Quick answer: Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon is a two-phase Legend boss at the top of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, and she is far easier than her reputation suggests once you understand the trick. Phase 1 is a puzzle, not a fight — hit the three glowing Juvenile Scholars circling the room to shatter her protective bubble, which drops her to the floor for free damage; repeat until the phase ends. Phase 2 is a straight duel against a sorceress who staggers extremely easily, so an aggressive melee character can stun-lock her out of most of her spells. She has roughly 3,493 HP in Phase 1 and 4,097 HP in Phase 2 (NG), takes physical damage well, and drops 40,000 runes plus the Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen. Beating her also permanently unlocks respeccing your character. This guide is current for base-game ELDEN RING version 1.17; the fight itself is unchanged by that patch.
Rennala is one of those Elden Ring bosses players build up in their heads and then beat on the second try. She looks intimidating — a queen in a nest of eggs, surrounded by ghostly students and a screen full of magic — but the encounter has one gimmick and one weakness, and once you know both, the whole fight collapses. Below is the exact stat block, the Phase 1 bubble trick, the Phase 2 attack list with counters, and the summons and buffs that make it trivial.
Who is Rennala and where do you find her?
Rennala is the head of the Carian Royal Family, former master of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, and one of Elden Ring's five shardbearers — even though she is not a demigod. You reach her by riding the grand elevator up through the Academy of Raya Lucaria in Liurnia of the Lakes; her arena, the Grand Library, sits at the very top. The closest Site of Grace is the Debate Parlor, a short run before the fog wall.
She is technically an optional boss — you never have to kill her to finish the main path — but there are three big reasons almost everyone does:
- She is a shardbearer. You must defeat two of the five shardbearers before the game lets you enter Leyndell, Royal Capital, and Rennala is one of the easiest two to knock out early.
- She unlocks respeccing. Once defeated, Rennala becomes a friendly NPC who will rebirth your character — reassigning every stat point — in exchange for a Larval Tear. If you have ever wanted to fix a build, this is where you do it.
- She gates an ending. Defeating her is required to reach one of the game's specific endings.
Her whole character is grief, not malice — she cradles an egg and murmurs to you as if you were one of her children. During the fight she whispers her signature line:
"Hush, little culver. I'll soon birth thee anew, a sweeting fresh and pure…" — Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon (in-game dialogue, per the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki)
That framing matters for strategy: she is not aggressive by nature, which is exactly why she staggers so easily in Phase 2.
A note on version: this is the base-game Rennala in the Lands Between. She is a completely separate boss from anyone in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, which is a standalone game with its own bosses — don't confuse the two.
Rennala boss stats (base game, version 1.17)
All numbers below are New Game (NG) values from the Fextralife wiki; both phases share the same defense, and status buildup thresholds are per phase.
| Stat | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| HP (NG) | 3,493 | 4,097 |
| HP (NG+) | 5,320 | 6,240 |
| Defense | 109 | 109 |
| Runes dropped | — | 40,000 (NG) |
| Sleep / Madness | Immune | Immune |
| Poison / Rot / Bleed / Frost buildup | ~326 | 326–534 |
Two takeaways from that table. First, her HP is low for a Legacy Dungeon boss — under 4,100 in the phase that matters, so a decently upgraded weapon chunks her fast. Second, she is immune to Sleep and Madness (there is even a long-standing quirk where sleep does nothing to her at all), so leave the Sleep pots at home; if you want a status effect, Bleed, Frost, Poison and Scarlet Rot all still proc.
How do you beat Rennala's Phase 1? Break the bubble, don't fight the scholars
Phase 1 is where most first-timers flail, because they try to attack Rennala and every hit bounces off. Here is the actual mechanic:
Rennala floats in the center of the room inside a protective bubble that blocks all damage. The arena fills with Juvenile Scholars — ghostly students who drift toward her and chip at you. At any moment, one scholar has a golden glow around its head. Run to that glowing scholar and hit it. Do this three times (three different glowing scholars) and the bubble shatters: Rennala crashes to the floor, dazed and fully vulnerable.
- Use a fast weapon for the scholars. A single hit is enough to stop a glowing scholar; fists, daggers, or any quick attack let you pop them and reposition immediately. You don't need to kill them, just interrupt them.
- When she drops, switch to your main weapon and charge a heavy attack. She stays down long enough for a fully charged R2 or a jumping attack. Big, committed hits here are far better than nibbling.
- Watch for the glow. When Rennala starts to shine, back off — she releases a Light Explosion that punishes anyone standing on top of her. Retreat, let it go off, then resume.
Here is the part nobody tells you: you can end Phase 1 by breaking the shield just once if your damage is high enough. Drop her, unload everything, and you may skip straight to Phase 2 without ever popping a second set of scholars.
How do you beat Rennala's Phase 2? Stagger her before she casts
When the moon rises, the fight becomes a normal one-on-one duel against Rennala as a caster — and this is where her reputation falls apart. She takes physical damage well and staggers extremely easily. A melee player with a fast weapon can interrupt most of her spellcasting and, with enough poise damage, essentially stun-lock her.
Two workable approaches:
- Aggressive melee (fastest): stay close, keep hitting, and let the stagger do the work. Lighter, faster weapons disrupt her casts without draining your stamina. When she winds up a summon, back off, dodge, and re-engage the moment the summon fades.
- Ranged / caster: keep your distance and run, don't roll, to sidestep most of her projectiles, then punish the long recovery on her big spells. Charge your own spells in the openings after her attacks land.
Whichever you pick, the golden rule is: when she summons, stop attacking her and survive the summon. She summons help below 60% HP, and the summons vanish on their own — you rarely need to kill them.
Rennala's Phase 2 attacks and how to counter them
| Attack | What it does | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Chandelier Drop | Small flames ring the floor, then a chandelier crashes down for heavy damage | Keep moving so it misses, or duck behind a solid pillar |
| Full Moon | She incarnates a floating full moon that strips your magic negation and dispels sorceries it touches | Run wide around it; don't try to tank it as a caster |
| Glintstone Cometshard | Fires a fast comet projectile | Roll forward through it |
| Crystal Burst / Line | Summons a crystal (or a line of crystals) and shatters it toward you | Roll forward, land a hit, then roll left as her staff returns |
| Summon Wolves | Kneels, knockback, then four Lone Wolf spirits (only below 60% HP; can be resummoned) | Very weak — kill them and keep hitting Rennala |
| Summon Knight | Summons a Bloodhound Knight spirit | Kill it if you can to stop a resummon; otherwise just dodge |
| Summon Dragon | Summons a Dragon spirit — too tanky to kill in time | Don't try to kill it; dodge its fire and wait it out |
| Summon Troll | Teleports away, summons a Troll that immediately slams | Dodge the slam; it vanishes almost instantly |
Best summons, buffs and level for Rennala
Rennala is a Spirit Ashes–allowed fight and multiplayer is enabled, so you have every tool available:
- Lone Wolf Ashes in Phase 2 are the classic pick — cheap to summon and they stagger her repeatedly while you free-hit.
- A Mimic Tear works too if you want a heavier distraction that mirrors your build.
- Physical damage and poise damage are king in Phase 2. If you have a fast weapon with good stagger, you may not need much else. Bleed also procs if you'd rather run a status build.
On level: community consensus puts a comfortable Rennala clear at around level 40–50 with a +6 to +9 weapon and at least 25–30 Vigor, though players routinely beat her earlier because her low HP forgives an under-leveled character. As Elden Ring veterans keep reminding new players, early damage comes from weapon upgrades, not stats — a well-upgraded weapon matters more here than a few extra attribute points. Treat the level range as guidance, not a requirement.
Rewards: Remembrance, respec, and rune farming
Beating Rennala gives you:
- 40,000 Runes (NG).
- Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen, which you take to Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold to trade for either Rennala's Full Moon (a powerful sorcery that conjures a full moon to lower a target's magic negation) or the Carian Regal Scepter (a top-tier sorcery staff). You can also consume the Remembrance for a large rune bounty if you don't want either.
- Permanent access to respeccing. From now on, talk to Rennala at Raya Lucaria and spend a Larval Tear to rebirth your character and reassign every stat. This is the single most useful thing she unlocks — it is why so many of our build guides tell you to "respec at Rennala."
One bonus for co-op players: defeating Rennala as a Furled Finger cooperator rewards 10,000 runes, which makes helping others beat her a genuinely efficient mid-game rune source that doesn't touch any of the risky invasion questlines.
FAQ
Is Rennala a required boss in Elden Ring? No — she is optional for the main path, but she is one of the five shardbearers, and you must defeat two shardbearers to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital. She's also required for one of the game's endings and to unlock respeccing, so most players kill her anyway.
How do you break Rennala's shield in Phase 1? Hit the three Juvenile Scholars that have a golden glow around their heads — one glows at a time. Striking three glowing scholars shatters her bubble and drops her to the floor, where she takes full damage. A fast weapon like fists or a dagger is ideal because a single hit stops each scholar.
Why does my damage do nothing to Rennala in Phase 1? Because her protective bubble negates all damage until you break it. You cannot out-DPS the bubble — you have to pop the glowing scholars first. If your hits are bouncing off, you're attacking her instead of the scholars.
What level should I be to fight Rennala? Around level 40–50 with a +6 to +9 weapon and 25–30 Vigor is a comfortable range, but this is community consensus, not an official requirement. Her HP is low for a Legacy Dungeon boss, so a well-upgraded weapon lets under-leveled characters win too.
What do you get for beating Rennala? 40,000 runes, the Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen (trade it at Finger Reader Enia for Rennala's Full Moon sorcery or the Carian Regal Scepter staff), and permanent respec access — spend a Larval Tear to reassign your stats at Rennala afterward.
Can you summon help against Rennala? Yes. Spirit Ashes are allowed and multiplayer is enabled. Lone Wolf Ashes in Phase 2 are the go-to pick because they stagger her repeatedly, and a Mimic Tear also works well.
Where to go next
Rennala is best treated as a springboard for the rest of your run — she unlocks respeccing, so this is the moment to commit to a real build. If you're still figuring out your stat spread, our other Elden Ring guides go deeper on the two questions Rennala's respec puts in front of you: how much Vigor to run, and which weapon to build around.
- Read our full How Much Vigor Do You Need in Elden Ring breakdown for HP soft caps and the ideal level to stop.
- New to bosses? Our How to Beat Margit the Fell Omen and How to Beat Godrick the Grafted guides cover two of the fights you'll take on around the same stretch of the game as Rennala.
- Ready to pick a weapon? See our Best Bleed Weapons in Elden Ring ranking for a fast, stagger-friendly loadout that shreds Rennala in Phase 2.
Boss stats, mechanics and rewards verified against the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki. Current for base-game ELDEN RING version 1.17.
