Although the Darkdrift Knight expedition is just one of the standard Nightlords on the way to the secret final boss, Fulghor may as well be the top dog in Elden Ring Nightreign. He's incredibly tough to slay, so much so that I'd beaten every other Nightlord (yes, including Night Aspect) before returning to him—and I doubt I'm alone in this. Working out how to beat Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow, is potentially the toughest hurdle to overcome.
If you're trying to complete all the Elden Ring Nightreign Remembrances for each character, then I'm sorry to say that you'll be required to beat Fulghor on at least one occasion. Ironeye, the best character in our Nightreign tier list, demands you kill Fulghor in Chapter 6, and right after you unlock Revenant, you'll be sent to kill Fulghor or Gladius again, the first of the Nightreign bosses. It shouldn't be a surprise when I recommend you kill Gladius again over challenging the Champion of Nightglow.
Elden Ring Nightreign Darkdrift Knight tips
As one of the hardest bosses, Fulghor demands that you start gearing up correctly immediately to have the best chance of beating him. Of course, this includes taking the best rune farming route and keeping an eye out for legendary weapons that suit your build, but there are a few specifics to understand too:
- Get a lightning weapon or spells
Though the symbol looks annoyingly similar to holy damage, Fulghor is weak to lightning. Dealing enough lightning damage can stagger him and even interrupt when he's casting holy spells, so it's a game-changer in beating him. When you enter a run, use the map overlay to search locations marked with the lightning symbol, or use relics that give your starting weapon lightning damage and upgrade it using smithing stones (and the Shifting Earth: Crater event if it's active). You can also use relics that boost lightning damage to make your attacks even more effective.
When luck really isn't on your side, remember that you can also use lightning grease to temporarily coat your weapon. If you're taking this approach, bring two stacks of lightning grease to be safe.
- Scarlet rot and poison damage save time
My biggest pet peeve with any boss fight is when they move around so much that you can't even attack them back, and that couldn't be more applicable to Fulghor, but there is a remedy. To avoid this fight taking a centaur-y, you can use damage-over-time ailments, scarlet rot or poison, to damage Fulghor when he's running around out of reach. Poison is easy enough to find, but scarlet rot is typically rarer, so I recommend completing the Shifting Earth: Rotted Woods event if it's active in your run.
- Prioritise holy damage negation
Most of Fulghor's attacks, at least the most painful ones, deal holy damage. You probably already learned the hard way, but he hits like a truck, so anything you can do to take the edge off is worth getting. I recommend using relics with holy damage negation if you have them (check the Small Jar Bazaar in the Roundtable Hold if you don't) and keep your eyes peeled for the Haligdrake talisman during your expedition. Get both a suitable relic and the talisman, and you'll have around 25% holy damage negation.
- Level up and get flask upgrades
I recommend getting as close to level 15 as you can before facing Fulghor, as each level gives you more health, stamina, and overall damage. Taking relics with increased rune acquisition will help with this, as will grabbing the buff from small trees surrounded by a golden glow. You should also max out your flask charges by visiting churches.
How to beat Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow, in Elden Ring Nightreign
Even if you interrupt key attacks, Fulghor rarely stops moving, making it hard to get into melee range. Characters with a range advantage or high mobility generally come out on top in this fight, though it's not a bad idea to bring a tank along too for a balanced team composition:
- Wylder: With his grappling hook, he's fast at repositioning and re-engaging with Fulghor after he moves. His ultimate art deals massive damage to both HP and stance, which could give you a clear window to go ham. It helps that Wylder's preferred weapon type is a greatsword, the perfect balance between speed and power.
- Ironeye: Master of the bow, he's able to deal consistent damage to Fulghor even when he's dashing around the arena. His Marking skill not only increases the damage your entire team deals to the target, but it can also be used as a dodge to survive virtually any attack.
- Duchess: Her Restage skill repeats recent damage against targets (including the affinity boost from using lightning against Fulghor), easily adding bonus burst damage when you get an opening. Her enhanced dodge also helps to avoid the Darkdrift Knight's many AoE attacks.
- Raider: While he's slow, especially with his love of colossal weapons, Raider is fantastic at staggering enemies, which is really useful against Fulghor. You'll need stamina-boosting talismans to make him more viable though, given all the running around.
Whatever you do, I'd generally advise against Revenant for Fulghor. His sweeping attacks wipe out her summons quickly, and most have a hard time keeping up with him anyhow. Plus, if you're building Revenant as a ranged spellcaster, you might as well play Recluse.
Nevertheless, it's time to put the Darkdrift Knight in the dirt, so here's how to beat Fulghor:
- Watch out for these attacks
Fulghor has a handful of deadly attacks that either need to be dodged or interrupted to avoid an untimely death:
Attack |
Explanation |
Counter |
|---|---|---|
Swipes |
Fulghor's basic attack is a three-hit combo with his spear, which also creates shockwaves for added range. There's quite a delay between the attacks, so don't let it throw you off. He can also mix up this combo with stomps and by dragging his spear on the ground. |
Since he lunges a lot during this combo, with strong AoE damage to boot, it's best to just wait it out, especially if you're his target. If you're a ranged character, then keep chipping away at him, and dodge backwards when you need to. |
Jump slam |
Occasionally, Fulghor launches into the air and slams down. When you see him rear and raise his weapon, he's usually about to dive on you. |
Fulghor can easily change targets with this attack, so you should always be prepared to dodge, even if you weren't his target beforehand. |
Holy spear slam |
One of Fulghor's most powerful attacks is a spear slam that creates holy spears underneath you. You'll see him stand still and raise his spear as he charges the attack before jabbing the ground. |
You can interrupt this attack entirely by dealing enough lightning damage to Fulghor as he's charging the attack, or by using high-stagger ultimates like Wylder's Onslaught Stake or Ironeye's Single Shot. You can also dodge immediately as he slams the ground to avoid the holy spear. You'll briefly be slowed if you hit him during this attack, so if you can't do enough lightning or stagger, just don't attack him for a bit. That said, you can still dodge the attack while slowed, though it's a little trickier. Breaking him out of this attack is the perfect opportunity to deal some damage. Holy damage negation also comes into play here. |
Holy charge |
Fulghor's most troublesome attack is a dash that leaves holy fissures behind him. He'll typically run towards a player and briefly stop before charging again. These fissures explode shortly after. |
When Fulghor starts this attack, focus fully on avoiding his charge by running or dodging, and then sprint out of the fissure's range before it follows up. Wait until he's stopped using this attack before going back on the offensive. If you do get hit, any holy damage negation will mitigate how much it hurts. |
Claw arm combo |
During his second phase, Fulghor grows a massive arm that he uses for even wider-ranging sweep attack combos. |
In his second phase, you need to be even more precise with your dodges (and generally dodge towards him), as his sweep combos have large AoEs. Only attack once Fulghor has finished the combo, as he'll take a second to recover, giving you a brief opening. |
Claw arm slam |
Fulghor will also use this arm to slam the ground, creating a massive shockwave. When you see Fulghor leap into the air and spin, he's about to dive on a player. Whether you're the target or not, you're likely still in the range of the AoE damage. |
To avoid it, dodge roll or jump just before his arm reaches the ground to avoid taking damage from either the slam or the shockwave. Again, you need to be very precise. |
- Don't get greedy
What makes Darkdrift Knight arguably more difficult than Night Aspect is the incredible precision you need to avoid his attacks. More so than most, you really need to wait for the right moment to strike, so don't expect to pull off more than a few hits before you need to return your focus to dodging.
- Interrupt and stun frequently using lightning (especially melee)
It's worth reiterating that Fulghor is weak to lightning. Not only will you deal bonus damage, but you can also stagger and interrupt him during key attacks, like the holy spear slam. If everyone on your team has lightning damage, whether it's from your weapon, a spell, grease, or even a bomb, it makes the fight much more manageable. He's also far easier to stun with lightning melee weapons than, say, a bow, if you can get close enough to hit him.
- Reviving skills and ultimates are invaluable
Unless you've completely mastered his attacks, you'll inevitably get hit and eventually die. Due to Fulghor's oppressive moveset, you generally won't have time to hit an ally to revive them if they've died more than once already. Wending Grace to self-revive, or saving ultimates to revive (like Guardian, Revenant, or even Ironeye), goes a long way to keeping your team in the fight.
