Elden Ring Astel boss fight walkthrough: How to beat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

Want to know how to beat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void in Elden Ring? Astel, Naturalborn of the Void is the first of two Astel variants in Elden Ring and is the more significant, story-relevant version that more players are likely to encounter. You will find Astel, Naturalborn of the Void at the end of Ranni’s quest, which you'll need to complete for one of Elden Ring's six endings.

Astel, Naturalborn Of The Void is a fairly unique encounter with some unexpected tricks you’ll need to navigate to win. Get everything you need to take down the horror from beyond with the below Elden Ring Astel boss fight walkthrough.

Elden Ring Astel boss fight walkthrough

The battle with Astel is pretty straightforward. There are no cutscene phase changes or second health bars. This holds true for the more difficult Astel, Stars of Darkness, whose attack patterns are largely the same but deal more damage. Like all the best boss fights, this one is all about studying your opponent. There are no gimmicks here.

Astel just about always opens up with a purple Cosmic Laser, which we’ll discuss in detail below. Once you’ve learned to dodge it, you can quickly get in close to start dealing damage. Astel has a lot of threatening close-range attacks, but most of them come from either his head or front arms. Keep an eye on those, and you’ll be able to see everything but the Gravity Wave coming.

How to beat Astel: top tips for success

Here are our top tips for victory in the Astel, Naturalborn of the Void boss fight.

1. Aim for the head and limbs
2. Watch Astel’s head to dodge the Cosmic Laser
3. Run out of Astel’s Gravity Wave
4. Avoid Frostbite weapons and spells

1. Aim for the head and limbs

Astel’s torso, if you can call it that, is made of hardened crystals and takes very little damage. If you get underneath Astel and just start swinging at its midsection, you are going to have a hard time killing it. However, Astel’s limbs and head take significantly more damage.

Astel’s many leg-arm-abomination limbs are pretty easy to hit, making them your safest targets. If you can hit the head, you’ll deal even more damage and might even poise-break Astel for a crit. Standing near the head makes you vulnerable to Astel’s bite and grab attacks though, so do this at your own risk.

2. Watch Astel’s head to dodge the Cosmic Laser

The Cosmic Laser looks frustratingly sudden at a glance, but there’s actually a tell you can use to time your dodge. Astel starts the attack by rearing back and charging, before lowering its head and staring you down. Just before releasing the beam, Astel’s head twitches up a bit. Roll when you see that motion and you can reliably dodge Cosmic Laser.

3. Run out of Astel’s Gravity Wave

If you’ve fought one of the several Fallingstar Beast bosses, you will recognize Astel’s Gravity Wave attack. This ability creates a translucent purple field around Astel and suspends debris in the air. After a few seconds, it will lift you up, then slam you and the debris back down to deal massive damage. Even if you avoid the initial lift, the falling debris will damage you if you run back into the field too early.

The lift part of Gravity Wave functions like a grab and cannot be blocked. It is possible to time your roll to avoid both the lift and the debris drop, but this is really tricky to do reliably. This may sound obvious, but your best bet is just to run out of Gravity Wave. It may be tempting to sneak in one more attack and then try to dodge, but it is rarely worth the risk.

4. Avoid Frostbite weapons and spells

Astel’s elemental and status resists are all identical, with one exception. Astel is completely immune to the Frostbite status. The continued popularity of the Icerind Axe and Hoarfrost Stomp skill means a lot of players using these builds are going to run into Astel and find their damage frustratingly hampered. If you’re using Frostbite and wondering why your damage is so low against Astel, this is likely your problem. If you need an alternate weapon for the fight, see our guide to the best builds in Elden Ring for some suggestions that fit your existing stat profile.

That’s everything you need to defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void! This is one of the coolest fights in the game, so don’t stress the difficulty too much and enjoy the ride. If you’re trying to find Astel, Stars of Darkness or another optional boss check out our full list of boss locations in Elden Ring. We've also got a guide to the best weapons in Elden Ring and best armor in Elden Ring to help you prepare for the late game.