Gladius Expedition Raider Build

This build will help you beat Gladius, Beast of Night (Tricephalos) as the Raider but its general strategies can also be applied to other Nightlords.

Raider is a character who can both take heavy hits and deal a good amount of damage. This is pretty handy for this boss, especially in phase 2, where you can easily get overwhelmed by being focused on all 3 wolves.

The weapons chosen for the Best-in-slot section are a bit rarer to find, so if you can't, take a look at the alternatives. These are the best for this boss since they are the only heavy strength weapons that deal Holy damage. Holy damage is your priority for this boss because it staggers him consistently.

Day 1

Even though Raider’s base HP is better than most, it's better to find enemies for level 2 before risking anything at a location.

If we are near a Church, go there. Churches give you extra flask charges, and on any melee character, especially a tanky one like Raider, it's important to have all heals.

Fort’s are also great early settlements to go to because the enemies and bosses are fairly easy to deal with, and they always include a map for the location of talisman beetles.

Raider gets much stronger with the correct talisman, so if any are on your route, get them!

You can also decide to go to a Main Encampment to find a shopkeeper and a smithing table who tend to spawn there often. There, you can also defeat the boss for extra levels. Usually aim for level 5-8 after day 1 to have a good setup for the boss and day 2.

You want to try looking for the weapon you want for this run; some of our recommended ones, however, are of epic quality. This means you need either better item discovery, kill elite bosses, or have to find a hidden stash. These have set spawn locations, but you never know which one they spawn at, so it's better to find the map in a fort, which tells you where it could be.

Day 2

On Day 2, we want to start looking for either a Field Boss, Castle, or Ruin. We can run towards a Crater if it spawns, but I don't recommend this unless you already have the weapon you want. It's much better to kill a ton of bosses and try to get your weapon that way.

Keep stacked up on consumables, but don't be afraid to burn through them. Once you have your desired weapons, if they need upgrading, get a shard from one of the mines. You should be far too strong for the boss in there, so that should be a breeze.

Keep looking for weapon passives and try to get as high a level as possible for day 2!

Day 3

With this guide, we are taking into account that you fight the boss Gladius.

Be sure to check the shop and level up before you enter the arena!

Gladius is most dangerous at mid-range because of his swipe attacks with his sword. Raider wants to get into close range anyway, but he has no gap closer like Wylder or Guardian.

Because of that, keep in mind, Gladius always follows his sword swipes up with a second, so don't get baited into safety.

Save your ultimate for his phase 2, where he splits into 3. If they all come to you, your ultimate will both give you i-frames and do massive damage to all 3 wolves, dealing a good chunk to the boss itself. Keep in mind to use jump attacks with the setup we are running for maximum guard break damage and HP damage.

• You want to powerstance all the time and jump attack almost exclusively because of the strength of powerstancing, strength-based weapons.
• Be sure to use consumables on every day end boss fight, there are plenty to go around, so don't be greedy and keep it until you die.
• If you are playing with 3 people, keep in mind to collect plenty of resistances or HP as well, since you will be the main frontline!
• You can also use your ultimate as a setup for an Ironeye or Recluse to give them high ground and protection from the boss!