Elden Ring: The Easiest Way To Beat Mohg, Lord Of Blood

Despite widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike, "Elden Ring" hasn't enjoyed a spotless record regarding bugs and glitches. Putting malicious hacks like the infinite death loop aside, many in-built technical mishaps broke the game to a seriously frustrating degree — some were even accidentally added by later patches, like the glitch that made Malenia practically impossible to beat.

Not all bugs were game-breaking annoyances, however. Some glitches became essential to cheesing challenging bosses — like the favored strategy for killing Mohg, the Lord of Blood. The gist of the bug was that using the item Mohg's Shackle three times just outside the boss room would freeze his AI for the duration of the fight, leaving him defenseless so long as the player never staggered him (which would reset his AI, and force the fight to proceed as intended).

Unfortunately, this strategy is no longer viable. While this fix hasn't been explicitly listed in the official patch notes for version 1.05, eagle-eyed players have confirmed that, as of June 14, 2022, the Mohg's Shackle bug no longer works. The good news is that, even when limited to traditional in-game items and strategies, Mohg isn't nearly as difficult to beat as other optional late-game bosses like Malenia or Placudisax. Here's a rundown of the setup needed for an easy win over Mohg, the Lord of Blood, without using the Shackle exploit.

There is only one essential item players will need to turn this boss fight from a stressful headache to a moderate challenge — the Purifying Crystal Tear. It's dropped by the NPC invader Eleanora, Violet Bloody Finger, and she's found in the Second Church of Marika as either part of Bloody Finger Hunter Yura's questline or after finding the Grand Lift of Rold. When mixed into a Wondrous Physick, the Purifying Crystal Tear will completely negate any damage from Mohg's phase transition attack, eliminating what many find to be the most challenging part of the fight.

There are two other helpful (but non-mandatory) items to pick up as well: Mohg's Shackle and the Mimic Tear Ashes. While the Shackle no longer breaks Mohg's AI, it's still extremely useful in the first phase of the fight as it can stagger Mohg and provide a window for attack. That said, it can only be used twice and has no effect in the second phase. It also appears to have a cooldown before players can use it to stagger Mohg a second time.

The Mimic Tear Ashes are just a helpful addition that works for any fight — it summons a duplicate of the player that can hold its own impressively well if upgraded. Players can even summon the Mimic with Shabriri's Woe equipped to focus most of Mohg's attention away and create some helpful breathing room.

An important thing to note going into this fight is that, while using the items above will make the fight easier, players will still need to learn his telegraphs and contend with his attacks. Players will still need powerful gear and a high-enough level to beat Mohg — unless they want to put themselves against a serious challenge.

In terms of builds, the fight heavily favors ranged and Dexterity-based melee styles. However, Mohg strolls around the arena slowly, with only one gap-closing jump attack, so ranged attacks and even spells with long cast times can help a great deal in dishing out damage without taking too much in return. 

That said, Mohg's actual melee combos are very fast, leaving little room for heavy weapon melee attacks to land. In melee range, fast-striking builds have a greater advantage over slower ones. As Mohg has a weakness to cold and bleed debuffs, melee players can do well with a claw-based build like the Cold Raptor setup suggested by FextraLife.

Otherwise, players should ramp up on fire, physical, and bleed resistances before heading in to face the Lord of Blood.

Mohg's boss fight will begin with a fair bit of distance between him and the players' character, offering plenty of time to stack up on buffs or get in some ranged damage. The main concern during the first phase is to deal as much damage as quickly as possible while watching out for Mohg's phase transition. At specific HP points, Mohg will start to count down while placing a red ring around the player each time — at approximately 50% of his health bar, he will chant "Nihil" and cast a three-hit ritual that is meant to deal massive damage on each hit.

Thankfully, the Purifying Crystal Tear stops players from taking any damage from the ritual. While Mohg will still recover a bothersome 25% of his health, players can use his ritual animation as a window for powerful attacks or spells. Players can opt to either drink the Wondrous Physick at the start of the fight or just before he casts the ritual to take full advantage of any buffs from the second part of the Physick.

After, it's up to players to eliminate the health Mohg regained and finish off whatever's left. All in all, coming prepared and taking full advantage of a specialized setup should net players a win over Mohg without too much hassle. With that victory secured, players can begin contemplating when it's time to join the legend of Let Me Solo Her and take on Malenia.