I love Elden Ring Nightreign’s weirdest boss — he bargains with you, heals you, and throws tantrums if you ruin his meditation

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In a different yet understandable expression, the acclaimed Soulsborne developer FromSoftware has introduced eight fresh “Nightlord” bosses for their latest cooperative roguelike spinoff titled Elden Ring: Nightreign. Having vanquished each of these eight formidable adversaries before penning my review this past week, I can confidently assert that the ensemble is brimming with some of FromSoftware’s finest boss creations ever. Among all, there’s one that truly stands out – Libra, the Night Creature, a fearsome goat-headed demon you’ll face at the culmination of the Equilibrious Beast Expedition.

Upon arriving at his combat zone initially, you’ll notice him already there, in a cloaked human shape. Assuming our imminent fierce confrontation was impending, I took aim and released an arrow during our first interaction – only to discover that he responded by growling at me, warning me about the “foolishness” of my action, which led me to understand that it’s possible to have a conversation with him.

When you perform the action, a golden scale symbol representing trade appears above him, and he proposes various deals resembling the monkey’s paw, such as exchanging three levels for a legendary weapon or granting us both significant damage boosts during the battle. My preferred offer involves receiving additional levels, but losing one level every time I consume a healing potion. You can choose not to accept these offers, but where’s the excitement in that?

After each player has made their decision, it’s time for action, marking the start of the battle against Libra. Instantly, he morphs into a colossal form, launching a barrage of magical strikes that could induce Madness – a condition causing significant damage and leaving you in a state of panic for a few seconds, making you vulnerable to further attacks.

It’s obvious that these attacks are on the horizon, as they stem from vivid golden symbols etched onto both the ground and air, but Libra has an uncanny ability to generate these swiftly and in rapid succession. This can transform the entire battlefield into a chaotic barrage of projectiles if you don’t maintain an aggressive stance and keep close. Consequently, his massive staff swings become more predictable for retaliation.

Regardless of your actions, you can expect an accumulation of Madness at some point, especially when he executes a particularly vicious move that involves him falling to his knees and pounding the ground repeatedly, generating a miasma of Madness that envelops the battlefield. However, during any Madness-triggered attack, he scatters tiny golden crystals onto the ground as part of his magic spell…and if you collect these crystals, they will restore a small amount of your HP and reduce your Madness level.

In a Soulsborne game, I’ve never encountered a boss mechanic quite like this one before. It aligns perfectly with the Dionysus-inspired trickster interpretation of Madness that Libra embodies, contrasting the world-consuming desire seen in Elden Ring’s bosses. The Nightlord battles are especially satisfying to master due to their unique mechanics.

What sets Libra apart is that his greatest strength can also be his downfall – he’s vulnerable to Madness damage, which can enrage him if used excessively, causing him to launch a frenzied series of melee attacks and gaining an attack boost in the process. However, if you successfully dodge his empowered combo, you’ll be given a large opportunity to counter-attack.

Scarce are the instances where Madness damage occurs during your gameplay, but you’ll find a good opportunity to inflict it at locations tagged with a Madness symbol. Additionally, remember that Libra is susceptible not only to Madness, but also to Fire and Holy elements, so bear this in mind while strategizing.

Even if none of your team members can use Madness, you can still make Libra extremely angry several times during the fight. Occasionally, he’ll retreat into a magical barrier while glowing golden symbols appear around him. Over time, these symbols represent a ritual he’s performing to boost his defenses. You can disrupt this ritual and enrage him by either destroying all the symbols (a bow works well for this) or inflicting heavy damage on the barrier until it breaks.

In terms of theme and design, Libra stands out as one of FromSoftware’s most unusual, daring, and imaginative bosses. Among the seven Nightlord battles, this encounter might just be my top pick from Nightreign’s lineup. I’ve enjoyed every moment of beating him down, and then getting beaten by him in return, which has been an exhilarating experience so far. I can hardly wait to repeat this thrilling duel with my friends now that they too have started playing the game.

The game titled Elden Ring: Nightreign is a daring, innovative departure from FromSoftware, offering an exhilarating blend of the original Soulsborne combat style with roguelike and cooperative elements. Despite its flaws such as a single map layout and limited enemy diversity, it’s set to be one of the standout titles this year for action enthusiasts who are fans of the Souls series. Priced at $39.99, you can save by purchasing it for $33.99 using the promo code XVSAVE (Xbox) or EPES3Z23 (PC) on Newegg.

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2025-05-31 23:39