Commander Niall is a shockingly difficult boss in Elden Ring, but he can be taken down with patience. Here’s how to beat Commander Niall in Elden Ring.
While Malenia is generally considered the toughest boss in Elden Ring, Commander Niall is definitely in the conversation for the second most difficult boss in the game. Not only does it take a lot of effort to reach him, Commander Niall is the literal gatekeeper to the Haligtree – and therefore, someone you’ll want to defeat before you access the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Commander Niall would be a tough battle on his own, but to make matters worse, he’s flanked by two powerful Banished Knights who make the fight even harder. While many players are blindsided by the difficulty of this Elden Ring boss, there are ways to bring him down. Below, we’ll discuss how to find Commander Niall in Elden Ring and how to defeat the boss of Castle Sol.
Contents
- How to find Commander Niall in Elden Ring
- How to beat Commander Niall
- Best Spirit Summons to use against Commander Niall
How to find Commander Niall
To find Commander Niall, you’ll first need to reach Castle Sol in Elden Ring.
He’s the final boss and castellan of Castle Sol and is believed to be loyal to Miquella, holding the castle against the demigod’s enemies and guarding the entrance to the Haligtree.
While Commander Niall is technically an optional boss, those who want to reach Miquella’s Haligtree will need to go through him before they can get to the Consecrated Snowfield area. This region is also where you can find the portal to Mohg, although, there is another way to reach that area earlier in the game.
Finding Castle Sol
Castle Sol is located in the Mountaintops of the Giants, to reach this location you’ll need to ride the Grand Lift of Rold after receiving the Rold Medallion from Melina. This will be given to you after your boss battle with King Morgott in the throneroom of Leyndell, Royal Capital, at the foot of the Erdtree.
The Grand Lift of Rold is located east of the Royal Capital, through the Forbidden Lands. Once you arrive, hoist the Rold Medallion in the air when prompted and this will begin your journey to the Mountaintops of the Giants. It is advised to locate and defeat the Fire Giant boss before heading to Castle Sol, mainly because it’s on the way and will give you access to various Sites of Grace as you travel across the region.
Castle Sol can be found in the most northern part of the Mountaintops of the Giants, but the route there is not direct. You’ll need to cross a large bridge to make your way from one side of the region to the other and numerous elite enemies will be lying in wait, the most deadly being a Deathbird boss that patrols the area before you reach Castle Sol.
Once the castle is in sight, you’ll see a Walking Mausoleum in the distance chiming its bell. This will be different from other Walking Mausoleums you’ve seen so far, as it will relentlessly fire a barrage of deadly magic projectiles at you from afar. These can be hard to avoid, so hop on Torrent and gallop toward Castle Sol while doing your best to anticipate where they’re going to fall.
The good news is that you can take shelter in the Apostate Derelict church before you reach Castle Sol and use this as a safe haven to make your mad dash to the castle. There’s also a Site of Grace here; if you’ve been following Latenna’s questline, this is the final location you need to reach to conclude it. You’ll notice a large Albinauric woman slumped in the corner, this is who Latenna is trying to find.
If you’re not ready to complete Latenna’s quest yet, heal at the Grace and get ready to ride for Castle Sol. If you’re still in range, the Walking Mausoleum will fire at you again. Aim to reach the Site of Grace right outside Castle Sol and activate it. This will reset the area and stop the Mausoleum from firing. Now that the Grace is active, feel free to go and take out the Mausoleum and plunder its rewards if you’re so inclined.
Inside Castle Sol
One you enter Castle Sol, you’ll be confronted by two powerful Lion Guardians. Be warned, these beasts re-spawn if you rest at the Castle Sol Grace, so make sure you’re aware of this. Once they’re defeated, move through the castle using the Sites of Grace as checkpoints for your progress.
The castle is home to some powerful Banished Knight enemies, so be cautious, and try not to find yourself fighting more than one at a time. Be especially careful when you enter the dark room full of cages with a staircase on the right-hand side. Here, multiple enemies will try to ambush you, so try to coax them out of hiding one by one so you’re not overwhelmed.
Eventually, you’ll reach an elevator that will take you to the top level. There will be a Site of Grace nearby, so rest here, get your healing items and spells ready, and prepare yourself for an epic fight.
How to beat Commander Niall
Here’s how to defeat Commander Niall in Elden Ring, focusing on each phase of the boss fight:
Dealing with the Banished Knights
As soon as the battle with Commander Niall begins, the heavily armored warrior will summon two spectral Banished Knights to aid him. Of course, some players will want to defeat the boss without summoning back-up or using any Spirit Summons, but as Niall has summoned help, nobody will judge you for doing the same.
One of his Banished Knights will be equipped with a sword and shield while the other will be dual-wielding swords. The longer his Knights are alive, the more likely you are to lose the battle, so be sure to take down his minions first.
Should you get Niall to half-health, he’ll progress to his second form. Niall will then glow red before returning to combat, in a much more aggressive state where he’ll move faster and inflict more damage. His Banished Knights will despawn at this point, but getting to Niall while his two Knights are gunning for you is often harder than just taking them out first.
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Target the Banished Knights with the Dual Swords first, not only is this Knight the most aggressive of the three enemies, it also has the least defense and can be killed quickly. The Knight armed with a shield is more likely to block half of your attacks, making him a frustrating foe to take down while you have two other enemies attacking you.
Both Knights are weak against magic damage, so if casters can stick and move while pelting them with spells, then this is a sound strategy. Just focus your efforts on the dual-swords Knight first. Then you’ll have slightly more breathing room to take down the second Knight the same way.
Strength builds will be able to tank the Knights one by one, just make sure you don’t end up fighting all three enemies at once, however, this is still the most difficult build to bring to this boss. Aim to single them out and kill them in the same order we recommended above.
Those using Dexterity builds should consider using Haemorrhage (Bleed), Scarlet Rot, or Poison to add some additional damage to their attacks. That’s because neither the Banished Knights nor Commander Niall have much or any resistance to these status effects, so those using a powerful Bleed build or the equivalent should be able to take down each opponent relatively quickly – provided you get to them one at a time.
The Bleed status effect is ideal in this case, as when it proceeds it ensures that each Knight is killed quickly. Scarlet Rot and Poison are fine, but this slowly eats away at the enemy rather than building up for massive damage. Don’t forget, you can also use a Bewitching Branch on one of the Banished Knights to make them fight each other, making this battle much easier.
Commander Niall second phase
Ideally, by this point you’ve ignored Niall himself and have taken down both his Banished Knights, now Niall will automatically progress to his second, much more aggressive, phase. The good news is you’re no longer dealing with three enemies, but Commander Niall is no pushover on his own.
Niall does both Lightning and Frostbite damage here, so consider protecting yourself against this before engaging. This is because Niall will often summon a whirlwind around him which does massive Frost damage and makes it hard for players to get close to him and deliver their attacks.
His second main attack hits players with Lightning damage as he leaps at you with his leg. The good news is that he telegraphs this attack, making it easier to dodge or block. He also has several smaller dash attacks using his immense halberd which he often follows up with his Frost whirlwind.
Once he strikes this move, whether he misses or connects, Niall will need a few seconds to recover while he falls to his knees. He’s vulnerable in this state, so get in there and hit him with all you’ve got. However, when he gets back to his feet be ready to retreat and prepare for his next round of moves. Don’t get greedy with your attacks as Niall will punish you for it.
Always be ready to back away from Niall when he does his Frost attack, but don’t be afraid to be aggressive in between these. If you’re skilled in parrying then you can circle round him and look for gaps in his defense between moves. While Niall is more aggressive in his second phase, his first phase is still more difficult because of the banished Knights flanking him.
Ranged and magic users will have an easier time, as all you’ll need to do is avoid his attacks while countering from a safe distance. Spells and incantations that cause Bleed, Poison, or Rott build-up will be ideal as this will help you chip away at Niall’s health in another way. The same can be said for melee users, so those with powerful Dexterity builds will have an advantage in this, but naturally, Strength builds will be able to tank more of his hits and will have more room for error.
Once Commander Niall falls, you’ll be rewarded with 90,000 runes and the Veteran’s Prosthesis weapon, which was formally his leg.
Best Spirit Summons for Commander Niall
While there is no official best Spirit Summon to use against Commander Niall, we’ve found that using the Lone Wolf Spirit Ash or the Mimick Tear provides the best results. Tanks like Banished Knight Oleg also help level the playing field in the early minutes of this boss fight. Oleg can stand shoulder-to-shoulder against Niall’s own Banished Knights. However, Oleg is likely to die once Niall begins his second form or before.
The Lone Wolves (even though there are three of them) serve as a useful distraction while you pick off Niall’s Knights, as they provide multiple targets and take the heat off you, but they too are also likely to die before or during the second phase of the fight. Although, this gives you a great opportunity to either focus on Niall himself or isolate his Banished Knights.
We had the most success with the Mimic Tear though, especially when using a Bleed or Scarlet Rot Dexterity build. This is because the Mimic Tear is essentially a copy of your build therefore there was double the likelihood of Bleed proc, or the combined efforts of the Mimic and you kept the Rot impacting the enemies, meaning they struggled to recover from it.
For more Elden Ring content, check out our coverage below:
Elden Ring: Who is Messmer? | Shadow of the Erdtree: Everything we know | How to prep for the Elden Ring DLC | Will overpowered characters have an advantage? | When does Shadow of the Erdtree take place?