Elden Ring: How to Beat Crystalian?

The beings made up of inorganic Glintstone Crystals, the Crystalians, are sometimes found as bosses and sometimes as regular enemies while traveling across the Lands Between. They are usually found in secluded areas or in caves and secret areas. 

These enemies take very little damage when you fight them. While your swords and magic all seem to be relatively ineffective against them, they will poke and prod you and shower you with sharp crystals till you die. 

In this article, we will tell you exactly how to deal with these pesky enemies effectively. 

There are few variations of Crystalians you encounter in-game,

1. The boss-type(normal) Crystalians that are blue in color come in three variants, i.e., Ringblade, Spear, and Staff.
2. You will also encounter Putrid Crystalians that are scarlet pink in color and inflict Scarlet Rot with their attacks. These are also boss-type enemies.
3. Apart from that, you will also encounter Lesser Crystalians of both putrid and normal variants. These are not bosses and are categorized as normal enemies that respawn once you rest at a Site of Grace. 
4. There is also a spirit variant Crystalian enemy. Just like the Crystalian Spirit Ashes, we can summon ourselves. A Lesser-Spiritcaller Snail summons this variation in the Haligtree. 

Below we will only discuss the strategies to defeat the boss variants of the Crystalians we come across. Also, remember that all Crystalains you come across are optional bosses. 

Crystalian – Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel 

This is likely going to be the first Crystalian enemy you are bound to encounter. It is also the final dungeon boss of Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel.

The facts and stats of this boss are as follows. 

1. It has 1595 total HP and a defense stat of 107.
2. Upon death, this boss drops 3000 Runes and Stone Miner’s Ball Bearing [1].
3. This boss is the Ringblade Variant among the three variants of the Crystalian. 
4. This boss inflicts physical (standard and strike) damage.
5. This boss is weak to physical (strike and standard) damage. Blunt weapons like hammers, clubs, and flails are very effective against this boss. 
6. This boss can be backstabbed for a critical hit. 
7. Only one of this boss’s attacks can be parried. Check the attack list below to know which one. The rest of the attacks cannot be parried.
8. This boss has a Stance Health of 70 and, once depleted gets stance broken. 
9. This boss has a hidden buff called Hardness Level 2, which deflects weapon strikes and reduces damage by 90% for all damage types(blunt weapons are an exception).
   Blunt weapons can still strike through the hardness without getting deflected or their damage getting reduced. 
10. The hardness wears off once you break its stance, and every weapon strike upon the boss, even with sharp, non-blunt weapons, will cause it to stagger, rendering the boss fight very easy. 
11. Multiplayer and Summons– You can summon multiplayer allies for this boss fight, and you can also call your Spirit Ashes for this fight. 
12. You cannot ride horseback on Torrent during this boss fight.

Movesets

1. Ringblade Variant – Uses its large Ringblade and another Mini-Ringblade to attack you.
   • Ringblade Swipe – Uses the Ringblade to swipe at you in a large arc.
   • Mini-Ringblade Swipe(Can be Parried)– Swings the smaller Ringblade at you.
   • Ringblade Helicopter– Spins around with the Ringblade flying and slicing at you. 
   • Ringblade Smash– Raises the Ringblade and brings it down at your head. 
   • Ringblade Push– Swiftly uses the Ringblade to push you away. 
   • Seeking Mini-Ringblade– Tosses two boomerang-like aerial mini Ringblades at you. 
   • Rolling Ringblade– Tosses the Ringblade on the ground that comes at you rolling like a wheel. 

Tips and Tricks

1. Use blunt weapons like hammers or flails, which are super effective against this boss. This weapon type (blunt) damages the crystalian boss without getting deflected and lets you easily complete the boss fight. 
2. Focus on breaking this boss’s stance. Use jump, heavy, and charged attacks, as these do more damage to the stance health. Once the boss’s stance is broken, this boss fight becomes very easy. You can also see cracks on the boss’s body once the stance is broken.
3. Use guard counters, as this also does a lot of stance damage.  
4. Any spirit summon is helpful for this fight. Greatshield Soldiers Ashes, Godrick Soldier Ashes, etc., can trivialize this fight by helping you easily break the boss’s stance. 
5. If you use spells, use Rock Sling, Glintblade Phalanx, or Carian Phalanx, as these spells help break stance quite easily. 
6. Cipher Pata’s weapon art, the Unblockable Blade, is very effective against the Crystalian. This will break the stance of Crystalian if you hit it twice. 

Watch the video to easily understand how to beat the Crystalian.

Crystalian Duo – Academy Crystal Cave

This boss fight has two Crystalians increasing the difficulty of the fight by twice. One Crystalian has a spear, whereas another has a staff.

The stats and information on these bosses are,

1. Each has 1595 HP and a defense stat of 107, just like the Crystalian in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnels. 
2. Upon defeat, they drop 3300 Runes and sorcery called Crystal Release. 
3. The Spear Variant inflicts physical damage (standard, strike, and pierce), whereas the Staff Variant inflicts magic and physical damage (standard and strike). 
4. Every attack done by the Spear Variant can be parried to break its stance, whereas none of the attacks done by the Staff Variant can be parried.
5. Both bosses have to be defeated for you to win the battle. 
6. Every other stats and facts about these bosses are the same as the previous ones. 

Movesets

1. Spear Variant – Uses the Spear to attack
   • Poke – Pokes at you with the spear. 
   • Swing– Swings at you with the spear. 
   • Hop, Poke, Hop, Poke… – Hops forward with each poke directed at you. 
   • Leaping Swing – Jumps while swinging the spear and lands at a place. 
2. Staff Variant – Uses the Staff and Spells to attack
   • Crystal Barrage– Releases crystal shards in front of the Crystalian in a cone shape for a short duration. 
   • Bursting Crystal– Releases a bunch of crystals that shatter and burst in an arc shape in front of the Crystalian.  
   • Crystal Release Orb– An glowing orb appears above its head as the Crystalian assumes a pose. This orb starts shooting crystals all around the Crystalian for a short while. 
   • Exploding Crystal– Creates a blast in the ground in front of it by smashing the staff on the ground. 
   • Spin in the air– Jumps up in the air while spinning around. 

Tips and Tricks

1. Focus on one, as the spear one will keep on getting close to you. It’s best you finish the spear variant first while getting enough space away from the staff Crystalian. As the staff Crystalian tends to use ranged spells, it won’t be that difficult to get away from it. 
2. Other tips and tricks against this boss are the same as the previous one.  

Crystalian Duo – Altus Tunnel 

This boss fight also has a duo of Crystalians, and both are Melee Variants, i.e., the Ringblade and Spear variants.

Their stats and information are,

1. Each has an HP of 1892 and a defense stat of 110. 
2. Upon defeating these duo bosses, you will obtain 9000 Runes and Somberstone Miner’s Ball Bearing [2].
3. Both bosses need to be defeated for you to win this fight. 
4. Every other stat of these bosses is the same as the first Crystalian boss. 

Movesets

Spear Variant – Refer to the moveset of the Spear Variant Crystalian in Academy Crystal Cave. 

Ringblade Variant – Refer to the moveset of the Ringblade Variant Crystalian in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. 

Tips and Tricks

1. As these two Crystalians tend to attack you together, you can use a spell-like the Night Maiden’s Mist to damage them both at once. 
2. Defensive summons like the Greatshield Soldiers Ashes is very effective against the Crystalian duo in this fight, as they will always tank the damage and draw the aggro away. 
3. Other tips are the same as the first Crystalian boss. 

Putrid Crystalian Trio – Sellia Hideaway

These trios are the toughest Crystalian bosses you will encounter throughout the game. The three variants are the Spear, Ringblade, and Staff, as ones above. In addition to having all the previous Crystalian moveset, every attack they hit you with will also build up Scarlet Rot. 

The stats and facts about these bosses are as follows,

1. There are three Putrid Crystalians bosses you fight at once. Each individual boss has 3358 HP and 109 defense stat. 
2. Upon defeat, they drop 7100 Runes and sorcery called Crystal Torrent. 
3. Their attacks inflict Scarlet Rot. 
4. Apart from the facts above, everything else about them is the same as other Crystalians. 

Movesets

These Crystalians have the same moveset as that of the previous variant. The only difference, each attack they hit you with will additionally inflict Scarlet Rot. 

1. Spear Variant – Refer to the moveset of the Spear Variant Crystalian in Academy Crystal Cave. 
2. Ringblade Variant – Refer to the moveset of the Ringblade Variant Crystalian in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. 
3. Staff Variant – Refer to the moveset of the Staff Variant Crystalian in Academy Crystal Cave. 

Tips and Tricks

1. Make sure you take consumable items like Preserving Boluses or a healing Incantation like Flame Cleanse Me as a backup.
2. These are three aggressive enemies, so it’s best you use a spirit summon in this fight. I recommend you use your own Crystalian Ashes to tank the attacks as you slowly kill the trio one by one.
   Let your Crystalian tank two bosses as you aggro one away and defeat it, then make sure you get the work done quickly before your Crystalian dies.
   Alternatively, the Greatshield Soldiers Ashes are also great for this fight to take away the aggro and let you fight the Crystalians one by one.  
3. All the above-mentioned tips and tricks are vital, from using blunt weapons to Night Maiden’s Mist and focusing on stance breaking. All work for this fight.