How to Beat Grave Warden Duelist: Boss Fight Guide

This is a guide on how to beat Grave Warden Duelist, an optional boss in Elden Ring. Read on to learn more about Grave Warden Duelist's strengths, weaknesses, attack patterns, and lore!

Grave Warden Duelist General Info

Stats and Rewards

Grave Warden Duelist
Weakness	Resistance	Immune
Slash Bleed	━	Sleep Madness Instant Death
Affected By	Poison, Scarlet Rot, Bleed, Frost, Sleep
Spirit Ashes Available?	Yes
Rune Rewards	1700 (NG)
Summonable NPCs	・None
Location	・Auriza Side Tomb, Altus Plateau ・Murkwater Catacombs, Limgrave
Item Drops	・Battle Hammer ・Banished Knight Engvall

Grave Warden Duelist Location

Where to Find

Map Location
View Full Image
Recommended Level	Lv.20

You can find the Grave Warden Duelist in the Murkwater Catacombs at Limgrave. After entering through the doors, go down the stairs and you will see a Site of Grace. After 2 sets of stairs, turn right and go down the corridor. Traverse the mist and you will see Grave Warden Duelist waiting for you.

Murkwater Catacombs Walkthrough and Location

How to Beat Grave Warden Duelist

Tips for Beating Grave Warden Duelist
Try to get behind it as much as possible
Dodge diagonally into it to easily avoid attacks
Bait out its attacks for easier dodges
Summon Spirit Ashes

How to Beat Strategies
Ranged Build Strategy	Melee Build Strategy

Click a link above to take you to that section.

Ranged Build Strategy

Grave Warden Duelist Boss Tips
Summon spirit ashes before fighting
Keep your distance

Summon Spirit Ashes before fighting

Summoning Spirit Ashes before you fight Grave Warden Duelist can help keep you safe while casting spells. For instance, you can summon Lhutel the Headless tor Banished Knight Oleg to tank for you.

All Spirit Ash Locations: How to Summon Spirits

Keep your distance

As a Sorcerer, utilize the spells in your kit to keep a distance while dealing damage. Although Grave Warden Duelist primarily uses close attacks, Hammer Spin Strike lets it close the gap between the two of you so make sure keep this in mind.

When you traverse the mist to get to Grave Warden Duelist, it will be waiting for you in the middle of the room. You can use this distance to cast a spell without the risk of taking damage.

Melee Build Strategy

Grave Warden Duelist Boss Tips
Attack during Hammer Spin Strike
Dodge to attack
Summon Spirit Ashes for more damage

Attack during Hammer Spin

After dodging both hammer swings, you can dodge the last strike by waiting for Grave Warden Duelist to jump then roll either behind or to the side as it will strike what is in front of it. There is a window where you can strike while it stands up.

Dodge to attack

Grave Warden Duelist mainly attacks what is directly in front of it. When you see it is about to attack a direction, try to dodge into it (landing behind it) to get quick strikes. Your best choice is to dodge diagonally into Grave Warden Duelist.

Summon Spirit Ashes for more damage

By summoning Spirit Ashes, you can use them as a distraction for Grave Warden Duelist. Grave Warden Duelist's short ranged attacks focuses on the target in front of it, so you can time your attacks then.

Northern Mercenary is a great Spirit Ash to tank hits as well as dish out good amounts of damage. By playing together, it can serve as a distraction while you attack Grave Warden Duelist safely. Another option is to summon the Lone Wolf Spirit Ashes. This summon has a high damage output that can help you defeat Grave Warden Duelist faster.

All Spirit Ash Locations: How to Summon Spirits

Grave Warden Duelist Attack Patterns

Hammer Quadruple Swing

Grave Warden Duelist swings its hammer up to four times. The range of the strikes increases after the first two strikes. It takes a step forward with each swing so be mindful of this. This attack can be easily avoided by dodging backwards.

Hammer Spin

Grave Warden Duelist swings its hammer 360 degrees twice and ends with a jumping strike that knocks back enemies in front of it. It starts in a smaller radius and gets bigger by the second swing. The hammer starts behind it so make sure to dodge away before the first swing.

When it jumps for the last strike, wait for it to be at the apex of the jump then dodge either to the side or between its legs.

Charging Strike

Grave Warden Duelist takes two steps then strikes. After doing this twice, it will do two quick swings followed by a double hammer slam. You can time your dodge while it steps before striking.

Scream

Grave Warden Duelist lets out a battle cry and turns red for 30 seconds. For its duration, Grave Warden Duelist's attacks will deal more damage. You can avoid this by letting it time out.

Lunge

Grave Warden Duelist lunges and strikes. This can be chained up to five times. This move can follow your direction so make sure to dodge backwards instead of to the side.

Triple Strike Attack

Grave Warden Duelist swings once with each hand then slams both hammers. Dodge to the side as the third strike is slower than the first two.

Choke Grab

Grave Warden Duelist lunges forward and grabs you by the neck. Easily avoided by dodging backward or to the side once you see Grave Warden Duelist take a step back.

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Bosses

Main Bosses

All Bosses in Elden Ring
Margit the Fell Omen	Godrick the Grafted
Red Wolf of Radagon	Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
Royal Knight Loretta	Starscourge Radahn
Godfrey, First Elden Lord	Morgott, the Omen King
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy	Fire Giant
Malenia, Blade of Miquella	Mohg Lord of Blood
Regal Ancestor Spirit	Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
Lichdragon Fortissax	Godskin Duo
Dragonlord Placidusax	Maliketh, the Black Blade
Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing	Hoarah Loux, Warrior
Radagon of the Golden Order	Elden Beast

Optional Bosses

Limgrave Optional Bosses
Beastman of Farum Azula	Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
Demi-Human Chiefs	Flying Dragon Agheel
Guardian Golem	Leonine Misbegotten
Mad Pumpkin Head	Miranda the Blighted Bloom
Patches	Runebear
Scaly Misbegotten	Soldier of Godrick
Stonedigger Troll	Tree Sentinel
Liurnia of the Lakes Optional Bosses
Adan, Thief of Fire	Alabaster Lord
Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader	Bols, Carian Knight
Bloodhound Knight	Glintstone Dragon Smarag
Glintstone Dragon Adula	Magma Wyrm Makar
Royal Revenant	Spirit-Caller Snail
Caelid Optional Bosses
Battlemage Hugues	Black Blade Kindred (Caelid)
Commander O'Neil	Decaying Ekzykes
Fallingstar Beast	Flying Dragon Greyll
Frenzied Duelist	Magma Wyrm
Nox Swordstress & Nox Priest	Putrid Tree Spirit
Altus Plateau Optional Bosses
Ancient Dragon Lansseax	Crucible Knight Ordovis
Demi-Human Queen Gilika	Demi-Human Queen Maggie
Demi-Human Queen Margot	Draconic Tree Sentinel
Elemer of the Briar	Esgar, Priest of Blood
Fell Twins	Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast
Godefroy the Grafted	Kindred of Rot
Mohg, The Omen	Necromancer Garris
Onyx Lord	Perfumer Tricia
Red Wolf of the Champion	Sanguine Noble
Virgin Abductors	Wormface
Mountaintops of the Giants Optional Bosses
Astel, Stars of Darkness	Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants)
Borealis the Freezing Fog	Commander Niall
Misbegotten Crusader	Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
Great Wyrm Theodorix	Vyke, Knight of the Roundtable
Siofra River Optional Bosses
Ancestor Spirit	Valiant Gargoyles
Mimic Tear
Ainsel River Optional Bosses
Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella	-
Deeproot Depths Optional Bosses
Crucible Knight Siluria	-
Multiple Location Optional Bosses
Ancient Hero of Zamor	Black Knife Assassin
Bell Bearing Hunter	Cemetery Shade
Cleanrot Knights	Crucible Knight
Crystalian	Death Rite Bird
Deathbird	Erdtree Avatar
Erdtree Burial Watchdog	Godskin Apostle
Godskin Noble	Grafted Scion
Grave Warden Duelist	Mad Pumpkin Head
Misbegotten Warrior	Night's Cavalry
Omenkiller	Tibia Mariner
Dragonkin Soldier	-

Mini-Bosses

All Bosses in Elden Ring
Elder Dragon Greyoll	Lion Guardian
Valiant Gargoyle (Leyndell)	-

Hostile NPCs and Invaders

Limgrave Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Bloody Finger Nerijus	Old Knight Istvan
Recusant Henricus	-
Liurnia of the Lakes Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Great Horned Tragoth	Festering Fingerprint Vyke
Altus Plateau Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger	Inquisitor Ghiza
Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan	Rileigh the Idle
Vargram the Raging Wolf & Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm	Magnus the Beast Claw
Mountaintops of the Giants Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood	-
The Roundtable Hold Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Mad Tongue Alberich	-
Multiple Location Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater	-

These sections are currently under construction. Check back later for updates!