In the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you’ll need to defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud, to move forward in the story.

She’s the last major challenge before you can access the final area of the Shadow Realm, so be ready for a tough battle.

You’ll find Romina in the Church of the Bud, located west of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh in the northwest part of the map.

You can get there through the Shadow Keep. Although you don’t have to defeat the boss of the Shadow Keep, Messmer the Impaler, it’s a good idea to do so because it helps with the story.

In this article, I will show you How to Defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Prepare for the Battle with Romina, Saint of the Bud in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

As you get ready to face Romina, Saint of the Bud, one of the late-game bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s crucial to be as strong as possible.

Make sure you’ve upgraded your blessings with Scadutree Fragments to boost your attack and defense.

Although you can’t summon any NPCs for this fight, you can summon Mimic Tear. If you haven’t already, obtain and fully upgrade this unique Spirit Ash to help you in the battle.

Be cautious of Romina’s attacks, which cause Scarlet Rot—a severe status effect that drains your health quickly.

To counter this, wear rot-resistant armor and carry Preserving Boluses or the Flame, Cleanse Me incantation to protect yourself and heal from the rot.

How to Defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

When you enter the Church of the Bud, Romina won’t announce herself.

The fight begins right away, but you’ll have a moment to drink from your Flask of Wondrous Physick or summon a Spirit Ash before she reaches you.

Romina moves quickly, with a body like a large scorpion, complete with pincers that can attack you.

Her main weapon is a poleblade that charges up and glows bright pink before she swings it. Both the blade and her pincers cause Scarlet Rot build-up even if you block them.

Since her poleblade attack is easy to see coming, it’s often better to dodge roll instead of blocking.

When Romina finishes an attack, it’s a good chance for you to land your own hits. While her scorpion legs can knock you around, they don’t cause much damage.

If you keep up the pressure, you can stagger her for a powerful counterattack.

Romina can be quite agile, spinning and rolling around to disorient you. The most dangerous moment early in the fight is if she grabs you with one of her pincers while the other buries into your head.

This can inflict Scarlet Rot, which might finish you off if the grab itself doesn’t kill you.

When Romina’s health drops to about two-thirds, she gains large butterfly wings and starts leaping into the air. She often flies to the other side of the arena before diving down with a charged spinning blade attack.

During these times, she’s vulnerable after landing, but be wary of the pink butterflies she summons.

These butterflies explode into a mist that causes Scarlet Rot. You can risk getting in some hits if you have a way to quickly cure yourself afterward.

Romina doesn’t use the butterflies constantly, so a cautious approach is to evade them and wait for her normal attack phases.

Having a Spirit Ash to distract her can help you land hits from the side or behind.

As long as you avoid her Scarlet Rot attacks and don’t get grabbed, you should be able to defeat her without too much trouble.

Rewards for Defeating Romina, Saint of the Bud in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

When you defeat Romina, you’ll earn 380,000 Runes and the Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud.

You can either consume this item for additional Runes or exchange it with Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold for one of Romina’s weapons: the rot-inducing Poleblade of the Bud or the Rotten Butterflies incantation.

More importantly, defeating Romina clears the path to the final Legacy Dungeon in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

Before you proceed, make sure you have obtained Messmer’s Kindling by defeating Messmer the Impaler.

If you haven’t done that yet, you’ll need to go back and take him down first.