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Gladius, Beast of Night Boss Guide — Elden Ring Nightreign First Nightlord

Gladius

The first Nightlord you face. Three-headed beast wielding a chain-sword. Tests reaction speed, not patience. Easily defeated with bleed weapons or Holy damage.

Quick Stats

Section titled “Quick Stats”
BossGladius, Beast of Night
Expedition1 (first)
WeaknessHoly
ResistanceFire
Phases3
Difficulty★★★☆☆
Recommended TeamExecutor + Raider + Ironeye

Lore Quote

Section titled “Lore Quote”

A many-legged beast that emerges from shadow — bears a chain-sword on its back, multiple heads, and flame escaping its fangs. If struck by multiple shadow attacks, Holy radiance should counter its “hunt”.

Phase 1 — Solo Body

Section titled “Phase 1 — Solo Body”

Attack Patterns

Section titled “Attack Patterns”
  • Heavy chain-sword smash (main attack)
  • When chain rises high and slows down → immediately roll in chain swing direction

Strategy

Section titled “Strategy”
  • Executor with bleed melts this phase in ~5 minutes
  • For other classes: get bleed status Relic for starting weapon
  • Stay aggressive — too defensive prolongs this phase

Phase 2 — Three Clones

Section titled “Phase 2 — Three Clones”

Mechanic

Section titled “Mechanic”

Boss splits into 3 clones. Watch for red circle marker on a teammate.

Strategy

Section titled “Strategy”
  • All clones focus the marked player
  • Other two teammates burst freely from sides
  • Use Ultimates to interrupt and push to Phase 3 quickly

Phase 3 — Reunited + Fire

Section titled “Phase 3 — Reunited + Fire”

New Attacks

Section titled “New Attacks”
  1. Fire sword smash (AoE fire damage)
  2. Three-headed fire breath (cone fire damage)
  3. Fireball form — boss becomes briefly untargetable

Strategy

Section titled “Strategy”
  • All fire attacks: roll toward the direction of the attack
  • During fireball form: wait for body to reform, then resume DPS
  • Stay close to boss body to extend windup animations

Core Tactic

Section titled “Core Tactic”

Stay close. Long-range chase wastes too much time.

Per-Class Performance

Section titled “Per-Class Performance”
ClassRatingNotes
Executor★★★★★Bleed obliterates Phase 1
Ironeye★★★★Mark + range vs Phase 2 splits
Wylder★★★★★Stake stagger trivializes splits
Raider★★★★Buff team
Guardian★★★★Tank splits with shield
Recluse★★★OK with pre-made setup
Duchess★★★★Replay bleed bursts
Undertaker★★★★Survives Phase 2 chaos
Section titled “Recommended Relics”
  • Holy damage on starting weapon (matches weakness)
  • Bleed on starting weapon (universal)
  • Flask heals nearby allies (universal)

Common Mistakes

Section titled “Common Mistakes”
  • ❌ Trying to fight Phase 2 splits with single-target focus
  • ❌ Rolling backwards from fire attacks (creates more chase time)
  • ❌ Saving Ultimates for Phase 3 (push them in Phase 2 instead)

FAQ

Section titled “FAQ”

Q: Solo viable? A: Yes but harder. Wylder/Ironeye recommended for solo first kill.

Q: What does the Old Pocket Watch drop? A: First Nightlord (Gladius) drops it. Give to Roundtable witch to unlock Duchess.

Q: Is Fire damage useless? A: Fire is resisted, not immune. It works but Holy/Bleed is much better.

Sources

Section titled “Sources”