Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord walkthrough: all 10 bosses
Every Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord explained: weaknesses, phase changes and relic rewards for all 10 bosses, including the Forsaken Hollows pair.
Checked against Patch 1.03.2 on 1 Nov 2026. We re-test every guide after major updates; if something changed, tell us.
Every Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord is a Day 3 boss you reach after two in-game nights of looting Limveld, and each one punishes a different mistake. As of November 2026 there are ten: eight from the base game and two added by The Forsaken Hollows expansion in December 2025. This walkthrough covers all ten in the order most squads unlock them, with the damage types that actually move the health bar, the phase changes that wipe runs, and the relic each fight pays out. Everything was checked against Patch 1.03.2, which is still the live build.
Version note: Patch 1.03.2 (Regulation 1.03.4) went live on 15 January 2026 and remains the current update. It mostly tuned the two DLC fights, so if you last fought the Balancers at launch, expect fewer charmed enemies and a smaller charm attack buff.
How Nightlord expeditions work
You pick a Nightlord at the Roundtable Hold altar, drop into Limveld solo, as a duo or as a trio, and survive two nights of a shrinking storm. Each night ends in a field boss drawn from a pool tied to your chosen Nightlord; Day 3 is the Nightlord itself. Only relics and runes carry over, so every entry below assumes a fresh build made in roughly 35 to 45 minutes.
- Hit the posted weakness. Enough of the listed damage type staggers the boss and, for most Nightlords, lowers its attack and defence for a while.
- Reach level 12 to 15. Clear a castle or Great Enemy on Day 2 and you will get there. Below level 11, every grab is a potential one-shot.
- Bank flask charges. Each Church of Marika you visit adds one. Four or more makes the two-phase fights far more forgiving.
Negative percentages below mean the boss takes that much extra damage; the reward is the unique relic each first clear grants.
Gladius, Beast of Night (Tricephalos)
Gladius is the tutorial Nightlord and the one you must beat before anything else unlocks: a three-headed hound dragging a chained greatsword whose swings reach much farther than the body suggests.
Around half health it splits into three smaller beasts, which is where new squads die. Retreat to the arena edge together and burn the hounds down one at a time; when they recombine, Gladius is briefly stunned, so save Ultimate Arts for that moment.
- Find a Holy weaponOne Holy stagger lets your whole team land a critical hit, and sacred weapons turn up often on this expedition.
- Back away from chain spinsThe chained sword sweeps a full circle. Create distance rather than rolling sideways.
- Group up for the splitThree hounds on three separated players is a wipe. Fight them as a team at the edge.
Reward: Night of the Beast. Tricephalos is also the first step to unlocking The Forsaken Hollows content and the Night Aspect expedition.
Adel, Baron of Night (Gaping Jaw)
Adel has no elemental soft spot: Poison build-up is the posted effective type and landing it triggers the stagger. Stack poison on every weapon you find and let Ironeye or Recluse apply it from range while melee players bait attacks.
The mechanic that matters is the grab: Adel scoops a player into its mouth and chews, with damage ramping each bite. Hit the jaw hard and fast to force a release, and once its lightning attacks start, keep moving instead of standing under its chest.
Common mistake: treating Adel like a Fire fight because it looks draconic. Fire does 20% less here and Lightning does half damage. Poison and raw physical damage win this one.
Reward: Night of the Baron.
Gnoster, Wisdom of Night (Sentient Pest)
Gnoster is two bosses at once, a casting moth and a ground-bound scorpion. Split your team on purpose: one ranged player keeps the moth busy while the other two work under the scorpion, where its stinger struggles to reach.
Poison is everywhere, from the moth's dust to the scorpion's pools, so pick up Neutralizing Boluses on Day 2. When the pair merge for phase two, the moth rides the scorpion and the magic gets much heavier. Attack from behind, back off when it rears up, and use every Fire source you have.
Reward: Night of the Wise, which also helps against the Dreglord because it raises attack power near poison and rot.
Maris, Fathom of Night (Augur)
Maris is a ranged fight: the boss floats out of melee reach for long stretches while jellyfish drift across the arena and a sleep mist builds. Ironeye is the best pick, and two archers trivialise most of it.
Watch for the moment Maris gathers itself and begins to descend. Keep shooting it on the way down and you interrupt the water burst that otherwise covers most of the floor. If it lands, sprint away from the slam rather than rolling. Cure Sleep immediately; nodding off mid-combo is the usual death here.
Reward: Night of the Fathom.
Libra, Creature of Night (Equilibrious Beast)
Before Libra fights you, it bargains with you: early in the expedition it offers a contract, a strong buff now for a drawback later. Taking it is fine, but read the trade, because the penalty applies when it matters most.
In the arena, Libra fights with Madness. Golden glyphs appear on the ground and burst into frenzy, so shoot them from range before they trigger. Hit-and-run beats long combos: land two hits, step out, let the next telegraph play. Sacred weapons do 35% extra and are easy to find on this expedition.
Tip: Libra's madness pools linger longer than they look. If the arena fills up, kite around the outside rather than through the middle.
Reward: Night of the Demon.
Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow (Darkdrift Knight)
Fulghor is a centaur knight and the fastest base-game Nightlord by a distance: its charges cross the arena in a second and its greatsword throws shockwaves well past the blade. Dodge late, punish the recovery, and never chase it, because that is when the next charge comes.
Lightning is more than a damage bonus here: enough build-up interrupts Fulghor's heaviest wind-ups and turns them into free damage windows. Late in the fight the reach on its swings grows, so yesterday's safe spacing is not. Holy weapons are a trap on this expedition at 30% less damage.
Reward: Night of the Champion.
Caligo, Miasma of Night (Fissure in the Fog)
Caligo is an ice dragon and the base-game endurance test: its breath leaves ice spikes, its stomps scatter frost mines, and partway through it takes off and blankets the arena in fog while hail falls. Mobility matters more than damage, which is why Wylder's grapple shines here.
A Fire-infused hammer is close to ideal, since Fire does 35% extra and Strike 15% extra. Take any dragon-related Attack Boost that drops on Day 2, and when the fog comes down, find a pillar or ruin to break line of sight until the hail stops.
Reward: Night of the Miasma.
Heolstor, the Nightlord (Night Aspect)
Night Aspect unlocks after four different Nightlord clears and is the base game's finale, split into two fights. The first is the Shape of Night, a hunched figure in rags fighting with a broken sword, a dagger and a greatsword lodged through its third hand. Holy and Fire both hurt it.
Kill the Shape of Night and Heolstor stands up in silver armour with the greatsword's magic restored. Fire stops working and Lightning becomes as effective as Holy, but only Holy triggers the stagger and debuff, so keep a sacred weapon as your main. Heolstor is also the only Nightlord you can parry: three parries open a critical hit.
Late in phase two it flies up, slices the sky open and imbues its blade with the power of another Nightlord you have defeated. The element is not fixed, so hold a flask and treat the first attacks after it lands as a learning window. If everyone in the party owns The Forsaken Hollows, Heolstor gains extra attack types too.
Beating Night Aspect grants the Primordial Nightlord's Rune, rolls the credits and awards the Night of the Lord relic. It also completes the Remembrance quests for Wylder (with the Silver Tear relic equipped), Ironeye, Recluse and Undertaker.
The Balancers (Weapon-Bequeathed Harmonia)
The first Forsaken Hollows Nightlord is seven bosses: white-armoured valkyries carrying spears, halberds and hammers, each weapon with its own moveset. Per Bandai Namco's unlock guide, you need two Nightlord clears including Tricephalos, both new Nightfarers (Scholar and Undertaker) made playable via the Iron Menial, and then a visit to the chapel that opens behind the Small Jar Merchant.
Phase one is crowd control. Their Sleep resistance is very low, so sleep pots, a sleep-infused weapon or Scholar's kit can remove two or three at a time; just do not hit the sleepers, since a weapon strike wakes them instantly. Spread out so you never fight more than two, and parry freely: a single parry opens a riposte.
When the seventh falls, the last one standing is crowned, the other six revive, and the group performs a sweeping combined attack on one player. From here all seven share one health bar and the crowned Balancer has an upgraded moveset. Focus the crowned one: if it dies a new one is crowned and the transition repeats, costing them time. Scholar's Communion links the group so damage is shared, which is why most squads bring one. Strike does 10% extra; Holy does 30% less.
Reward: The Will of the Balancers. Patch 1.03.2 closed a duplicate-stacking bug, so only one copy works.
The Dreglord (Traitorous Straghess)
The Dreglord is the hardest fight on this list and the only Nightlord whose expedition card lists no weakness. Holy, Fire and Bleed still hurt it, and Slash and Pierce get 10% extra, but there is no stagger-and-debuff crutch: you win with levels, flasks and dodging.
Phase one is Traitorous Straghess, a heap of corpses and debris that spits Scarlet Rot and summons rotting hollows. Kill the summons with Fire where you can; it leaves a fire pool instead of a rot pool. Whenever the Dreglord inhales to gather rot matter, sprint directly away: the follow-up covers most of the arena and running beats rolling.
Phase two, Pure Impulse Straghess, keeps the same stats and adds faster, wider attacks. Treat it as a second fight: hold at least two flasks and a Glowstone for it. Scarlet Rot is close to unavoidable, so either stack rot-resistance relics and carry Preserving Boluses, or lean into relics that reward standing in rot.
Common mistake: arriving under level 13. If the Great Hollow appears on Day 2, its castle layers are the best rune and legendary-weapon source on the map, and clearing them is the difference between a clean Day 3 and a wipe.
Reward: The Night of Dregs.
Everdark Sovereigns and Deep of Night
Everdark Sovereigns are remixed Nightlords with new phases and their own rewards, including Sovereign Sigils. Seven base-game Nightlords have one, and the Balancers got theirs, the Salvation's Standard-Bearers, on 19 December 2025: a blood-soaked second phase where fallen Balancers revive with stacking attack buffs and periodically merge into a giant worm. Heolstor and the Dreglord have no Everdark version on this patch, and the lineup rotates rather than staying open, so check the altar each week.
Deep of Night is the endless-difficulty ladder added in September 2025. Your Depth rises with wins and the modifiers get nastier; since hotfix 1.03.1 the DLC's targets, raids and Shifting Earth appear there when everyone in the lobby owns The Forsaken Hollows. Release history for the game and expansion is on Wikipedia and the Eldenpedia DLC page.
For more boss-heavy walkthroughs, our Hollow Knight: Silksong Act 1 walkthrough covers every boss and bench in route order, and the Phantom Blade Zero opening-hours guide breaks down its first bosses. For everything else on this game, head to the Elden Ring Nightreign hub or browse more walkthroughs.
FAQ
How many Nightlords are in Elden Ring Nightreign?
Ten as of November 2026: Gladius, Adel, Gnoster, Maris, Libra, Fulghor, Caligo and Heolstor in the base game, plus the Balancers and the Dreglord from The Forsaken Hollows.
What order should I fight the Nightlords in?
Gladius first (it is required), then Adel, Gnoster and Maris, which have the clearest weaknesses. Libra, Fulghor and Caligo are a step up, Heolstor unlocks after four clears, and the two DLC bosses are harder than anything in the base game.
Which Nightlord has no weakness?
The Dreglord's expedition lists none. Holy and Fire still deal 25% and 20% extra damage and Bleed is effective, but nothing staggers it the way a posted weakness would.
How do I unlock the Forsaken Hollows Nightlords?
Beat Tricephalos and at least one other Nightlord, unlock Scholar and Undertaker through the Iron Menial in the Roundtable Hold, then enter the chapel that opens behind the Small Jar Merchant.
What is the current patch for Nightreign?
Patch 1.03.2, released on 15 January 2026, is still the live version as of November 2026.
Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.