How to beat Metyr, Mother of Fingers in Shadow of the Erdtree

✓ at a glance

• Metyr is fought during Count Ymir’s quest line.
• You can use Bleed on Metyr.
• Watch out for magical attacks at range and try to stay close.
• Take out the small finger enemies they spawn.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers is something of an optional boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, fought during Count Ymir’s quest. By the time we found this boss, we had beaten Romina and were perhaps a little overpowered. This is our Metyr, Mother of Fingers boss guide, covering how we beat her and our strats.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers location

You fight Metyr, Mother of Fingers near the end of Count Ymir’s questline. You will find this boss after you go to the finger ruins below the cathedral of Manus Metyr by moving Count Ymir’s throne out of the way. Make your way to the bell and ring it to be teleported to the boss arena.

If you die against this boss, you can be revived at the Stake of Marika directly by the bell under the cathedral. Interact with the Hallowed Ruins bell once again to teleport to the boss room. When you beat her, you will unlock the Finger Birthing Grounds Site of Grace.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers boss guide

When you arrive in the boss arena, you will have time to prep before the boss notices you. Take this time to buff yourself with consumables and summon your favourite Spirit Ash (naturally, we suggest the Mimic Tear, but you do you). Your first task will be to close the distance between you and the boss, so start running forward. Be prepared to dodge ranged attacks as you approach.

✓ Watch the ground

These moves are well telegraphed so just make sure you roll to the side to avoid the spreading ground attack or the sweeping laser beam. They can use both of these attacks in a row, but dodging them is easy.

When you get in close, range, Metyr can use a slamming head attack to catch you off guard. This move comes out fast, so keep trying to circle around to the side. The boss is so large it can be a pain to know when and where you’re being hit from, and most of the front of the boss has a hitbox when it attacks. Getting comfortably around to the side will help you keep safe from a lot of moves. Likewise, your Spirit Ash can take its attention while you get behind.

✓ Bait and punish

If you happen to find yourself in front of the boss a lot, try and bait its frontal slam attack. Metyr will raise up an slam down, leaving itself vulnerable to being countered while they recover.

You don’t want to spend too much time in front of the boss, mostly because the frontal attacks it can do with its arms are nasty and they hit multiple times. To this end, you can easily exploit the tanking prowess of your Mimic Tear to take all the frontal hits while you hack and slash into the side of the boss for a ton of free damage. More than anything, try to stay as close as possible and exploit Metyr’s several blind spots. Usually, most bosses will have attacks that catch you out if you’re to the side of it or behind, but Metyr is a bit lacking in this respect. If you can stay mobile and avoid any of the side bashes or jumping attacks, you can stay in close range and keep up the aggression to whittle this boss down.

Being at range will trigger magical attacks. These are a pain to dodge. Image taken by VideoGamer

This is the laser beam you need to worry about. Keep moving to the side, away from the beam. Image taken by VideoGamer

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Metyr, Mother of Fingers second phase

In case you thought you were about to get away without a second phase in another boss fight, we’re sorry to disappoint you. Metyr will, and stop us if you’ve heard this before, power up when you reduce their health to around half. At this time, Metyr will begin to gather energy for a large AoE attack. You can run away if you catch this move in time. Likewise, you can time your dodge to roll through the explosion.

✓ Be aggressive

If you have enough HP, we highly recommend you take this time to keep up the aggression and damage Metyr while they are charging up. You will take a lot of damage from the explosion, so heal as soon as you’re up.

Now you’re firmly in the second phase, Metyr will begin to spawn little finger creatures into the boss room. In case you’re wondering about the specifics, she births them right in front of you. The wonder of birth aside, these finger creatures have gotta go. They are very squishy and don’t deal a lot of damage, but if they swarm you they can be a problem.

Take out these little mobs quickly and then return your focus to the boss. If you have an AoE, now is the time to use it. The Corpse Piler Ash of War was fantastic for clearing them out quickly and easily, while also getting hits on the boss due to some lucky positioning. Metyr will have some new attacks during this phase, but they will rarely use magic if you stay close. One of the main attacks to look out for is a jumping attack where Metyr spins in the sky and slams down, sliding along the floor when they land.

✓ Know when to heal

This is hard to dodge and time thanks to janky camera angles. If you can, take the time to heal when you see Metyr jump into the air. This will top you off and help you survive the hit.

You want to stay close in this phase again, because of another new magic attack. If Metyr gets far away, they will float into the sky and create a massive ball of energy above them. If that wasn’t intimidating enough, Metyr will now shoot a gigantic laser beam in a circle following the target it picks. A large AoE explosion signals the start of the attack, and then the beam comes out a few moments later. Stay away from the purple ring in front of you and keep running to the side to get away from the laser.

When Metyr finishes this attack, it’s time to go in for the kill. Metyr had low HP when they used this on us, and we decided to rush in as they landed to exploit the downtime. With enough hits, you can get through the last bit of HP and come away with the big W.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers move list

These are all of the attacks we saw Metyr, Mother of Fingers use on us. As far as we can tell, there was no obvious grab attack but we don’t doubt they have one. Mostly, you only have to worry about magic from this boss but if you stay close enough you can shut most of that down.

Attack	Description	Strategy
Melee Swings	Metyr will swipe two times with its hands.	Dodge forward to avoid this attack. When she’s done, get in a few hits.
Head Slam	Metyr slams its little head into the ground when you stand in front.	This attack can come out fast. If you see Metyr rear up or otherwise crowd you overhead, roll to the side.
Ground Magic Shockwaves	As you approach from range, Metyr will send out magical shockwaves. This attack has three prongs to it, spread across the floor towards you in a huge AoE.	There is a safe space between each of the lines. Roll to the side and stay safe.
Strafing Laser	Another ranged attack, Metyr will try and keep you away with a laser that sweeps from right to left.	Roll forward to dodge the laser. Rolling to the side or backwards will see you get caught by the hitbox.
Front Finger Kick	Metyr will use its weird fingers in front to ‘kick’ at you with both of them at once. This is a little lunging attack.	You can block this attack very easily, even if you’re two-handing your weapon. It’s not a dangerous move, so dodge or take the hit and keep attacking. Take time to heal, of course.
Side Finger Combo	If you spend too much at Metyr’s side, they can use this running attack where each of the side fingers will hit you multiple times.	If you get caught in this, it can be a death. You want to try and stay closer to the front or back when attacking from the side. This will give you more of a chance to roll safely away when this combo comes out.
Body Slam	Metyr will rear up and slowly crash down. This causes a small AoE shockwave.	You have a lot of time to dodge this attack. If you are in front of Metyr, attack while they rear up and don’t roll too early. They want to catch you out with the long wind up. After they land, get in more damage or heal if needed.
Hand Slam Combo	Another frontal attack, Metyr can chain together a fist-slamming combo. It hits four times.	This is best avoided, due to how many hits it has. You want to roll forward if you’re caught in front, or to the side. Don’t roll backwards.
AoE Magic Blast	Metyr will charge up during the fight, signalling the second phase. This causes a large AoE blast.	You can roll through the explosion or block it. Equally, you can take the hit if you stayed close while it charges up. If you get hit, heal immediately.
Spawn Small Fingers	After the explosion, Metyr can summon little finger enemies.	Kill them immediately. They can swarm and combo you to death very easily.
Side Lunge	Metyr will lunge at you if you are by its side too much.	This is an attack you want over the side finger combo because it is much easier to exploit. It’s hard to know which they will use, so again, try and attack the side closer to the head or the back.
Spinning Jump	Metyr will jump into the air and come spinning down, landing and sliding away.	Due to how large the boss is and the janky camera, you will probably get ht by this. Don’t try and sprint away, you should just try and roll forward without locking on to hope it goes over you.
Gigantic Laser Beam	Metyr will gather energy and do another AoE attack. It will then fire a huge laser several times at your position.	This attack is super nasty and it will follow you. You want to keep running to the side. Make sure you don’t get caught on any environmental things like fingers sticking out of the ground. Run or roll, and don’t stop until the laser is gone. When Metyr lands, get in quick to deal a ton of damage while it recovers.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers rewards

Once you beat Metyr, you will receive the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers. You’ve also now nearly completed Count Ymir’s quest line. To continue it, you should return to the cathedral and rest at the grace. Now, approach the throne again and you will be attacked by Jolan and then Count Ymir.