In Dragon’s Dogma 2 you can find a secret boss called Medusa. It is linked to 3 trophies and achievements: Off with Its Head! for decapitating its head, Getting a Head for getting her Preserved Head, An Eye for an Eye for petrifying her using her own head. This guide explains where to find Medusa, how to get her head and all associated trophies/achievements.
Medusa Location
Medusa’s Lair is in a cave called “Calignious Depths” south of Bakbattahl. That’s in the desert region south of the border.
How to Get Medusa Head & Preserved Medusa Head
Step 1: You must get a Medusa head by cutting it off Medusa. It’s recommended you do this while playing Thief vocation. Have a mage on your team who buffs your weapon with Lightning damage (you can see the pawn spells when recruiting at Riftstones). Immediately when the fight starts climb up to her head by pressing 
/ 
, then do normal melee attacks ( 
/ 
). Repeat this until her head falls off. Do not use any other attacks, only melee buffed with lightning while at her head. To get the “Preserved Medusa Head” you have to decapitate her head while she’s near full health, during her first or second health bar. This will also unlock 
Getting a Head (got Preserved Medusa Head) & 
Off with Its Head! (decapitated Medusa).
Step 2: Afterward collect her head from the floor to put it in your inventory. If your pawn autocollects the head, simply move it from your pawn’s inventory to your own to pop the trophy. If Medusa took too much damage you will only get the regular (non-Preserved) Medusa Head. If you are playing on PS5 it’s highly recommended you make a PS+ backup save before fighting her, so you can redownload that save and retry if you don’t get the Preserved Head. Alternatively, rest for 14 days in Bakbattahl and come back and she will respawn, so you can keep retrying it. If you are already level 60+ and have the best weapons you might kill her in 2 hits, in this case use the weakest possible loadout to cut off her head without damaging her health too much.
Petrify Medusa
Step 3: Immediately travel back to Bakbattahl and put the Preserved Medusa Head into storage. This can be done at the Pilgrim’s Inn by talking to the Innkeeper. Items in the storage don’t perish. It’s best to place a Portcrystal in Bakbattahl and use a Ferrystone to teleport back there immediately so that the Medusa head doesn’t rot in your inventory. This is time-sensitive so you have to be quick or else the head will decay and become useless. You can also run back there but don’t rest along the way as it would decay the head. Here’s the Inn in Bakbattahl:
Step 4: AFTER putting the Preserved Medusa Head into storage, rest on the bench outside Bakbattahl’s Pilgrim’s Inn for 14 days. Stay seated and keep pressing 
/ 
until you skipped through 14 nights. This will make all enemies respawn, including Medusa (note that 7 days seem to be enough to respawn all enemies but we recommend 14 days to be safe). It’s very important that the “Preserved Medusa Head” remains in storage while you do this, otherwise it will decay from the passage of time.
Step 5: Withdraw Preserved Medusa Head from storage. Quickly run back to Medusa’s lair where you fought her, do not rest along the way and don’t waste any time. Medusa will have respawned. Now aim the head at her to petrify her. In the inventory click “Equip” on Preserved Medusa Head > this will put the head on your belt > open inventory a second time and click on it again, select “Brandish” (this will let you hold the head) > aim it directly at Medusa and it will petrify her to unlock the trophy.
If anything goes wrong, rest for 14 days in Bakbattahl and return to Medusa to cut off another Preserved Medusa head and repeat all steps. Resting at the campfire outside the Medusa cave won’t work because the head will decay and then can’t be used anymore. So you’ll have to make the long walk back from Bakbattahl every time.
Good to know: Medusa’s Head is one of the best items in the game and you can get it repeatedly. It will instakill any enemy, including larger bosses. The only downside is that the head decays and loses its power over time. But you can always get another copy of it.
For more guides check out Dragon’s Dogma 2 Wiki.
adam says
I am a thief, climb up the medusa, wail away at the head for minutes, and it eventually dies, giving me the “withered” head instead of the “preserved” head. What am I missing?
PowerPyx says
“Wail away at the head for minutes” –> that seems to be the issue, you are taking too long to kill it or are causing too much damage. To get preserved head you want Medusa on her 1st or near full 2nd health bar (meaning she’s near full health). I decapitated her within a few seconds. It might also be that you are not hitting the head correctly, make sure you climb all the way up and don’t hit her lower “neck” area. If you aren’t attacking the right spot she’ll just suffer health damage without the head falling off.
Sarge says
I cant speak to OP’s situation, but i used lightning buffed thief blades. Attecked her head while climbing her, then used skull splitter attack, and that did it. So, maybe you just need to do most of the damage while climbing on the head area.
Steve says
Yeah I’m with the other comment here, somethings not making sense I’m on my 8th try I only ever get the withered head. “You’re taking to long, or you are doing to much damage doesnt make sense”. You’re guide suggests to not to do much damage but by not doing more damage the fight will take longer so which is it?
The head does not pop off I have tried as both my fighter and thief. Attacked the head easily 100+ times and it does nothing but damage her. Theres gotta be more to this.
PowerPyx says
Try buffing with lightning damage. The mage in my team automatically buffed my weapon with lightning, that might help. Other than that I just attacked the top of the head with Thief at Level 31.
sheeno says
In my case i was just killing her to get the bones to upgrade gear when my warrior pawn yeeted a massive charged attack on her head when she was knocked to the ground, instantly decapitating, her… i just stood there speechless.
Majury says
Same issue as the other comments. I’m doing exactly what you’re showing. You hit her 24 times and her head comes off. I counted 50 or more, before depleting a single HP bar. Her head just won’t come off like you’ve shown. I’ve had lightning buffed weapons and everything. Something is wrong here.
Majury says
It literally just worked on my next try after my comment! It happened just like your video. I swear to God I’ve done the exact same attempt every time and it just popped off straight away this go!? I’m so confused. My guess is there’s a lot of RNG involved.
pitda says
You can use the “Daughter of the Evening” shield that you get from the Vernworth castle vault to petrify Medusa.
Arigato says
With the thunder daggers on lvl 50 and things like the archer perk lethaly i chop his head easy without help of pawns in 1 bar.
Too for add something, you dont need to re-enter in the menu when u have equipped medusa head for “brandish”, take the place of ur lightern, so with the shortcut like when is dark L1 + right pad is the same :P
Sorry for my bad english and thx for your guides.
Moon says
Late to the party, but I hope this helps anyone struggling with acquiring the Preserved Medusa Head:
If you use the Magic Archer skill Sedative Bolt or Soporific Bolt, a few shots will put the Medusa to sleep. Once she’s out, literally one slice from any sword or dagger will remove her head, killing her instantly and doing the least amount of damage possible giving you the best quality Preserved Medusa Head achievable.
Desheep says
Since a lot of you are having no luck, i’ll say exactly what i did. Her head came off in one hit.
HOWEVER this was in NG+. This probably works in NG, but won’t be as effective.
1. Warfarer with thief blades (I used framae blades) and a Magik bow (I used the best one I could afford from bakbahthal)
2. A kind hearted mage pawn with no offensive skills . I selected the instant heal, lightning buff (IMPORTANT), celerity and Halidom.
3. NO OTHER PAWNS.
4. Equip Soporific bolt as one of your skills. You also need rearmament. Anything for the other 2.
5. Go to the medusa cave and drop a portkey
6. Enter the cave and blast her in the head with a Soporific bolt. Repeat until she sleeps. As you do this, the pawn will buff you with lightning
7. Switch to knives and hit the head.
The head will come off in ONE hit. I’ve repeated this 4 times now.