How to Beat the Guardian Golem - Elden Ring

Rewards: Blue Dancer Charm, 1700
Summons Available: Yes

While it may sound complicated to fight a golem inside of a cave, it’s not much different from slaughtering its kind outside of this dungeon.

General Tips

Attacking the boss’s ankles is a good way to break its stance, and make it vulnerable to a critical attack.
Standing behind the boss allows you to avoid most of his more dangerous attacks.

Melee Strategy

This boss’s attacks are slow and predictable, so make sure to hold your weapon with both hands instead of holding a shield in your other hand. With that in mind, run towards the boss as you enter the room and start attacking its ankles by using heavy charged attacks. While you won’t be able to stagger the boss before the fight begins, you won’t be too far off. Stay around the boss’s feet, as it doesn’t have many ways to attack you when you’re this close to it. So not only attacking the ankles is by far the easiest way to defeat the boss, being in melee to attack them is also the safest place to be. Just continue using heavy charged attacks or jumping heavy attacks to attack the boss while it’s too busy swinging its weapon around wildly, all while not being able to hit you.

The boss will sometimes use the shaft of its weapon to attack in front of its feet or unleash a flurry of blows while walking slightly backwards. Those are easy to anticipate and roll out of. There is however one attack that can turn out to be dangerous: the boss crawling on all fours and breathing flames under its feet. Here you will have to run away from the boss, and just run back in once the golem is done trying to burn you.

Whenever you break the boss’s stance, you’ll be able to go for a critical attack around its glowing chest. There is however a decently high chance that the boss will slightly clip through the ground, which will put his chest cavity out of reach. In that case, just go back to the ankles and use your meatiest attacks to vent your frustrations. And if you do use a critical attack, just go back to attacking the ankles. If you’re using a heavy enough weapon, like a greatsword, you may be able to stagger the boss almost immediately after.

Ranged Strategy

For ranged users the strategy is slightly different, but equally as easy nonetheless. Your target should still be the ankles, and while you’ll be standing in front of the boss, targeting the ankles is still the way to go to kill the boss. Depending on your spell’s casting delay, use one or several spells targeted at the boss’s ankles, and move away from the boss as soon as it initiates an attack. Continue doing so until the boss is dead.

There is however a couple of attacks that might be more dangerous. The Double Swipe Into Breath will still be a threat to you, as the boss will be able to reach you with those flames. If the boss starts breathing fire in your direction, running to the side will allow you to outrun the fire. Additionally, whenever the boss starts charging through the room, he will end up the charge by swiping his weapon backwards and throwing rocks your way.

Apart from that, just continue moving in and out while attacking the golem’s ankles, and if you run out of FP, just follow the melee strategy to safely finish the boss off.

Moveset

Considering only a few of this boss’s attacks are a threat, we’ll only be listing the trickier ones:

Flurry: The boss uses its weapon’s shaft to repeatedly attack in front of them, all while walking backwards. Continue rolling or running behind the boss.
Double Swipe Into Breath: After two wide swings in front of it, the boss lowers itself closer to the ground and starts spewing flames forward. Run to the side to outrun the flames.
Flame Crawl: The golem gets down on all fours and starts crawling backwards while spewing flames underneath. Just run away from the boss and create some distance. Be to the side or behind the boss.
Charge: The boss charges across the room before swinging behind itself and throwing boulders in the process. Run to the side to avoid the charge, and either be close to the boss to avoid the projectiles, or just use a well timed dodge roll.