Gladius, Beast of Night

Gladius, Beast of Night is one of the Nightlords in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, a ferocious three-headed wolf-like beast encountered in the Spirit Shelter after surviving two nights in Limveld during the Tricephalos expedition. It is the first Nightlord available in the game, and after its defeat, additional Nightlord expeditions become available. The boss is fought on the final day of the Tricephalos expedition, and the expedition target is selected from the Shrouded Roundtable Hold.

In battle, Gladius wields a greatsword attached to a long chain and uses it to deliver sweeping attacks and large fireballs. It can also split its body into three separate one-headed hounds, allowing it to pressure all three Nightfarers at once. When this happens, a red marker appears over the targeted player if the hounds focus a specific Nightfarer. The transformation is announced with a howl, and the original body is the only one that retains the flail sword.

Gladius deals Fire damage and is vulnerable to Holy damage. Holy damage is especially effective: after taking enough of it, Gladius receives a debuff that reduces both its damage and armor for a short time. When it splits apart, Holy damage can also stagger it more easily. Once its stance is broken, Gladius becomes vulnerable to Critical Attacks.

• Damage negation data shows Gladius is neutral to Standard, Slash, Strike, Magic, and Lightning damage.
• It has full immunity to Sleep.
• Its Fire, Holy, and Bleed-related defenses are not listed in the resistance table beyond its described elemental weakness and immunity data.
• In later phases, the three separated hounds can each pressure the party independently, so keeping spacing and tracking their focus is important.
• Some players prefer ranged pressure against Gladius, with Ironeye being a popular choice, since attacking from afar makes it easier to avoid the sword spin and survive the split phase.
• When teammates are down, saving Ultimate Arts for revives can be more valuable than using them offensively.

Gladius is known internally as NocturnalCerberus, and its design draws heavily on Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of the underworld from Greek mythology. Its name comes from the Latin word for “sword,” which fits both its chained blade and its overall martial identity. The boss was first revealed in the initial trailer and was the only Nightlord featured in the network test. In that test, it was also the only available Nightlord, and the orange skybox that accompanies its battle appeared immediately at the start of combat; in the full release, that skybox appears only after Gladius separates for the first time.