Tree Sentinel Boss Fight Guide: How to Defeat the Tree Sentinel

This is a guide on how to beat the Tree Sentinel, a boss in Elden Ring. Read on to learn more about Tree Sentinel's drops, weaknesses, and recommended level!

Tree Sentinel General Info

Stats and Rewards

Tree Sentinel
Weakness	Resistance	Immune
Lightning	Slash Fire Holy Bleed Frost Scarlet Rot Sleep Poison	Madness
Affected By	Poison, Scarlet Rot, Bleed, Frost, Sleep
Spirit Ashes Available?	Yes
Rune Rewards	・Church of Elleh: 3200 (NG) ・Hinterland: None
Summonable NPCs	None
Location	・Church of Elleh ・Hinterland
Item Drops	Church of Elleh: ・Golden Halberd Hinterland: ・x2 Blessing of Marika

Tree Sentinel Location

Where to Find Tree Sentinel

Boss	Location and Rec. Level
Tree Sentinel (Church of Elleh)	Rec. Lvl.: 20+ Location: Church of Elleh Where to Find: Optional boss found patrolling the road south of the Church of Elleh site of grace.
Tree Sentinel Duo (Hinterland)	Rec. Lvl.: 170+ Location: Hinterland Where to Find: Two optional bosses east of the Hinterland site of grace. Can be fought separately.

New Players: Level Up Before Fighting Tree Sentinel

Experienced Souls Players can take on the Tree Sentinel near the Church of Elleh as soon as they reach Limgrave. But for new players, we definitely recommend you grind to at least level 20 so you can get a decent amount of stats on your character for an easier fight.

Rune Farming Guide: How to Get Runes Fast (Souls)

DLC Only: Unlock Scaduview to Reach Hinterland

The Tree Sentinels in Hinterland can only be accessed if you have the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and gained access to the Land of Shadow. You must first reach the site of grace of Shadow Keep, Back Gate, which is only accessible by going through the East Gate. Follow the video above for a detailed route on reaching this site of grace.

From the site of grace, enter the room on your right (with a summoning pool outside) and do the O Mother gesture in front of the statue to reveal a passage to Scaduview. The O Mother gesture can be found underneath a tree north of Bonny Village.

O Mother Gesture Location and Use

How to Defeat Tree Sentinel

Video Walkthrough

Tips for Beating Tree Sentinel
As the first optional boss, you can return to it once you gain better stats and equipment
You can fight Tree Sentinel on horseback
Be patient while looking for openings
Use Spirit Ashes for Extra Damage and Tanking

Click a link above to take you to that section.

Ranged Build Strategy

Tree Sentinel Boss Tips
Keep your distance
Equip a shield in your off-hand
Be Mindful of Tree Sentinel's Shield

Keep Your Distance

Create some distance, and stay out of the boss' range as much as possible during the fight since his attacks cover a wide area and can hit you if you position yourself incorrectly.

Use the environment to your advantage. Hide behind trees or boulders when the boss rushes towards you since this will keep him from getting close.

Equip a Shield in Your Off-Hand

It is a good idea to equip a shield in your off-hand if the boss manages to reach where you are. Prioritize getting out of his range by running back while having it up to avoid getting incoming damage.

Be Mindful of Tree Sentinel's Shield

Tree Sentinel's guard can reflect magic projectiles back to the sender. These deal devastating damage when they connect, re-emphasizing the need to maintain a safe distance at all times.

Melee Build Strategy

Tree Sentinel Boss Tips
Check which side the boss is attacking
Bait shield attacks
Prioritize dodging jump attacks

Check Which Side The Boss is Attacking

It's important to know which side you are positioned in when you attack the boss because it will determine which weapon the Tree Sentinel will use. This will give you an idea of how to approach the boss and better prepare yourself for the attacks it will make.

Bait Shield Attacks

When fighting the Tree Sentinel, It's best to try and stick to the side where his shield is located. His shield attacks are pretty slow and telegraphed, giving you a lot of time to dodge it and counterattack with your own afterwards.

Prioritize Dodging Jump Attacks

Once Tree Sentinel's health is reduced to a certain threshold, he will start to jump around with his mount. This is particularly deadly for melee, as the AoE of the impact reaches far and can potentially kill you in one hit if you aren't very careful.

Prioritize your own safety over dealing damage as one mistake can cost you the fight.

Tree Sentinel Attack Patterns

Tree Sentinel will choose to attack with his Halberd or Shield, depending on where you are positioned. The boss will mostly prefer to attack its right side, where the Halberd is located.

Halberd Attacks

Halberd Cleave

An attack where Tree Sentinel cleaves everything on the side where his Great Axe is. This is telegraphed by his mount's neigh, with Tree Sentinel pointing his Great Axe to the sky. This is followed shortly by the cleave attack, so prioritize getting out of the boss' range by dodging backward or sprinting away.

Halberd Thrust

A fairly long-ranged attack where Tree Sentinel uses its Axe to try and stab you if you're in front of it. Dodge to either side or away from him just before the stab to avoid getting hit.

Halberd Slam

Tree Sentinel hops forward to deliver a massive overhead slam with its Halberd. It's fairly quick and can be chained from most of its other attacks! The best ways to avoid this is to dodge either inward or towards his shield arm.

Charging Halberd Swing

An attack where Tree Sentinel will charge at you and try to hit you with his Axe. It is telegraphed by his mount's neigh followed by a charge. To avoid it, wait until he's near you, then dodge to the boss' left.

Do note that he only often uses this move to close in on you if you're too far away from him.

Shield Attacks

Golden Counter

Tree Sentinel brings his shield forward to block, drastically reducing damage and reflecting any magic projectile back to the player while the shield is glowing.

Jumping Ground Slam

An attack where the Tree Sentinel and his mount jump high up in the air before slamming itself back to the ground. This move is slow and can be easily dodged at the right time, but the AoE size is large, and getting caught in it could potentially kill you in one hit.

Once you see the boss jump, quickly sprint away from the boss and dodge backward as soon as he falls down.

Homing Shield Bash

An attack where Tree Sentinel and his mount will leap high up in the air before slamming itself on the ground to where you are at, similar to the Jumping Ground Slam. Dodge just before the boss hurls itself down towards you. Be wary of this attack's ground version as well as it can be chained from almost any attack.

Mount Attack

Trample

An attack telegraphed with his mount standing on its hind leg to prepare for a stomping attack. There will be a slight delay before the stomp, and you can simply sprint or dodge backward away from the boss to avoid it.

If you want to try and sneak in some damage during this, you will have to time your dodge perfectly, either to his right or left side.

Hip Check

A fast and unpredictable move. Tree Sentinel rams both his halberd and horse's flank laterally towards the target, knocking them down and making them vulnerable for follow-up attacks.

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Bosses

DLC Bosses

Main Bosses

Optional Bosses

Mini-Bosses

Hostile NPCs and Invaders