Elden Ring Nightreign's Darkdrift Knight boss presents one of the game's most demanding Nightlord confrontations, exceeded only by the Night Aspect. A major challenge with the Darkdrift Knight lies in his rapid movement. It's nearly impossible to predict which attack he'll execute until he performs it. On the positive side, the optimal response to nearly all of the Darkdrift Knight's attacks is to dodge forward, requiring solid timing—admittedly, something that takes practice—but this approach should keep you in good standing.

Our guide to the Elden Ring Nightreign Darkdrift Knight breaks down the Darkdrift Knight's attacks, strategies to counter them, and the best party compositions for this encounter.

Elden Ring Nightreign Darkdrift Knight boss guide

• Analysis of the Darkdrift Knight's attacks and counters
• Identifying the Darkdrift Knight's vulnerabilities
• Recommended party setups for the Darkdrift Knight

Fulghor, Darkdrift Knight attacks and counters

Fulghor's attacks are quick and damaging if dodged incorrectly, and he has a broader range of moves compared to most of Nightreign's bosses. Unlike most other Nightreign bosses, he also enters a second phase where he introduces several new attacks rather than just one at an increased speed.

Sweeping lance strikes

• Fulghor performs a large horizontal slash with his lance. He might do this abruptly or after a drawn-out animation where he pulls his right arm back. He could follow this with a quicker strike or a lunge.
• Dodge forward. Evading sideways risks getting hit anyway, and dodging backward leaves you vulnerable to a follow-up attack.

Lance thrust

• Fulghor lunges forward with his lance.
• Dodge forward or sideways. Forward is generally easier because there's little time between Fulghor's initial attack animation and the actual attack to determine which move he'll use, and dodging forward is usually the correct response regardless of the attack.

Shockwave

• Fulghor sweeps his lance across the ground, generating a shockwave of sand and air that inflicts heavy damage and can knock you down. He may immediately follow up with one or more additional shockwaves.
• As usual, dodge—yes—forward.

Horsey pounce

• Fulghor lunges forward and slams the ground with his front hooves.
• Dodge forward. You’ll be safely out of the way and in a favorable position to attack a few times before Fulghor recovers.

Horsey prance

• Fulghor does a little prancing walk, stomping his hooves into the ground and creating small shockwaves.
• Move back. These shockwaves have a very short range.

Holy stampede

• Fulghor glows with holy light momentarily, creates a small explosion around himself, and charges off at a gallop. He runs you over, repeats the process, and then stops, slamming his hooves into the ground and causing it to erupt with holy energy.
• Fulghor might take off without pausing to glow, though this usually occurs during the fight's second phase.
• Step away from Fulghor while he's glowing, and try to keep the camera focused on him when he runs off. Dodge or sprint sideways to avoid being trampled. Run out of the eruption area or dodge just before the explosion to avoid taking damage from the final part.

Lances of light

• Fulghor glows with holy light and summons spectral lances that burst from the ground.
• The ground glows yellow before the lances appear, so simply stay clear of the pools of light while this attack is ongoing.

Darkdrift Knight phase two attacks

When you reduce Fulghor's HP to the halfway point, he grows a new Night-tainted arm and begins using several new attacks.

Leaping ground slap

• Fulghor leaps into the air and crashes down, slamming his Night-hand into the ground and creating a broad shockwave.
• Dodge forward at the moment of impact to avoid getting caught in the wave.

Lance and hand combo

• This attack has several variations. Fulghor swipes horizontally with his Night-arm. Sometimes, he only does it once, though he may chain several swipes. He might also include some lance attacks, alternating between hand and lance. The longer combos end with him slamming the hand into the ground, causing the same effect as when he leaps into the air and slaps the ground.
• The speed and visual complexity of these attacks make effective dodging difficult, but the same principle applies here as with all other attacks: try to evade forward each time to avoid getting caught in a follow-up attack.

Hand swoosh

• Fulghor extends his Night-arm and makes a broad sweeping motion with his hand several times. This attack has an exceptionally long range.
• To avoid repetition, dodge forward. Evading backward just places you within range of his next swoosh.

It’s also worth noting that another reason for dodging forward is that Fulghor tends to use the shockwave attack when you’re just out of reach of his lance, and this is more likely to happen if you evade away from him.

Fulghor, Darkdrift Knight weaknesses

Fulghor's main weakness is lightning, and Nightreign features a handy little lightning-based ailment not present in standard Elden Ring. After attacking with lightning magic or infused weapons for a sufficient duration, Fulghor suffers a burst of damage and becomes immobilized for a few seconds. While there’s no guarantee you’ll find a lightning weapon during your journey, it’s definitely worth checking spots marked with a lightning icon during the first two days.

This isn’t technically a weakness, but when Fulghor pauses and glows with light, he becomes vulnerable to a character’s ultimate art that targets a specific location, such as the Wylder’s, Guardian’s, Ironeye’s, and Raider’s. It’s a good idea to save these abilities for moments when the Darkdrift Knight is actually stationary so you don’t end up missing and wasting the charge.

Best party combinations for Fulghor, Darkdrift Knight

The typical safe choice for tackling Nightreign's bosses is usually two ranged characters and one melee character, but Fulghor's tendency to randomly target a distant ally with his shockwave attack means this setup doesn’t always work for you. Someone’s always at risk of being attacked, so regardless of which class you choose, you’ll need to closely monitor what Fulghor is doing and be prepared to dodge to safety.

A sturdy Guardian—or a risky choice given the randomness of stamina buffs—or a skilled Executor who can block or parry the Darkdrift Knight's attacks are good options, although a party of Wylders is a tough one to overcome. Their high mobility and exceptionally powerful ultimate make them uniquely suited for this battle.

Three ranged characters positioned at different points so one attack can’t hit more than one of them is another strong combination. While the Recluse is often challenging to work with, lightning Incantations tend to be more common drops compared to other, rarer spells. An Ironeye with lightning grease or a lightning weapon can also exploit Fulghor's weakness effectively.

Aside from the Guardian, the only character you definitely want to avoid using for this fight is the Revenant. Her summons aren’t agile or sturdy enough to be useful, and unless you get lucky with your Incantation drops, there’s a high chance she won’t be able to contribute much damage either.

For more on Elden Ring Nightreign, check out our tips and tricks for successful runs, how to unlock skins for your Nightfarers, and our list of all the Nightlords ranked.

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