Elden Ring – How To Beat Sir Gideon Ofnir, The All-Knowing

With Maliketh dead and Lyndell buried in ash, it’s time to make the trek to the Erdtree and claim the throne. Unfortunately, the fight is nowhere near over. Some of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring stand in your way. First on the list: Sir Gideon Ofnir, The All-Knowing.

As the leader of the Roundtable Hold and an “all-knowing” scholar, it’s no surprise that Gideon boasts an impressive array of attacks. The fight is essentially a showcase of all the most powerful Sorceries and Incantations in the game, many of which you will have already encountered in previous boss fights. If you know how to avoid these spells–or are able to apply so much pressure he never has the chance to cast them–this fight is a cinch.

Preparing for the fight

This is one of the last fights in the game, so you should be at a high level by the time you get here. Somewhere in the 150 range is ideal. Get your weapon leveled up to the max–+25 for standard weapons or +10 for unique weapons.

While Gideon does deal Standard damage, his most dangerous attacks deal Magic, Holy, or Fire damage. Suit up in whatever armor has the highest resistance to Elemental damage (Lusat’s Set being the best of the bunch), and bring along some Spellproof, Holyproof, and Fireproof Dried Liver for good measure. Mixing the Opaline Hardtear into your Flask of Wondrous Physick can make a difference, too.

Gideon is extremely weak to Madness, so high-Faith builds should come equipped with their favorite Frenzy Incantations. For Sorcerers, Ranni’s Dark Moon and Eternal Darkness are the best spells for the fight.

Lastly, summoning a Spirit Ash can make quick work of Gideon. You’ll want something that can deal lots of damage up close–Black Knife Tiche is a great option, as is the Mimic Tear if you’re running a melee-centric build yourself.

How to beat Sir Gideon Ofnir, The All-Knowing

If there’s one strategy you want to employ against Gideon, it’s non-stop aggression. His spells are powerful, but they’re almost all projectiles with considerable windups, and can easily be interrupted with even a light attack. Backing him into a wall renders him basically useless; close the gap as quickly as you can, and stun-lock him into oblivion.

If you’re employing a long-ranged strategy–be it spells or arrows–you’ll definitely want to bring along an aggressive Spirit Summon for the fight. Gideon will cast most of his deadliest spells from a distance. Having another player stay in his face to interrupt his casts will give you time to set up your own long-distance attacks, without constantly having to worry about dodging his projectiles.

As soon as you enter the arena for the first time, Gideon will begin a speech. He won’t get aggressive until he’s done speaking, so quickly run up to him and dish out your deadliest attack before he has the chance to defend himself.

Gideon doesn’t deal melee damage. Instead, he relies on casting the strongest spells in the game. These are the Sorceries he will cast throughout the fight:

• Comet. He will fire a large Glintstone comet at you, sometimes casting the spell up to four times in a row in rapid succession. Dodge to the side to avoid damage.
• Comet Azur. He will release a huge energy beam that can easily one-shot you if you get caught in its path. Luckily, the charge-up is very well telegraphed. Roll to the side right before he releases the beam.
• Carian Phalanx. He will summon an arc of magic sword above his head that will shoot at you if you get too close. You can avoid the projectiles by rolling to the side as soon as they fire.
• Rykard’s Rancor. A large, red skull will float toward you, following you around for a while before disappearing. Shortly after, the red trail in the air left by the skull will begin to explode, starting where the spell was cast and ending where the skull disappeared. As menacing as it may be, the skull itself doesn’t actually deal damage. Just pay attention to the path it takes, and get out of the way before the AOE explosions start.

These Sorceries can also all be avoided by getting behind one of the many pillars scattered throughout the room. In addition, if you have the Intelligence required to cast it, Eternal Darkness can be a huge help. It creates a portal that will redirect and absorb almost all of Gideon’s spells, giving you time to run up for an attack. Better yet, hit him with Ranni’s Dark Moon to shut off his ability to cast Sorceries entirely.

These are the Incantations Gideon will cast throughout the fight:

• Black Flame Ritual. He will summon a circle of black flames around himself, which will continue dealing damage to you over time if it connects. Simply dodge away from him to avoid the AOE.
• Triple Rings of Light. He will shoot three large Holy rings, fanning out toward you in straight lines before returning to Gideon a moment after. Get between the rings to avoid, or dodge through them. Be prepared to avoid them when they boomerang back.
• Law of Causality. He will gesture with his arms out to his side, before forming an Elden Ring on his chest. Once you hit him five times, the ring will explode. Try to get in the final hit with a projectile from a distance to avoid damage.
• Scarlet Aeonia. He will jump in the air, becoming a lotus before slamming back into the ground, dealing huge amount of Scarlet Rot in an AOE blast. Run out of the way while he hovers in the air.
• Bloodboon. He will throw a wave of Blood Flame at you, dealing Bleed. Simply get out of range, or dodge backward when he winds up.

Again, Gideon is extremely weak to melee damage. While his spells are powerful, they can all be easily interrupted. Get in his face, don’t lay off with the attacks, and you can defeat him before he even has the chance to cast the majority of his spells. When you kill him, you’ll be rewarded with 150,000 Runes, the All-Knowing Set, and the Scepter of the All-Knowing. Now, it’s time to continue onward and take on Godfrey, First Elden Lord.