How to Trigger the Radahn Festival? Three Different Methods!

The Soulslike series of games, to which Elden Ring belongs, is a dark masterpiece of design, creativity, and pure and challenging fun!

The latest entry also gave us some of the most memorable bosses in gaming history. So, players often wonder how to trigger the Radahn Festival to fight Elden Ring’s Starscourge Radahn—the game’s most popular Legend Boss.

There are a couple of ways to do it: either by activating a Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau or by progressing through Ranni’s questline.

Below, we explain both paths in detail!

How to Trigger the Radahn Festival?

Found within Caelid, the region west of Limgrave, Redmane Castle is the location of the Radahn Festival—a gathering of warriors bound to celebrate the general’s accomplishments, his last great battle, and his glorious death at the hands of the protagonist.

However, in order to start this legendary boss fight, players have to start the Radahn Festival, which they can do in one of two ways:

• By activating any Altus Plateau Site of Grace—the more direct method since you only need to access a new zone, which you can do either by turning on the Grand Lift of Dectus or by ascending the Ruin-Strewn Precipice;
• By completing Ranni the Witch’s storyline—the longer and more involved method since you have to find several NPCs and complete their quests—you can either inform Blaidd about Radahn or talk to Iji the Troll about Jerren.

After initiating the festival, the castle’s normal state, during which the area is open for exploration and populated with enemies, changes considerably.

For instance, all the soldiers will disappear, a waygate will connect the Impassable Greatbridge and the Chamber Outside the Plaza, some doors will get locked, and the NPCs you met along the way, such as Blaidd and Alexander, will occupy the plaza.

Also, you will be able to get the Polite Bow gesture from Finger Maiden Thorelina before talking to Jerren in the plaza to start the Radahn fight.

1. The Least Complicated Path: Grand Lift of Dectus

The first and least complicated method that will trigger the Radahn festival requires you to gain access to the Altus Plateau by activating the Grand Lift of Dectus.

You can easily do so by following these straightforward steps:

• Step 1: Get the left side of the Dectus Medallion—the first medallion half is inside a chest on top of the tallest tower in Mistwood’s Fort Haight;
• Step 2: Get the right side of the Dectus Medallion—the other half is located inside a chest on top of the easter tower in Dragonbarrow’s Fort Faroth;
• Step 3: Approach and activate the Grand Lift—return to the Grand Lift in northern Liurnia of the Lakes, stand on its platform, activate the Dectus Medallion once the prompt appears, and ride the lift until you reach the Altus Plateau;
• Step 4: Find and activate a nearby Site of Grace—summon Torrent, run past the two Giants, and head straight for the nearby hill since it hides a Site of Grace;
• Step 5: Pass the time until nightfall—the Radahn festival will only activate after you’ve stayed at the Site of Grace for a while.

After that, you only have to travel to the Impassable Greatbridge bonfire and take the waygate there straight to the Redmane Castle’s plaza.

2. The Most Dangerous Path: Coward’s Passage

If you cannot activate the lift, you can reach the Plateau via the Coward’s Passage. But don’t be fooled: this is a dangerous path full of enemies and deadly bosses.

If you choose to push your luck and test your mettle, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Get to the Ravine-Veiled Village—teleport to the closest Site of Grace, and summon and ride Torrent until you find the village at the bottom of a ravine;
• Step 2: Climb the stairs and platforms above—at this point, you’ll find a series of ladders, stairs, and platforms that you have to climb until you reach the Miner’s Caves, which connect the village to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice;
• Step 3: Navigate the Miner’s Caves—follow the main path through the caverns until you reach a lift that takes you further upwards; once the lift stops, follow the path until you leave the cave system and step onto the Ruin-Strewn Precipice;
• Step 4: Activate the Site of Grace and follow the edge—continue climbing up the mountain via a series of elevators, stairs, ladders, and platforms until you reach another Site of Grace just before a dragon’s lair;
• Step 5: Defeat Magma Wyrm Makar—this extensive fight is the last obstacle before reaching your destination; if you are well prepared, you’ll be successful, and a Site of Grace will appear on the opposite side of the cavern;
• Step 6: Climb the platform and take the lifts—you just have to climb slightly further to exit the Ruin-Strewn Precipice and walk into the Altus Plateau;
• Step 7: Find and activate a nearby Site of Grace—summon Torren and head straight for the closest Site of Grace;
• Step 8: Pass the time until nightfall—the Radahn festival will only activate after you’ve stayed at the Site of Grace for a while.

At this point, you only have to use the waygate to get to the Castle’s plaza.

3. The Story-Driven Path: Ranni’s Questline

The organic method of getting to Radahn is by progressing through Ranni the Witch’s questline, which you can meet at Ranni’s Rise in the north of Liurnia of the Lakes. Once you find her and enter her service, you’ll have to complete these steps:

• Step 1: Talk to the three spectral projections of Iji, Blaidd, and Seluvis;
• Step 2: Travel to the Siofra River to talk to Blaidd;
• Step 3: Travel to Seluvis’s Rise to speak with Seluvis;
• Step 4: Travel to the Waypoint Ruins to talk to Sorceress Sellen;
• Step 5: Once Sellen reveals the secret of Nokron, Eternal City, return to Blaidd and speak with him again to trigger the Radahn festival;
• Step 6: At this point, you can return to the Impassable Greatbridge and take the portal to enter the Castle and start the festivities.

Note: Instead of meeting Blaidd at Siofra River, you can also access Redmane Castle earlier and speak with Jerren about Iji, who will send you back to Iji. Then, after talking to Iji about Jerren, you will successfully activate the festival.

What Do You Get for Beating Radahn?

As one of the game’s toughest and most memorable bosses, Starscourge Radahn drops a massive amount of 70,000 Runes plus the following two items:

• Remembrance of the Starscourge—remembrances are consumables that can be traded for Runes (40,000 in this case) or brought to a Finger Reader in Roundtable Hold to obtain items (Starscourge Greatsword or the Lion Greatbow).
• Radahn's Great Rune—as any other Great Rune, the one dropped by Radahn is a key item that greatly empowers the player after it has been restored with a Rune Arc; in this case, adventurers get increased Hit, Focus, and Stamina points.

Also, once Radahn is defeated, some of the stars above will crash down upon the Lands Between, with one of them falling in Limgrave and opening the road to Nokron, Eternal City, which allows you to continue Ranni the Witch’s storyline.

Note: After downing Radahn, return to Castellan Jerren to conclude the festival and revert the castle to its normal state so you can fight the mobs within once more.

Bottom Line

While Radahn is an optional boss since you can kill another shardbearer to progress the main storyline, his defeat still gives you fantastic loot and helps you complete Ranni the Witch’s questline to achieve the ‘Age of the Stars’ alternative ending. Therefore, learning how to trigger the Radahn Festival is a crucial step in your Elden Ring journey.