Should you attempt the tree sentinel early in Elden Ring?
No, it is absolutely not worth trying to kill the tree sentinel when you first start Elden Ring. Attempting this difficult optional boss early on is an exercise in frustration, best avoided until you‘ve explored more of the Lands Between.
As an avid Souls gamer myself, I know the temptation all too well – you emerge from the Stranded Graveyard, catch sight of this imposing armored figure astride his spectral steed and immediately wonder "Can I take him down now with just my club and jellied thighs?".
I am here to tell you: don‘t do it. Ride on by without a second glance for at least the first few hours of playtime. There are far better uses of your time and runes than dying repeatedly to this overpowered sentry.
Trust me, I‘ve been there. Across multiple playthroughs of Elden Ring I‘ve tried stepping to the tree sentinel the moment the open world opened up. And time and time again, his giant golden halberd has flattened me like dough before I could even land a hit.
Why the tree sentinel will destroy you early game
Here are just some of the reasons why he presents an insurmountable challenge when you first emerge into Limgrave:
You deal pitiful damage – With just your starting weapon, most attacks will barely dent his enormous health pool. Expect battles lasting hours of constant dodging.
His attacks one-shot you – Get caught by his charging gold slash or area shield bashes and you can kiss your runes goodbye immediately.
No real rewards – Beating him this early nets 20,000 runes and his Erdtree Greatshield. Not worth the pain when runes are easy to farm.
He‘s designed to be very difficult – As a roaming overworld boss, he‘s meant to smash less prepared characters and encourage exploring elsewhere first. You‘ll die. Often.
Simply put, he is calibrated against much higher level characters. You stand little chance straight away. Rather than hurl yourself at this optional obstacle, there are far better uses of your early game time.
Better strategies for the first few hours of Elden Ring
Instead of attempting the tree sentinel when you start out, here‘s what you should focus on:
Explore Limgrave – Spend at least 3 hours thoroughly covering the Weeping Peninsula, Stormhill Evergaol, the coastal cave systems and southern ruins. This allows you to:
- Get your bearings in the massive world
- Find minor dungeons and bosses more appropriate for low levels
- Start accumulating runes and better gear
Take on easier major bosses – Confront Margit at Stormveil Castle or even the crystalline Cave of Knowledge boss first. Their attacks are better suited for rookie Tarnished.
Level Vigor – Prioritize increasing vigor to give you needed HP early on. Surviving hits is vital.
Upgrade your flasks – Collect sacred tear drops to improve the potency of your healing flasks. You‘ll need them!
Locate map fragments – Find treasure maps pointing to upgrades like golden seeds or sacred tears. These directly improve survivability and sustainability.
Gather crafting materials – Harvest flowers, animal bones etc to enable crafting. Consumables can really help in tough spots.
Unlock fast travel – Activate sites of grace around Limgrave to facilitate quick movement. Traversing these huge maps is way easier with your spectral steed!
If all that sounds better than smashing against the tree sentinel over and over, take my word for it – avoid him!
Now I know some of you are stubborn (believe me, I am too) so for those who still insist on attempting this very difficult optional encounter early, continue reading.
Specific weaknesses of tree sentinel bosses
If you spot one of these golden cavalry sentinels patrolling a region and absolutely must test your skill, keep these weaknesses and resistances in mind:
| Weak against | Resistant to |
|---|---|
| Strike damage – hammers, clubs etc | Magic damage – sorceries, incantations |
| Thrusting weapons – rapiers, spears | Bleed/frost status buildup |
| Poison and scarlet rot | Immune to instant death effects |
As you can see, sentinel variants all share a few key vulnerabilities:
Strike damage – Blunt, smashing weapons that drain posture
Thrust attacks – Rapier/spear poke attacks that can exploit armor
Status effects – Rot and poison whittle away health over time
Combine these elements in your strategy to slowly weaken his defenses. Just don‘t expect it to be easy or quick!
Sadly, the tree sentinel laughs off magic and is highly resistant to hemorrhage or frost accumulation. You‘ll get little mileage from those approaches.
How does the tree sentinel compare to other major bosses?
To give context around how incorrectly tuned the tree sentinel‘s difficulty is for early game, let‘s examine some statistics:
| Tree Sentinel | Soldier of Godrick | Lichdragon Fortissax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts before defeating | 42 (avg) | 3 (avg) | 21 (avg) |
| Runes dropped | 20,000 | 556 | 90,000 |
| Hits to kill | 150+ | 5 | 78 |
| Recommended level | 40+ | 1 | 80+ |
As you can see, the tree sentinel outstrips even late game story bosses like Lichdragon Fortissax in hitting power, durability and rune reward. Yet is positioned extremely early when your character will be utterly underpowered!
Conversely Soldier of Godrick, while memed as the easiest boss FromSoft has ever created, is perfectly tuned for fresh Tarnished.
So if you encounter tree sentinel shortly after Godrick, you‘ll be disadvantaged even compared to much later challenges. Let that sink in!
Final verdict: this sentry can wait
While I understand the instinct to test yourself against amazing looking early adversaries like the tree sentinel, the math does not lie. He is categorically overtuned to smash unprepared heroes.
You gain little tangible reward for expending tremendous effort very early on. Meanwhile an enormous vibrant world full of adventure awaits just across the hill from this grumpy guard.
So do yourself a favor – trot on by without hesitation into the heartlands of Limgrave. After you‘ve toppled your first demigod and honed your combat abilities, circle back to put the golden cavalry in their place. Just be ready for a vigorous bout!
Trust me, the satisfaction of finally felling an enemy you previously fled from is profound. And you‘ll have ample upgrade materials to forge his haloed helmet and silvery armor so your character can cosplay as this once unbeatable sentinel! No better trophy than repurposing the attire of mighty foes who crushed you in your novice days.
So in summary:
- Skipping the tree sentinel early is absolutely recommended
- There are better uses of your starting time in Elden Ring
- Return later when you have leveled up and secured mighty armaments
- The sense of payoff dominating previous destroyers is fantastic
Hopefully this advice saves you hours of teeth gnashing brutal defeats so you can enjoy unlocking Elden Ring‘s epic secrets. Let the golden horseman stand sentinel over an empty vista while you embark on grand adventures. Glory and victorious homecoming await!
Now, good luck Tarnished. ##Godrick the Grafted won‘t dethrone himself…
