Ultimate Guide to the Nightreign Guardian Build in Elden Ring

In Elden Ring: Nightreign, players can choose from eight distinctive Nightfarers before setting off on their expeditions. Among these, the Guardian stands out as a fan favorite. This formidable, anthropomorphic bird-man is known for wielding a halberd and summoning whirlwinds with his wings. Despite his imposing presence, the Guardian is not merely about style—he offers tanks’ durability and utility in combat.

While the Guardian excels in the right configuration, this Guardian Build Guide aims to help players maximize his potential with optimal Relics and strategies.

Building Your Guardian: An Overview

Skills and Passives of the Nightreign Guardian

The Guardian’s kit features a unique blend of abilities:

• Passive Ability: Steel Guard – By planting his feet and bracing with his shield, the Guardian significantly bolsters his guard boost, though it restricts mobility while active.
• Skill: Whirlwind – The Guardian unleashes a cyclone, drawing enemies to its center while deflecting lighter projectiles. Hold the skill to extend its range.
• Ultimate: Wings of Salvation – The Guardian leaps into the air before diving down to fortify a protective area. This ability can also revive allies and briefly allows movement while airborne.

Interestingly, the Guardian combines offense and support, making him an excellent choice for tanking boss encounters. His primary role involves soaking up damage while his teammates unleash their attacks.

His Steel Guard Passive Ability enhances his defensive capabilities by consuming less stamina. However, it has a brief warm-up time, so players should use it judiciously to counter attacks effectively.

The Whirlwind Skill can stagger larger foes and toss smaller enemies, providing crowd control reminiscent of abilities from other classes such as the Battlefield Commander. However, to maximize its effectiveness, pairing the Guardian with suitable Relics is essential.

Among his abilities, the Wings of Salvation Ultimate is particularly noteworthy. This powerful move allows him to stun enemies and reposition his team, making it invaluable for reviving allies during critical moments, especially when positioned near the boss. Effectively, one skill can lead to two significant outcomes: reviving teammates and damaging a foe.

For optimal performance, the Guardian benefits most from weapons that scale with Strength, as indicated by his B scaling in this area. His C and D scaling in other stats indicates a preference for halberds and Strength-focused weaponry, complemented by a Greatshield to fully leverage his abilities.

Optimal Team Composition for the Guardian

As a quintessential tank, the Guardian synergizes well with various team compositions, particularly when teammates can focus on delivering damage. His ability to manage boss aggro while maintaining defense makes him a valuable asset in any squad.

Effective stance-breaking is crucial for the Guardian, and coordinating his blocks with counter-attacks further strengthens this strategy. If possible, including an Ironeye in your team can significantly enhance performance; their skill marks enemies to amplify stance damage, creating opportunities for swift takedowns.

If an Ironeye isn’t available, consider bringing a ranged character alongside the Guardian. Their ability to inflict consistent damage from a distance complements the Guardian’s front-line tactics perfectly. Alternatives like the Recluse, who excels in ranged spells, or the Revenant with supporting Incantations and healing Relics, can also bolster the Guardian’s durability in prolonged battles.

However, avoid pairing the Guardian with the Executor, as both characters share similar defensive roles, leading to competition over incoming attacks. If melee heavy-hitters are desired, bringing characters like Duchess or Wylder would round out the squad effectively.

Top Relics and Passive Effects for the Guardian

When assembling a build for the Guardian, pay close attention to relic traits and passive effects that enhance his strengths:

• Draw Enemy Attention While Guarding – This trait further increases the Guardian’s tanking capacity by ensuring foes focus their attacks on him.
• Extended Skill Duration – Enhancing the longevity of the Whirlwind skill amplifies his crowd control capabilities.
• Art Gauge Charge From Successful Guards – A benefit of the Guardian’s defensive style.
• HP Recovery While Guarding – A complementary effect that supports his defensive playstyle.
• Improved Stamina Recovery/Increased Stamina – Essential for maintaining sustained combat effectiveness.
• Enhanced Guard Counters
• Boost to Halberd Attack Power
• Increased Physical Damage Mitigation
• Superior Stance-Breaking Capabilities

While relic traits are randomized, fixed relics from Nightlords and Nightfarer Remembrance quests can prove beneficial:

• Third Volume (Guardian’s Remembrance) – Generates a whirlwind during halberd attacks with HP restoration.
• Stone Stake (Guardian’s Remembrance) – Extends skill duration and reduces cooldown.
• Witch’s Brooch / Cracked Witch’s Brooch (Guardian’s Remembrance) – Reflects damage back while active, increases Vigor.
• Night of the Baron (Defeat Gaping Jaws) – Increases critical hit capabilities and art gauge filling upon critical hits.
• Night of the Fathom (Defeat Augur) – Raises maximum HP and allows flasks to heal allies.
• Night of the Champion (Defeat Darkdrift Knight) – Increases maximum stamina and boosts guard counters based on current HP.

The Night of the Baron is particularly useful for those aiming to deliver critical hits, leveraging the Guardian’s proximity to bosses for maximum effect. However, if a Duchess is in the party, caution is advised, as their high critical damage may surpass the Guardian’s offensive potential.

The Night of the Fathom is a versatile choice for any Nightfarer, facilitating team healing through shared consumables, which is invaluable during challenging encounters. Considered alongside the Night of the Champion, which enhances guard counters based on HP, these relics are integral to optimizing the Guardian’s performance.

Although thrusting swords may technically be usable by the Guardian, focusing on Strength-scaling weapons like the Gargoyle’s Halberd is usually the best strategy for maximizing damage output.

For further insights on optimizing your Nightreign experience, explore our extensive guides on successful runs, details about the Rotted Woods event, and the Noklateo, Shrouded City event.

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