Strategies to Defeat Gaping Jaws in Elden Ring’s Nightreign

In the Elden Ring expansion known as Nightreign, players will encounter eight formidable adversaries referred to as Nightlords. Among them, Gaping Jaws, also recognized as Adel, Baron of Night, stands out as a significant challenge. Unlike the three-headed wolf, Tricephalos, Gaping Jaws presents a different type of encounter. While at first glance he might seem unassuming, his erratic movements and voracious attacks can quickly turn the tide of battle.
Strategies to Defeat Gaping Jaws in Nightreign
Before you venture into the showdown with Gaping Jaws during your Expedition in Limveld, it’s essential to prepare appropriately. Understanding the Nightlord’s characteristics and exploiting his weaknesses can greatly enhance your chances of success:
- Weaknesses: Gaping Jaws is particularly vulnerable to hindering ailments. Both Poison, Sleep, and Frostbite are effective crowd control options, though Poison proves to be the most advantageous.
- Damage Types: Expect Gaping Jaws to unleash considerable Physical and Lightning damage. Equipping yourself with abilities or items that negate these damage types is critical.
- Team Composition: Consider including characters like Ironeye or Recluse, who can inflict status ailments from a distance. Additionally, ensure you have at least one melee fighter to absorb Gaping Jaws’ aggression.
Utilizing status ailments is imperative for this encounter. Engaging Gaping Jaws without applying Poison or Sleep will allow him to unleash his intimidating mobility and powerful area attacks, which can overwhelm your team.
Poison and Sleep are optimal choices against Gaping Jaws. Poison will cause him to halt in his tracks, while Sleep can effectively immobilize him temporarily. If any of your team members, particularly Ironeye, can secure a Poison-affinity or Sleep-affinity weapon, it will provide a substantial advantage. By alternating between ranged poison attacks and melee enhancements, your team can maintain consistent pressure, especially vital during Gaping Jaws’ more aggressive second phase.
Although Frostbite is not as effective in terms of slowing Gaping Jaws, it does accumulate damage over time and enhances the effectiveness of the other status ailments. Thus, having Frostbite in your arsenal, even as a secondary option, is quite beneficial.
Gaping Jaws’ Attack Patterns in Phase One
During the initial phase of the battle, be vigilant for the following attacks:
- Crushing Maw: Gaping Jaws will retract his head and charge, attempting to engulf players and triggering Blood Loss. It’s characterized by the ominous purple lightning surrounding him. The best escape is to dodge through the attack as it approaches. If teammates are ensnared, a quick assault on Gaping Jaws can free them.
- Roaring Tantrum: This attack stuns nearby players with a roar, followed by successive running and grasping attacks. While the roar doesn’t deal damage, it serves as an alert to avoid the following strikes effectively.
- Regular Roars: Similar to his Tantrum, these roars don’t inflict damage but can stun players. Expect a subsequent pursuit as he charges around the arena, followed by more grasp attempts.
When Gaping Jaws’ health dips below 50%, he will initiate his second phase with a dramatic lightning explosion. Prepare to sprint away to evade this powerful attack. In this stage, he becomes significantly faster and intensifies his assault with new attacks.
Second Phase Attacks from Gaping Jaws
During the latter half of the battle, you’ll encounter new threats:
- Diving Jaws: After transitioning to the second phase, Gaping Jaws will ascend and dive, delivering Physical damage and a following Lightning blast. You can dodge the dive and leap to avoid the blast for maximum safety.
- Lightning Blasts: As Gaping Jaws stomps the ground, surges of Lightning will ripple underneath, resulting in delayed explosions. Be attentive and dodge through these traps to avoid being caught off-guard.
- Continued Roars: His roars persist from phase one, but now there’s a single arena traversal before he attempts a grabbing attack, requiring precise reflexes to avoid.
While surviving the first phase of Gaping Jaws may seem feasible, his second phase can rapidly escalate the threat level. Maneuvering around his swift attacks and increasingly dangerous AoE blasts complicates the status ailment application, particularly if the majority of your team relies on melee strategies.
If you’ve equipped consumables like Poison or Sleep Pots, save them for this crucial phase. Effective utilization can help manage Gaping Jaws’ heightened aggression.
Overall, while combating Gaping Jaws is undeniably challenging, especially without status ailments, familiarity with his attack patterns allows for better responses. Reinforcing your offensive capabilities by maintaining the pressure of ailments can significantly provide windows for damage opportunities. Though no trivial pursuit, mastering this Nightlord’s battle tactics can shift the odds in your favor.
For additional insights on Nightreign, check out our guides focused on the Ironeye Build, Executor Build, and Revenant Build. You can also explore our comprehensive tips and guides page for everything you need to succeed.
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