The Lamenter is an optional boss found in the strange Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. It is accessible in Charo’s Hidden Grave right after completing the Dragon’s Pit.
The boss is interesting, and you might say gimmicky. Let’s find out what sets this dude apart and how you can quickly dispatch him to get your hands on a special item in the Elden Ring DLC.
Fighting Lamenter
As you enter the arena, you’ll see a horned humanoid figure, Lamenter, rushing towards you. This is one of the weakest bosses in all of Shadow of the Erdtree.
He only has a torch for a weapon, which is not special in any way. Additionally, he uses his bare fists to swing at you. And occasionally, he uses a big head mode headbutt at you, which is just as stupid. None of his basic attacks deal any significant damage.
He has a somewhat trump card up his sleeve, which is broken down into two phases.
When he loses around 25% HP, he will disappear. He takes his sweet time to return, but once he reappears, he is accompanied by 7 other mirror copies of himself. These clones are weaker than the original boss, but their numbers and relentless attacks can prove troublesome.
The next phase can cause the Curse of Lamentation on you, which could kill you instantly. Read below for more details on the curse.
He will again attempt to spawn clones when he loses 75% HP. You just have to manage this two-pronged attack; the fight will end before you know it.
Here are some useful information when facing Lamenter:
- The boss has no poise; thus, staggering him is incredibly easy with any kind of weapon, especially the heavy ones.
- This is technically an NPC-style boss battle; however, unlike others, the boss doesn’t have a healing flask.
- The boss has a one-shot mechanic called Curse of Lamentation. The clones only remain active for a limited time. Depending on the number of clones that survive that phase, you will receive a debuff stack indicated by a skull hovering over your head. If you pile up 7 stacks/skulls, you will die instantly. You must be extra aware of this mechanic since he clones himself multiple times during the fight. There is no way of curing this curse.
- You only have to kill the boss to end the fight; the clones aren’t a requirement.
Moveset
Below are all of Lamenter’s attacks and how you should react to them:
| Attack | Description | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Torch Bash | In the middle of dodges, while close to you, he will swing his hand and weapon to hit you. | It can be dodge-rolled to either side. You can parry it with good timing. |
| Jump Attack | A simple jumping attack aiming to land his weapon where you stand. | Roll to the side as he’s about to land. If you hit him hard enough while he’s airborne, he will drop to the ground flat, providing window to put some free damage in. |
| Big Headbutt | At very close distances, he will thrust his head at you, which will grow in size. Will send you back if hit. | Roll in any direction and this attack won’t hit you. |
| Black Projectiles | His clones will cast slow-moving with light tracking shadowy projectiles at you. | Just before they hit you, roll to any side or towards the projectile to avoid it. |
| Curse of Lamentation | Discussed above. | Take out the clones ASAP to stop the curse from stacking and activating. |
Weaknesses and Resistances
Lamenter is resistant to the following damage types, so try to avoid using them:
- Magic
- Fire
- Holy
The boss is weak to:
- All physical damage types: Slash, Strike, Pierce, and Standard
- Lightning
- Poison
- Scarlet Rot
- Hemorrhage
- Frostbite
- Sleep
- Madness
You can parry all of his melee attacks, leaving him open to a critical strike. He can also be backstabbed if you manage to move behind him quickly.
Boss Strategy
When you enter the arena, run up to the Lamenter and start whaling on him. Having a heavy weapon like a greatsword will work wonders. The boss’s lack of poise will see him stagger to every hit that lands, leaving no window for him to retaliate. Ideally, he will
If he manages to counterattack, equip enough armor to put you above the 50 Poise level, and you won’t even flinch. You can continue to beat on him until he moves on to calling his clones.
As he is vanishing, keep attacking him while he transitions; you will get a couple of free hits.
When he returns with his group of clones, there are two things you could do:
- For hard-hitting builds, If you are confident with your character’s high damage output, you can quickly search for the original and focus on him. Simply go to each clone and attack him until your attack is reflected on the boss health bar below, and lay it all on him. The clones will likely die in a single hit, so don’t worry. With good enough builds, chances are the boss will begin his second clone phase, and all the current clones will poof away.
- For normal builds, prioritize the clones first. Kill all the clones before you engage with the original Lamenter. We don’t want to accumulate curse stacks that might lead to an insta-kill in the second clone phase.
The clones can also be one-shot with projectiles/spells like Night Comet and Lightning Strike.
When the clones are killed, or he sends them away (keep an eye out for skulls hovering over your head in that case), continue to pressure him like before. He will soon bring out his second set of clones.
By this point, if you have dealt enough damage, then look for the original and finish the job. On the other hand, if he is still kicking and you see the curse building on you, then take out the clones first again and then take on the real Lamenter.
The fight is pretty straightforward from here. Just keep up your onslaught and dodge his occasional counterattacks, and you will soon put an end to his misery, literally.
Rewards For Defeating Lamenter
Beating Lamenter will net you the following goodies:
- 160,000 Runes
- Lamenter’s Mask – You can use this item to transform into a Lamenter yourself. You must not wear any armor pieces for the item/transition to work.
You won’t get the boss’s weapon, the Lamenting Visage torch, from beating him. It is found behind an illusory wall in the lower section of the Lamenter’s Gaol.
How to Cheese Lamenter?
There is no way or point of cheesing this boss. He is already too weak and effortless as is. However, we have stumbled across a way to cheese his clone phase only, although I haven’t been able to replicate it. Maybe FromSoftware has patched it, so we might be out of luck then.
Anyway, I have linked the video. If you can make it work, then that would be good for you. For most of us, we will have to take him out the old-fashioned way.
As the name suggests, the Lamenter is one of the saddest bosses in the Elden Ring DLC. He only has his one-shot gimmick going for him, which can be sidestepped with relative ease. The curse might catch you off guard like it did to me, but now that you know his trickery, there is nothing threatening about this boss.