How to Defeat Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Commander Gaius is a difficult customer Elden Ring‘S Shadow of Erdtree DLC, on top of a huge boar that can punch and kick you, which says nothing about the actual humanoid boss itself. Commander Gaius is located at the back of the Shadow Keep area in the Elden Ring DLC.

Us Elden Ring The DLC guide not only includes how to defeat Commander Gaius in Shadow of the Erdtreebut will also reveal the boss’s weaknesses and how to prepare for the encounter.

Commander Gaius location in Elden Ring DLC

Commander Gaius is found immediately behind the Shadow Keep. While it’s an optional boss, this essentially means you have to get past Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, and Messmer the Impaler to even search for the boss.

Spirit Summons are available in this battle, as is multiplayer summoning, if you start from the Backdoor place of grace within Shadow Keep itself.

Weaknesses of Commander Gaius and how to prepare

Commander Gaius is especially weak at one thing: Bleed. You can build up Bleed damage to the boss with a few quick hits, so for this boss fight I would recommend the Bloodhound canine from the base game as one weapon of your choice.

As you’ll soon notice, Commander Gaius hits hard with some magic damage. It’s not actually elemental damage – it’s gravity magic – so whatever shield that gives you bonus protection in the Magic category will work very well for you here.

How to defeat Commander Gaius in Elden Ring DLC

Staying close to Commander Gaius is crucial for this boss fight, especially if you’re a melee user. Normally you want to roll through the boss’s attacks, rather than avoid him. This allows him to end his charge attack, which is by far one of the most annoying attacks of any boss I’ve encountered in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Commander Gaius boss battle phase 1

Speaking of which, let’s say you encounter the charge attack, with Commander Gaius and his farmer charging at you full force. To do this, you’ll need to dodge the boss, making sure to avoid not only the outstretched weapon, but also the two legs of the boar itself.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Therefore, staying close to Commander Gaius is your best bet, but this does mean that you will see combo attacks. The boss has one five-hit combo attack, a combination of Gaius’ spear swings and boar’s headbutts. Your best bet here is to dodge sideways through the attacks. (Thankfully, there’s a pretty decent rhythm to the attacks that you can really concentrate on.)

If you stand behind the boar, be aware that it will kick at you with its hind legs. This attack is actually quite difficult to dodge, as there is barely any warning that it is coming. If the boss doesn’t attack for at least a second, be aware that this move is probably coming.

Commander Gaius boss battle 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 gravity-based attacks. Basically, many of Commander Gaius’ normal attacks, like the charge, are now boosted with gravity magic, meaning they hit a lot harder.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Commander Gaius will jump into the air for one of two attacks. If he doesn’t get too far off the ground, it means he’s about to perform the attack we mentioned earlier. Keep your nerve, don’t dodge too early, and you can similarly roll through the attack right before it hits you.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

As Commander Gaius rises high into the air, he’s about to spin around and fall back down near you. Again, you really need to hold your nerve here – there’s a slight delay when he’s about halfway to the ground, allowing you to dodge early when you least expect it.

Another important attack to look out for is when an orb appears between the boar’s horns. This is a gravity sphere and it will emit four pulses that can damage you as it slowly grows in size. Try to stay well away from the orb, which thankfully doesn’t move once it’s set down.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

When Commander Gaius is dead, you will be rewarded with 230,000 runesand the Commemoration of the Boar Rider. Take this last item to the Finger Reader in the Roundtable Hold to activate it and turn it into a weapon.

For more Elden Ring DLC bosses, check out our guides on all Remembrance bosses and learn how to duplicate Remembrance bosses. Do you need to start up? We have location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Old Ring DLC map.