Skeleton | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom

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Variant Description [ ]

Skeleton warriors found only on the surface (and within Sage's Cave ) they carry a wide variety of weapons and clothes that help distinguish them from each other. They can be found in graveyards all across the Lands Between and many of them are linked to local Tibia Mariners , meaning should certain local Mariner's be felled, then the presence of these skeletons may fade from several nearby graveyards as a result.


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Variant Description [ ]

Heavily built skeletons wielding greataxes and halberds, they have much greater poise than normal skeletons and will attack sequentially as long a Tarnished remains near.


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Variant Description [ ]

Skeletons with golden bones, they share most of their moveset with the normal counterparts however with the addition of an attack that involves them gliding around the air like a kite while spewing magic gas beneath them. They've also shed most of their frailty against holy damage.


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Variant Description [ ]

These skeleton boasts most of the same moveset as their humanoid counterpart, however they have additional fire breath attacks, slightly more resilience to Holy Damage but less resilience to Fire Damage.


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Variant Description [ ]

These skeletons are found exclusively in Catacombs and Hero's Graves . They carry no vestigial remains of clothes or armor of any kind and are generally distinguished from each other purely depending on the weapons they carry.


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Strategy Guide Description [ ]

Elden Ring Official Strategy Guide Vol 2 - Shards of the Shattering Skeletons are among the most diverse enemies you'll face throughout your journey, with three secondary subtypes encompassing many individual variants. The first and most common subtype has bleached-white bones and exhibits no special abilities beyond those shared by all Skeletons (i e., reanimating upon death). The second appears at the cemetery in the northern Capital Outskirts, this subtype has gold-colored bones and is capable of a dangerous aerial attack in which they levitate overhead while saturating a wide area with Magic-elemental breath. The third can only be found in Crumbling Farum Azula and resembles the beastmen alongside whom they appear, while the smaller versions of this subtype are purely an aesthetic variation of standard Skeletons and have no unique combat characteristics, the bestial Giant Skeletons can perform a flame breath attack not used by their human counterparts. If their hit points are reduced to 0 via ordinary melee attacks or projectiles, Skeletons will collapse and begin reassembling themselves as a white aura gathers around them. If not struck with a follow-up attack before the end of this animation, they'll rise again with full health and immediately resume attacking you. To prevent this, you must deal the finishing blow using a damage source whose description explicitly disclaims effectiveness against Those Who Live in Death, such as the projectile or weapon buff produced by the Sacred Blade Skill, or a melee attack with a weapon under the effects of the Order's Blade Incantation. Holy Grease will NOT prevent Skeletons from reanimating, nor will an innate Sacred Affinity on your melee weapon Notably, however, the Self buffs granted by the Sacred Order, Shared Order and Last Rites Skills will enable any of your melee attacks and even some thrown weapons such as Fire Pots to destroy Skeletons without allowing them to revive. All Skeletons are extremely vulnerable to Strike weapons and Holy attacks, and will take normal damage from Standard-type armaments and Magic-based spells. They're resistant to other elements and immune to every status ailment except for Scarlet Rot, which will continue to damage them even after they reanimate. Holy Water Pots are the most convenient tool for dealing with these foes early in the game owing to the universal availability of the required materials; the Sacred Blade Skill provides an equally early alternative which isn't re- liant on consumable items, and is especially effective when assigned to a Strike weapon such as a Hammer or Great Hammer. For Faith builds in particular, the Golden Epitaph, a special Straight Sword found in the Auriza Hero's Grave on the Capital Outskirts, has the innate ability to destroy Skeletons with its normal melee attacks Certain Incantations such as Litany of Proper Death are specialized for use against the undead, but their stat requirements may not be compatible with your character setup. Skeletal Knight A Skeleton clad in the remains of a suit of armor with a tattered red cape, wielding a Greatsword and a Medium Shield. They use a basic variety of clumsy horizontal slashes, forward thrusts and overhead cleaves, all of which have long reach and can easily clip you if you attempt to simply bait their attacks by strafing. Instead, wait for them to lower their guard, then roll away and throw a Holy Water Pot, or roll forward past them and attack from their blind spot with a Strike weapon. Skeletal Bandit An offense-oriented Skeleton armed with a pair of long, curved blades. This variant isn't any more mobile than other types despite its agile appearance, and has a moveset similar to that of a player character Dual-Wielding Curved Swords, but considerably slower. Their attacks have only moderate reach, so it's safe to bait openings by moving in and out otherwise, simply use Sacred Blade or Holy Water Puts It should be noted that these enemies can drop the Bandit's Curved Swords they carry, this is one of the best weapons in its class for Dexterity builds specializing in Dual-Wielding, and is well worth farming early on if you have a use for it. Skeletal Grave Warden Skeletal Grave Wardens are mage-type enemies that will typically appear behind melee-oriented variants while bombarding you from the backlines with Magic-elemental homing skulls They can conjure both a long-range skull which initially moves slowly but quickly picks up speed, and a short range skull with a rippling white aura which acts like a proximity mine, hovering mostly in place while moving very slightly toward you until it explodes in a spherical burst of dark energy. When pressured at close range Skeletal Grave Wardens will bring their scythes to bear, although their attacks have long windups and are heavily telegraphed, they hit fairly hard and can cause Blood Loss buildup, so don't underestimate them. These foes can drop the Grave Scythe, a powerful Reaper-type armament with high base damage of which a significant portion bypasses the target's guard, this weapon synergizes especially well with setups incorporating Blood Loss. Skeletal Militiaman (Spear) A spear-wielding Skeleton that fights aggressively with forward thrusts and a dashing stab. Their attacks are quick and have long reach, but can be easily thwarted by any shield with 100% physical damage reduction, other wise, roll forward past them and counterattack from the sides or behind, or simply throw a Holy Water Pot from outside the reach of their spears. The Litany of Proper Death Incantation that can be purchased from D. Hunter of the Dead deals a mild amount of Holy damage to most enemies, but against Those Who Live in Death such as Skeletons, it receives a massive damage boost, and prevents them from reanimating Skeletal Militiaman (Crossbow) These Skeletons essentially function as turrets, and will rarely move from their initial positions even if you attack them at close range, although they will attempt to drive you away by striking you with their crossbow As they are much more dangerous at a distance than up close you can simply rush them with a melee weapon while rolling or backing away from their crossbow belts at which point they're almost entirely helpless. Catacomb Skeleton (Curved Sword, Shield) Catacomb Skeletons use a different set of weapons and battle tactics from those found aboveground. Individuals armed with a Curved Sword and a Small Shield will roll swiftly toward you and attack with rapid slashing combos once they're in range, they can perform long combos and their rolls deal contact damage, but a shield with 100% physical damage reduction can significantly reduce the threat that they pose. In certain locations specific individuals will throw Fire Pats if you're outside of their immediate reach. They also occasionally attempt to block attacks but their guard is easily broken and they'll usually lower their shield after the first hit. These enemies alone are reason enough to carny Holy Water Pots when exploring catacombs. Catacomb Skeleton (Curved Sword) This Catacomb Skeleton variant is identical to those carrying a Curved Sword and Shield with the obvious exception that they cannot block attacks. They move and strike quickly, so bring a decent shield or a Strike weapon set with the Sacred Blade Skill and wait for one of their slower swings before you make your move Once they've detected you and become active hit them with a Holy Water Pot while they're standing up in order to neutralize them before they have a chance to act Catacomb Skeleton (Curved Greatsword) These Skeletons carry a larger Curved Sword than their counterparts and use a few unique heavy slashes in addition to the common moveset shared between the three sword welding variants. They also sometimes perform a comical but nonetheless deadly spinning cannonball attack which has two variations one with shorter range and a faster startup animation, and the other with a heavily telegraphed windup but proportionally longer reach In certain cases they it throw fire pots, so keep a close eye on them even if you're not within reach of their melee attacks. They're the only enemy that can drop the Grossmesser an unusually large Curved Sword well-suited for two-handed attacks. Catacomb Skeleton (Bow) Skeletal archers are typically positioned in spots where they either can't be directly reached, or are outside your immediate field of vision and can ambush you with impunity, if you see them standing out in the open, they're most likely acting as bait to lure you into a trap when you rush them. They're essentially helpless at close range, although they will attempt to stagger you with a quick punch attack before leaping backward out of reach if you stand in their immediate vicinity for too long without attacking Ranged Skeleton-busting attacks such as Sacred Blade and Holy Water Pots are ideal for eliminating
them immediately, as are other types of throwing pots if used while under the effects of Sacred Order Catacomb Skeleton (Fire Pot) Unarmed Catacomb Skeletons will typically bombard you with Fire Pots, although in certain dungeons they will throw Rancor Pots instead. They have no melee weapons and are defenseless up close, but will continue throwing ordinance at you even at pointblank range, so time your approach carefully if they're perched in a spot where you can't reach, one or two Holy Water Pots will usually
do the trick Giant Skeleton (Glaive) A much larger and more powerful Skeleton found mostly at cemeteries throughout the overworld, often alongside the other Giant Skeleton variant or the smaller Skeletal Militiamen These enemies have high health and stagger resistance, and should not be taken lightly their attacks have tremendous reach, cause extended staggering, and deal heavy damage. They employ a well-rounded moveset consisting of horizontal sweeps overhead vertical cleaves, a forward thrust and a quick shave with the haft of their weapon, the latter of which they'll use to interrupt your combos if you pressure them carelessly at extremely close range. Use Holy Water Pots against them from a distance, or jumping Strong attacks if you absolutely must face them up close. They can drop their signature Glaive, a Strength-oriented Halberd-type weapon which emphasizes slashing attacks over thrusts. Giant Skeleton (Great Cleaver) These Giant Skeletons are typically encountered in cemeteries alongside the other overworld variants. They're the most powerful member of their category by a significant margin, with high health, stagger resistance and attack power as well as a repertoire of lethal and deceptively swift attacks, some of which are intentionally delayed in order to interfere with your dodge timing. Even so,
their cleavers have relatively short mach, and it's possible (although slightly risky) to conserve stamina and maximize openings by strafing rather than rolling in order to bait their attacks Sacred Blade, Holy Water Pots
or Sacred Order are essential, especially if you're using a low-Vitality character setup that can't survive single, high-damage attacks. This Skeleton variant can drop the Executioner's Greataxe, a rare and powerful Strength
weapon which boasts an enhanced Critical modifier and is uniquely suited for Backstabs and other Critical Hits

Its origins are lost in the mists of time.