Elden Ring: How to beat Valiant Gargoyle? Elden Ring guide, walkthrough
On this page of the Elden Ring guide, you will learn how to defeat the boss in Nokron, Eternal City, Valiant Gargoyle.
Last update: 05 March 2024
This page of the Elden Ring guide contains tips on how to defeat the boss encountered in Nokron, Eternal City, at the lowest level of the Siofra Aqueduct. Said boss is the Valiant Gargoyle.
You start the battle by dueling a single gargoyle, but another one joins the fray after you deplete half of its health bar.
Reward for defeating
For defeating the Valiant Gargoyles, you will receive their weapons, namely Gargoyle's Greatsword and Gargoyle's Twinblade, as well as 30,000 Runes.
General tips
- For this battle you should summon the ashes of someone who can hold their own for a long time. A good example of such a character is Banished Knight Oleg. He won't deal much damage but he can survive for a long time, distracting one of the gargoyles. You can also summon other players to help.
- Mounted combat is not possible here.
- The second gargoyle appears once you deplete half of the first one's health.
- The bosses use magic and poison attacks. In addition to good defense you also need high resistance to magic and poison.
- In close combat, a slightly longer weapon will be useful. Daggers or other short weapons may not be very effective, because the enemy moves fast.
- The environment influences the gargoyles' actions. If they jump on a boulder, falling off will interrupt their attack combo, thus giving you the opportunity to attack. You can use this to your advantage, although luck also plays a great role here.
Mage build - how to fight?
The boss doesn't attack you immediately after you enter the arena. It will be a while before it reaches you. This lets you safely summon the Banished Knight or use spells such as Magic Glintblade, Carian Phalanx or Greatblade Phalanx.
By using these spells you can deal a lot of damage to the boss before it gets close. One it does, dodge its attacks and back away. Oleg should distract the boss at this point. Remember to cast spells when the boss is in the middle of a combo. Thanks to this it's very likely it won't change its target. This will let you stay safe when casting subsequent spells.
Watch out for two specific attacks which can easily one-hit kill you. One such attack is when a gargoyle flies up. Be patient and don't panic. Dodge as soon as it starts falling to the ground.
The same goes for its magic attack as well. It will raise its sword up and then strike the ground, creating a shockwave. The spell can still hit you if you dodge too early.
If a gargoyle stands in place, this most likely means its about to cover a large area in poison. You should then move far away from it and cast Magic Glintblade. Because of this attack the ashes of wolves or demi-humans won't be very useful in this fight. The poison spreads quickly and deals high damage.
When you deplete half of the first gargoyle's health bar, the second one will appear in the arena. Reaching you will take it some time. This means it's important to kill the first boss as quickly as possible. If you don't manage to make it in time, try to prioritize the first gargoyle to gain an advantage in numbers over the second one or even the odds.
The second gargoyle's attack animations are slightly different. They're longer, which means you can still get hit when dodging. The upside is that the second gargoyle often switches weapons, sometimes using twinblades, sometimes using an axe. Fighting it is easier when it wields an axe, letting you be more aggressive.
Melee build - how to fight?
When you cross the fog and enter the arena, you will have a moment to summon the ashes or use some of your items that increase the strength of physical attacks or improve defence against them. It will take a while for the opponent to reach you.
The Valiant Gargoyle will spread poison relatively often - in such case, keep your distance and wait for the poisonous cloud to disappear. You can also move away from it to a larger distance and lure the enemy into a poison-free area.
Otherwise, you should stay close to the opponent - either behind his back or between his legs. The enemy attacks forward a lot, and the best way to avoid it is to roll forward as well - this will also allow you to hit him a few times. Move away only when the enemy spreads poison.
When you remove half of the gargoyle's HP, a second one will fly in. This is a good time to summon the ashes that can take a lot of damage. You should now separate the enemies to finish the first one off. Gargoyles have complex attacks, so avoiding two at the same time can be difficult; you also might not have the chance to fight back.
Keep in mind that even if you manage to separate them, you won't have much time to take advantage of it. Gargoyles shorten the distance very quickly - one jump across the arena will do.
The second gargoyle uses primarily double blades, but also has an axe. the combos he makes with it often end with a hit against the ground, which causes AoE damage. The enemy will also try to trample you down, then immediately use the axe and jump away. Be prepared to dodge a lot, but also attack.
The enemy will also make AoE attacks with his double blades, but in a different way. Sometimes you will notice that the enemy swings the weapon quickly on both sides - after such a move, a short tornado with quite a wide range will appear. You can block it with a shield, although it will take a lot of your stamina. Dodge towards the enemy when a tornado arrives will be a better option (the enemy will also make a horizontal hit at that moment). However, if you don't feel confident fighting the double blades, you can wait for the opponent to switch weapons - he does it quite often.