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After the difficult journey through Abandoned Redcopse, you’ll face the first true boss of Lords of the Fallen. Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal, is a challenging two-stage boss who sets the tone for the rest of the game. Your approach to taking her down will vary depending upon your starting class, equipment, playstyle, and willingness to use Beckons. No matter what, she’s a tricky opponent, but there are a few things you can do to make defeating her easier. Like bosses in many Soulslikes, learning her fighting style and signature attacks is an important part of beating her. Here’s everything you need to know to beat the first boss in Lords of the Fallen, Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal.
Note: This guide was recently updated (Oct. 16) with information about acquiring Pieta’s weapon.
Challenging Pieta, the First Lords of the Fallen Boss
Despite her being the first true boss in Lords of the Fallen, your preparations for battling Pieta need to start before you enter her arena in Abandoned Redcopse. To the left of the courtyard’s entrance, you’ll find a cloud of moths. If you interact with it you will be given the option to Beckon the Iron Wayfarer. Bringing this NPC to the fight will make things much easier. He won’t deal a ton of damage, but he’s an invaluable distraction. Though some players don’t enjoy using summoned allies and prefer to shoulder the challenge themselves, there’s no denying they make life easier.
Beckon a Friend
LotF allows you to play co-op with friends, so if you want help with Pieta but don’t want to rely on an NPC, call a friend in for help. To do so, go to a Vestige and select “Multiplayer.” It will then give you the option of either inviting a specific friend to accompany you or just opening your game up for an unknown Lampbearer to join your game. Playing with randoms is always a gamble, but even inexperienced players can be a huge help in getting past Pieta.
Know Your Enemy
Pieta has two stages. During Stage 1 she primarily relies on her sword. She has multi-hit combos, and her swings come with a bit of a delay. Once you nail the timing, you can dodge them with ease, but when you’re first learning her patterns it’s a challenge, especially for melee classes. Instead of rushing in headlong, spend the early part of the fight counting her swings and getting a feel for the timing of her swings. Once you’re more comfortable with her approach, you’re ready to attack.
Pieta Deals Holy Damage
As you can probably tell from the angel wings and glowing golden sword, Pieta does Holy damage. This early in the game, you don’t have many armor options, so do your best to avoid her attacks. Having an ally in the fight helps a lot because it gives you the time and space you need to study the boss’s movements without trying to panic-roll away from everything. There’s enough time to strike her at the end of her combos, but if you’re two-handing a heavy weapon, you’ll only have time for one or two swings. If you greed an extra hit, she’ll punish you.
Dodge the Summoned Sword
One of Pieta’s most dangerous attacks in Stage 1 sees her summon a floating sword. It will hang in the air for a moment and then slam forward into the ground, dealing considerable damage if it strikes you. Get ready to dodge when you see it appear, but don’t spam the button, because her attack’s delay will cause the sword to strike you at the end of your movement. Instead, wait until the last second before dodging, and the summoned sword will strike the ground next to you harmlessly.
Melee and Ranged Strategies Against Pieta
Melee-oriented characters are in the difficult position of having to go toe-to-toe with this angelic warrior. The first half of the fight isn’t terrible if you have an ally to help, but Pieta typically defeats the Iron Wayfarer somewhere near the middle of the fight, leaving you to face Stage 2 alone. Take advantage of the early distraction while you have it, and save all of your healing charges for Stage 2 unless you’re absolutely forced to use them earlier. Stay behind Pieta and to her sides when possible and keep your DPS high while you can. She has a holy beam attack that can strike at a considerable distance if you’re in front of her, so be wary.
Fighting Pieta at Range
If you chose a ranged character as your starting class, you’re going to have a much easier time against Pieta. The first boss in Lords of the Fallen is much easier to take on from a distance. The main problem is managing your ammo to make sure you don’t run out at an inopportune time. If you’ve never faced Pieta before and are still learning her patterns, consider not using your ammo pouches and manastones, even if that means you run out of ranged attacks and end up dying. Once you’ve gotten a better handle on how the boss behaves you can restore your ranged powers without fear of having wasted your items on a lost cause.
Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal Stage 2
After you’ve taken off around 40% of Pieta’s health, she will transition to Stage 2. She grows wings for this stage, making her much more agile, and she also gains some deadly new attacks. The first is a deadly AoE attack in which she drops numerous blades into the ground. There are multiple patterns to this attack, but they’re easy to recognize. The easiest way is to picture Pieta’s arena as a three-lane road. Immediately after transitioning to Stage 2, she uses her AoE attack in the middle lane. Make sure you move to the edge of the arena to avoid it.
Other Patterns
Later in the fight, Pieta will summon two angelic guardians to assist her. In addition to dodging their attacks, you need to be mindful of their positions. They can launch the same holy sword AoE that Pieta does. When you see them take their positions in the two outer lanes, move to the center lane. That will cause their AoE attacks to miss you completely. You can keep pressure on Pieta during the AoE if you have ranged attacks, otherwise focus on healing and repositioning. Since you probably haven’t farmed Vigor yet in Lords of the Fallen, you’re vulnerable in the Pieta fight, so be patient.
Finish Off Pieta and Collect Her Remembrance
One of Pieta’s most dangerous attacks during Stage 2 is a grab. She pauses briefly before dashing forward to seize you, so if you time it well, you can dodge it. The attack does a lot of damage if it lands. Learning to recognize and avoid the incoming grab is one of your top priorities for Stage 2. Manage your health, ammo, and mana carefully, and don’t be afraid to fall back to restore yourself if necessary. Pieta’s patterns are largely predictable, so if you’re prepared for what’s coming, there’s no harm in taking it slow.
How To Get Pieta’s Sword in Lords of the Fallen
After defeating Pieta, make sure to use your Umbral Lamp to trigger the Stigma outside the entrance to Skyrest Bridge. Doing so will award you with a Remembrance. With that Remembrance in hand, you will be able to offer Molhu your Umbral Scourings in exchange for Pieta’s signature equipment.
If you haven’t yet unlocked Molhu’s wares, remember that you must bring him the Bowl of Revelations (read our guide about Molhu’s location here). This item is found in the umbral version of Pilgrim’s Perch after unlocking the Vestige of Blind Agatha rest point in the Bellroom. Explore the location and find the ladder leading to a large field with fossilized creatures. Identify it in the Umbral Realm and head to the petrified corpse at the center. Use Soulflay to acquire the item.
Once you have the Bowl of Revelations, return to the Skyrest Bridge and give it to Molhu. Interact with him to access available items for purchase. With the Remembrance from Pieta, buy the weapon for 40 Umbral Scourings, which can be obtained by defeating other bosses.
With Pieta defeated and the first boss of Lords of the Fallen out of the way, you can now proceed to Pilgrim’s Perch and the world beyond. If you’d like to see what taking on Pieta looks like in co-op, check out this video by The Nerd Stash.
Lords of the Fallen is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
