Let me tell you about the most bizarre evening I've had in the Lands Between recently. I was gearing up for what I thought would be my final showdown with Consort Radahn in the Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. The community had been buzzing about the recent patch—you know, the one that finally dialed back his infamous insta-lunge through the fog wall and made his attacks a bit more readable. I thought, 'Alright, maybe this is my chance.' I loaded up my character, buffed my weapon with Holy grease (because why not?), and stepped through that golden mist with the confidence of someone who had died to this guy... let's just say 'a lot.'

The arena was just as majestic and terrifying as I remembered. The sky swirled with ominous colors, and there he was, Consort Radahn, looking every bit the demigod warrior. I summoned my trusty Mimic Tear—hey, fair's fair after all the punishment he's dished out—and the dance began. Phase one was going surprisingly well. The patch changes felt good; I could actually see the tells for his gravity slam attacks. I was chipping away at his health, feeling a glimmer of hope. Then, as I rolled away from a massive swing, I happened to glance over my shoulder.

My heart just about stopped.

There, casually strolling from the back of the arena like he owned the place, was a second Consort Radahn. I kid you not. A perfect duplicate. He wasn't attacking. He wasn't doing anything, really. Just... walking. Menacingly. I had heard whispers of this bug online—some streamer named MissMikkaa had a clip go viral—but I never thought it would happen to me. In that moment, all I could think was, 'You have got to be kidding me.'

The fight, understandably, got very confusing. My Mimic Tear seemed utterly unfazed, continuing to whale on the original, active Radahn. But I was paralyzed with indecision. Do I ignore the clone? What if he suddenly decides to join the party? I kept one eye on the walking duplicate the whole time, which, let me tell you, is not a recommended strategy for surviving Radahn's combo strings. I took a comet to the face for my distraction.

Here’s the strange part, and the community is still theorizing about this: the clone just... watched. He positioned himself near the edge of the arena and became a permanent, anxiety-inducing spectator. It was like the game had a backup Radahn on standby, just in case. The fight continued with the real one. My spirit ash companions (I tried the fight later with the Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff) completely ignored the duplicate, laser-focused on the boss with the health bar. That answered one of my big questions—the AI wasn't confused. They knew who the real target was.

But the other big question loomed over the entire battle. What happens if I win? There's a scary theory floating around that the game might get confused with two Radahn models loaded. If you defeat the real one, the game's logic might still register the inactive clone as 'alive,' potentially soft-locking the victory condition and robbing you of your hard-earned runes and remembrance. The thought of finally beating this epic boss, only for nothing to happen because a glitched statue of him is still technically present... well, that's a special kind of heartbreak I wasn't eager to experience.

So, what did I do? I panicked, plain and simple. After getting the active Radahn down to about a quarter of his health in the second phase, I made a choice. I stood still, let his flaming charge hit me, and accepted defeat. I wasn't going to risk a 20-minute fight ending in a glitch. I used that death as an experiment. I reloaded the area, walked back in... and thankfully, only one Radahn greeted me. The duplicate was a one-time, horrifying guest appearance.

This whole experience left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, it's a testament to the scale and complexity of these games that such wild bugs can even occur. On the other, for a finale as grand as Shadow of the Erdtree, it's a pretty annoying hiccup. The patch fixed so much, but this double vision issue persists. It's rare, sure. Most players will never see it. But if you do... my advice?

1. Don't panic immediately. The clone seems harmless.

2. Your spirit ashes/summons will attack the correct target.

3. The real danger is the potential victory lock. This is unconfirmed, but the risk feels real.

4. Consider your options. You could fight on bravely and hope for the best, or you could do what I did and reset the encounter.

It's 2026, and we're still talking about the legendary, buggy encounters in the Lands Between. Some things never change. My fight with the Two Radahns wasn't the triumphant victory I wanted, but it's a story I'll be telling for a long time—a reminder that in this world, sometimes the most formidable enemy isn't a demigod, but a lingering bit of code in the right place at the wrong time.

In the end, I did beat him. On the next try, solo, without any spectral duplicates crashing the party. The victory was sweet, but honestly? The memory of that silent, watching second Radahn is what truly stuck with me. He didn't need to fight. His mere presence was weapon enough.

Stories like this travel fast. Within a day of posting, my inbox had filled up with other players' screenshots—bosses frozen mid-animation, summons spawning inside walls, hitboxes that simply gave up. That shared archive of weirdness is half the reason these games stay alive years after release, and it's also why so many of us eventually go hunting for the same handful of things once the credits roll: the next expansion, a copy for a friend who swears they'll finally try it, or a bit of extra currency to finish a build without another twenty hours of grinding.

Comparing those options one storefront at a time gets old fast, which is why I've started keeping a single bookmark instead. Lootbar's DealNest pulls game top-ups, gift cards, and DLC pricing into one place, so you can check what's actually worth buying before you commit. It's a small convenience, but on the nights when all you want is to be back at the fog gate for one more attempt, small conveniences matter.