Lords of the Fallen: How to beat Tancred, Master of Castigations

Though one of Mournstead's corrupted beacons lies atop the Tower of Penance in Lords of the Fallen, you'll first need to descend to its lowest level in order to find a lift that will take you there. Unfortunately, once you do, you'll also find that it's behind a locked door — and the key that opens it is held by Tancred, Master of Castigations. This Hallowed Sentinel has vowed to punish any and all sinners, and in his eyes, you're one of them. However, he appears to harbor a dark secret of his own, as well...

The first phase of this battle isn't terribly tricky, but I suspect many players will struggle with phase two. If you're having a hard time with the fight, check out the guide below, as it provides a full overview of the encounter. This includes everything you'll need to know about both phases in order to make it through them alive.

How to beat Tancred, Master of Castigations

Equipped with a polearm-like mancatcher and a shield, Tancred fights much like The Hushed Saint boss does (when it's not riding its horse, anyway). Here's a full rundown of what to expect from the first phase.

• The boss often attacks by swinging and slamming his mancatcher in combos. Block or dodge these strikes, then land a few of your own. Don't get greedy with your damage, though.
• If Tancred pulls back his mancatcher, he will thrust it at you shortly after. Block this, or dodge to the side to avoid it. Note that, with a lunge, this attack may be performed from a distance.
• From afar, the boss may opt to do a version of this move where they charge the mancatcher with Radiance and shoot a beam of energy towards you. Sprint or roll a few times to the side to avoid this attack.
• If the boss moves to shield bash or slam his shield into the ground, roll away. These attacks have a wide area-of-effect, so it's best not to be close when they land lest you get clipped by a lingering hitbox after your dodge.
• Tancred can perform a variation of the shield slam in which he charges it with Radiant energy; this creates a shockwave that blasts through the entire arena. Roll through it to avoid damage. You may still be caught by its hitbox if you dodge to the side or away as it moves outwards.
• Throughout the fight, the boss may summon a large glowing light that floats above him. It will begin firing bolts of energy at you shortly afterwards. Strafe around Tancred and dodge to the side to avoid these until the light dissipates, while also being mindful of his other attacks.

Tancred will stagger back once you deplete his health bar, though as you'll soon find out, this fight is far from over...

How to beat Reinhold the Immured

As Tancred falls, his "brother" Reinhold takes control, transforming the Hallowed Sentinel into a grotesque Rhogar beast. As a result, phase two of the battle is completely different, especially since Reinhold is extremely aggressive.

• Above all else, it's crucial that you do not get greedy at all while fighting Reinhold. He's one of the most aggressive bosses in the game, so you need to be patient and focus on defense. You'll have several chances to land your own blows, but they're not necessarily frequent.
• The boss attacks very frequently with combos of quick swipes and headbutts. Dodge these carefully, and roll away if you feel you need some space to work with. Make sure you get your own hits in between the flurries of strikes, too.
• If Reinhold begins pawing at the ground, he will charge you. Dodge to the side to avoid being bowled over.
• If the boss leaps into the air above you, he will slam into you soon after. This is best avoided by rolling away from where you are at the time.
• Similarly, Reinhold will also slam down onto you if he stands on his back two legs. This, too, should be rolled away from.
• From afar, the boss may start to wretch; shortly after, he'll spit a glob of fire that creates a pool of lava. This does a lot of burning damage, so dodge it and stay away from the affected area until it dissipates.
• At about 60% health, Reinhold will glow red and fall to the ground, then roar before getting back up. This is an excellent opportunity to get in major damage.
• After the aforementioned event, however, all of the boss' attacks will be buffed with fire damage for the remainder of the fight. This makes them hit harder, and also causes his body slams to create a pool of fire.
• If Reinhold starts wretching while you're near him in this stage of the fight, run behind him before he starts vomiting lava. You can then get several free hits in while he's doing so.
• Reinhold also gains the ability to spit a stream of fire at you. This can be strafed or dodged away from.

Ultimately, the only way you'll take down Reinhold is with patience and careful timing. He attacks relentlessly, but by taking advantages of the opportunities you'll get to land your own blows, you'll eventually whittle his health down. Once you do, you'll get the key you need in order to reach the beacon on top of the Tower of Penance.

Lords of the Fallen is available to play now on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 for $69.99, as well as on Windows PC (Steam and Epic Games) for $59.99. It's quickly become one of my favorite Soulslikes ever, and is undoubtedly one of 2023's best Xbox games and best PC games.

Lords of the Fallen

With responsive, precise, and challenging combat, innovative twists, stellar grimdark presentation, and more, Lords of the Fallen is one of the best Soulslikes available. Don't sleep on it if you're a fan of the genre.

Buy at: Xbox | Epic Games Store (PC)

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