Elden Ring Nightreign Gaping Jaw boss guide: How to beat Adel

Now that Gladius is out of the way, you're met with (almost) all your remaining targets in Elden Ring Nightreign, and next up on that hit list is the Gaping Jaw expedition. Naturally, a weird half-hippo half-dino-bird monstrosity isn't any easier than a three-headed flaming dog, so you'll need to know how to beat Adel to notch your second win.

As with the first expedition (and each of the legendary weapons—basically anything to improve your odds. But all that means nought if you don't know how to kill Adel, Baron of Night.

Elden Ring Nightreign Adel tips

Beating a Nightlord starts long before fighting them directly, so before I get into tips for Adel, here's how to prepare from start to finish in the Gaping Jaw expedition:

1. Get a poison weapon

Adel is weak to poison damage, so attacking him with weapons and spells of this affinity deals additional damage. In fact, it's the only way to disrupt a few of his attacks. You should prioritise any points-of-interest that have the poison symbol next to them using the map overlay, though you can also visit merchant locations, as these vendors are guaranteed to sell at least one item of the boss' weakness.

You can also get relics that apply poison to your starter weapon, which you can upgrade by finding smithing stone locations. This is a great way to ensure you not only have a poison weapon to begin with, but also your character's preferred weapon type.

Frostbite, sleep, and scarlet rot are also fantastic damage types against Adel (like they are for most bosses), though they don't have unique interactions. When playing in a team, it's a good idea to have these ailments spread between you.

2. Get physical and lightning damage negation

Adel primarily deals physical damage with his various bites and smacks, though he also has lightning attacks. Look out for relics and upgrades that provide physical and lightning damage negation to reduce how hard he can hit you. Boiled crab and prawn consumables can also be a good backup if you've not got lucky with gear.

3. Level up and find flask upgrades

As with any Nightlord, you'll want to be at least level 10 before you fight him, so earn as many runes as you can and take out expedition bosses along the way for ive upgrades. This'll ensure you're on the best footing possible before stepping into the ring with Adel.

Likewise, you should also visit all of the churches to upgrade your flask charges. Depending on how many churches are active (it's usually three, but you can sometimes have four), you can get upwards of eight flasks.

How to beat Adel, Baron of Night in Elden Ring Nightreign

Your choice of Nightfarer is pretty important in beating Adel thanks to his poison weakness. The best team compositions in Nightreign generally have a good mix of melee and ranged characters, and that's no different for Adel, but I recommend the following:

• Ironeye: Fantastic for applying ailments from range while also marking enemies so they take increased damage.
• Executor: Excels in close-quarters ailment application.
• Wylder: Can close the gap with his grappling hook, and it's not hard to find a good sword for him.
• Raider: Staggers bosses with ease, stopping them in their tracks and opening them up to critical hits.
• Duchess: Her Restage skill not only repeats recent damage against targets, but can also reapply status ailments.

If your team is really struggling to keep up with Adel's fast (and near-constant movement), consider doubling up on Ironeyes for consistent damage at range, or have Duchess/Executor grab a bow. Now it's time to heave open the doors and actually fight the Baron of Night. Here are some tips to beat Adel:

1. Watch out for these attacks

Besides general chomps and smacks, Adel has four main attacks to watch out for:

• Charge grab: Adel will open its wide jaw and begin to charge at you, so it's pretty easy to identify. To avoid this move, you counterintuitively need to dodge roll towards Adel. Since dodging gives you a small window of invincibility, you'll roll through this attack without being grabbed—just make sure to time it right before Adel reaches you, or you'll be chomped.
• Roar: Adel will occasionally roar, stunning anyone nearby before rampaging. The initial roar is hard to avoid (you can block it somewhat with a shield) but it deals no damage. What's important is that you run away from Adel's follow-up charges, and then dodge his grab just as you would his standard grab mentioned above.
• Lightning slam: When Adel transitions into the second phase at around 50% health, it will leap into the air and crash down with a lightning slam that covers the ground. You can avoid this by dodging during the divebomb, but you'll need to then jump over the wave of lightning that follows. This is why preparing lightning-resistant items is handy. He can repeat this attack through the second phase.
• Lightning streaks: Much like his slam attack, Adel can create streaks of lightning damage across the ground as it stomps. The best thing you can do is either run away before it reaches you, or dodge towards it just before the wave hits you.

2. Stay away from his head

Especially during the first phase, most of Adel's attacks come from his, y'know, gaping jaw. It's best to stay around his side so that you're not caught out by his charge. This is slightly harder in phase two once he powers up with lightning, particularly as he stomps.

3. Trigger ailments

With how agile Adel is and how much it makes you move around the arena, ailments are your best friend. Poison damage is a great way to stun Adel and interrupt the charge attack, while also dealing strong damage over time. Other ailments like frostbite, bleed, and scarlet rot are also useful as the former give you bonus damage, while the latter gives you damage over time, making up for all the time spent running.

4. Staggers and critical hits

As with any boss, but especially for mobile ones like Adel, staggers cause them to stop in their tracks, while also letting you get a devastating blow. This is the perfect time to pile on damage, including building ailments while they can't escape.