Astel, Naturalborn of the Void stands as one of Elden Ring’s most enigmatic and formidable bosses, a cosmic horror born from starry debris that once obliterated an Eternal City and stole its sky. Found deep within the Grand Cloister, reaching Astel requires a perilous coffin ride down a waterfall into a scarlet rot-infested abyss. To conquer this otherworldly titan, players must target its vulnerable head to break its posture, dodge devastating cosmic attacks, and exploit its weakness to poison and Scarlet Rot. Mastering Astel’s deadly moves and knowing when to summon Spirit Ashes can turn the tide in this epic showdown, crucial for unlocking a key ending in Elden Ring.
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void location
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void is located in an optional underground area accessible through the Grand Cloister at the end of the Lake of Rot in Nokstella, Eternal City. To reach Astel, players can progress through Ranni the Witch’s questline or enter via a coffin found in the Deeproot Depths. From the Grand Cloister Site of Grace, head west, carefully drop down broken ledges, cross the Scarlet Rot river, and follow the path to find a coffin that transports you to Astel’s arena behind the fog gate.
Astel is located in its own area to the south of the Lake of Rot, but to reach that area you must take a coffin for a ride down a waterfall. To reach the coffin, travel to the Grand Cloister Grace in the Lake of Rot and traverse the ledges to the ground level. You’ll get here as part of progressing Ranni’s questline.
Head west until you reach the end of the hallway and then turn left to find a coffin sitting at the edge of a waterfall. Enter the coffin and you’ll spawn in a new area. Go north from the initial location to find the fog door leading to Astel, Naturalborn of the Void.
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void weakness
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, is notably immune to frostbite, sleep, and madness but has significant weaknesses to poison, scarlet rot, and bleed status effects, making these ideal for exploiting in combat. Its most vulnerable spot is its head, which players should focus on to deal increased damage and potentially stagger the boss. Using weapons or spells that inflict poison or scarlet rot is highly recommended, as these status effects can chip away at Astel’s large health pool effectively. Additionally, Astel is not parryable and has high defense, so maintaining mobility and using spirit summons to distract it can improve survivability during the fight.
Astel can be a tricky boss. Some of their attacks can wipe out over half of your health bar if you’re unprepared, but there are some weapons, incantations, and spells that’ll make the fight much easier.
- Astel isimmuneto frostbite, sleep, and madness, but is susceptible to poison, scarlet rot, and bleed damage. We recommend incorporating these status effects into your build by using a corresponding weapon, incantation, or spell.
- Astel is also particularlyresistant to every type of elemental damage (magic, fire, lightning, and holy). They’ll still take damage as they aren’t immune, but it just won’t be the amount you’re used to.
- On the other hand, Astel is not as resistant to physical damage. Magic users should not be afraid. You still have an advantage with your range and you can use gravity spells.
How to prepare for Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
To prepare for the fight against Astel, Naturalborn of the Void in Elden Ring, focus on exploiting its weaknesses to poison, Scarlet Rot, and bleed by equipping weapons, incantations, or spells that apply these status effects. Summoning Spirit Ashes can be very helpful to distract Astel and create openings for attacks. Melee players should aim for Astel’s head and limbs, which are less armored, while magic and ranged users can benefit from maintaining a medium distance to safely cast spells or shoot projectiles, especially using gravity or poison-based attacks. Be ready to dodge its powerful AoE and grab attacks by watching its cues closely, such as its glowing mandibles and teleportation signals. Bringing tanky summons and using ranged attacks with status effects will significantly improve your chances of success.
Here are a couple of weapons, incantations, and spells that will help you in your fight against Astel, Naturalborn of the Void:
- Any weapon withpoison, scarlet rot, or bleed. We know this is extremely vague, but these status effects can and will deal a lot of damage to Astel. Find a weapon with either of these status effects in a category of your liking and upgrade it as much as you possibly can.
- Rotten Breath incantation (purchased at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion in Caelid for one dragon heart). Although this incantation is not as strong as it was on launch, Rotten Breath will still deal a lot of damage through scarlet rot.
- Rock Sling sorcery (found in a chest in the northern section of the Street of Sages Ruins in Caelid). Rock sling is a gravity spell that has great tracking and range. You can spam this spell from a distance, allowing you to avoid a majority of Astel’s attacks. If you couple this sorcery with the Meteorite Staff (found on a corpse in the Street of Sages Ruins), Rock Sling will deal 30% more damage, making the fight even easier.
As always, before you head into a boss fight, you should level up your attributes and upgrade your weapons and spirit ashes. We recommend using the Mimic Tear Ash to divert Astel’s attention and tank a large portion of their damage.
How to beat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
To beat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void in Elden Ring, focus on targeting its head and limbs, which are its weak points, while avoiding its heavily armored crystalline body. Use Spirit Ashes summons to distract Astel, giving you openings to attack safely. Dodge its powerful ranged and AoE attacks by timing your rolls carefully, especially its laser beam and meteorite strikes. Applying poison, scarlet rot, or bleed status effects through weapons, incantations, or ranged attacks can significantly help, as Astel is vulnerable to these but immune to frostbite, sleep, and madness. Melee players should stay close to its head to maximize damage while dodging bite attacks, and ranged or magic users can maintain mid-range pressure, using spells like Comet Azur or status-inflicting arrows to chip away at its health. Staying mobile, watching for its teleports, and attacking during its recovery frames are key to success.
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void has a weak spot on its head, but that doesn’t mean you should always stand directly in front of it. Some of Astel’s most damaging moves involve the use of its pincers, which are, of course, attached to its head. Instead, stand slightly farther away to the point where you can see most of Astel’s body. This will allow you to see a majority of Astel’s telltale attacks, which can be very telegraphed.
The general game plan is to learn the attack’s wind-up, avoid it, and get a few attacks on its head. Listed below are some of the moves that you’ll need to know to defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void.
- As soon as you enter the boss room, Astel will charge up a purple ball that’ll shoot a laser directly at you. You won’t have to dodge immediately as there is a slight wind-up time, but we recommend spamming your dodge roll at first to get a hang of the timing. After Astel fires the laser, you’ll have time to summon your Mimic Tear Ash, or whichever spirit ash of your choosing.
- Astel swiftly rises with three purple orbs in their three left hands, then slams the ground, releasing three growing shockwaves. It can be pretty difficult to react in time to this attack, so we suggest that you just spam your dodge roll as you run away until you get used to this move.
- Astel will rise into the air with a purple orb in each of their six hands, then proceed to slam into the ground, releasing three shockwaves that grow in size. This attack is similar to the previous one, but the wind-up time is significantly longer. Again, run a considerable distance away from Astel as the shockwaves can grow deceivingly large.
- Astel will begin to charge up – adding an electrifying animation to their surroundings for a couple of seconds – before levitating you up into the air and then slamming you into the ground. When you see Astel charging up, run away from them and wait for the slamming animation to finish before you go in for an attack.
- Astel will create a single purple orb in one of their hands, then sweep their hand in front of them, leaving a purple shroud that explodes in a second. Depending on your distance to Astel, you may have enough time to run through the mist and land a couple of hits on their head before their next attack. There are multiple variations of this attack and they all function similarly, but just keep an eye out for the single purple orb.
- One of the banes of this entire fight is Astel’s teleport that leads to their grab. Particles will begin to gather above Astel, creating a large orb that teleports Astel away. When Astel begins their teleport, sprint away and rotate your camera so that it’s pointing behind you. If they do teleport above you, try to stay aware of their arms and dodge when they begin to swoop in to grab you – almost like they’re hugging you. This grab will do a TON of damage and potentially kill you, so do your best to roll away from it. Do note that Astel can teleport to other locations, but this attack is the deadliest.
- Another of Astel’s teleport attacks is one where they’ll teleport away from you and summon a multitude of rings behind them. Meteors will shoot out of the rings and fly at you, but these can be avoided by continuously running to the side and dodging when needed.
- Lastly, watch for any movement in Astel’s major bodily features. If their pincers begin to twitch, look out for an attack from their pincers; if their tail begins to sway, look out for an attack from their tail.
Once you’ve defeated Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, you’ll receive the Remembrance of the Naturalborn, which can be traded in for the Waves of Darkness Ash of War or the Bastard’s Stars.
What makes Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, so challenging to defeat in Elden Ring
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void is notoriously challenging in Elden Ring due to its combination of high damage output, unpredictable teleportation, and powerful grab attacks that can quickly overwhelm players. Its large health pool and strong defenses, especially on its crystalline body, force players to focus on its vulnerable head and limbs to break its stance and deal critical damage. Astel’s devastating area-of-effect cosmic attacks, such as Meteorite of Astel and Waves of Darkness, require precise dodging and positioning. Additionally, its immunity to frostbite and high resistance to poison and Scarlet Rot make status effects less effective, while its gravity-based grab moves can instantly kill if not anticipated. The fight demands careful timing, mobility without constant lock-on, and strategic use of Spirit Ash summons to distract the boss and create openings.
Why are Astel’s teleportation and grab attacks so hard to predict in Elden Ring
Astel’s teleportation and grab attacks are so hard to predict because when Astel teleports, it always reappears directly above the player regardless of their movement, making it difficult to anticipate its exact position. However, the direction from which Astel executes its grab attack after teleporting is completely random and comes from above, leaving no clear visual cues to prepare for the attack. This unpredictability, combined with the boss’s swift movement and the vertical angle of the grab, makes it nearly impossible to see or dodge the grab in advance. Players must stay highly alert and often rely on quick reflexes and positioning strategies, such as moving toward the center of the arena or running up to Astel when it teleports, to avoid being caught off guard by these lethal moves.
