Commander Niall can be found atop Castle Sol deep within Mountaintops of the Giants, one of the endgame areas in Elden Ring. He poses quite a threat to lower-level players, but the rewards for defeating him can be very significant.

By the time you reach Commander Niall, you should be well-acquainted with both Spirit Ashes and the phantom summoning system. You will definitely want to recruit help for this fight, as this is one of the few bosses in Elden Ring that summons powerful enemy reinforcements. Whether you decide to bring your best Spirit Ashes or summon a friend, make sure you come prepared for a tough fight.

Preparing For Battle

Before you rush into the fight, you’ll want to adjust your armor and defense stats according to the boss’s attacks. Aside from the fact that he hits like a truck, he also uses a variety of powerful lightning-based moves to decimate your HP. The solution to this dilemma is to significantly boost your lightning resistance, as doing this will help you tank some of Niall’S strongest attacks with ease. One of the easiest ways to do this is to equip the Boltdrake Talisman, a very useful accessory that you probably already picked up back in Stormveil Castle near the beginning of your journey.

Next, you’ll want to equip a solid set of armor that will allow you to absorb some physical damage without dying. Equipping heavy armor such as the Tree Sentinel Armor and Crucible Axe Armor is ideal, but you should always make sure that you maintain a Medium Equipment Load regardless of what you decide to use. Lastly, bring your most upgraded Spirit Ashes or your toughest friend, and you’re ready to go.

The Fight

When you pass through the fog door and confront the boss, Commander Niall will immediately start summoning two Banished Knights to assist him. If you are using Spirit Ashes for this fight, make sure to summon your helper as soon as you enter the boss arena because the enemies will start attacking you right after they appear. Ideally, you should allow your Spirit Ashes to distract one or both Banished Knights before attacking so that you can begin the fight more smoothly. If you happen to have Bewitching Branches, you can charm the two Banished Knights and have a much easier time fighting the boss, but this is not a necessity.

While you are fighting the knights, you can keep Commander Niall at a distance, and he won’t pose any significant threat to you (yet). One of the Banished Knights wields dual swords, while the other has a sword and shield. The dual sword knight is far more aggressive and dangerous, so killing him should be your top priority. After the first knight is dead, you can choose to either leave the shield knight alive for a little while or kill him if he’s putting too much pressure. You might want to leave the second knight alive for a while because killing both knights results in Commander Niall immediately entering his second phase.

The Second Phase

In the second phase, the boss is much stronger and has a wider variety of AOE and distance-closing attacks, so you will have to play it by ear and decide if you’ll have an easier time with the fight by stalling his second phase. If you leave the knight alive too long and the boss drops below 50% health, he will enter the second phase regardless, and then you will be in some serious trouble.

While Niall is in his first phase, the fight is pretty straightforward, just dodge his sweeping attacks and try to roll behind him to get in some easy hits. When he enters his second phase, you should start out by staying as far away from him as possible because he will perform a massive AOE attack. Even while you’re keeping your distance, prepare to dodge as soon as he’s done swinging his banner around because he will leap into the air and try to come crashing down on you with his electrified leg.

From now on, you’ll need to adapt to his new move set. He may take an unusual stance and start summoning frost energy around him, and if you see him doing this, then you need to run far because this attack will launch a massive AOE blast that is nearly unavoidable. After the blast, he’ll slide around and swing his banner in wide sweeps, so it’s best to keep dodging if your Spirit Ashes haven’t distracted him away.

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Dodge And Roll Behind Him

One of his deadlier attacks is when he picks up his electrified leg and slams it into the ground, but luckily he heavily telegraphs this move. Whenever you see him lifting his leg into the air, roll away from the boss as fast as you can. Likewise, you should create some serious distance between you and the boss whenever you see him grab his banner with both hands and start winding up a big attack. Other than that, you should focus on rolling behind him and attacking.

He’ll try to hit you with some smaller, faster AOE attacks, but as long as you keep dodging and sneaking hits in, you will be able to whittle him down. If you’re having too much trouble with him, you should try keeping your distance and let him come to you. You can sneak a few easy hits in when he rushes over to you, but afterward he will quickly resume his fast attack pattern. This fight is a test of patience and timing, but once you get used to the rhythm of his attacks, you will have an easy time beating him. Once he’s finally defeated, you will be rewarded with a unique and powerful weapon, the Veteran’s Prosthesis.