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How to kill skeletons in Elden Ring

How to make sure the undead stay dead in Elden Ring

The player in Elden Ring faces off against a skeleton wielding a scythe in a graveyard.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Want to learn how to kill skeletons in Elden Ring? Skeletons are a staple enemy in games, but they're particularly irksome in Elden Ring. Kill a skeleton in Elden Ring, and they'll just get back up a few moments later. Without knowing the proper procedure for permanently putting down a skeleton, you can easily be overrun while exploring the game's many catacombs.

In this quick guide, we'll explain how to kill skeletons in Elden Ring with ease. We'll go over how to kill them with any weapon in the game, but we'll also explore the particular weapons and attack types which make dealing with skeletons and other undead enemies even easier.

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How to kill skeletons in Elden Ring

Ordinarily, when you deal the final blow to a skeleton enemy in Elden Ring, they will crumble into a pile of bones but then slowly resurrect themselves over a period of several seconds. To permanently kill a skeleton, simply attack the skeleton's pile of bones on the ground while it is in the process of resurrecting.

It can be a little tricky sometimes to attack the skeleton while it is a pile of bones, because you can't lock on to the pile as you would a normal enemy. So you have to carefully position yourself so that your attack will hit the bones on the floor.

You'll know if you have permanently kill the skeleton, because you will earn runes for the successful kill, and the pile of bones will disappear.

The player in Elden Ring looks at the ground where two dead skeletons are beginning to respawn.
To kill a skeleton, hit it while it's down! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

How to kill skeletons without resurrection

There is another way to permanently kill skeletons without needing to attack them while they're resurrecting. If you want to kill them just like any other enemy in Elden Ring, simply deal the final blow with an attack that is strong against Undead.

Not only will the attack deal extra damage to all Undead enemies in Elden Ring, it will also prevent them from respawning. Here is the full list of all attacks that are strong against Undead, and therefore will permanently kill a skeleton:

  • Order's Blade (Incantation)
  • Litany Of Proper Death (Incantation)
  • Golden Order Greatsword (Greatsword)
  • Inseparable Sword (Greatsword)
  • Golden Epitaph (Straight Sword)
  • Last Rites (Golden Epitaph's Skill)
  • Shared Order (Ash Of War Skill)
  • Sacred Order (Treespear's Skill)
  • Sacred Blade (Ash Of War Skill)
  • Haligbone Arrow (Arrow)
  • Golden Arrow (Arrow)
  • Golden Great Arrow (Greatarrow)
  • Sacred Order Pot (Consumable)
  • Holy Water Pot (Consumable)
  • Roped Holy Water Pot (Consumable)

That's all you need to know in order to start permanently killing skeletons in all the catacombs of the Lands Between in Elden Ring. To help you get through all those catacombs, check out our guides to the best weapons, best armor sets, best builds, and best spells in Elden Ring.

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