Guide on defeating Heolstor the Nightlord, Nightreign Night Aspect boss in Elden Ring: Strategies for victory
Prepare for the Showdown with Heolstor
Gear up and get ready for an epic battle against the final Nightlord in Elden Ring Nightreign - Heolstor. This boss battle is the ultimate test in the Night Aspect expedition, and it demands your utmost attention and preparation.
Defeating Heolstor unlocks new Nightreign skins, which are inspired by the iconic Dark Souls outfits, making it worth all the effort. But first, you'll have to conquer the Nightreign bosses, understand their secrets, and unlock the various endings. So, let's dive into it!
Tips and Tricks for the Night Aspect
As you embark on the Night Aspect expedition, remember that your preparation begins the moment you enter. To prepare for the battle against Heolstor, take these strategic steps:
- Holy weapons and spells
Heolstor is extremely durable, but he is weak to holy damage. To make the most out of this weakness, consider a weapon or spells that inflict holy damage. Don't worry if you don't have a top-tier holy weapon; get a starting one using the right relic, and upgrade it partially using the Shifting Earth: Crater event.
- Scarlet Rot works too
Scarlet Rot deals strong damage to Heolstor as well, albeit it's more difficult to find. You can find a few in their usual spots, while a scarlet rot weapon is more likely from the Shifting Earth: Rotting Woods event. Remember, with Heolstor resistant to poison, bleed, and frostbite, scarlet rot is your best bet.
- Resist physical and magical attacks
Heolstor hits hard, so reduce your vulnerability to physical and magical attacks using relics. During the final phase, Heolstor gains powers from other Nightlords, so you'll face various damage types, such as Equilibrious Beast Libra's madness, Gaping Jaw Adel's lightning, or Darkdrift Knight Fulghor's holy damage. Buff your resistance to physical attacks for his basic assaults, but any affinity bonuses from relics will help as well.
- Maximize level and flask upgrades
The battle ahead demands preparation, and leveling up and getting flask upgrades will give you an edge. Aim to reach level 15 to boost your chances, and fully max your flask charges by visiting churches.
How to Take Down Heolstor, the Nightlord
While Maris in the Augur expedition requires a ranged approach, Heolstor demands precision and close combat. Therefore, adapt your strategy and team composition accordingly:
- Raider: His high stagger damage and close-quarters combat prowess provide valuable breathing room for your entire team.
- Duchess: Her Restage skill not only repeats recent damage (including the affinity boost from using holy damage against Heolstor) but can also reapply status ailments like scarlet rot if you have it. Her enhanced dodge skill will keep you safe from Heolstor's sweeping attacks and AoEs.
- Wylder: With his grappling hook, Wylder can quickly zip in and out of combat, dodge many of Heolstor's attacks, and quickly re-engage. He also boasts a deadly ultimate art.
- Guardian: The bird-man might not often have chances to shine, but Heolstor is one of them, given you have his unique relics. His ability to tank damage, provide defensive buffs, and even heal nearby allies comes in handy during this slow, attritional fight where conserving flasks is crucial.
- Ironeye: The archer isn't as strong against Heolstor as against other bosses, but he's still an invaluable asset. He provides consistent damage while your allies are locked in combat at close range. Plus, his team-wide damage boost (which also makes him invincible for a brief moment) is incredibly useful.
Assemble your team and enter the Night Aspect with confidence. To defeat Heolstor:
- Watch out for his attacks
Heolstor is slow but powerful, attacks erratically, and swaps targets. Keep track of his attacks, as he has three phases and can borrow abilities from other Nightlords.
- Outside of a few key attacks, Heolstor generally attacks with slow, heavy sword swings, dashes, and bashers - dodge them like any other attack.
- Sword slashes: Heolstor's standard attack is a long combo with his sword, which becomes magical damage in phase two and creates waves in phase one. Watch out for the AoE when he plunges his sword into the ground at the end of a combo, even if you're behind him.
- Teleport: Heolstor can quickly teleport between targets, so be ready to dodge if you see him phase.
- Shadow shots: During his second phase, Heolstor will plunge the arena into darkness and charge homing projectiles. While they sound intimidating, they're easy to dodge by rolling forwards or to the side if you're kiting.
- Fissures: In his final phase, Heolstor tears open the sky, creating exploding fissures of various elements. Avoid these rifts before they explode.
- Slam: After his slam attack, Heolstor hovers in the air and charges a ground strike. Back up and dodge just as he hits the ground to avoid taking damage.
- Don't waste resources in phase one
In the early stages, save all your flasks, resources, and ultimates for phases two and three, as that's when the real challenge begins.
- Heolstor is surprisingly easy to interrupt
Heolstor's constant assaults can be frustrating, but with high stagger potential and abilities like Raider's Onslaught Stake ultimate, Wylder's Chainhook, and Ironeye's Single Shot, you can interrupt his attacks surprisingly easily.
- Reviving skills and ultimates are crucial
With Heolstor's constant aggression, it can be hard to revive a downed ally. Save your ultimates like Revenant, Ironeye, Wylder, Guardian, or Duchess for quick revivals and keep your team intact.
Armed with these strategies and a suitable team composition, you should be well-equipped to defeat Heolstor, the Nightlord, in Elden Ring Nightreign. Good luck, and may fortune smile upon you in the battle to come!
- The ultimate victory over Heolstor, the Nightlord, in Elden Ring Nightreign can earn you new Nightreign skins inspired by Dark Souls outfits.
- To prepare for the fight, consider using holy weapons or spells to exploit Heolstor's weakness, or seek out Scarlet Rot weapons, as both types deal significant damage.
- In the environment of sports-like competition that Elden Ring Nightreign presents, remember to resist physical and magical attacks, and maximize your level and flask upgrades for an edge.
- During the game, keep in mind that the battle against Heolstor is a close combat and precision fight, so adapt your team composition accordingly with characters like Raider, Duchess, Wylder, Guardian, and Ironeye.