V Rising Raziel The Shepherd: Location, How To Beat & Rewards

Are you searching for a guide on how to beat Raziel the Shepherd in the V Rising: Gloomrot update? Well, you've found it! This Level 57 Blood Carrier is a gateway boss to the endgame, so conquering this formidable foe is especially important. Luckily for you, we've got hundreds of hours' worth of in-game experience to share with you.

This guide will detail Raziel the Shepherd's location in V Rising and the best strategy to beat him. But be prepared for a showdown of note, as this holy priest is anything but easy to defeat. Raziel won't go down quietly—so, enough waffling and SEO padding for Google. Instead, let's dive into how to defeat Raziel in V Rising, including the rewards you'll earn for doing so.

Updated on 4 June 2023: This guide reflects the latest changes in the V Rising: Secrets of Gloomrot update.

V Rising: Raziel The Shepherd Location

You can find Raziel the Shepherd in the Dunley Monastery, located on the western part of the Dunley Farmlands in V Rising. The area is a medium-difficulty region but also features a few strong foes and roaming bosses. This includes Blood Carriers like Jade the Vampire Hunter and Vincent the Frostbringer, who also wander the Dunley Monastery.

This area is especially dangerous because when you step into the grounds of the Dunley Monastery, you will begin to take Holy Radiation Damage. As such, the best way to counter this is to ensure you have sufficient Holy Resistance, which you can get from brewing a Holy Resistance Potion (requires: 60x Sunflower + 1x Grave Dust + 1x Water-Filled Bottle) at the Alchemy Lab. The crafting recipe is unlocked by defeating Meredith the Bright Archer.

Note: Holy Radiation damage won't kill you, but it will damage you every second until you reach 1 HP. It's possible to Blood Mend through it, but this will be interrupted by the damage tick, so you will have to start the mend right after it. Alternatively, you can become immune to some or all of the damage by transforming into Bear Form.

V Rising: How To Beat Raziel The Shepherd

Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising is a Level 57 V Blood Carrier, so you must be a comparable Gear Score of 55+. For weapons, we recommend using the Sword or Reaper for melee builds and only the Dual Pistols for ranged builds. This is because both the Sword and Reaper allow you to attack and move at a faster rate than the other melee weapons.

With the Sword, you can use Whirlwind and spin around Raziel while dealing good damage. With the Reaper, you can throw it out at the boss while you kite him, and the blade will spin and deal good damage at range. Finally, the Dual Pistols are best for ranged builds because they are faster than the Crossbow and allow you to be more agile, dealing quick bursts of damage without being heavily punished.

Blood Type

Regarding the best Blood Type to use in this fight, we recommend those providing movement speed buffs. Therefore, your best option is Rogue Blood, with a 40% or higher Blood Quality. This is primarily suggested to benefit from the boosted movement speed and critical damage. A solid alternative is Creature Blood of 50% or higher Blood Quality, as it will give you enhanced movement speed and damage reduction against Raziel the Shepherd.

Travel Ability

Regarding movement abilities, Veil of Chaos takes the top spot because it can be recast, allowing you to do a double jump -- this can be a massive lifesaver. This is especially true against ranged attacks that are otherwise difficult to dodge. Your next primary attack also inflicts Ignite, and your illusion detonates, dealing 50% magic damage to nearby enemies and inflicting Ignite.

On the other hand, Veil of Blood proves to be extremely valuable for its added sustain. Veil of Blood allows you to dash toward the input direction, evading nearby enemies for 2.2 seconds. Furthermore, your next primary attack deals 25% bonus damage and heals you for 5% of your maximum health while inflicting Leech.

Defensive Abilities

You'll need at least one defensive ability to beat Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising. The first spell suggestion is Blood Rage: It will increase your movement speed, heal yourself and your allies in an AOE, and increase your attack speed. This can be used offensively and defensively, as the added movement speed helps evade hits while prolonging your survivability during the fight.

In addition, Blood Rage can be augmented further with different Spell Jewels. The best Jewels in this fight when using this spell are those that provide an AOE shield to allies while under its effect, making it even more of a lifesaver in a battle against Raziel the Shepherd.

The second option is Phantom Aegis: It gives you a strong shield with a damage block equal to 180% of your spell power. Beyond this, the spell also inflicts the Weaken debuff on enemies that are close enough when the ability is cast. Weaken reduces the enemy's damage output by 15% for 5 seconds.

Phantom Aegis can be further modified with Spell Jewels. We recommend any that allow you to pull your allies toward you on the cast. This will enable you to move your allies out of harm's way when they have exhausted their movement abilities but are still in a dangerous position.

Offensive Abilities

Now, let's talk offensive spells to beat Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising. Sanguine Coil is fantastic here as it comes with three charges, deals damage, and heals you for a proportion of the damage dealt. It can also be shot at allies, healing them and yourself in a similar fashion.

Spectral Wolf is a fantastic alternative to use against Raziel the Shepherd. It deals 125% magic damage and bounces to multiple targets. In addition, every target struck by Spectral Wolf has its outgoing damage reduced by 15% for 5 seconds due to Weaken. This makes this especially good when coupling it with Phantom Aegis for defense because you can keep the Weaken effect on Raziel longer.

Raziel's Moveset & Battle Strategy

Now, let's delve into the strategies for how to beat Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising. The boss initiates the encounter with a devastating AOE attack, inflicting substantial damage and applying a slow effect. It's important to note that all of Raziel's spells are Holy spells, so having higher Holy resistance greatly benefits this fight. We obviously didn't use our own advice, but that's because we're just that good.

Additionally, he will unleash a slow-moving but powerful Holy projectile attack. While this attack can be easily dodged, preserving your movement ability for other crucial moments is advisable. Following that, Raziel will summon Holy Totems to assist him in combat. These totems serve as beacons for his attacks and provide him with an additional source of damage. Swiftly destroying these totems is vital, as lingering too close to them will result in a slow effect and trigger their own AOE attack.

Throw out your Spectral Wolf at Raziel the Shepherd and his totems to kill them fast. Then, circle around Raziel while releasing your Reaper to attack him from behind. Hold your movement ability for killing totems fast and his phase two attack. In the next stage, Raziel will launch his Holy Beam. This devastating attack must be dodged, as no shield or barrier can last long enough to block it fully. Once the attack starts, use your movement ability to get behind him and unleash a barrage of melee attacks, as he will be vulnerable.

In the final phase, Raziel will use all the previous attacks and a Sky Beam. This powerful beam of Holy light inflicts significant damage and tracks your movement. Continue eliminating his totems and utilize your Spectral Wolf at range. Use your movement ability when Raziel initiates his beam attacks and keep kiting around him, focusing on attacking him from the rear. Finally, aim to defeat Raziel during one of his beam attacks, as he will be immobilized. By following these strategies, you will emerge victorious against Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising.

V Rising: Raziel The Shepherd Rewards

You will receive the following rewards for beating Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising: Ancestral Forge (Structure), Jewelcrafting Table (Structure), and Crimson Beam (Ultimate Ability).

• Ancestral Forge: This workstation is required for restoring shattered ancient weapons. If you hope to reach the late game of V Rising, you will need this structure as it is the only way to restore Legendary weapons to working order. This allows you to fight at the highest level with the most powerful weapons in the game.
• Jewelcrafting Table: This workstation is required to craft Jewels, which you can use to modify the effects of spells in the game. We have a detailed guide on Spell Power Jewels, which you can read for more information.
• Crimson Beam: This powerful Blood Ultimate Ability allows you to channel a beam of energy, dealing 200% magic damage and inflicting Leech to enemies caught in the beam. Crimson Beam will also heal allies up to 150% of your spell power and yourself for 25% for 3s.

The Raziel the Shepherd's V Blood description reads:

The head and heart of the Dunley Monastery and a true believer in the Light, Raziel in known for his persuasive sermons and hrash, fire-and-brimstone rhetoric. It is believed that his holy power is granted by his incredible righteousness, largely because he keeps saying so.

And that's everything you need to know about how to beat Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising. But why stop there? Did you know we have an expansive library of in-depth V Rising boss guides? Yep! No kidding. Learn how to beat baddies like Gorecrusher the Behemoth, The Winged Horror, and Solarus the Immaculate right now!

V Rising Raziel The Shepherd: Location, How To Beat & Rewards FAQ

Where can I find Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising?

Raziel the Shepherd can be found in the Dunley Monastery, located in the western part of the Dunley Farmlands in V Rising.

What are the recommended offensive abilities to defeat Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising?

Suggested offensive abilities to use against Raziel include Sanguine Coil, which deals damage and heals you, and Spectral Wolf, which deals magic damage and reduces outgoing damage of targets hit.

What rewards do I receive for defeating Raziel the Shepherd in V Rising?

By defeating Raziel the Shepherd, you will receive Ancestral Forge and Jewelcrafting Table structures, as well as the Crimson Beam ultimate ability in V Rising.