While many major boss fights in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are concealed in the Land of Shadow’s various hidden locations, none are quite as tough to find as Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame. Found deep in a dark and frightening forest that’s only accessible by an extremely easy-to-miss route that starts all the way back in the Shadow Keep, the battle with Midra is one of the expansion’s best-kept secrets — and also one of its best fights overall.
Whether you’re trying to find him or are having trouble defeating him, this comprehensive boss guide on Midra will go over everything you need to know. This includes his location in Elden Ring and how you can get to it, some tips about what he’s weak to and some tools you can use to make the fight easier, and a full overview of his moveset and when you should punish his attacks with your own damage.
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame location
The path to Midra is a dangerous one — arguably just as dangerous as the Lord of Frenzied Flame himself. He’s located within Midra’s Manse, a sizable manor in the southwestern corner of the Abyssal Woods.
Note that to get to the Abyssal Woods, you’ll first need to ride the elevator behind the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace in the Shadow Keep Legacy Dungeon, then look for a ladder next to all the burning boats on the castle rampart nearby. Go down the ladder and you’ll notice a narrow path that leads to a secret path behind flowing water; go in it, take the second ladder down, and then ride the coffin there. Doing so will get you started on a path you can follow to the Darklight Catacombs, which lead to the Abyssal Woods.
I won’t spoil what’s in the Abyssal Woods, but just know that it’s not like most other regions in the Elden Ring DLC, and that you should be prepared to do some stealthing.
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame general tips
If you follow these general tips, you’ll be well-prepared to face off against Midra.
- Hunt down more Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes if you (or your summons, if using one) are struggling to stay alive. The extra damage resistance Shadow Realm Blessings provide makes a huge difference when taking damage from Midra’s hard-hitting attacks.
- Mimic Tear or Omenkiller Rollo and any other Spirit Ashes that can proc Bleed are great in this fight. A tankier version of you will always perform well, though Omenkiller Rollo is also an exceptional choice in this fight because he does excellent stagger damage and Midra can be stance broken fairly easily. He’s also susceptible to Bleed, so any summon you have that can proc it is good.
- Midra is susceptible to Frostbite and Bleed, so try to proc these status effects on him if you can. Weapon buffs, weapon infusions, spells, consumables, and throwables can all help you do this.
- Midra deals Physical damage with his melee attacks and Fire damage with his Frenzied Flame magic. Consider using gear and items that resists these damage types, such as the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, the Flamedrake Talisman, Boiled Crab, and Fireproof Dried Livers. Spells like Black Flame’s Protection and Flame, Protect Me are also great for this.
- Midra’s fire attacks also build up Madness, so you may want to use equipment that boosts Focus or alleviates Madness buildup. Some good examples include the Clarifying Horn Charm, Clarifying Cured Meat, and Clarifying Boluses.
- A good shield will come in handy for this fight if you’re having a hard time dodging the boss’ melee attacks. Since their damage is almost entirely Physical, lots of different medium and greatshields can fully block the damage they do.
- Midra is quite easy to stance break, so builds with heavier weapons, guard counter setups, or heavy-hitting Ashes of War will excel in this fight. You’ll get a chance to land a critical hit each time you stagger him, which contributes quite a bit of extra damage.
- Midra’s melee attacks can also be parried, with three parries required in order to stance break him. If you’re good at parrying, it’s an excellent strategy against him.
Boss guide: How to beat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
After entering the arena and “killing” Midra in his normal form, he’ll transform into the Lord of Frenzied Flame and the fight will begin. Here’s how to beat him:
- Midra will always begin the fight with one of his fire attacks in which he spreads his arms wide and sprays two bursts of Frenzied Flame at you. Dodge through the flames and towards him to avoid damage, then punish with a few hits.
- Midra can do this attack throughout the fight, so keep that in mind. He generally tends to do it if you’re outside of his melee range.
- There’s a variation of this attack in which Midra will duck down, then shoot Frenzied Flame straight ahead or in a left-to-right arc. Again, roll through the fire as it approaches you to stay safe.
- Midra frequently attacks with three or four-hit combos with his greatsword, occasionally shooting a burst of Frenzied Flame instead for the second attack in these chains. The best way to dodge these is to roll forwards and to his right side. Make sure you get hits in each time Midra lowers his greatsword back to his side, as that’s his recovery window.
- Note that he may also end his combos with upwards slashes that send out a line of fire that will hit you if you roll backwards. This is another reason why you should dodge forwards and into his melee attacks.
- One way the boss can mix things up is by trying to stab your head with the stake in his left hand, either once or twice in quick succession. You can dodge in any direction to avoid damage from this, but the attack can be a little hard to see coming. Him raising his left hand is the telegraph it’s coming.
- Another move sees him perform a spin through the air and slash at you after a delay. Roll through it as you do with the other swings, but don’t dodge too early or else the delay of the attack will catch you.
- There’s a variation of this attack where Midra will perform two rapid spinning slashes, followed by two more, before landing again. Each pair of swipes can be dodged with one roll.
- Finally, if you Midra pull his sword arm back while it’s pointed forwards, it means he’s about to go for a large thrust attack. As with all his other melee strikes, roll through this.
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame Phase 2
At 70% health, Midra will hover in the air for several seconds as his Frenzied Flame “eye” flares brightly, then land on your current position and cause a massive explosion. You can’t iframe the blast with dodges, so when you see this start happening, sprint as far and as fast as you can from your current position to safely evade the explosion.
This signals the start of Phase 2, in which Midra gains a few deadly attacks he’ll use intermittently between his regular moves. Here’s what you need to know about them:
- Note that Midra’s phase transition attack can happen again when he’s around 30% health or so, so watch for it. Avoiding it works the same way.
- The first new attack Midra gets is one in which he quickly charges up his eye before shooting a lethal Frenzied Flame laser at you. If you see energy swelling up in his eye, start sprinting or rolling to the side several times to avoid the beam.
- Midra may also spawn a Frenzied Flame fireball next to you that primes and then detonates in a massive explosion, similar to the ones used by the Fire Giant. If you see this, sprint away or roll around and behind the boss.
- Another new move involves Midra imbuing his sword with Frenzied Flame, and his stance while doing this telegraphs what he’ll do next:
- If he stretches his sword arm out: He will send a wave of Frenzied Flame at you, similar to how he’ll spray it from his eye. Just roll through this — it’s by far the easiest of these two attacks to avoid.
- If he winds his sword arm up: He will perform a deadly five-hit combo of slashes in which each swing sends out a wave of Frenzied Flame. Luckily, you’ll avoid the fire altogether if you dodge into each strike like you’ve been doing for the rest of his melee attacks. You’ll get a good window of opportunity to attack yourself after dodging this combo, so take advantage of it.
- Finally, if Midra leaps into the air, while his sword is glowing with golden energy, he’s about to try to land on you and stab you for heavy damage. If he misses, he’ll then thrust further into the ground and create golden spikes that jut out of the ground. Roll the initial stab attempt, then either sprint away or roll again to iframe the follow-up.
While Midra’s attacks hit incredibly hard (par for the course with this DLC, honestly), his moveset is a bit more forgiving than some other bosses. Overall, I’d say he’s one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s easier bosses, but I love fighting him and have been having a blast helping folks defeat him in co-op multiplayer. Once he’s finally down for the count, you’ll get the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here, and it makes one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of all time even better. It’s out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC for $39.99.
