Elden Ring Nightreign Fissure in the Fog boss guide: How to beat Caligo

While Fissure in the Fog is at the bottom of the expeditions list in Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord bosses off your hitlist, you'll need to know how to beat Caligo.

You'll need to prepare a few things to face this ancient ice dragon, which I'll go over below, but getting to grips with the legendary weapons is a good place to start.

Elden Ring Nightreign Caligo tips

Before I get into tips for beating Caligo specifically, here's how to best prepare for him during the first two sections of the Fissure in the Fog expedition:

1. Get a fire weapon

Caligo is an ice dragon, so—if you know anything about the elements in games—this beast is weak to fire damage. Getting a fire damage weapon should be your top priority, since you'll deal bonus damage. Being a dragon, Caligo is also weak to items that increase dragon damage, such as Dragonwound Grease.

The good news is that fire weapons are generally the easiest to come by. You can use the map overlay to find locations that reward fire affinity gear, or you can visit merchant locations since these vendors are guaranteed to sell at least one item with the boss' weakness.

You can also get relics that apply fire to your starter weapon, including the unique relic you get for beating best Recluse build and make the most of fire spells, incantations, and Magic Cocktails.

2. Complete the Shifting Earth: Mountaintop event, if active

Shifting Earth events can be tricky to guarantee and pin down, but the Mountaintop variation is tailor-made for taking down Caligo. By fighting (or running) through the many dragon bosses on the way up the freezing peaks (which are weak to fire as well), you can earn the Favor of the Mountaintop blessing. This halves frostbite damage and frost buildup, while nearby frostbite boosts your own attack power. In other words, it makes Caligo's main strength much less scary. It also adds a bonus damage effect to attacks against dragons.

3. Get frost damage negation

Being a frost dragon, Caligo deals a lot of frost damage, which can lead to frostbite, removing a significant chunk of your health. To counter this, alongside the Mountaintop blessing mentioned above, you should also pick up any items or buffs that increase your resistance to frost damage, such as Thawfrost Boluses, or the Stalwart Horn Charm if you find it as a talisman.

4. Level up and get flask upgrades

You'll want to be at least level ten, if not more, before you fight Caligo, so earn as many runes as you can and take out expedition bosses along the way for ive upgrades. You should also pick up all the flask charges you can by visiting churches.

How to beat Caligo, Miasma of Night in Elden Ring Nightreign

Beating the Miasma of Night starts with your choice of Nightfarer. Despite having four wings, Caligo isn't nearly as mobile as other bosses; it'll often stay in one place for a bit before moving. Because of this, melee characters can be a good choice, but Caligo's ice powers also make that tricky if you're not careful. I'd recommend the following characters:

• Ironeye: Fantastic for applying ailments and dealing damage from range, which keeps you out of Caligo's various AoE ice attacks. He can also mark enemies so they take increased damage from the entire team.
• Wylder: Can close the gap with his grappling hook, and it's not hard to find a good sword for him. Plus, his unique relics can also add fire damage to his skills, which helps negate the reliance on RNG drops. His ultimate art also deals fire damage.
• Raider: His high stagger damage gives you plenty of time to get some free hits in, as well as devastating critical hits.
• Duchess: Her Restage skill not only repeats recent damage against targets (including the affinity boost from using fire against Caligo), but can also reapply status ailments.
• Recluse: By using fire spells and incantations, and mastering her Magic Cocktail, Recluse can dish out incredible and consistent fire damage. Plus, her ultimate also gives your team healing and FP restoration.

With the right team assembled and the correct gear gathered, it's time to face the Miasma of Night. Here are some tips to beat Caligo in Fissure in the Fog:

1. Watch out for these attacks

Alongside the usual whacks and bites, Caligo has five main attacks that you'll need to counter:

• Claw swipes: Caligo's favourite move is a two-hit claw combo. It'll swipe with its right claw, then backhand you in quick succession. To avoid it, roll backwards twice with a slight delay in between. Unlike most attacks, rolling towards it isn't recommended, as it requires very precise timing to not be hit by the follow-up attack and there's a chance the ground will already be icy from his breath attack.
• Tail whip: Caligo infuses its tail with frost before dragging it along the ground in a large circle. Your best shot is to back up when you see Caligo about to use this attack, though if you're too late, you can dodge through it at the right time to avoid taking damage. In phase two, this attack will also create ice crystals on the ground.
• Ice breath: This attack is exactly what it sounds like, seeing Caligo spewing frostbite clouds for a short duration, but it can also create ice crystals on the ground in phase two. If you're caught by it, you'll only take a bit of damage but you'll also gain some frostbite, which deals massive damage if your meter fills. You should avoid Caligo's mouth and run to the side when this attack begins.
• Fog: Towards the end of Caligo's first phase and again in phase two, it will fly away and summon a thick wall of fog covering the entire arena; meanwhile, it charges a massive attack that can almost one-shot you. There are two versions of this attack: if you see wind gathering, then you need to run towards it and hide behind the ice pillars for shelter. If you hear ice crackling and no wind, then you need to run away from the sound instead.
• Bombs: In phase two, Caligo will start firing ice bombs from its wings and the sky, both of which create ice shards on the ground afterwards. You're best off running and dodging to avoid them until the attack ends.

2. Stay near Caligo's head

Staying near Caligo's head makes it much easier to avoid a rogue wing attack, while also giving you a clear view of the boss so you can avoid breath attacks and tail whips more easily. However, in phase two, Caligo introduces more AoE ice attacks that cover the ground, so you'll have to move around a bit more to avoid them. Whatever you do, avoid standing directly underneath Caligo, as this often causes it to fly into the air or use ice breath to force you away, risking frostbite.

3. Use fire damage

As mentioned earlier, Caligo is weak to fire. Given its massive health bar, this is more a fight of endurance than anything else, so ively boosting your damage is much-needed to wrap it up quicker. The longer you're fighting, the more opportunities to mess up and the more flasks you'll use.

4. Ranged weapons are your best friend

With tons of AoE damage, especially in phase two, ranged weapons are the way to go since you can chip away at Caligo without as much risk. However, keep in mind that Caligo will use more ranged attacks if you're further away, so having one melee character to keep the boss grounded is a smart move.