We’ll cover every attack the Godskin Noble uses in this Elden Ring boss guide, giving you the best opportunity to take him down in only a few tries.
How to Beat Godskin Noble in Elden Ring
Like most major bosses in Elden Ring, the Godskin Noble has two distinct phases. The first introduces most of his attacks, and the second adds a few while maintaining the rest. However, the Godskin Noble’s second phase prioritizes the new attacks over the old, and dealing with them can be frustrating in the extreme.
Godskin Noble Phase One Attacks
The first phase of this boss fight is about spacing and timing your recoveries. The Godskin Noble, like the Godskin Apostle, is liable to punish heals with a fast-traveling fireball, and his attacks reach much farther than you expect them to. You can parry almost every one of his rapier attacks, though the timing is incredibly tight. Equip a buckler and prepare to learn by doing.
Attack 1: One-Two Stab into Backstep Swipe
A typical opener for the Godskin Noble, he’ll take a brief stance, then stab at you twice. The hitbox for this attack is considerably wider than the Godskin Noble’s rapier model, and it extends a bit beyond the point of the sword itself, so dodge or block even if it appears you won’t be hit.
Immediately following the second poke, the Godskin Noble will backstep with a swipe in front of him, so rolling into this attack is liable to get you hit.
Attack 2: Charged Lunge
The Godskin Noble pulls his rapier arm back in a long windup lasting about three and a half seconds, then he lunges forward almost instantly. This attack travels about three times the rapier’s length and, if it connects, will deal half your health in damage and send you flying.
Avoiding it is easy enough once you know the timing, and whenever the Godskin Noble starts the windup, you’ll hear the sound of metal grinding on metal or a sword being unsheathed. That’s the start of the attack. Tanking the attack with an upgraded shield is easier than avoiding it, as you’ll only lose up to half of your stamina bar. The attack has a long recovery, giving you time to deal some damage.
Attack 3: Double Slam
Sometimes used as a combo ender, the Godskin Noble raises his rapier with the pommel facing down, then slams it down twice, with the second coming after a brief delay. Both attacks have a mild AoE, so don’t be too close, or you’ll get clipped.
Avoiding or blocking this is easy. Just roll backward or tank it with a shield. You’ll probably want to avoid the second slam from Godskin Noble if you’re blocking, as you could be guard broken. You can also roll away from the second hit if the first one connects.
Attack 4: Single Big Slam
The Godskin Noble raises his arm above his head, then brings it down in a much more powerful slam. The AoE and damage are increased with the strength of the attack, but the only real difference is the timing. The windup is twice that of the double slam, and the actual swing that precedes the impact is about twice as slow.
Attack 5: Fireball
Used primarily as a long-range option or as a heal punish, the Godskin Noble puts his offhand into the air, summons a black flame sigil, and then throws a powerful fireball at you. If the thing lands, it’ll deal about a quarter or third of your health with a couple seconds of lingering damage-over-time.
Thanks to the recovery on chugging a Flask of Crimson or Cerulean Tears, if the Godskin Noble uses this attack the moment you start to heal, it will almost always hit you. He also uses it if you’re too far away, though dodging it at that point is very, very easy. Be aware his aim is pretty good, and there’s a small AoE when the attack lands.
Attack 6: Fire Wall
Used as a “get away from me” attack, the Godskin Noble raises his hand in a black flame sigil, then sends the fire into the ground, creating a wall of black flame immediately around him. The wall doesn’t deal much damage, but it does cause stagger, and the Godskin Noble will continue attacking from within the wall. Get out of the way as soon as you see him start the animation.
Attack 7: Belly Bump
The Godskin Noble will pull both his hands back like he’s going to do a pelvic thrust and then throws out his massive belly to knock you back. The attack deals no damage but does a ton of stagger. Luckily, the Godskin Noble rarely follows it up with anything.
Attack 8: Arm Bar
Another “Get away from me” attack, the Godskin Noble crosses his offhand in front of him, then swings his arm across his front, smacking you with his elbow and forearm. Thankfully, this attack doesn’t do as much damage as his rapier pokes, but it causes a high volume of hit stun, meaning if he follows it up with anything, it’s liable to connect. The windup is pretty long, however, so if you see it coming, roll back to avoid the attack.
Attack 9: Backstep Two Swing
The Godskin Noble swings his rapier in front of him twice in quick succession as he takes a short two steps backward. These two attacks cover a wide arc, but rolling away is entirely doable because he’s moving back. Blocking also works, as neither swing does much stamina damage to a good shield.
Attack 10: Tail Swipe
If you spend too much time behind the Godskin Noble, he’s liable to quickly wind up his tail, then swing around to face you, whapping you away with the side of the tail. This attack has about a half-second windup but comes out fast once it starts and will knock you down. The damage, like the armbar, doesn’t match any of the rapier strikes, but it also doesn’t have much recovery, so the Godskin Noble is likely to follow it up with any other attack in his arsenal.
Godskin Noble Phase Two Attacks
The Godskin Noble wraps his arms around himself and rises into the air, wreathed in black flame to start the second phase. He returns to the ground with an explosion that deals more damage than you’d think and knocks you back.
Attack 1: Quick Multi-strikes
With a similar windup to the charged lunge, the Godskin Noble unleashes a flurry of quick stabs that ends in a shorter lunge. You can tank every attack, as they’re relatively weak in isolation, but you’ll end up back at the Site of Grace if you get hit by more than a few of them. Dodge to the side to avoid the attack, as it doesn’t have effective tracking.
Attack 2: Big Belly Bump
The Godskin Noble starts his regular belly bump animation but bends further forward to continue charging the attack. He thrusts out his belly much faster and with a small explosion, dealing about one-fourth of a health bar in damage and sending you flying. He uses this attack as either a “get away from me” or a counter after you’ve done a combo of your own. If you see it coming and aren’t in a recovery animation, roll backward just before he releases all his energy or block the whole animation.
Attack 3: Oh Lawd He Rollin'
After a standard belly bump, the Godskin Noble jumps onto his side and begins rolling around the arena. There’s almost no avoiding the hits if you’re too close to him. There are two ways to avoid it: run clockwise around the Godskin Noble as he rolls counter-clockwise. You can also dodge forward and to the right to continue to roll clockwise.
The only other way to keep the Godskin Noble away as he’s rolling is to put a piece of the level between you and him, whether a pillar or some other bit of geometry. The Godskin Noble can roll for up to twenty seconds but stops when he hits you, so it’s almost better to take the hit than to wait it out.
Attack 4: The Biggest, Fattest Slam
After another standard belly bump, the Godskin Noble launches himself into the air and fills the rolls of his fat with… something, then comes down in a massive explosion. You could block it, but the damage will probably go straight through most shields. Dodging is more reliable, and you’ll want to do it just before he lands. You can be right up against him so long as the roll is timed correctly.
With this knowledge in hand, you should easily beat Elden Ring’s Godskin Noble boss. Check out our guides to beating Mohg, Lord of Blood, and Malenia, Blade of Miquella, as those are some of the best and toughest fights in the game. Our Elden Ring guides hub has other boss guides and plenty of additional information of value.
