How to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring
Mohg is a boss you might fight twice in Elden Ring, depending on how your playthrough goes. The Lord of Blood version, however, is the hardest and most involved.
Update: Elden Ring has undergone quite a few patches since its launch, so we've update this Elden Ring Mohg boss fight guide to reflect that. We've streamlined information and added some additional tips to help you beat the Lord of Blood.
The Elden Ring Mohg boss fight throws a little bit of a curveball your way. While you may have been busy with the main story’s tough bosses, the game has been hiding some of the most interesting fights deep in its secret, blood-soaked areas.
Case in point: our boy Mohg, Lord of Blood, whom you’ve likely heard about but never actually met. Deep in the Siofra River lies the Mohgwyn Palace, where you’ll need to go if you want to challenge this version of Mohg. You'll want to grab a specific Crystal Tear from Altus Plateau before even considering this fight, though.
- When should you fight Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring?
- How to make Mohg, Lord of Blood fight easier in Elden Ring
- Where to find Mohg’s Shackle
- How to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring
- How to restore the power of Mohg, Lord of Blood’s Great Rune in Elden Ring
- What to do after beating Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring
When should you fight Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring?
Mohg, Lord of Blood is an entirely optional boss in Elden Ring. You don’t need to beat him to progress any of the game’s endings. Mohg is also a demigod Shardbearer, meaning your reward for beating him will be a Great Rune. That said, this particular Great Rune is really only geared towards PvP players, though, so its powers won't benefit most PvE players.
Still, if you seek a challenge, you’ll find an unusual gimmick to be experienced in this fight. We recommend leaving Mohg until the end of the game, either after defeating Godfrey or a little before.
Mohg’s fight really benefits from having enormous HP, so it’s best to attempt it at character level 135-145, preferably with a fully-upgraded weapon, meaning +22/+25.
How to make Mohg, Lord of Blood fight easier in Elden Ring
Mohg’s boss fight is tough, particularly if it takes you a little while to figure out the gimmick and how to best deal with it. As we always do, we recommend summoning a Spirit Ash to make the fight a little more manageable.
Like his brother Morgott, Mohg is also susceptible to taking poison damage, so the Spirit Jellyfish will work very well here. Alternatively, you can pick any other heavy/tanky Spirit Ash. Even the post-nerf Mimic Tear will work.
Mohg can also take frost damage, which will slow him down for a time. It’s not the most useful status effect for this particular fight, as most of his attacks are not ultra-fast, but it’s something you might want to consider.
Make sure to mix your Flask of Wondrous Physik with the Purifying Crystal Tear, obtained from defeating Violet Finger Eleanora at the Second Church of Marika in Altus Plateau. This is vital for surviving Mohg's blood curse during the battle.
Your Ace in the hole, however, is Mohg’s Shackle – an item that binds Mohg for a time and could make the first phase of the fight a cakewalk. Mohg’s Shackle works similarly to Margit’s Shackle, which you may have used when you fought his brother.
It is absolutely possible to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood without Mohg’s Shackle. If you do bring it, you can only use it a maximum of two times in the first phase of the fight. You can use it from any distance, and it will trap Mohg for a couple of seconds, letting you deal damage uninterrupted.
Where to find Mohg’s Shackle
Mohg’s Shackle is found in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, deep below the Royal Capital of Leyndell.
Start at the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace, and head down the north-western stairs. This area is protected by several tough Leyndell Knights, so take a left after you go through the door and jump down to any nearby roof. Take the second right after you land and you’ll see a well, which we want to head down. Open the door to your left, and go down the ladder. Continue into the tunnel and keep heading south-east.
Go down the stairs and be careful of the rats hiding in the dark. Open the wooden door and take the ladder on your left going down. There should be another door on your left, and behind it you’ll find the Underground Roadside Site of Grace – but be careful of the Omen enemies hanging around in the area.
From the Underground Roadside Site of Grace, go through the door and take a left (east), and head down the ladder on your right, you’ll find yourself in a dark area with lots of giant pipes and plenty of imp enemies waiting to ambush you.
Our goal is to head all the way to the bottom where the giant crabs are. This is a big drop, however, so we’re going to need to soften it. The best way to do this is to jump onto the pipe straight ahead with the wooden plank, then down to the pipe to your right below it. You should now be safe to drop down to the lowest level. As soon as you land, head to the southern corner of the room.
You’ll see a giant crab protecting an item on a dead body next to the wall – this is Mohg’s Shackle. Grab it and head through the opening in the wall. Take another right and you’ll find the Leyndell Catacombs Site of Grace. You may want to head into the room first before trying to grab the Shackle, so you don’t have to spawn all the way back at the top if you die.
Now, all that’s left to do is bind Mohg’s Shackle to your Pouch or toolbelt for easier access.
How to beat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring
Mohg, Lord of Blood delays some of his attacks like many of the major bosses in Elden Ring, though not quite to the same extent. His trident attacks deal significant damage if they connect, though you can either block or dodge them.
The real threat will be his Blood Claw attacks, which cause two types of damage, one of which is delayed, and can be comboed into a major trident charge. Generally speaking, try to stay close to the boss in both phases, as creating distance will cause him to spray blood around the arena – which gets dangerous in the second phase thanks to the added flames.
Mohg can be staggered – in both phases, letting you get a critical attack.
Mohg, Lord of Blood boss phase one
Phase one of Mohg’s fight is the easiest by far. You start off on opposite ends of the arena. Begin by summoning your Spirit Ash, and keep in mind that you have two uses of Mohg’s Shackle in the phase.
In this phase, Mohg has a small set of attacks. You can dodge or block his trident attacks, which can be delayed. His Blood Claw attack is more deceiving, because it essentially has two forms.
Regardless, every Blood Claw attack will deal damage if it connects, and cause an explosion in the space. If you dodge one, you might not be able to dodge the other.
Keep an eye on his left hand. The front-handed Blood Claw attack is the easiest to avoid, as the animation is slower and better-telegraphed. It’s typically followed up by a trident swipe.
The back-handed version is followed up by a trident rushdown. This charge will deal damage along the way, and on the final hit of the animation. The back-handed Blood Claw typically comes out faster than the front-handed version. If you dodge away to avoid the claw attack, you can dodge into him to escape the trident charge.
Occasionally, Mogh will reach into the air with his left hand, creating a shower of blood. Simply move away to avoid it.
Outside of that, Mohg has two other trident attacks in this phase. The first sees him plant it into the ground. When you spot him doing that, dodge away from where the trident was planted, as you will take damage when he pulls it out. The boss also raises the trident to create a brief blood shower and buff it for a single move. Both are easily avoidable by rolling away.
During this phase, Mohg will cast a curse mark (red ring) around you on several occasions. There’s no way to dodge this or get rid of the effect, but you’ll hear him shout Tres, Duo, or Unus with each one – and each signifies reaching a certain health threshold.
Drink your Flask of Wondrous Physik with the Purifying Crystal Tear at any point during the first phase to remove the curse effect. If you don't, you'll suffer heavy bloodloss during the second phase. Mohg will still recover health in the second phase, but at least you'll survive.
The real fight begins in the second phase, so your goal in this one is to use as few of your flasks as possible, seeing as you’re about to need them in the second phase.
Mohg, Lord of Blood boss phase two
Once Mohg’s health drops to 50% or below, he’ll begin the transition to phase two. This is a key moment of the fight, as you may not survive it and reach the second phase if you don’t know what to do.
Mohg will hold the trident aloft with both hands, and the arena will turn red. He’ll shout Nihil three times, healing himself with each by sapping your own HP. Each shout will interrupt your own healing, so you want to time your flask chugs between shouts to refill your HP before you’re out completely. Depending on how large your own HP pool is, the ideal time is to do it between the second and third Nihil.
Mohg does take damage in this transition, so don’t be afraid to land a few hits while he's casting. The more blows you land, the lower his health is going to be once he’s done casting.
This phase is tough, as Mohg is going to grow some wings, and all of his attacks will be buffed with blood and fire damage – meaning avoiding the initial hit won’t be enough like in the first phase. He also has a tendency to carpet the area in blood and fire pools, making the arena tricky to navigate as you try to keep your eye on him.
Your summon should keep him busy for some of that, but you otherwise want to wait for your opening before attacking. All of the phase one attacks remain, and they’re all buffed.
New to this phase is a five-hit combo that starts with Mohg levitating to cast a brief blood shower, quickly descend towards you to perform a wide swing, an upwards swing, and ending it by jumping up and landing to plant the trident into the ground. This final attack also causes a big flame explosion when he removes the trident. This is the most dangerous combo in the entire fight, as any one of those attacks will hit you for considerable damage.
When he’s not doing that, he’ll use his wings to boost up his jump attacks, but those are easy to avoid by rolling into him.
How to restore the power of Mohg, Lord of Blood’s Great Rune in Elden Ring
Being Morgott’s brother, Mohg is the only other demigod Shardbearer whose Great Rune can be activated at the Divine Tower of East Altus. If you defeated Morgott, you should already have access to that tower. Simply head to the top again and you’ll be able to power up Mohg’s Great Rune.
The Divine Tower of East Altus is the only one capable of activating more than a single Great Rune.
What to do after beating Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring
After beating Mohg, Lord of Blood, it's pretty much up to you what you do next. You should have explored most of The Lands Between by now, so we recommend that you carry on exploring the Mountaintops of Giants and beyond while gradually making your way to Leyndell, if you somehow haven't visited the Royal Capital already.
Leyndell is where you'll wind up fighting the final few bosses before Elden Ring's conclusion. If you've somehow made it this far and haven't yet fought any, then hats off to you. That said, do make sure to wrap up any quests you're currently doing - be it Ranni, Fia, or even Dung Eater - and explore Miquella's Haligtree (where the notorious Malenia resides) if you haven't been there yet before progressing through Leyndell.
Our very popular Elden Ring guide continues to expand. The Smithing Stone page, for instance, was just expanded with even more Bells – which allow you to purchase infinite upgrade materials.