In the unforgiving realms of the Lands Between, where legendary demigods and monstrous entities test the mettle of even the most seasoned Tarnished, a new legend has been born. It doesn't involve mastering the blade or perfecting incantations; it involves turning into a statue and letting the boss walk away. Since its release, the climactic confrontation against Promised Consort Radahn has been a brutal trial, a dual-phase spectacle of overwhelming force and unpredictable attack patterns that many players rightfully consider the pinnacle of FromSoftware's challenge. However, in 2026, a streamer known as Dr. Doot has unveiled a strategy so absurdly effective that it trivializes the entire ordeal, achieving an instant kill without landing a single blow—and he did it while playing an electric saxophone.

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🎷 The Saxophone-Wielding Architect of Cheese

Dr. Doot is no ordinary challenger. His claim to fame is being the first to complete a no-hit run of the base Elden Ring using a non-traditional controller. His instrument of choice? An electric saxophone, meticulously mapped to control his Tarnished's every move. This isn't just a gimmick; it's his signature style. While undertaking a no-hit run of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, having only taken 11 hits total across the entire DLC, he sought a foolproof method to conquer its ultimate obstacle. The resulting strategy, a masterclass in stealth and subterfuge, works regardless of controller, but the saxophone adds a layer of surreal spectacle that is pure Dr. Doot.

🧀 Deconstructing the Mimic's Veil Cheese Strategy

At first glance, the method seems simple: hide until Radahn gives up. But achieving perfect concealment against a boss with such heightened awareness requires a meticulous, multi-layered approach. The core of the strategy revolves around three key elements that synergize to erase the player from Radahn's perception.

The Essential Toolkit for Vanishing:

  1. Unseen Form 🪄: This night sorcery is cast immediately as the battle begins. It renders the caster partially invisible, significantly increasing the distance at which enemies will detect them. It's the first layer of the stealth cloak.

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  1. Ash of War: Assassin's Gambit 🗡️: Applied to a weapon beforehand, this Ash of War is another potent tool for masking presence. When activated, it further muffles sound and reduces visibility, stacking with Unseen Form to make the Tarnished exceptionally hard to spot.

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  1. Mimic's Veil 🦁: The pièce de résistance. This iconic item transforms the player into an environmental object. In Dr. Doot's case, he becomes a lion statue, blending seamlessly into the arena's scenery. With the prior two effects active, this transformation makes him utterly undetectable.

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When executed in sequence, this trio of effects creates a state of near-perfect camouflage. Radahn's AI, unable to locate a target, simply de-aggresses. In the viral clip, the mighty demigod, after a brief moment of confusion, turns and strides calmly into the golden sunset, triggering the end of the fight and awarding victory. The battle concludes in mere seconds, a stark contrast to the epic, grueling clashes players have come to expect.

⚗️ Alternative Methods and Community Refinements

While Dr. Doot's method relies purely on patience, other ingenious Tarnished in the community have developed variations that speed up the process, particularly for the first phase. A content creator known as Cell demonstrated a similar but distinct approach:

Step Action Purpose
1 Apply Unseen Form & Assassin's Gambit Establish initial stealth.
2 Use Hefty Rot Pots and Hefty Poison Pots Inflict Area-of-Effect (AoE) damage over time.
the-most-ridiculous-strategy-to-instantly-defeat-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree-s-final-boss-with-a-saxophone-image-4 the-most-ridiculous-strategy-to-instantly-defeat-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree-s-final-boss-with-a-saxophone-image-5 These pots damage Radahn without breaking stealth or alerting him.
3 Re-apply stealth spells before Phase 2. Maintain concealment through the transition.
4 Activate Mimic's Veil and wait. Allow damage over time and AI de-aggro to secure victory.

This method proves that Radahn's health can be whittled down while he remains oblivious, though Dr. Doot's pure stealth version suggests that even dealing damage isn't strictly necessary—the act of hiding successfully for long enough seems to be the true victory condition.

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🛡️ Why This Strategy Resonates in 2026

Years after the DLC's launch, the community's fascination with "cheese" strategies like this remains strong. It highlights several enduring aspects of the Elden Ring experience:

  • Creativity Over Brute Force: FromSoftware's games are designed to reward observation, experimentation, and using every tool at your disposal. This strategy is a peak example of lateral thinking.

  • Accessibility: For players who have hit a wall of frustration against Radahn's relentless onslaught, this provides a reliable, if unconventional, path forward. It's a lifeline for those who want to experience the DLC's story and world without the extreme combat test.

  • The Spectacle of the Absurd: There's an undeniable joy in seeing one of gaming's most formidable bosses defeated by what is essentially a game of supernatural hide-and-seek, especially when orchestrated with a saxophone. It adds to the rich tapestry of player stories that define the game.

⏳ A Temporary Reprieve?

Strategies that exploit AI behavior often have a limited shelf life. The community widely anticipates that FromSoftware may patch out this specific interaction in a future update, as they have with other unintended boss exploits in the past. For now, however, it stands as one of the most memorable and hilarious ways to conquer what was once considered an insurmountable challenge.

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Dr. Doot's saxophone-powered victory against Promised Consort Radahn is more than just a clever trick; it's a testament to the boundless creativity of the Elden Ring community. It reminds every Tarnished that sometimes, the mightiest blade is no match for a clever mind, a Mimic's Veil, and the sheer audacity to serenade a demigod into surrender. Whether you attempt it for fun, for a challenge run, or out of sheer desperation, this strategy secures its place in the annals of the Lands Between as the ultimate cheese.

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