How to defeat the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring

Found just outside of The First Step or going backward from the Church of Elleh, the Tree Sentinel is a boss that patrols a short pathway in the overworld. The boss has a limited move set but starts to incorporate shield moves in the second phase. There are multiple ways to go about this fight, with one of them being exceptionally easy in comparison to the rest.

Strategies for killing Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring

Tree Sentinel can be fought very early on in the game as the first boss but is not required to move on. Just North of Tree Sentinel is the Church of Elleh where players get access to their first Smithing Table. Saving Tree Sentinel for later is advisable for players who want to do more damage and invest in leveling up later in the game. Additionally, after the player has rested at three Sites of Grace, Melina will appear to the player. This will unlock the ability to level up, as well as the ability to summon Torrent using the Spectral Steed Whistle that Melina gives.

Fighting On Horseback

If players wait to fight Tree Sentinel while riding Torrent, the fight is significantly easier. The boss will often stop its combos once the player is out of range for them. This allows the player to ride Torrent towards the boss, attack, and quickly move around it for subsequent attacks. Tree Sentinel will attack its sides. The telegraph for these attacks are fairly obvious as it will either raise its weapon up or hold its weapon inwards before attacking. By poking it repeatedly, attacking and dashing away, players can get to the second phase of the fight quickly.

If players get hit directly by an attack, it can be enough to kill them in one blow if they haven't leveled. If Torrent is hit, players can continue the fight on foot or wait until Torrent is available to summon again. Torrent doesn't take long to come back at all, but if players venture too far from Tree Sentinel, it will vanish and reappear back to its patrol area between The First Step and the Church of Elleh. It can then be fought again at that location.

Melee

Fighting on foot is significantly more difficult but there are some advantages to doing it. There is no restriction to only using light attacks, and for players powerstancing with two weapons, they can attack with both weapons on foot as well. If it storms off in the distance and comes in for a sweeping attack, rolling with the attack will put the player close to it to attack a few times. Jumping attacks will eventually cause it to stagger, but even just getting some light attacks in is good. It will do a slam attack after raising the legs of the horse. This can be strafed or rolled but its delayed attack makes it possible to get a few hits in while moving to the rear to avoid the attack. It can follow this attack up with other attacks in its arsenal but will usually stampede away to follow up with that same sweeping attack. Most of Tree Sentinels' attacks can be parried.

Related: Elden Ring – How to parry an attack

Players should avoid hitting the sides too much as the Tree Sentinel will retaliate with a bashing shoulder charge. This attack doesn't do much damage, so risky players can get more hits in on the side until they see it ready a halberd attack. Its raised halberd attack is easy to catch and usually results in a three hit combo. The last of the hits is delayed so there is time to get an attack or two in before rolling. The last hit can also be strafed fairly easily so moving to the rear of the horse can get some extra hits in as well. Once the boss gets to 75 percent of its Health Points, it will transition to its second phase, incorporating its shield for more attacks.

The second phase is roughly the same as the first but with two very powerful shield attacks. The first shield attack is an area-of-effect shield slam that does a lot of damage. The telegraph for this is obvious as the boss will jump into the air before slamming down. The second attack can be telegraphed by Tree Sentinel raising its shield while positioning itself for its side to face the player. This attack can be done in medium to close proximity and is very dangerous. The follow up for this attack can be its three hit combo or its charge away before a sweep attack. The same strategy of getting a few hits in between attacks while maintaining enough stamina to roll through attacks still applies.

Related: All Spirit Summons in Elden Ring

Magic

Fighting Tree Sentinel as a magic user is a mixed bag. The boss has several openings in between attacks, however, it will use its shield to send magic back to the player which deals lots of damage. The prime moments to attack are during the boss's three hit combo or after rolling its sweep attack. As it swoops in to attack, it won't raise its shield to reflect magic. Using the same strategies as melee and horseback, players will get a sense of when it is safe to attack and how to read Tree Sentinels attacks.

Skipping Tree Sentinel

Just North of Tree Sentinel is the Church of Elleh. Beyond it are several other locations where players can find upgrade materials, farmable mobs, other bosses, and find better equipment. While Tree Sentinel is beatable even with The Wretch class, it is a purely optional boss that players can easily run past. The Smithing Table in the Church of Elleh will upgrade weapons up to +3 and if players wait till nightfall, they can meet Renna, who will give them the ability to summon spirits. Kalé is also at the Church and will sell the player a Crafting Kit, starting armor, and Furlcalling Finger Remedies to allow players to see summon signs for multiplayer.

For more Elden Ring guides, check out How to beat the Erdtree Burial Watchdog in Elden Ring? on Pro Game Guides.