My Epic Battle with the Sentient Pest Trio in Elden Ring Nightreign: A Tarnished's Tale
Discover the brutal, innovative boss fights in Elden Ring Nightreign's latest DLC, featuring intense challenges and groundbreaking gameplay transformations.
I've been grinding Elden Ring Nightreign since launch, and let me tell you, FromSoftware is absolutely BRUTAL with their content drops! It's 2025, and they're still finding new ways to make me question my life choices as a gamer. This DLC almost feels like a live service game at this point—they're not just adding health or cranking up difficulty, they're completely reinventing boss fights with entirely new move sets that make me want to throw my controller through the wall (in the best way possible).
The Three-Headed Nightmare
The Sentient Pest fight with Animus is hands down the most insane encounter I've experienced in my 300+ hours of Nightreign. Picture this: I walk into the arena, thinking I'm hot stuff because I've beaten the original Nightlords, only to get absolutely DEMOLISHED by this enhanced version. The original duo was tough enough, but adding a third head to this cosmic horror show? FromSoft must be laughing at our pain!
The first phase feels deceptively manageable—almost suspiciously so. The health pool is significantly smaller than the standard version, which gave me false confidence. I was thinking, "Huh, maybe they're taking it easy on us for once?" WRONG. They just wanted to get me to the soul-crushing second phase faster. Classic FromSoft mind games!
When Two Become Three
After I managed to take down Gnoster (which took me about 15 attempts, not that I'm counting), I thought I'd get a moment to breathe. Nope! Like some cosmic phoenix, Animus appears and raises both bosses from the ashes. My jaw literally dropped when I saw this happen the first time. The kicker? This resurrection sequence isn't even downtime—you can actually damage them while they're recovering!
My squad and I learned this the hard way after our fourth wipe. "Guys, GUYS! Hit them while they're down!" I screamed into my headset, probably blowing out my friends' eardrums. Sorry not sorry, this is war!
The Unholy Trinity's Moveset
Let me break down this nightmare for you:
| Boss | What Makes Them The Worst |
|---|---|
| Faurtis | That annoying roar attack that chips away health constantly. Plus those delayed ground slams that shoot up red mist—at least it's not Rot! |
| Gnoster | Faster than a caffeinated cheetah with rain of light attacks that last for what feels like ETERNITY |
| Animus | Those red pillars of light with laser beams that have made me rage quit at least twice |
The most diabolical part? When one of the two main bosses dies, Animus just hops into their body like it's some kind of cosmic Uber, enhancing their attacks and making your life miserable all over again.
My Winning Strategy (Eventually)
After getting absolutely destroyed for about three hours straight (no, I'm not exaggerating), we finally figured out a strategy. Focus on Faurtis first—he's slightly more predictable, even with his annoying roar. When Animus starts casting those red pillars of light with laser beams raining down, it's actually a great opportunity to punish him if you can dodge the attacks.
And let me tell you, dodging those lasers feels like trying to navigate through a nightclub laser show while carrying three cups of coffee. The spacing between each beam is tighter than my gaming budget, and that final strike has a radius that feels like it covers half the arena!
The Sweet Taste of Victory
When we finally took down this unholy trinity, the rush was UNREAL. Five Sovereign Sigils plus a first-clear bonus of 25 more felt like the sweetest reward after such a punishing fight. Was it worth the four hours of my life and the new dent in my wall from throwing my controller? Absolutely.
The thing that gets me about FromSoftware is how they keep reinventing these fights. It's not just "here's the same boss but stronger"—it's "here's the same boss but now it has an existential crisis and a new friend who shoots lasers." And somehow, I keep coming back for more punishment. I guess that's what makes us Elden Ring players a special kind of masochistic.
If you're planning to take on this challenge, all I can say is: may the Erdtree bless your reflexes, and don't forget to stock up on controllers. You're gonna need 'em!
I'm off to try the next enhanced boss fight. Rumor has it they've added a fourth head to something... pray for me.