the platform directly above the mist wall you walked through.
Once you’re up there, you will have great cover from the boss. Now, use the Serpent Hunter Sword to sling away at Rykard.
The boss will still be able to attack you, but his attacks will be significantly easier to dodge from this platform.
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Great Rune
The best reward you’ll get from the Rykard Lord of Blasphemy boss fight in Elden Ring is Rykard’s Great Rune. This rune regenerates your HP whenever you defeat an enemy.
To use this rune, you’ll need to take it to the Divine Tower of West Altus. To get to this area, head to Atlus Plateau and go to the Sealed Tunnel. This tunnel will lead you to the Divine Tower.
Rykard Lord of Blasphemy Lore
Rykard was born the son of Radagon and Rennala. He later got adopted by Queen Marika when he became her companion. Due to this new position in the Marika family, he became accepted into the ranks of the demigods.
Later on in his life, he rebelled against the High Order and the Two fingers and waged war against them. As a result of this sin, he came to be known as the Lord of Blasphemy.
After the destruction of the Elden Ring, the demigods each tried to claim the fragments of the Elden Ring themselves in a fight for power. They waged war against each other, but Rykard chose to stay out of the war.
Instead, he sought to restore the fragments of the Elden Ring himself so he could achieve the power he needed to win against the High Order. In this quest for power, Rykard eventually encountered the God-devouring Serpent inside the volcano of Gelmir.
Rykard allowed the serpent to devour him so he could merge with the serpent to gain its power. From that point onwards, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, became the true from of the God-devouring Serpent.
