Commander Niall is found in Castle Sol in Elden Ring. The boss himself is quite hard and with the addition of two summoned Banished Knights, this fight will require everything you got. Fortunately, we will be going over some strategies that will guide you through this boss fight. We will also cover his weaknesses and a smelly cheese strategy that will allow you to defeat him without even meeting him.
Before you engage with Commander Niall, you need to first take out his two Banished Knights. Luckily, the boss won’t be aggressive while you get rid of the knights. Bring in your favorite Spirit Ashes to somewhat even the playing field. As for the main boss, it is all about dealing small amounts of consistent damage throughout the fight as he will not present many openings.
Let’s look at the best strategies and builds in this boss guide that can help us easily defeat Commander Niall in Elden Ring.
Is Commander Niall Optional?
Commander Niall is an optional boss in Elden Ring. However, you must defeat him to get the key item to reach the Consecrated Snowfield secret area.
Strategies for Defeating Commander Niall
Below are some strategies for defeating Commander Niall boss in Elden Ring. The build you selected will determine the approach you should go for. We will cover the basic melee/magic caster strategies here:
Melee Strategy
When you enter the boss room, Commander Niall will summon two Banished Knights. While these knights are present, the boss is quite passive and will try to buff them so you can ignore him for the most part.
You want to immediately start attacking dual swords knight. If you have a Greatsword, you can abuse these guys and they shouldn’t be able to get too much damage off on you.
The shield knight is probably the trickiest because he has a shield dash that also has a frost whirlwind. It might sound hard but dodge into the dash to close in the distance and take him out quickly.
When both of the knights are dead, Commander Niall will show his true colors.
He’s got quite a few attacks that you need to watch out for and many of them end with him slamming his weapon in the ground that causes a frost whirlwind. You need to be prepared for this attack otherwise you will take unnecessary damage and frost buildup.
It is hard to dodge, but you need to learn to dodge this follow-up attack so that you get a window to attack him once and then roll away.
When he does the long animation two-swipe whirlwind, he follows it up with a few attacks. The most deadly is the one where he dashes towards you which leads to another dash. You will notice him going a bit crazy while whirlpooling, this is when you know this attack is coming.
The recovery time after this attack is really long so learn this move to exploit that opening. When he does do it what you’re actually better off doing is getting hit by the frost whirlwind just before he starts dashing.
The whirlwind isn’t going to do a lot of damage to you, and it will leave you invulnerable to his follow-up attacks. You can then get up and hit him six or seven times while he recovers.
One of his deadliest attacks is the lightning foot. He can do this close range, and he also has a jumping stomp too. It is easy enough to avoid but the close-range one can one-shot you.
The jumping attack can be avoided by rolling into him just as he is about to land. When he does the lightning jump, hit him once then roll to avoid the weapon attack, and then deal a follow-up hit.
For the close-range one, watch as his leg is about to come at you that’s when you roll into. Timing in this attack is extremely crucial.
His regular attacks with the weapon can be parried so if you are confident with your parrying skill then by all means go for it. The riposte after the parry will take away a huge chunk of his health.
You don’t have many opportunities to just deal consistent damage to him so wait and poke him here and there.
Keep some Thawfrost Boluses on you to cure the frostbite build-up otherwise, you will receive massive damage and a debuff. With the ability to cure frostbite, you can either try to roll through the frost whirlwinds, or you can simply stand in them and try to get some damage in.
The boss’s relentless aggression will make this a battle of attrition where you are just dealing one shot at a time.
Magic/Faith Strategy
Sorcerers can make quick work of this boss fight. Simply equip the Comet Azur spell coupled with the Wondorous Physick’s Cerulean Hidden Tear and cast Terra Magica spell to buff your damage. You can even add the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear to further boost your spell damage.
When you enter the arena, summon your best Spirit Ash to distract the boss and his lackeys. Lock on to Commander Niall, cast the Terra Magica buff, drink the Wondorous Physick, and then let loose an unending beam of Comet Azur.
The boss will be stun locked in place and will soon die from the unstoppable beam. Any of the knights who will try to get up to you will get caught in the beam and die as well. The fight will be over before the boss can even raise his voice.
What is Commander Niall Weak To?
Commander Niall is weak to the following damage types:
- Pierce Damage
- Poison
- Scarlet Rot
- Hemorrhage
- Frostbite
- Sleep
What is Commander Niall Strong Against?
Commander Niall is strong or resistant to the following damage types:
- Strong
- Slash Damage
- Magic
- Fire
- Lightning
- Holy
- Immune
- Madness
Can You Parry Commander Niall?
You can parry Commander Niall. You can also parry the Banished Knight he summons during the fight. Additionally, he can be stance broken which opens him up for a critical strike.
Can You Cheese Commander Niall?
There is a game-breaking cheese that is currently working in Elden Ring which will allow you to skip the entire fight with Commander Niall and kill him without having to face him. It requires a series of precise steps which will be best described in the video we will be posting below from the Youtuber – CrazySwayn.
There is a possibility that From Software will remove this cheese through future patches so use it while it lasts.
Commander Niall is a badass boss. He has all sorts of lightning and frost attacks so best be prepared for this fight. To have a better chance of standing up to him, take your time learning his moveset and act in the most precise manner otherwise the boss will have a field day with you.