Gladius, Beast of Night Boss Guide

Gladius, Beast of Night is a Nightlord boss in Elden Ring Nightreign, and Elden Ring Items the only Nightlord available to face in the Network Test Beta. Gladius is encountered on Day 3 of the Tricephalos expedition. Gladius is a three-headed wolf bearing some resemblance to the Red Wolf of Radagon, though he uses a giant sword whip and breathes fire. He can also split himself into three, evening the odds against the Nightfarer party.

Learn more about Gladius, Beast of Night, in our boss guide below:

Gladius, Beast of Night Location

Gladius is the Nightlord and final boss of the Tricephalos expedition, meaning you will only face him if you can reach Day 3. Upon defeating the Day 2 Night Boss, you will be teleported to the Spirit Shelter, a safe room where you can level up, upgrade weapons, and buy items.

Gladius, Beast of Night Boss Guide

Gladius will spawn somewhere in the middle of the boss arena shortly after you and your Nightfarer crew enter. He is a large, fast-moving, and wields a sword whip that can hit from very far away. The best approach is to let Wylder or Guardian take aggro while the Duchess and Recluse hit from afar or from behind. Gladius jumps around unpredictably, making charge attacks hard to land. Instead, opt for jumping attacks or short light attack combos. Never stick around for too long; hit and run is usually the safest bet.

The first thing to note is the various lunge and bite attacks Gladius has. There are quick multi-bite lunges, and slower bites which use all three heads. You can usually differentiate based on GGladius'stance, with the heavy attacks being slower and usually signaled by Gladius rearing back on his hind legs. If you have a shield, these can mostly be blocked, though your stance might get broken. Otherwise, you will need to dodge into them as he approaches, which lets you get in one or two light attacks if you do it successfully. This also applies to the individual wolves once Gladius splits.

Gladius has two sword whip attacks to look out for. The first, he will raise the sword straight up into the air, then slam it down on his target in a straight line. For this one, you just need to get out of the direct path by strafing left or right. If you are close to him when he is readying the attack, you can get some attacks into Elden Ring Items for sale his side or back.