Grafted Scion

**Grafted Scion** is an optional field boss and a type of enemy in *Elden Ring*. It is the very first boss that the player encounters in-game. Later, it is also encountered as non-boss enemies in various other locations throughout the Lands Between.

## Appearance

The Grafted Scion is a large grey amorphous mass of body parts, sewn together through a process called grafting. Most of its features cannot be easily seen during combat, or are effectively hidden by a large dark green cloak that it wears over itself. However, it is apparent that it has around a dozen or so limbs, and with two of them it holds a pair of Ornamental Straight Swords on its right and a Golden Beast Crest Shield on its left, using them to attack the player or to defend itself from coming attacks; the rest of its limbs, it uses to stand on, with a remaining some being just dangling extensions of no particular use.

Under the cloak, its body consists of a large mass that is construed of many smaller humanoid torsos haphazardly stitched together with no consideration for form, and not all of them of Tarnished origin. In contrast, the main torso of the Grafted Scion—identified by being the one to which its head is attached—has a distinctly child-like appearance and proportions, with golden eyes and dark hair adorned with a golden crown. Furthermore, while its right arm remains intact, its left arm—and the entire lower half of its body—is either hidden in the larger mass, or else it is missing or replaced with other body parts.

Roderika, a Tarnished NPC the player can meet in Stormhill, remarks about a certain 'spider,' to which her companions were grafted. Due to the origin of the Grafted Scions and their loose similarity to a spider, it is inferred that she was alluding to them.

## Encounters

### Chapel of Anticipation

The Grafted Scion appears as a field boss in Chapel of Anticipation, in the courtyard across the bridge from the main chapel building in which the player begins the game. The courtyard acts as the boss arena, and a pair of fog gates will block off both entrances to the courtyard in the duration. After entering the courtyard, the Grafted Scion will make its entrance with a huge leap, landing in front of the statue.

While triggering the fight is mandatory for progressing the game, defeating it is not required and it is possible to continue the progression of the game by dying here, either to the Grafted Scion or by falling off of the edges of the courtyard. The player will then wake up after being transported to the Stranded Graveyard in Limgrave, beginning the game proper.

If the Grafted Scion remains undefeated, then it can be faced again when the player reaches the Four Belfries in Liurnia of the Lake. Using one of the waygates next to the belfries will transport the player back to the Chapel of Anticipation, where the player can retry the boss fight, this time with better equipment, higher character level and with a more skilled player.

Defeating the Grafted Scion will grant the player Ornamental Straight Sword and Golden Beast Crest Shield, its signature armaments, and some Runes.

#### Phases

Unlike the enemy variant, the Grafted Scion in Chapel of Anticipation has a second phase that is almost identical to the first, with one additional move on top its usual moveset. Beginning at half health, the Grafted Scion will use Golden Tempering with its pair of ornamental straight swords, making them glow a golden light and deal additional holy damage.

### Fringefolk Hero's Grave

A pair of Grafted Scions can be encountered as enemies in Fringefolk Hero's Grave. They are on the roof of the large room with an altar and a bridge across one side to the other and are initially ambivalent towards the player. However, as they cross the bridge, they will both jump down and become hostile to the player.

Fighting two Grafted Scions at once could be overwhelming for most players, but they can lure them in individually with ranged attacks without aggravating the other. As an additional tactic, the player can use the fire-spitting statue in the previous room to deal fire damage to the Grafted Scions.

## Moveset

The Grafted Scion is an agile enemy with a varied and erratic moveset. It can attack the player with sweeping slashes (dealing standard damage) or piercing stabs (dealing pierce damage) with its two blades, and it can use its shield to block incoming attacks, or to bash it at the player (dealing strike damage). It mixes and matches these attacks with sprinting, jumping, rolling, leaping, spinning and backsteps to swiftly take care of an unready player. It also has some additional moves in its arsenal to use against the player.

However, despite its varied nature, it is possible to broadly classify the individual moves that comprise the moveset of the Grafted Scion. In this section, these moves are listed, together with a description and some tips on how the player should respond in order to avoid, block, roll through, punish or otherwise respond to them.

All Grafted Scions encountered in-game share the same moveset, with the exception of one move—the Golden Tempering—which is unique to the boss encounter during its second phase. One could arguably consider the initial leap into the courtyard in Chapel of Anticipation as a separate move of its own, but since it occurs only once every playthrough and also normally, it cannot deal damage to the player, it is better not to do so.

Despite the size difference between the Grafted Scion and the player, most of the Scion's sword attacks can be parried with a parrying armament. Naturally, this does not extend to attacks that do not involve its swords, such as those involving its shield, and some others that do, such as leap attacks.

It is prudent to be able to distinguish the two swords that the Grafted Scion holds while describing some moves. Conventionally, for the remainder of this section, the sword that the Scion holds higher during its idle state will be referred to as *sword one*, while the other, which it holds near the ground, will be referred to as *sword two*. Furthermore, if not stated otherwise, *left* and *right* will refer to the direction *relative to* the orientation of the Grafted Scion.

### Idle

Like most enemies, the Grafted Scion is rarely stationary while idle, and will either walk left-to-right or vice-versa in a circular arc around the player, or will move towards or away from the player. During this state, it will also occasionally raise its shield to guard itself, covering most of its body and—more importantly—its head from player attacks. While guarding, it cannot perform any attacks, and it will have to drop its guard to do so; however, this should not trick the player, as it can attack the player almost immediately after it has dropped its guard. In addition to its normal walking pace, the Scion can also sprint towards the player, reaching the player more quickly.

Occasionally, depending on the position of the player relative to the Scion and some other factors, it will choose a move to perform in order to deal damage to the player or to boost itself. Normally, the options for the move chosen are rather unlimited, and any of the moves listed can be chosen. However, sprinting will limit the options it has, and it will perform either a 5-attack combo or a repeated ground stabs attack once it is close enough to the player. Which attack it picks seems to be influenced by the distance it has to travel to reach the player, and the further it has to travel, the more likely it will pick the latter option rather than the former.

Sometimes, the Scion will backstep away from the player to create some distance. This is distinct visually from the pacing backward it does during several other moves, and is usually followed up with some other attack.

### 5-Attack Combo

As the name suggests, it is a combo consisting of five individual attacks, distinguished by some amount of delay between each of them. During each attack, the Scion will continuously encroach upon player. The five individual attacks are the as follows:

1. A quick right-to-left sweep with sword two, followed immediately by a slam attack from the top by sword one, landing in front and slightly to the left of the Scion;
2. A quick left-to-right sweep using sword one. Sword two is held to its left in preparation for the next attack;
3. Another quick left-to-right sweep, this time with sword two. Both swords end up in Grafted Scion's right once again;
4. An attack with both swords at the same time, piercing forward and slightly to the left;
5. Finally, a successive pair of left-to-right slashes with sword one and sword two, respectively. This attack has a slightly longer delay compared to the previous ones.

After the 5th attack, there is a brief pause, where the Grafted Scion will revert to its idle state and prepare for the next attack.

This attack is generally performed when the player is in front of the Grafted Scion, and in midrange—that is, the player is neither too close, nor too far away.

#### Variations

Depending on the circumstances, the Grafted Scion might decide to cancel the execution of the combo, instead performing a different attack or simply revert back to its idle state.

Most frequently, the combo will cancel right before the 5th attack begins, at which point the Scion will typically revert to its idle state. This most probably occurs when the player is not broadly within the area in front of the Scion, but the Scion might decide to perform the move anyway even if they are not.

The combo may cancel before the 2nd move begins, at which point either the Scion will either revert to idle state; otherwise, it could either perform a jab-and-delayed-slash combo, or move into a stance.

The combo could also cancel before the 4th move, again usually reverting the Scion to its idle state, but this is generally less a rare occurrence. Alternatively, if the Grafted Scion was attacked during the 2nd or 3rd attacks, or if an attempted parry failed during, then it might perform a unique move instead, where it will hold both swords above itself for a delay lasting longer than usual, and then bring both swords down in unison, slamming them on the ground in front of it.

The Grafted will never cancel this attack before the 3rd attack has started and after the 2nd one has finished.

#### Response

This is a common move for the Grafted Scion to perform, and can be easily punished with any build.

For melee players, one easy opening to punish the Scion in is after the 5th attack, in which there is a delay where the Grafted Scion is reverting back to its idle state, giving the player enough time to land in an attack. However, this requires the combo to not be cancelled midway through, the likeliness of which can be maximized by simply staying in the front of the Grafted Scion, slowly walking back or dodging to avoid the attacks as necessary. Afterwards, run in to put a hit in.

A more agile melee player can also use the opening after the 4th attack to punish the Scion as well. One strategy to do so is to roll to the Scion's right as the 4th attack is being performed, attack once and then observe the Scion; if it continued into the 5th attack, then roll to the right once again and punish, but if it did not, then move away and prepare for the Scion's next move.

As it was mentioned before, Grafted Scion's sword attacks can be parried with a parrying armament. In order to parry, it is best to focus on the 3rd constituent attack, but in principle, any of them could be parried. This gives an opening for a critical strike.

Players with ranged builds should focus on avoiding or blocking the incoming attacks, and then attack the Scion in the aforementioned openings.

### Repeated Ground Stabs

If the player is nearby or in midrange, then the Grafted Scion the following move: the Scion will begin by standing up higher than usual, then walking towards the player while repeatedly piercing the ground with its two blades, and slamming it with its shield. After a few steps, then the Scion will leap into the air and land with its swords and shield, crushing the player if they are under it.

#### Response

If the player is too close, then they should try to get away while dodging the attacks with well-timed rolls. However, this move does not cancel during execution, so a well-situated player can punish this move quite effectively, both during its execution and immediately after.

For melee players, they could either attempt to circle around the Grafted Scion to land some blows *during* the initial attacks. However, the safest option for them is to wait out the attack, and then do a jump attack after the move has completed. For ranged players, they can also use this time to deal blows, but they should be mindful of the sudden leap during the attack which could mess with their aiming.

**Bug:** On uneven grounds—in particular, in Chapel of Anticipation courtyard—this move could be trickier to punish than usual. This is due to a slight change to Grafted Scion's collision mesh during this combo,[*verification needed*] which causes the Grafted Scion to sometimes seemingly 'fall' due to the uneven height of the ground under itself after finishing the combo, thus reverting it to idle state much quicker than intended. There is no way to systematically avoid this, except trying to guide the Scion to avoid it landing on already known spots where this does happen, and then punishing it with this risk in mind.

### Leap Attack

If the player is too far away, then the Grafted Scion might hold sword two facing upward for a moment, and then leap high into the air and land near the player, crushing them under its weight.

#### Response

Unless the player is really far, attempting to run away from this move is futile most of the time, as the Grafted Scion will adjust its landing spot accordingly. Instead, it is more efficacious to roll at the exact moment the Scion is landing. After it has landed, it will take a few moments to adjust itself, giving the player ample time to punish.

This move does not have the unintended behavior described for the leap during repeated ground stabs, and it is much safer to counter. However, the Scion might get stuck behind objects in the world and not be able to reach the player with the leap. For example, this can happen with the tree in the courtyard of the Chapel of Anticipation, if it comes between the boss and the player.

### Jab-and-Delayed-Slash Combo

This is among the most erratic and unpredictable combo in the Grafted Scion's moveset. It is consisted of two constituent attacks, as follows:

1. A quick piercing attack with sword two, pointed towards the front.
2. A delay, and then a slow-paced walk towards the player, usually leaning leftward, with a pair of successive right-to-left slashes with sword two and sword one, respectively.

Despite arguably being a combo, visually they might seem quite distinct, since sometimes the Scion will revert to its idle state animation after the 1st attack, only to suddenly begin the 2nd attack regardless.

This combo is typically performed when the player is in midrange and in front of the Grafted Scion.

#### Variations

There are a number of factors that make this combo quite unpredictable. For one thing, sometimes the 2nd move will cancel and the Grafted Scion will revert back to its idle state. This is more likely if the player is too far away. Alternatively, however, the 2nd attack could be replaced with an entirely different move, such as a 5-attack combo or taking a stance.

Another complication is that sometimes the Scion will perform the delayed slash independent of its 1st attack in this combo, albeit rarely. This is typically performed as a follow-up to another attack. Additionally, there is a 2nd variation of the delayed slash where the Scion will walk towards the right instead of the left, sweeping with sword one. This variation of the attack is a rather rare occurrence, but could be disorientating for the player.

#### Response

There is no reliable method to counter the 1st attack without high reflexes; but if the player is situated correctly relative to the Grafted Scion, the 2nd attack can be punished by melee players with a roll attack or jump attack after it has finished performing the move.

### Swirl Attack

If the player is fairly close, the Grafted Scion might bring both sword to its left and swirl around itself once with its two swords extended. In particular, each of its swords will strike the area in front of it at the start twice.

#### Response

The attack can be dodged with ease, as the Scion will remain largely in the same place while performing it. The delay after the attack can be used to punish the move for melee and ranged players. Interestingly, both starting and ending attacks can be parried

### Stance

At times, the Grafted Scion will do a quick right-to-left sweep sword two; then it will almost stand up and hold the same sword in a stance. After some delay, or if the player attacks, it will perform one of the two follow-up attacks listed below:

* The Grafted Scion will begin to spin around wildly with the two swords out, quickly closing the gap between itself and the player;
* It will lunge forward and then do a flurry of piercing attacks, consisting of a short burst, then a longer burst, and ending with it reaching out and doing a crosswise piercing attack from both sides.

Which follow-up it will pick generally depends on the player's position relative to the Grafted Scion; if they are in front of it and within a certain range, then it is more likely for it to pick the latter attack. The Scion might hold onto its stance for a long duration, before picking either follow-up.

This move is rather rarely performed, and it is better if the player focuses on avoiding the follow-up attacks rather than attempting to punish this move.

### Roll Attack

If the player is too close, or sometimes if they are in midrange, then the Grafted Scion might begin an attack involving rolling on the ground towards the player, spinning either rightward or leftward, sweeping at the player twice with each blade, before stopping and quickly pacing away from the player.

Both sweeps can dodged with well-timed rolls, and exceptionally agile melee players might even find some time to punish this move with attacks of their own. However, for most players, it is best to simply focus on avoiding the incoming strikes. Ranged players can use the delay after the two sweeps to punish instead.

### Jump Slash

If the player is a bit farther than its reach, then the Grafted Scion might jump forward slightly while performing a left-to-right sweeping attack with sword two. After this is done, the Grafted Scion will quickly pace backwards to roughly where it started.

There is no easy way to punish this attack. It is best to dodge this with a roll, in-time with the attack.

### Shield Slam

If the player is too close, then the Grafted Scion might slam its shield on the ground under itself, crushing the player or making them move away.

This move can be punished players with more agile builds.

### Shield Bash

If the player is too close, then the Grafted Scion might bring its shield back and bash it forward at the player.

While similar to shield slam, this move is comparatively harder to punish, so it is better to focus on dodging it instead. The player should not underestimate how far the Scion can reach with the shield during this attack.

### Scream

If the player is too close, then the Grafted Scion might take a few steps back and unleash a scream that deals a continual burst of standard damage[*verification needed*] to everything in its close vicinity (including breakable objects).

The radius for this attack is deceptively small, and counterintuitively, it can be blocked by guarding. However, this is not recommended because this attack will quickly wear down the player's stamina and break their stance. Instead, it is more efficacious to just stay away from the Scion during the scream.

### Backtrack Attack

If the player is too close, then the Grafted Scion might attempt to get away from the player by walking backwards while performing a quick stab in front of itself with sword one, immediately succeeded by a left-to-right sweep with sword two.

There is no reliable way to punish this attack, and it is best to avoid it with dodge rolls and backsteps if necessary.

### Golden Tempering

This move is unique to the second phase of the boss variant of the Grafted Scion. Starting at half health, it will stop for a moment, crossing its two blades while whispering some incantation, granted the two swords holy essence. This will make the two blades glow with a golden light for a duration, during which attacks with them deal some amount of holy damage on top of their normal damage.

This move is prioritized as being one of the very first moves that the Grafted Scion will perform after starting its second phase. Afterwards, the Scion will perform this move regularly, some time after the effect has worn off.

While this effect is active, the player cannot negate all of the damage the Scion deals by blocking them with shields, so it is recommended that they prefer to dodge the attacks by jumping, rolling, or moving out of the way of the attacks.

When the Grafted Scion is performing this move, there is a duration of time in which it is stationary and vulnerable to attacks, which the player can use to deal some blows.

## Tips and Tricks

Once the player is familiar with the moveset, they will learn how to avoid most of the Grafted Scion's attacks. Punishing those attacks, however, is a separate matter. In general, it is best to avoid blocking the attacks and focus on dodging them instead, because the boss can break the player's stance quite easily with many of its attacks. Therefore, it becomes that the most effective factors during this boss fight will be the player's agility and response time, and the character's stamina. For the former, there are no recommendations but practice, but for the latter, it is highly recommend to have a low equipment load as that affects stamina regeneration; however, both medium or fast rolls will suffice, generally speaking.

For melee users, the most easily punished moves of the Grafted Scion are the 5-attack combo, repeated ground stabs attack or its leap attack. For melee users with particularly slow weapons, however, it is best to do roll attacks instead of normal attacks as much as possible; they may do less damage, but they are faster than a normal attack, and this will free up precious frames for the player to dodge incoming attacks.

For ranged users, it is best to avoid its many erratic moves, and they should focus on using the openings where it is not attacking to punish the Scion. Note that headshots do extra damage to the Grafted Scion, and this is most beneficial for players with ranged builds. However, if the Scion is guarding, then the attack will do a much reduced amount of damage, so it is recommended for the players to wait those periods out.

### Against the Boss Variant

There are some extra considerations while fighting the Grafted Scion in the courtyard of Chapel of Anticipation that the player should keep in mind. In particular, they should be careful not to accidentally fall off from the arena; the north and west sides of the courtyard are completely open, and they can fall off easily if they are not careful.

Additionally, because the boss has a tendency to move towards the player as it is performing its moves, the player needs to have space to back away continuously. Therefore, it is recommended to face either north or south during the Grafted Scion's attacks as much as possible without getting cornered, because the courtyard is rectangular in shape and wider in that direction. Furthermore, one must be careful about the various obstacles in the way that might disrupt their movement. Spatial awareness is a key during this fight.

Finally, although the damage output of the Scion during the second phase is generally higher, that should not matter that much, as the rest of its moveset remains the same and can be avoided by following the same tactics as before.