The Tree Sentinel boss battle in Elden Ring is placed directly southeast of the Site of Grace at the Church of Elleh. This is the first Site of Grace you’ll most likely come to after leaving the first dungeon. In this Elden Ring guide, we will be explaining different strategies about how you can defeat the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Tree Sentinel Boss Location
Tree Sentinel Boss can easily be found in Limgrave between The First Steps and the Church of Elleh Sites of Grace. You will be able to see the Tree Sentinel on the green grassy plains of Limgrave when you walk towards Varre.
For the Tree Sentinel duo, you can find them at the outer gate of Leyndell.
Tree Sentinel Recommended Level and Weaknesses
The Tree Sentinel can be fought by experienced players as soon as they arrive in Limgrave, but we strongly advise new players to grind a few levels first.
To have an easier experience, reach at least level 20 and obtain a fair quantity of stats on your character.
Remember that the Tree Sentinel boss is very weak against Lightning attacks. So if you’re packing lightning, you’ll have an easier time when fighting against this boss.
Tree Sentinel Attacks and Counters
The Tree Sentinel uses a series of different attacks. The first attack will be Charge Attack. In this attack, the boss charges toward you. You can easily counter this attack by rolling toward him while casting a spell or two.
Horse Bash is another attack that the Tree Sentinel uses. In this attack, the boss uses his horse to bash the player. To counter this attack, simply roll away from the line of attack.
Just like Horse bash, Shield bash is another attack that Tree Sentinel uses. You can counter this attack using the same strategy we recommended for Horse Bash.
Halberd Combo is another attack that the Tree Sentinel uses. It is a dangerous one. In this attack, the boss attacks you using Halberd in a series of 2-3 attacks which can easily be countered by stepping away.
The last two attacks are Jump Attack and Golden Retaliation. In Jump Attack, the Tree Sentinel jumps high above the ground and tries to crush the player using his shield. This attack can take a lot of your HP. To counter this attack, you simply need to roll away precisely from the boss right before he lands on the ground.
The Golden Retaliation is a magical attack. To counter this attack, roll away from the boss and cast some spells during the animation of this attack.
How to Defeat the Tree Sentinel Boss in Elden Ring
If you happen to come across the Tree Sentinel right at the start, you’re going to get yourself killed very easily. Hence, a sensible approach to defeat the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring is to become strong enough.
Also, collecting more flasks and upgraded weapons will furthermore make the fight much easier.
Defeating the Tree Sentinel in ER can be a bit tricky. We recommend two different strategies where the first one is to fight the boss with melee attacks.
Melee Strategy to Defeat Tree Sentinel
This strategy might be risky as it will take a lot of your health but it can prove to be highly effective. All you need to do is position yourself in the same path as Tree Sentinel and summon your wolf spirits.
Keep in mind that this strategy is not used to weaken the Tree Sentinel. The main purpose of this unique strategy is to distract him. In this way, you can earn yourself some breathing time that can be used for healing.
Now, the next thing you need to do is attack him aggressively when you get the opportunity while dodging his heavy attacks. All you need to do is wait for his predictable attacks and dodge at the very last moment.
The Tree Sentinel’s attacks are very easily readable. He will attack you with a spear or halberd. Dodging such attacks might be tricky, but rolling will get the job done.
This will help you gain an extra second or two to gather yourself and prepare for a counterattack by catching him off guard.
For any shield attack, you dodge by moving away from the direction of the attack as dodging through shield attacks is close to impossible.
Keep on repeating this process and you’ll successfully defeat Tree Sentinel.
Ranged Strategy to Defeat Tree Sentinel
The second strategy we recommend to defeat the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring is with ranged attacks. You can play like an archer or a mage while riding a horse.
All you need to do is keep shooting spells and arrows into his body while moving away from his attacks using the speed of your horse.
It will take a bit longer to defeat the Tree Sentinel using this strategy but it is a safer strategy.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that if you’re using magic spells, Tree Sentinel uses a shield to defend such attacks and these attacks reflect back to hit you.
So whenever you see a yellow glow after throwing a magic spell, the attack will bounce back from the shield and kill you. So those of you who use magic spells, refrain to use them while Tree Sentinel is using it’s shield to defend.
Just keep shooting arrows while dodging and you’ll successfully defeat the Tree Sentinel boss in Elden Ring.
How to Defeat Tree Sentinel Duo
To begin, you must first lure the Sentinel (the one with the torch) without alerting the second boss. After that, stay on your horse and use your spells to rapidly slay the first Sentinel. Take care of the next boss once you’ve dealt with the first.
Since the second Sentinel wields a magical shield, it is highly recommended that you engage in close combat rather than spells. Get off your horse as well so you can better avoid his attacks which are usually very wide.
Both Sentinels use the same technique. Keep a close eye on them and apply the Ash of War: Flames of the Redmane to shatter their confidence on a frequent basis.
Tree Sentinel Drops
Tree Sentinel (Limgrave Road) Drops
The following are the rewards for defeating the Tree Sentinel:
- 3,200 Runes
- 16,000 Runes (NG+1)
- 17,600 Runes (NG+2)
- Golden Halberd
Tree Sentinel Duo (Leyndell Western Gate) Drops
The following are the rewards for defeating the Tree Sentinel Duo:
- 20,000 Runes
- 18 62,999 Runes (NG+)
- Erdtree Greatshield
- Hero’s Rune [1]
How to Cheese Tree Sentinel
Gain the Tree Sentinel’s attention and then go to the Church of Elleh’s entrance. This bridge is not wide enough to let the Treet Sentinel fit but is just enough for you to stand at the other entrance. The distance will also be just about enough for the boss to not land any melee attacks on you.
Once positioned, use your ranged attacks or spells to damage the Tree Sentinel. With this strategy, the boss will be stuck in the archway and you’ll successfully be able to cause damage constantly without worrying about the boss touching you.
