Commander Gaius, the relentless mounted warrior of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, charges into battle with devastating speed and gravity-powered attacks that can overwhelm even the most seasoned Tarnished. But beneath his ferocious assault lies a pattern waiting to be mastered-dodge his deadly boar charge, exploit his holy weakness, and unleash your strongest incantations to turn the tide in this epic showdown. Ready your weapons and spirits; this fight demands precision, patience, and strategy to conquer.
Our Elden Ring DLC guide covers not only how to beat Commander Gaius in Shadow of the Erdtree, but will also reveal the boss’ weaknesses, and how to prepare for the encounter.
Commander Gaius location in Elden Ring DLC
Commander Gaius is located in a secret area behind the Shadow Keep in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. To reach him, players must first travel from Moorth Ruins to Bonny Village, then proceed to the Church District. From the Church District Entrance Site of Grace, players need to navigate across rooftops, jump onto platforms, and use lifts to reach the upper sections of the Shadow Keep. Ultimately, Commander Gaius awaits just outside the Shadow Keep’s Back Gate, in a large open field area that is accessible only after progressing through the Shadow Keep’s complex interior.
Commander Gaius is found immediately to the back of Shadow Keep. Although it’s an optional boss, this effectively means you need to make it through Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, and Messmer the Impaler to even begin searching for the boss.
Spirit Summons are available in this fight, as is multiplayer summoning, if you’re starting out from the Back Gate Site of Grace within Shadow Keep itself.
Commander Gaius weaknesses and how to prepare
Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is primarily weak to bleed and holy damage, making weapons like Bloodhound’s Fang and holy-infused gear highly effective against him. He also takes significant damage from fire and physical attacks, so fire-based magic or strong physical weapons can be advantageous. To prepare, equip armor with high magic defense to mitigate his gravity-based magic attacks, and bring a shield with 100% physical resistance to block his mostly physical strikes. Summoning durable Spirit Ashes to distract him and using ranged magic attacks or hiding behind the arena’s corners to exploit his charge attack can greatly ease the fight. Patience in dodging his combos and careful positioning to avoid his boar’s kicks are also key to surviving his aggressive assault.
Commander Gaius is mainly weak to one thing: Bleed. You can build up Bleed damage on the boss with a quick few hits, so for this boss fight, I’d highly recommend the Bloodhound’s Fang from the base game as one weapon of choice.
As you’ll quickly find out, Commander Gaius hits hard with some magic damage. It’s actually not elemental damage – it’s gravity magic – so any armor that gives you bonus protection in the Magic category is going to work really well for you here.
How to beat Commander Gaius in Elden Ring DLC
Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a challenging mounted boss known for his fast, brutal attacks and gravity magic. To defeat him, focus on exploiting his main weakness: Bleed damage. Weapons like the Bloodhound’s Fang or applying the Chilling Mist Ash of War can rapidly build up Bleed and shred his health. Equip armor with strong magic defense to mitigate his gravity attacks, and use a shield with 100% physical resistance to block his mostly physical strikes. Dodging his charge and attack chains carefully allows for safe counterattacks, especially targeting his boar’s kick from behind. For ranged builds, trapping him against walls and using AoE holy damage spells or summons can effectively wear him down. Summons like Greatshield Soldier Ashes provide distractions, while holy-infused weapons and incantations like Discus of Light deal bonus damage. Patience, strategic dodging, and leveraging his vulnerabilities will lead to victory over Commander Gaius.
Staying close to Commander Gaius is critical for this boss fight, especially if you’re a melee user. Typically, you want to dodge-roll through the boss’ attacks, instead of steering clear of him – this lets him wind up his charge attack, which is by far and away one of the more annoying attacks of any boss I’ve encountered in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Commander Gaius boss fight phase 1
Speaking of, let’s say you do encounter the charge attack, where Commander Gaius and his boor steam full pelt at you. For this, you need to dodge roll-through the boss, and also make sure you avoid not only the outstretched weapon but also the two legs of the boar itself.
To that end, staying near Commander Gaius is your best bet, but this does mean you’ll see combo attacks. The boss has one five-hit combo attack, a combination of swings from Gaius’ spear and headbutts from the boar. Your best bet here is to dodge-roll sideways through the attacks. (Thankfully there’s a pretty decent rhythm to the attacks that you can really lock in on.)
If you’re standing behind the boar, keep in mind that it will kick its hind legs at you. This attack is actually pretty difficult to dodge, since there’s barely any warning it’s coming. If the boss doesn’t attack for at least a second, keep in mind that this move is what’s probably coming.
Commander Gaius boss fight phase 2
You’ll know you’re in Commander Gaius’ second phase when the boss starts emitting purple lightning. This isn’t actually lightning, but rather gravity-based attacks. In short, a lot of Commander Gaius’ regular attacks, like the charge one, are now going to be souped-up with gravity magic, which means they hit a whole lot harder.
Commander Gaius will leap into the air for one of two attacks. If he doesn’t rise too far off the ground, this means he’s about to perform the charging attack we mentioned previously. Hold your nerve, don’t dodge too early, and you can roll through the attack in the same way right before it hits you.
If Commander Gaius rises up high into the air, he’s about to whirl around and come slamming back down onto the ground near you. Again, you really need to hold your nerve with this one – there’s a slight delay when he’s roughly halfway toward the ground that can trick you into dodge-rolling early if you’re not expecting it.
Another key attack to watch out for is when an orb appears between the boar’s horns. This is a gravity orb, and it’s going to send out four pulses that can damage you as it gradually grows bigger. Try and steer well clear of the orb, which thankfully doesn’t move once it’s placed down.
When Commander Gaius is dead, you’ll be rewarded with 230,000 runes, and the Remembrance of the Boar Rider. Take the latter item to the Finger Reader in the Roundtable Hold to activate it, and turn it into a weapon.
What hidden tactics can help me outsmart Commander Gaius in Elden Ring
To outsmart Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, employ these hidden tactics:
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Use the Raptor of the Mists ash of war or other i-frame dodge ashes like Bloodhound’s Step to evade Gaius’s devastating Wild Boar Rush charge, timing your dodges to avoid damage and remain airborne for counterattacks.
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Summon Greatshield Soldier Spirit Ashes to distract and harass Gaius, drawing his aggro away from you and creating openings for safe attacks.
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During his second phase, when he uses gravity-based attacks, maintain distance from his gravity orbs and avoid attacking while he charges these moves to prevent being caught in explosions.
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Roll toward Gaius during his Gravity Dash and Gravity Plunge attacks to evade effectively and capitalize on the recovery frames for heavy counterattacks.
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Stay close but avoid lingering behind him to dodge his quick Wild Kick; instead, roll toward the weapon swings to minimize damage and create openings.
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Buff yourself with offensive and defensive buffs such as Golden Vow, Flame Grant Me Strength, and use protective Physick flasks to increase survivability.
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Sorcery users should rely on fast-tracking spells like Stars of Ruin and Carian Slicer to keep pressure while avoiding long casting times that leave them vulnerable.
By combining precise dodging with spirit summons and strategic buffing, you can mitigate Gaius’s aggressive attacks and exploit his recovery windows to defeat him efficiently.
How can I use Ashes of War to dodge or stagger Gaius effectively
To use Ashes of War effectively against Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, focus on those that enhance your dodging and staggering capabilities:
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Chilling Mist Ash of War: Applying this ash of war to your weapon can rapidly shred Gaius’s health, making your attacks more effective and allowing you to stagger him faster.
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Bloodhound’s Step or Raptor of the Mists: These ashes grant invincibility frames (i-frames) during the dodge, letting you precisely evade Gaius’s Wild Boar Rush and other fast attacks. For example, timing Bloodhound’s Step to dodge to his left just as the boar charges can completely avoid damage.
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Timing Dodges into Attacks: Rolling or dodging into Gaius’s attacks at the last moment (such as his Wild Swing or Gravity Dash) can help you avoid damage and position yourself for counterattacks.
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Staggering Strategy: With the right weapon and Ash of War like Chilling Mist, you can stagger Gaius after about every four hits, opening him up for critical strikes. Use jumping heavy attacks after dodging his aerial slam to maximize stagger potential.
By combining these Ashes of War with precise timing-dodging into his attacks rather than away-and using stagger-focused weapons, you can both evade and interrupt Commander Gaius effectively.
