While not strictly considered mandatory in the Elden Ring boss list, Commander Niall is a mandatory step for all players who want to take on the true challenges of the far north, along with Malenia, Mohg, and others. This man is the obstacle that stands between the second part of the sacred medallion, and the joys of exploring the last regions.
Preparations
- Your choice of spirit summon is paramount here. Not having one will obviously make the fight much more difficult, with the 2 spectral knights plus the boss on your back at the start. But using a powerful summon that will slaughter them isn't necessarily a good idea unless you're really ready to roll over the boss. What you would ideally need is a very robust summon, but one that does little damage, in order to keep one of the soldiers alive as long as possible.
- Talismans that improve survivability by reducing physical damage as well as improving your amount of life are advised, you will take big damage at the slightest mistake.
- You can craft and use consumables that increase resistance. Using a coating for your weapon will also help you defeat the boss faster.
- De-icing pellets can help limit the damage, you really don't want to be afflicted with frostbite.
Strategy
Commander Niall is not like the other bosses, he starts the fight by summoning 2 knights, one with a shield, which is not particularly dangerous or aggressive, and one with a sword in each hand. This one is a real killer who will chain devastating combos while chasing you, and he can very easily kill you in an instant if he makes a mistake.
The natural reflex would be to do as for the similar boss, Commander O'neil of Millicent's quest, as well as many other bosses of the same kind: kill the two soldiers to be able to concentrate quietly on the boss. But that's a big mistake on Niall . The reason is that by default, the commander is relatively passive, he will just give a few halberd blows and reinforce his knights with his orders. This makes him a very easy target, at least if we forget the presence of the knights. The problem is that when the two knights die, Niall will enrage and go into phase 2, he will then move very quickly and chain attacks as devastating as they are difficult to dodge , without leaving you much time to attack him, or even to survive.
The strategy we suggest to you is therefore simple: let the summons (if you have one) occupy the knight with the shield, while you kill the knight with the two swords as quickly as possible. Then move on Commander Niall to inflict as much damage as possible, without worrying about the knight with the shield . The rest will depend on your invocation. If she is a little too powerful, she will kill the knight, and you will have to deal with Niall's second phase. If you've reduced his health enough, you should be able to critically hit him or finish him off anyway using your potion stash. If, on the contrary, the knight and Niall kill your summons, or you don't use one, you will also have to dodge the knight, but it's not particularly difficult, and he will disappear when his commander dies.
Phase 1: The commander and his troops
- Eliminate the knight with 2 swords as quickly as possible, he is very vulnerable to heavy attacks and spells. Do not let him charge his combo of frenzied attacks at all, he then advances very quickly while swirling, and it hurts.
- Niall primarily uses 3 attacks: a thrusting swipe, a 1-3 swipe sweep, and a quick frost swirl around him, and a more powerful charged version. You will often need to quickly attack the boss during his normal hits, then flee, as he will surely respond with a whirlwind.
- The commander also sometimes stops to give a shout of encouragement to his soldiers, you have to take advantage of that too.
- Remember that the boss is lame, he's having trouble following you around the area at the moment, so it's easy to heal up or hit and run.
Stage 2: Prosthetic Fury
- Upon the death of his last soldier, the general will charge his prosthetic leg with lightning, his movements will then drastically change. He can dash at full speed at you to deliver a spinning kick. He will also jump high before knocking his leg down. Dodging these attacks isn't that easy, but they are great opportunities to inflict damage on him afterwards. However, it may be wise to move away immediately afterwards, since he will continue to use and abuse his ice whirlwind.
- A possible strategy is to try to cram in powerful or jumping blows during the available openings in order to unbalance him and inflict a critical hit on him. This can help shorten the fight, especially if he's low on life. It's not for nothing that you are advised to keep a knight alive, this phase is really painful, especially with a slow weapon.
This guide has been translated from MGG France by bxakid and was originally written by Raiden Robin.
You'll face different Dragonkin Soldier bosses in Elden Ring and here's our complete guides on how to beat them.
