How to Beat Commander Niall: Boss Fight Guide

This is a guide on how to beat Commander Niall, an optional boss in Elden Ring. Read on to learn more about Commander Niall's drops, weaknesses, and recommended level!

Commander Niall General Info

Stats and Rewards

Commander Niall
Weakness	Resistance	Immune
Bleed Scarlet Rot	Slash Frost Sleep Poison	Madness Instant Death
Affected By	Bleed, Poison, Scarlet Rot, Sleep, Frost
Spirit Ashes Available?	Yes
Rune Rewards	90000 (NG)
Summonable NPCs	・None
Location	・Castle Sol, Mountaintops of the Giants
Item Drops	・Veteran's Prosthesis

Commander Niall Location

Where to Find Commander Niall

Commander Niall can be found at the Castle Sol Rooftop, in the Western part of the Mountaintops of the Giants region. The nearest Site of Grace is the Church of the Eclipse.

When to Fight Commander Niall

Defeating Commander Niall will give you the Veteran's Prosthesis, as well as grant you access to the rooftop that has the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left). This item is required to access the Consecrated Snowfield, a part of the world that contains upgraded gear and more bosses.

How to Beat Commander Niall

Tips for Beating Commander Niall
Equip gear that boosts lightning damage resistance such as the Boltdrake Talisman
Lure Niall's summons away from him and defeat them first to make this fight easier
Equip Thawfrost Boluses to stop the Frostbite build-up that can be inflicted by Niall and his summons
Use Bewitching Branch on Niall's summons to turn them against him
Avoid using Frost or Lightning attacks on Niall due to his resistance to these

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Ranged Strategy

Commander Niall Boss Tips
Summon a tanky Spirit Ash
Use powerful AoE spells after Commander Niall's heavy attacks

Summon a tanky Spirit Ash

Fighting Niall while dealing with his summons at the same time will be difficult so using a Spirit Ash for tanking them will be a great help. Black Knife Tiche is a great option for this since she has high health and can reliably dodge enemy attacks. You can let Tiche lure the summons as you attack them from behind, or you could even ignore the summons and just focus on Niall.

Another option would be Rotten Stray Ashes since it can inflict Scarlet Rot, but it's less tanky.

Use powerful AoE spells after Commander Niall's heavy attacks

While Commander Niall's charged attacks can deal heavy damage, he also has a long recovery animation after using them. This leaves him open for any of your AoE spells that can deal massive damage or inflict Status Effects.

Comet Azur and Meteorite are great options for dealing damage from a distance. You can also use Night Maiden's Mist which does great damage over time or Rotten Breath to cause Scarlet Rot build-up.

Melee Strategy

Commander Niall Boss Tips
Stay defensive and wait for openings
Exploit Commander Niall's weakness to Scarlet Rot or Bleed

Stay defensive and wait for openings

Commander Niall's slow movements can make it tempting to be aggressive and try to constantly strike him, but he can easily punish you with his AoE attacks and deal immense damage. Remain patient and allow him to attack you first, his slow recovery animations will give you plenty of time to get hits in before needing to reset.

Exploit Commander Niall's weakness to Scarlet Rot or Bleed

Weapon Types
Bleed Weapons	Scarlet Rot Weapons

You'll take out big chunks of Niall's health if you're able to cause Scarlet Rot or Bleed build-up so try to use weapons that have these effects.

If you don't have weapons with these Status Effects, you can also coat your gear in Rot Grease or Blood Grease.

Commander Niall Attack Patterns

Knights Summon

Knights Summon Information
Knights Summon: Commander Niall summons two Knights at the start of the boss fight. One will dual-wield swords while the other uses a sword and shield. Their attacks can cause Frost build-up. Lure these summons away from Niall and defeat them first to make the rest of the fight easier.

Thunder Stomp Attack

Thunder Stomp Attack Information
Thunder Stomp: Niall charges up a gust of wind from his right leg and infuses it with lightning. He then jumps towards you and slams the ground with it, creating a shockwave. Roll as he's about to drop to avoid this. Be precise with your timing since there's a delay before he drops.

Halberd Attacks

Halberd Attack Variations
Halberd Combos: These are Niall's basic attacks. He stabs the halberd forward, then does a sweep. He'll sometimes follow these up with uppercuts or slams to the ground. You can back away as he starts this combo or roll through them. Be patient with your rolls since he'll delay these attacks.
Dashing Strike: If you're far from Niall, he'll sometimes twirl his halberd, creating a trail of frost, before lunging towards you and swiping his halberd upward. This is easy to telegraph due to the twirling animation, roll forward or to the side as he reaches you.
Whirlwind Strike: Niall slams the ground with the hilt of his halberd, creating a brief whirlwind that damages those in the AoE. He'll then twirl the halberd before swiping it at you. Back away once you see wind start appearing on his weapon.
Charged Whirlwind: Niall pulls his halberd back and charges up an extended whirlwind. He twirls it around several times before slamming the ground and creating a bolt of lightning. Keep your distance once he starts this move and you'll avoid all of it.

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Bosses

Main Bosses

All Bosses in Elden Ring
Margit the Fell Omen	Godrick the Grafted
Red Wolf of Radagon	Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
Royal Knight Loretta	Starscourge Radahn
Godfrey, First Elden Lord	Morgott, the Omen King
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy	Fire Giant
Malenia, Blade of Miquella	Mohg Lord of Blood
Regal Ancestor Spirit	Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
Lichdragon Fortissax	Godskin Duo
Dragonlord Placidusax	Maliketh, the Black Blade
Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing	Hoarah Loux, Warrior
Radagon of the Golden Order	Elden Beast

Optional Bosses

Limgrave Optional Bosses
Beastman of Farum Azula	Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
Demi-Human Chiefs	Flying Dragon Agheel
Guardian Golem	Leonine Misbegotten
Mad Pumpkin Head	Miranda the Blighted Bloom
Patches	Runebear
Scaly Misbegotten	Soldier of Godrick
Stonedigger Troll	Tree Sentinel
Liurnia of the Lakes Optional Bosses
Adan, Thief of Fire	Alabaster Lord
Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader	Bols, Carian Knight
Bloodhound Knight	Glintstone Dragon Smarag
Glintstone Dragon Adula	Magma Wyrm Makar
Royal Revenant	Spirit-Caller Snail
Caelid Optional Bosses
Battlemage Hugues	Black Blade Kindred (Caelid)
Commander O'Neil	Decaying Ekzykes
Fallingstar Beast	Flying Dragon Greyll
Frenzied Duelist	Magma Wyrm
Nox Swordstress & Nox Priest	Putrid Tree Spirit
Altus Plateau Optional Bosses
Ancient Dragon Lansseax	Crucible Knight Ordovis
Demi-Human Queen Gilika	Demi-Human Queen Maggie
Demi-Human Queen Margot	Draconic Tree Sentinel
Elemer of the Briar	Esgar, Priest of Blood
Fell Twins	Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast
Godefroy the Grafted	Kindred of Rot
Mohg, The Omen	Necromancer Garris
Onyx Lord	Perfumer Tricia
Red Wolf of the Champion	Sanguine Noble
Virgin Abductors	Wormface
Mountaintops of the Giants Optional Bosses
Astel, Stars of Darkness	Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants)
Borealis the Freezing Fog	Commander Niall
Misbegotten Crusader	Putrid Grave Warden Duelist
Great Wyrm Theodorix	Vyke, Knight of the Roundtable
Siofra River Optional Bosses
Ancestor Spirit	Valiant Gargoyles
Mimic Tear
Ainsel River Optional Bosses
Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella	-
Deeproot Depths Optional Bosses
Crucible Knight Siluria	-
Multiple Location Optional Bosses
Ancient Hero of Zamor	Black Knife Assassin
Bell Bearing Hunter	Cemetery Shade
Cleanrot Knights	Crucible Knight
Crystalian	Death Rite Bird
Deathbird	Erdtree Avatar
Erdtree Burial Watchdog	Godskin Apostle
Godskin Noble	Grafted Scion
Grave Warden Duelist	Mad Pumpkin Head
Misbegotten Warrior	Night's Cavalry
Omenkiller	Tibia Mariner
Dragonkin Soldier	-

Mini-Bosses

All Bosses in Elden Ring
Elder Dragon Greyoll	Lion Guardian
Valiant Gargoyle (Leyndell)	-

Hostile NPCs and Invaders

Limgrave Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Bloody Finger Nerijus	Old Knight Istvan
Recusant Henricus	-
Liurnia of the Lakes Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Great Horned Tragoth	Festering Fingerprint Vyke
Altus Plateau Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger	Inquisitor Ghiza
Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan	Rileigh the Idle
Vargram the Raging Wolf & Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm	Magnus the Beast Claw
Mountaintops of the Giants Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood	-
The Roundtable Hold Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Mad Tongue Alberich	-
Multiple Location Invaders and Hostile NPCs
Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater	-

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