Let me tell you about the time I, like a gardener poisoning the roots of a tree from the next yard over, figured out how to defeat Rellana in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC without ever setting foot in her arena. It's 2026, and even after all these years, the community is still finding new wrinkles in the fabric of Elden Ring. We all know the game is famous for its punishing boss fights, and Rellana is a formidable early gatekeeper in the DLC. But sometimes, the most satisfying victory comes not from mastering the dance of swords and spells, but from finding a clever, almost unintended, path forward.

This discovery of mine wasn't born from some grand, planned experiment. It was more like noticing a crack in a fortress wall and realizing you could whisper a spell through it that would bring the whole structure down from the inside. I was just exploring the area around the Highroad Cross, frustrated after a few attempts, when I noticed something odd about the rear fog wall leading to her chamber. The usual imposing barrier felt less like an absolute seal and more like a one-way mirror.

Here’s the method, broken down into simple steps:

1. Positioning is Everything: Travel to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. Instead of walking through the main entrance fog gate, navigate around to the rear of Rellana's arena. You'll find another, less conspicuous fog wall there.

2. The Perfect Vantage Point: Stand right up against this rear fog wall. The geometry here is key—it's like finding the one loose stone in a castle battlement you can peer through.

3. Long-Range Assault: Equip any long-range spell or incantation. Loretta's Greatbow, Rock Sling, or even the trusty Glintstone Pebble will do. Start casting.

4. Watch the Magic Happen: Your projectiles will pass through the fog wall. On the other side, they will connect with Rellana. You won't see her animations, but you will see her health bar at the top of the screen dutifully tick down with every hit, like watching a distant barometer fall before a storm you're safely sheltered from.

5. Victory Without a Fight: Once her health reaches zero, the fog gates will dissipate. You can walk in, claim your spoils—the usual runes and her remembrance—and continue your journey to Scadu Altus, all without ever having traded a single blow.

Now, this isn't the only way to bypass the "intended" challenge. The community has previously found a physical shortcut that lets you skip Castle Ensis and Rellana altogether to reach Scadu Altus. But there's something uniquely satisfying about this spell-snipe method. It feels less like skipping and more like outsmarting the game's own boundaries.

Method	Risk Level	Satisfaction Type	Required Skill
Intended Melee Fight	Very High	Mastery & Execution	Combat Skill, Timing
Rear-Fog Spell Cheese	Zero	Clever Exploitation	Patience, Ranged Build
Alternate Path Skip	Low (from enemies)	Exploration	World Knowledge

Why does this matter? For players like me, these discoveries are part of the soul of a FromSoftware game. The world isn't just a painted backdrop; it's a physical, sometimes glitchy, space you can interact with in surprising ways. Finding these exploits is like discovering that a famous, impenetrable symphony has a single, quiet note that, if held, causes the entire orchestra to gently fall silent.

Of course, many Tarnished will rightly choose to face Rellana head-on. For them, there are plenty of strategies to make the fair fight easier, like learning to dodge her deadly twin-blade combos. But for others—those on a challenge run gone wrong, or just someone who wants to see what happens—this method is a gift. It adds another layer to the game's nearly infinite replayability.

In the end, whether you fight her with honor or defeat her with a cheeky spell from another zip code, the choice is yours. That's the beauty of Elden Ring in 2026. The discoveries keep coming, proving that the Lands Between still have secrets tucked away in their corners, waiting for a patient (or frustrated) Tarnished to find them. So, the next time you hit a wall, remember: sometimes the solution isn't to break it down, but to find the tiny hole and whisper your victory through it. 😉