To beat Adel, Baron of Night—the Nightlord at the end of the Gaping Jaw expedition—dodge through its bites and charges, punish briefly, and save your attention for the lightning phase. When Adel lifts its head and gathers blue lightning, prepare to evade the grab; at around half health, move out of the purple field and respond to the delayed ground strikes with a jump or roll.
Prepare for the Gaping Jaw expedition
Adel is the Nightlord encounter for Gaping Jaw. Bandai Namco describes expeditions as “a challenging three-day hunt around Limveld”: players gather runes, weapons, passives, and items during the expedition before facing the Nightlord on the third day. Nightreign is primarily balanced for cooperative play with two other players, but the boss’s tells and dodge responses apply regardless of party size. Bandai Namco Entertainment and its official starter guide outline that structure.
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Elden Ring: Nightreign - Seekers Edition /PS5 | $43.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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Useful finds, not mandatory requirements
- Look for poison if it appears. PC Gamer reports that poison can interrupt Adel’s charge and deal damage over time. Its guide also identifies frostbite and scarlet rot as useful; Windows Central additionally lists sleep. These are opportunities, not a required status build, and the guides do not establish a definitive ranking. PC Gamer’s Gaping Jaw guide and Windows Central’s Adel guide discuss these options.
- Favor physical and lightning negation when practical. Adel deals physical damage and adds lightning attacks in the later phase. Defensive gear or consumables can help, but neither is a prerequisite.
- Improve the run as opportunities allow. Level up and collect flask upgrades when practical. Ranged pressure, status application, mobility, and attacks that can stagger are useful complementary party roles, not a required team composition.
Phase one: read the jaws and charge
Bites and charges
When Adel stretches its mouth before biting, roll forward or through the attack rather than backward along its path. At medium range, a wide-open jaw can signal a leaping bite: evade through it, then take a few attacks while the boss recovers.
For the long charge, dodge through the movement and be ready to roll again. Adel’s body can still clip you as it passes, so do not assume one dodge has carried you clear. Keep punish windows short; the priority is to avoid being caught by the next move.
#1 Best Overall
- Elden Ring: Nightreign - Seekers Edition /PS5
The grab
Adel raises its head and gathers blue lightning in its jaws before pulling back and lunging. Dodge through the lunge with precise timing. If a teammate is caught, a strong hit to Adel’s head can interrupt the grab. Windows Central lists heavy jump attacks, powerful spells, Greatbows, Mighty Shot, Ironeye’s Single Shot, and Wylder’s Onslaught Stake as possible ways to deliver that hit; treat them as examples rather than a guaranteed interrupt in every situation.
Roar sequence and head slam
A roar can stagger nearby players and lead into repeated charges followed by a grab. Do not try to trade hits or interrupt the sequence after the roar; evade the charges and be ready for the final grab. When Adel slams its head and creates a circular shockwave, roll through it or jump over it. A jump can also leave an opening to attack.
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Phase two: escape the field, then clear the lightning
At around half health, Adel begins stamping and creates a large purple energy field. This approximate threshold is reported by the boss guides, not a fixed published statistic. When Adel clamps its jaws and the field erupts, move away from the boss and evade the lightning strikes. A related transition or follow-up sequence can occur again later in the phase.
Respond to the aerial slam
After Adel leaps and crashes down, the initial impact is followed by delayed ground lightning. Evade the landing first, then jump over or roll through the wave. Watch the ground glow: it signals that the lightning is about to land. Avoid attacking during the delay if doing so would leave you unable to clear the wave.
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Expect lightning on familiar moves
Some bites and head slams gain lightning area damage in this phase, so leave room to react after dodging the physical attack. The grab also gains a second attempt after a spin. Do not counter after the first lunge; wait for the follow-up lunge, evade it, and then take your opening.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose your approach
| What to prioritize | Why it helps against Adel | Practical choice |
|---|---|---|
| Status pressure | PC Gamer says poison can interrupt the charge and deal damage over time. Guides also identify frostbite, scarlet rot, and sleep as possible tools. | Use a status option if the expedition offers one; no single effect is established as mandatory or definitively best. |
| Survivability | Adel deals physical damage and adds lightning in phase two. | Take physical and lightning negation when available, without sacrificing the ability to evade its tells. |
| Party contribution | Ranged pressure, status application, mobility, and stagger or critical-hit openings can complement one another. | Coordinate around the tools your party found; no fixed party composition is required. |
The cited guides were published in May 2025, and the official starter guide in June 2025. Exact move timings, status susceptibility, and balance may change with patches; no exact damage values or guaranteed build are established here.
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