Aim for level 60–70 before fighting Starscourge Radahn. Level 70 is the safer general target for a first attempt, while a prepared character around level 55–60 can win by using Torrent, upgraded equipment, a suitable build and the festival’s NPC summon signs. If you deliberately fight without those NPC summons, target roughly level 65–75 and make weapon upgrades and survivability a priority.
There is no official minimum character level that unlocks the battle. Your health, weapon condition, damage approach, experience and use of the encounter’s built-in summons matter as much as the number beside your character’s name.
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What level should you target for Radahn?
The most broadly useful first-attempt window is level 60–70. A guide that recommends level 60 or higher and another that gives a 55–70 range both place a prepared midgame character in the normal range. GameSpot gives the more conservative advice of at least level 70. Taken together, those recommendations make level 70 a sensible default rather than a hard requirement.
Level 55–60 is the lower edge of the practical range. It is possible when your weapon is upgraded, your build deals reliable damage, you have enough health to survive Radahn’s ranged pressure and melee combinations, and you use Torrent and the festival NPC summons. That range should be read as “possible with preparation,” not “recommended for everyone.”
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Players who remove the NPC distraction and extra damage should compensate with more character power. A target of approximately level 65–75 is more appropriate for a no-summon attempt, especially if you are still learning the fight or your build depends on staying close to the boss.
| Approach | Practical level range | What must be in place |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared character using festival NPC summons | 55–60 can work | Upgraded weapon, adequate health, consistent build damage and Torrent |
| Typical first attempt | 60–70 | Solid survivability, a suitable damage setup and willingness to use the arena’s summon signs |
| Conservative recommendation | About 70 | Useful general target when you do not want to rely on a low-level execution |
| No festival NPC summons | 65–75 | Higher personal damage and survivability to replace the distraction and additional damage |
These are guide recommendations and practical ranges, not an official FromSoftware level requirement. Player skill, build quality, summons, patches and the New Game cycle can move the effective difficulty considerably.
Why character level is only one readiness check
Weapon upgrades
Character level raises several attributes, but Radahn’s fight is also a direct test of whether your weapon can convert openings into meaningful damage. The readiness guidance treats weapon upgrade state as a key check alongside level. A level 65 character with an under-upgraded weapon can perform worse than a level 58 character whose weapon is properly developed for the current part of the game.
Before entering the arena, confirm that your main weapon is upgraded as far as your available materials and build path reasonably allow. “Well upgraded” is more useful than chasing a particular upgrade number, because the correct value depends on whether the weapon uses regular or special smithing materials and on how far you have progressed.
Vigor and survivability
Radahn applies pressure at range and during melee combinations. You need enough health to survive a mistake without losing the fight immediately, then enough composure to heal and re-engage. If ordinary attacks or a single ranged sequence routinely kill you, gaining levels in damage attributes will not solve the underlying problem; improve survivability first or return with more health.
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Build and damage type
GameSpot’s guidance emphasizes a powerful weapon that fits your chosen build or strong ranged spells. The important question is not whether your character has reached a headline level, but whether your damage plan works consistently in this arena. A build that needs long, uninterrupted attack strings may need more levels than one that can punish safely from range or exploit brief openings.
Torrent and the arena
The encounter takes place in an open arena designed around mounted movement. Torrent lets you reposition quickly and supports the lower end of the recommended level range when paired with the festival’s summon signs. If you are uncomfortable fighting from horseback, practice controlling distance before deciding that your character is underleveled.
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How summon choices change the recommendation
Using the festival NPC summons
The Radahn Festival provides NPC summon signs in the arena. Calling them gives Radahn additional targets and adds damage while you recover, reposition or approach. This is why a capable player can succeed around level 55–60 even though level 70 is the safer general advice.
Using the signs is not a shortcut that invalidates the fight; it is part of the encounter’s intended structure. If your first attempt is near level 60, summon the available NPC allies, stay mobile with Torrent and treat the extra targets as breathing room rather than as a reason to stand still.
Fighting without NPC summons
Removing the festival allies concentrates every attack on you and eliminates their contribution to the boss’s health bar. That makes a level around 65–75 a stronger target. You should also demand more from your weapon and build before entering: your attacks need to deal dependable damage, and your health pool needs to tolerate the ranged and melee pressure without relying on another target to draw attention.
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A no-summon run can still be a reasonable choice at the lower end of that range for an experienced player. The range is higher because it replaces assistance with personal damage, survivability and execution; it is not a separate unlock condition.
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- Check your character level. Level 60–70 is the normal first-attempt window. At 55–60, plan to use the festival summons and Torrent. At 65–75, you have a more comfortable margin for a no-summon attempt.
- Check your weapon. Make sure your main weapon is well upgraded for your current progression. If your attacks barely move Radahn’s health bar, improve the weapon before farming only character levels.
- Check your health. You should be able to survive the ranged pressure and melee combinations long enough to heal or disengage. Repeated instant deaths indicate a survivability problem.
- Check your damage plan. Bring a weapon that suits your build or a ranged spell setup you can use reliably. A theoretical damage advantage is not useful if the arena prevents you from applying it.
- Check your movement. Be comfortable using Torrent in the open arena. Mounted repositioning is one of the practical tools that makes the lower level range viable.
- Decide on summons before the fight. If you intend to use NPC allies, include their distraction and extra damage in your plan. If you will not use them, prepare for the higher 65–75 target instead.
When does the Radahn fight become available?
The fight becomes available through the Radahn Festival at Redmane Castle in Caelid. Bandai Namco describes two ways to activate the festival:
- Progress Ranni and Blaidd’s quest far enough to trigger the festival.
- Enter Altus Plateau, rest at a Site of Grace, then return to Redmane Castle.
The activation route changes when the festival is present, but it does not impose a character-level gate. If you can reach Redmane Castle and the festival has started, your decision is about readiness rather than satisfying a hidden level requirement.
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Starscourge Radahn is also one of the two significant bosses required to enter Elden Ring’s Shadow Realm. Bandai Namco’s official expansion-access instructions state that you must defeat Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood before beginning the expansion region.
That requirement is separate from the recommended level range. Defeating Radahn around level 60 with a prepared build satisfies the boss requirement just as defeating him around level 70 does; the difference is how much margin for error you have during the encounter.
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What to do if you are below the recommended range
At level 55–60
You do not necessarily need to leave immediately. First verify the supporting conditions: use the NPC summon signs, bring Torrent, improve your weapon and make sure your health is not dangerously low. If those checks are satisfied and you can consistently survive long enough to deal damage, attempting the fight is reasonable.
If you die before you can learn the pattern or your attacks make negligible progress, gain a few levels or improve the weapon rather than repeatedly changing unrelated equipment. The lower range assumes preparation; without it, the same character level can feel substantially weaker.
Below level 55
The available recommendations do not establish a reliable target below level 55. You may still win through exceptional execution, but that would be a personal challenge rather than the broadly supported expectation. Raising health and weapon power first gives you a more forgiving attempt and lets you evaluate the boss without confusing avoidable weakness with a mechanics problem.
After a failed attempt at level 60–70
A failed attempt does not prove that your character is underleveled. Identify what ended the fight: being unable to survive ranged pressure points to health or positioning; failing to capitalize on openings points to weapon damage or build fit; and losing control while approaching suggests that Torrent movement or summon timing needs practice. Adjust the specific weakness before deciding to add many more levels.
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How much do you receive for defeating Starscourge Radahn?
The Elden Ring Wiki’s 2026 guide page lists 70,000 runes as the reward for defeating Starscourge Radahn. That figure is a listed boss reward, not a recommended amount of currency to carry into the fight, and it does not change the level advice above.
Does the recommendation change in later New Game cycles?
Yes, the practical difficulty can change when you enter a later New Game cycle. Enemy scaling, your build, available upgrades and your familiarity with the battle all affect the result, so a level that felt comfortable in an earlier cycle is not a universal guarantee later. The 55–75 ranges are most useful as guidance for a standard progression attempt, not as an immutable rule for every cycle or player.
For a first playthrough, level 70 with a well-upgraded weapon, enough health and the option to use the festival summons is the clearest all-purpose preparation point. Level 60 can be enough for a confident, well-prepared player; level 65–75 is the more sensible cushion when fighting without NPC allies.
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