Mastering Nightlords in Elden Ring: Nightreign – Ultimate Weakness Guide

Introduction: Ultimate Weakness Guide

If you're deep into Elden Ring: Nightreign and facing the eight Nightlords, you're not alone. These final bosses pose serious challenges, but every one of them has exploitable flaws. This Nightlord boss guide breaks down the elemental weaknesses, status effect vulnerabilities, and optimal builds to use against each one. With over 60 hours in the game, I’ve tested and confirmed these strategies first-hand, backed by community-sourced data. Be warned—spoilers ahead if you haven’t cleared the final phases.

Let’s get into every major boss fight in Nightreign and how to beat them.

Trice (Gladius) – Holy Power Dominates

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Holy: +50% damage – strongest counter

  • Fire: Highly resistant

  • Pierce: Slight vulnerability

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Poison, Frostbite, Bleed: High susceptibility

  • Sleep: Moderate effect

• Best Builds for Trice:

  • Faith builds using holy-infused weapons or incantations are most effective

  • When debuffed, Trice deals less damage and takes more—capitalize on this window

Strategy Tip: Equip holy-based weapons to quickly exploit Trice’s major vulnerability. Stack status effects like bleed or poison to maintain damage over time.

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Gaping Jaw (Adele) – Status Strategy Required

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • None notable – resists both fire and lightning

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Poison: Most effective

  • Frostbite, Bleed, Sleep: All viable options

• Best Builds for Adele:

  • Use a poison-focused build—such as converting your starter armament using the relic from Sentient Pest

  • Magic and melee won’t yield high returns without status support

Strategy Tip: Poison and frostbite builds outperform traditional damage options. Apply ailments early to keep the fight in your favor.

Sentient Pest (Noster – Moth Phase) – Fire and Sleep Are Key

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Slash and Pierce: Highly effective

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Fire: Strongest elemental choice

  • Magic, Lightning, Holy: Resisted

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Sleep, Poison: Extremely vulnerable

  • Rot, Bleed, Frostbite: Solid backups

• Best Builds for Moth Phase:

  • Use fire-infused slashing weapons or sleep-focused spells

  • Light armor and high agility work well for evading counters

Strategy Tip: Put the boss to sleep, then hit with fire-based combos for burst damage.

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Sentient Pest (Noster – Scorpion Phase) – Strike to Win

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Strike: Most effective

  • Pierce: Still viable

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Magic: -10% resistance

  • Fire: +35% bonus

  • Lightning & Holy: Slight resistance

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Poison: Best option

  • Rot, Bleed, Frostbite, Sleep: Also usable

• Best Builds for Scorpion Phase:

  • Use colossal or blunt weapons to maximize strike damage

  • Augment with poison buildup for continuous pressure

Strategy Tip: If your build is strike-focused (clubs, hammers), you’ll find this boss easier than most.

Augur (Maris) – Lightning and Strike Combo Wins

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Standard: Effective

  • Slash and Pierce: Resisted

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Lightning: Strongest choice

  • Fire and Holy: Resisted

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Rot, Frostbite: Best options

  • Other ailments: Ineffective

• Best Builds for Augur:

  • Equip strike-based weapons with lightning infusion

  • Use rot or frostbite weapons for added effect

Strategy Tip: Keep distance, apply frostbite, then punish with lightning-enhanced strikes.

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Equilibrious Beast (Libra) – Faith Build Playground

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Standard: Effective

  • Slash and Pierce: Moderate

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Holy: +35% bonus – best choice

  • Fire: Strong backup

  • Lightning: Neutral

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Bleed, Frostbite: Highly effective

  • Poison, Rot: Moderate

  • Madness: Only boss in game affected

• Best Builds for Libra:

  • Faith builds with holy damage or incantations are ideal

  • Madness-inducing weapons add rare but valuable bonus

Strategy Tip: Libra is weak to everything a faith build offers—this is your moment to shine.

Dark Drift Knight (Fulgore) – Lightning & Bleed Work Wonders

• Physical & Magical Weaknesses:

  • No specific weaknesses

  • Holy: -30% resistance (strong defense)

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Lightning: +20% bonus – best elemental choice

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Bleed, Frostbite, Sleep, Poison: All viable (154 bonus effect)

• Best Builds for Fulgore:

  • Dexterity or Raider builds with lightning-based weapons

  • Consider bleed-heavy weapons for additional pressure

Strategy Tip: Don’t rely on holy damage—he resists it. Lightning-focused weapons with bleed or frostbite stack very well.

Fisher in the Fog (Kaligo) – Sleep the Dragon

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Slash: +15% damage

  • Standard: -15% resistance

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Magic and Fire: -20% resistance – avoid

  • Lightning (Dragon-type): +35% bonus – top-tier choice

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Frostbite, Sleep: Extremely effective (541 bonus buildup)

  • Rot, Bleed: Strong support choices

• Best Builds for Kaligo:

  • Use dragon lightning or sleep-inducing spells

  • High-speed melee builds benefit most

Strategy Tip: Put Kaligo to sleep, then hit hard with lightning attacks for devastating results.

Final Boss – Hielster (Shape of Knight & Phase Two)

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Phase One: Shape of Knight – Holy Damage Dominates

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Strike, Slash: +15% bonus damage

  • Standard: Neutral

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Holy: +35% bonus – most effective

  • Fire: Slight bonus (+20%)

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Frostbite: Extremely high effect (541 bonus)

  • Rot: Useful support option

• Best Builds for Phase One:

  • Faith builds using holy and frostbite-infused weapons

  • Raider or Wilder classes with frost/holy hybrid loadouts

Strategy Tip: Stack frostbite early, then use a holy weapon to trigger fast staggers and debuffs.

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Phase Two: Hielster – More Vulnerable, Same Weakness Profile

• Physical Weaknesses:

  • Standard: Now +10% bonus

  • Strike, Slash: Remain effective

• Elemental Weaknesses:

  • Holy: Still the best (+20% bonus)

  • Fire, Lightning: Still situational

• Status Effect Weaknesses:

  • Frostbite: Remains highly effective (541)

  • Rot: Still solid

• Best Builds for Phase Two:

  • Stay with your Phase One build but add standard weapon support

  • Guardian, Raider, and Wilder classes remain strong choices

Strategy Tip: Stick with the frost and holy combo. The second phase allows for more flexible melee options—great moment to finish strong.

Conclusion

Defeating every Nightlord in Elden Ring: Nightreign becomes much easier once you understand their core weaknesses. Across all eight bosses, patterns emerge: lightning and holy damage are the most consistent elemental tools, and frostbite, poison, and bleed are your go-to status effects. Builds that incorporate faith, dexterity, or strike-based weapons see the most success, especially when tailored to specific fights.

From Trice's vulnerability to holy damage to Kaligo’s extreme weakness to sleep, this Nightlord boss guide should give you a strategic edge in every encounter. Don’t forget to adjust your loadout based on each boss's unique defenses—this can turn tough fights into manageable victories.

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FAQ – Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord Weaknesses

Q: Which Nightlord is weakest to holy damage?
A: Trice and Libra have the highest holy damage vulnerability (+35%), making faith builds ideal.

Q: What’s the best status effect in Nightreign boss fights?
A: Frostbite is highly effective against multiple bosses, especially Kaligo and Hielster.

Q: Are lightning weapons useful against all Nightlords?
A: Lightning is a top-tier option for Fulgore, Kaligo, and Augur. It’s less effective against Adele and Noster.

Q: What build should I use for most Nightlords?
A: Faith builds with holy/lightning support or strike-based dexterity builds work well across all fights.

Q: Is sleep viable against bosses?
A: Yes, especially against Kaligo, Noster (moth phase), and Fulgore—each has a high sleep susceptibility.

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