Elden Ring Nightreign Fissure in the Fog boss: How to beat Caligo, Miasma of Night

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In every FromSoftware game, there’s always a magnificent new dragon boss, and Elden Ring doesn’t deviate from this trend with Caligo, Miasma of Night – also known as the Fog Fissure. Amongst all the Nightlords you’ll encounter while purifying Limveld from the Night’s blight, Caligo might just offer the most visually stunning battle experience of them all.

This boss in Nightreign, without a doubt, becomes more challenging, especially during Phase 2. The dragon’s behavior becomes extremely aggressive and it frequently unleashes frost attacks that inflict significant damage and build up Frostbite. However, the positive aspect is that Caligo has two major vulnerabilities when it comes to damage types, and its Phase 1 is relatively straightforward.

In my analysis, conquering the formidable, icy creature known as Caligo becomes less daunting once you understand its patterns of attack and how to leverage its vulnerabilities – topics I delve deeply into in the guide that follows. Take a moment to review it, and you’ll find yourself triumphant over Caligo before long.

Caligo, Miasma of Night weakness and best classes

  • Being an ice dragon, Caligo has a weakness to Fire damage, and is also susceptible to Bleed as well. In the run leading up to the fight, try and get your hands on a good Fire or Bleed weapon if you can and any buffs you can get for those damage types.
  • Caligo will also take extra damage from any weapon coated in Dragonwound Grease, or if you managed to get the anti-dragon power from the Mountain Shifting Earth modifier. Keep an eye out for Dragonwound Grease on your Expedition, or alternatively make sure to defeat the ice dragon in the mountainous region during your run if it has the Mountain variant of Limveld.
  • Every Nightfarer class other than Guardian is strong here, as all you really need is a good dodge roll. Due to the Frostbite buildup of many of Caligo’s attacks across both phases, Guardians will still take lots of damage even if they use his reinforced block since statuses build through guards. Guardian also has a bad dodge with less invincibility frames.
  • Caligo deals a mix of Physical and Magic damage, with the Magic damage of its frost attacks building up Frostbite. Try to build resistances to these damage types with the upgrades and items you find if you can, and also consider opting for buffs that reduce the danger of status ailments or Frostbite specifically as well.

Boss guide: How to beat Caligo, Miasma of Night

  • Due to how large Caligo is, it’s not recommended to go beneath it for long since it will make the telegraphs of its attacks harder to see. Instead, stay just in front of his head, or a bit farther back if you’re using a ranged character.
  • In Phase 1, Caligo will primarily attack by trying to slash and cut you with its claws. You can avoid these moves by dodge rolling backwards or to the side and then hitting his head in retaliation for good damage.
  • Caligo may also pull its head back before breathing frost magic directly at you. This is best avoided by Surge Sprinting to the side, or past its head and under its neck if you’re close. The latter gives you several seconds to hit the dragon’s neck until this attack ends.
  • A similar move sees Caligo squat and pull its wings back, making them glow blue before using them to blast a wide stream of frost at you. Due to the width of the area-of-effect, this isn’t really a move you can punish, so just Surge Sprint to the side and wait for it to end before going back in.
    • Both of the aforementioned moves and most frost magic used in the rest of the fight will leave behind clusters of ice crystals you should avoid touching. The crystals are effectively mines; they don’t deal damage directly, but rapidly build up Frostbite and can make it much easier for Caligo to inflict it on you.
  • Every once in a while, Caligo will shroud the entire arena in a thick haze and then one of two things will happen:
    • If you see a black wind converging on a location: Run extremely far away from where the wind is being pulled to with Surge Sprint. After several seconds, Caligo will send out a colossal wave of ice in all directions from that spot, and the only way to avoid damage is to pretty much be on the other side of the arena. Dodge roll forward through the incoming frost just to be safe, too.
    • If you hear the sound of crackling ice: Run towards the sound as fast as you can. Eventually, you’ll reach where Caligo is preparing a spell to drop shards of ice from the sky onto every part of the arena other than the one it’s in; reaching the dragon completely saves you from this attack, and depending on how fast you do, you can get multiple seconds of free damage, also.

Caligo, Miasma of Night Phase 2

Approaching halfway through its health, Caligo will let out a thunderous roar before flying off, marking the beginning of Phase 2. This action triggers an imminent attack I’ll detail later, and also signals Caligo switching up its moves while displaying increased aggression. Here are some key points to remember:

1. Caligo takes flight at around 50% health.
2. The start of Phase 2 is signaled by this action.
3. This action triggers a new attack that I’ll describe later.
4. Caligo starts using fresh moves during Phase 2.
5. Caligo becomes significantly more aggressive in Phase 2.

  • After flying high into the air, Caligo will dive bomb you twice — using its wings to send large ice crystals flying at you each time — before landing and sending one final volley of crystals at you. Roll forward multiple times through these each time they fly in, and try to keep yourself lined up with Caligo’s head as best you can as you do; since the crystals spawn from its wings, many of them will miss if you do this.
    • This attack can occur multiple times throughout Phase 2, so stay on your toes. If the dragon flies high and begins circling, it’s a telltale sign that the move is being used again.
  • Caligo may now also briefly fly up before breathing frost down at someone as it tries to crash down onto them. Roll forward a couple times to avoid both the magic and Caligo’s slam, then retaliate with hits on its neck.
  • The boss has also gained a faster breath attack in Phase 2, during which it breathes frost in front of it left-to-right. Surge Sprint past the head and under Caligo’s neck from its right side if you’re close, or away if you’re at a distance. If you’re not able to avoid the frost entirely by running, roll through it.
  • Another new move sees Caligo imbue its tail with frost, holding it up for a few moments before slamming it in a vertical arc and sending a shockwave towards you. Roll to the side just as the slam happens to avoid damage.
  • Phase 2’s deadliest attack has Caligo stand up tall and breathe frost all around it, dealing heavy damage and creating glowing ice bombs that explode when the dragon slams its tail at you. Roll through the frost breath, then make sure you’re not close to any of the ice bombs when you roll to the side to dodge the tail smash.
  • If you’re beneath it, Caligo may drop its knees down and start generating a cyclone of frost energy that builds up Frostbite rapidly; after several seconds, it will “detonate” and deal extreme damage. The moment you notice this starting to happen, dodge roll out from beneath Caligo multiple times, then sprint a good distance so you aren’t caught in the lethal blizzard that’s about to ensue.

In essence, Phase 2 poses the greatest challenge due to Caligo’s relentless frost attacks and frequent movements. It’s vital to exercise patience, waiting for an opportune moment instead of rushing in recklessly or taking unnecessary risks. Your primary goal should be survival rather than inflicting rapid damage, and with persistence, the dragon will ultimately succumb.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a daring, experimental spin-off from FromSoftware that infuses the original game’s Soulsborne combat with elements of roguelike gaming and cooperative play. Despite some significant challenges such as having just one map or limited enemy variety, it promises to be among this year’s standout titles for fans eager for action in the realm of Souls. Priced at $39.99, you can grab it for a discounted price of $33.99 at Newegg using the promo code XVSAVE (for Xbox) or EPES3Z23 (for PC).
Elden Ring: Nightreign is an innovative spin-off from FromSoftware that combines Soulsborne combat with roguelike and cooperative gameplay elements. Although it has some notable challenges, like offering only one map or a relatively small variety of enemies, it’s still expected to be one of the best Xbox games and best PC games for fans seeking action in the Souls universe this year. It retails at $39.99, but you can get it for $33.99 at Newegg with promo code XVSAVE (for Xbox) or EPES3Z23 (for PC).

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2025-05-31 00:39