Elden Ring Nightreign: How To Play Guardian

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Quick Links

  • Guardian’s Abilities

    • Passive: Steel Guard
    • Character Skill: Whirlwind
    • Ultimate Art: Wings Of Salvation
  • Best Weapons For Guardian
  • Best Relics
  • Guardian’s Expedition Strategies
  • Best Team Composition

    • Ironeye
    • Executor

Nightreign features eight distinct character classes for players to choose from. Once you’ve unlocked them all, it’s important to note that each class handles uniquely. Switching between these characters can sometimes be challenging if you’re not fully aware of the playstyle associated with each one.

In that particular scenario, I take center stage. Among the eight character classes in the game, it’s Guardian who has claimed my primary role. By now, I’ve played countless runs with Guardian, and the more time I invest with him, the clearer his true value and effectiveness become.

As a bird enthusiast, damage dealer, supporter at heart, or someone prioritizing longevity, Guardian could very well become your go-to companion in the world of Nightfarer.

Let’s check out how to get the most out of our favorite feathered friend.

Guardian’s Abilities

Ability Type Description
Steel Guard Passive Trades running for an improved defensive stance while blocking.
Whirlwind Character Skill Summons a tornado that lifts smaller enemies into the air, then crashes them back down to earth. Deals damage to all in the area regardless of size.
Wings Of Salvation Ultimate Art Guardian flies into the air, then smashes into the ground while dealing AOE damage to any enemy close by.

Passive: Steel Guard

The passive ability of Guardian is called Steel Guard, which elevates him further as the top tank in Nightreign. With this skill activated, Guardian becomes more resilient and can endure greater amounts of enemy attacks by fortifying himself with a shield. However, he loses his mobility during this time.

In straightforward terms, let me rephrase that for you: I nearly always wield two weapons in Nightreign, so I didn’t find Steel Guard to be my go-to defensive feature. However, if you prefer a more traditional sword-and-shield playstyle, Steel Guard will significantly enhance any shield you acquire in the game.

Character Skill: Whirlwind

Whirlwind is a decent character ability, but it doesn’t quite reach the top tier among Nightfarers in terms of effectiveness. However, it does have its advantages and can be employed to ensnare nearby opponents within a mini-whirlwind, hurling them into the air if they are small or medium-sized. Upon their return to the ground, you can then attack them as they struggle to regain their footing.

While it may not be capable of lifting something as massive as a game boss aloft under normal circumstances, this skill can inflict a minimal amount of harm on any in-game entities. With careful timing, you can even block incoming projectiles by executing a precise Whirlwind maneuver.

Ultimate Art: Wings Of Salvation

Even though Guardian’s passive and character abilities are relatively average, I really enjoy using its ultimate art in the game. It’s straightforward yet versatile, making it useful in a variety of situations. Most notably, this skill functions exceptionally well offensively. Guardian will soar into the air before plummeting back down at high speed, causing an area-of-effect (AOE) damage to anyone nearby. This can significantly deplete boss health and even instantly eliminate minor enemies.

You can steer Wings Of Salvation while airborne to fine-tune where Guardian will smash down.

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “After pulling off this move, I can keep my guard up for both support and defense. Holding down the R2 button after landing maintains my AEO radius active, transforming it into a protective, radiant zone that safeguards any teammates who are within its vicinity.

As a gamer, what truly stands out about Wings of Salvation is its instant resuscitation capability for allies on the brink of defeat. In the heat of battle, if one of my teammates goes down, all I need to do is unleash this move, and voila! They’re back in the game, ready to fight again.

Best Weapons For Guardian

In this section, it’s clear that things are simple. The Guardian initially wields a halberd, yet during his journey, he can discover and grab various types of weapons such as axes, colossals, and greatswords. It’s all about your personal preference when it comes to choosing these weapon types, but the halberd remains the Guardian’s go-to weapon, essentially his primary choice.

During your journey, strive to consistently pick up the finest halberds that catch your eye. If one offers greater damage or matches your preferred elemental damage type, replace your initial weapon with this enhanced version.

Be sure to focus on the Nightlord’s vulnerabilities during your upcoming journey. Finding a halberd that inflicts the appropriate damage for the boss will significantly improve your position by the end.

Essentially, it doesn’t get much easier than this, but I would particularly suggest considering the following options: [Item 1], [Item 2], or [Item 3], should you manage to acquire them.

There seems to be only one instance where Guardian can’t use his cherished halberd, and that’s because this alternative weapon functions similarly for thrusting or poking movements, yet it offers the advantage of being quicker and more agile compared to most other halberds due to its speed.

Best Relics

The choice of relics often boils down to personal taste, but there are particular options worth exploring to maximize your experience with Guardian. Keep in mind that these items have a certain degree of randomness as well, since some of the top-tier ones you might acquire are awarded at random after completing runs.

Initially, the Guardian has one slot for a red relic and two slots for yellow ones. My recommendation is to focus on finding relics that boost the speed at which Guardian’s ultimate ability charges. This allows him to activate Winds Of Salvation as frequently as possible, either for dealing damage or reviving allies.

Given his focus on close combat, seek items from your collection of relics that complement this style. Items such as those that increase critical hit damage, enhance damage following the application of oils, or boost the number of runes for all allies upon defeating opponents could prove very beneficial.

I strongly lean towards the additional relic choices available for Guardian when you acquire his goblet from the Small Jar Bazaar at Roundtable Hold. This change results in a setup consisting of two blue and one green spot, rather than the starting layout of one red and two yellow spots that Guardian initially has.

Using this fresh color palette, it’s beneficial to bestow a particular artifact upon the Guardian at an earlier stage of the game. Doing so will provide a pleasant edge.

After wrapping up the thrilling Gaping Jaw expedition, I find myself grasping the Night of the Baron. This bad boy is all about amping up my critical hits! It beefs up their potency, speeds up the filling of my Wings of Salvation ultimate art gauge, and even swiftly restores my stamina post-critical strikes.

Guardian’s Expedition Strategies

Guardian may appear simpler than other game characters, but don’t underestimate the opportunity for mastery. Here’s a bit more insight on how to excel with this feathery companion in every adventure:

(The original sentence was: Guardian isn’t that difficult to grasp compared to many of the more complex characters in the game, but that doesn’t mean there’s not anything else to learn about his playstyle. Here are some additional tips to maximize your birdly prowess during any expedition.)

  • Be The Tank: Guardian has the highest HP rating in the game, so you’re signing up to be the tank of the team when you select him as your Nightfarer. Use this extra HP to draw aggro away from teammates if they’re in a pinch, since you’ll be able to withstand an extra hit or two.
  • Consider Hanging Onto Your Ultimate Art For Support: Wings Of Salvation is nice for dealing some AOE damage, but consider being a bit more strategic with it. If your teammates are prone to falling and entering a Near Death status, Wings Of Salvation can be deployed to immediately revive an ally, no matter how full their Near Death meter is.
  • Gather Grease: Since you’re going to be mostly melee-focused as Guardian, weapon grease can be a tide-turner. Focus on finding the grease that the Nightlord is weak to specifically, then hoard it all for the final battle to make your strongest weapon as useful as possible.
  • Don’t Forget About Your Charged Attacks: I’m someone who’s occasionally guilty of R1 spamming, and that’s become even worse in Nightreign. Don’t overlook Guardian’s charged R2, however. With a halberd, this turns into a spinning slash attack that hits twice. Oftentimes, the second hit from a fully charged R2 is enough to stagger an enemy entirely.

Best Team Composition

In truth, Guardian works well with many characters in the game due to his versatility. He excels as both a supportive ally and a sturdy front-line fighter dealing significant melee damage, making him compatible with various Nightfarers.

One type among the trio must belong to the category of range-based characters, but it might be challenging for the Guardian to defeat any aerial adversary due to his limited mobility. Essentially, he’s been incapacitated in flight. However, it’s important to note that this is not a reflection of his performance or skills.

Ironeye

In the game, Ironye stands out as the top Nightfarer due to his exceptional versatility, seamlessly integrating with various character combinations. For instance, when it comes to Guardian synergy, Ironye’s primary strength lies in his ranged attacks, making him an essential choice given his infinite bow and arrow.

To effectively accompany Guardian when battling against bosses such as Sentient Pest or Augur, it’s essential to equip Ironeye for his ability to inflict intermittent damage while those bosses are airborne. During this time, Guardian can focus on providing support and utilizing his ultimate skill to continuously resuscitate any fallen allies.

In simpler terms, Ironeye’s Marking ability synergizes well with the Guardian role. The Marking skill places a symbol on a chosen foe. While this symbol persists, the targeted enemy sustains increased damage. Given that the Guardian is typically a melee tank character, this gives him an opportunity to deal maximum damage to the marked enemy.

The passive ability of Ironeye, dubbed Eagle Eye, is quite useful as it helps guide Guardian towards specific item locations on the map. Given that Guardian primarily operates in close-combat, it’s crucial for him to carry a weapon suitable for dealing damage to Nightlord’s weak points during battle. With Eagle Eye by his side, Guardian can usually locate the necessary items more efficiently.

Executor

An Executor inflicts considerable rapid harm due to its capacity to cause bleeding in adversaries, making it particularly effective in conjunction with Guardian’s battle skills against enemies.

In the game, Executor boasts one of the strongest final abilities with Aspects Of The Crucible: Beast. This transformative skill enables Executor to inflict massive, rapid damage as long as he remains transformed, however, there’s a caveat. While in this form, Executor is still vulnerable to damage and may even perish if he concentrates solely on attacking without caution.

Due to the Executor’s tendency towards near-death experiences, given his need for consistent aggression, the Guardian’s supportive actions complement each other quite well. This means that the Guardian player can always have Wings of Salvation prepared, ready to revive Executor in case he gets knocked down.

An Executor could suit a variety of players, however, his high-stakes, potentially high-yield approach seems to align best with individuals who can quickly reactivate him, such as Guardians.

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2025-05-30 17:15