Gladius Expedition Recluse Build

In this Elden Ring build guide, we will look at the best equipment you can use to defeat Gladius, Beast of Night (Tricephalos) as the Recluse.

Gladius, Beast of Night (Tricephalos) is a fast-paced boss who primarily dishes out physical damage, but also has a few hard-hitting fire attacks, so equipping gear with resistances to both is crucial, especially for mid to close-range casters who can't always stay out of reach.

While this boss can be challenging, it’s notably weak to holy damage—something the Recluse can exploit especially well thanks to her S-scaling in Faith.

Recluse is one of the squishiest characters in the game, with extremely low health, so your role in this fight is to stay mobile and strike from within your effective range without drawing too much attention.

While this boss is aggressive and punishes poor spacing, smart positioning and effective use of your Magic Cocktails will be key to surviving and turning the tide in your favor.

Day 1

Recluse is tied for the lowest health pool in the game, so it’s crucial to stick with your team and use your pins wisely. Efficient pathing around the map will make a big difference, helping you farm faster and making boss fights significantly easier.

Focus on farming at as many locations as possible to boost your level and secure a usable staff or seal early.

Use the map’s overview feature to spot areas that drop catalysts, and prioritize locations with holy or frost affinities—these deal the most damage to Gladius.

Start heading toward those spots, stopping at churches and smaller settlements along the way. Just be careful not to lose too much time or get caught in the storm.

Equip any weapon with a useful passive as soon as you find it; even minor effects can offer a big edge early on.

Day 2

Powerful field bosses with rare drops will begin spawning today. By now, you should have a reliable weapon and enough levels to start challenging them for valuable runes and loot.

Start leading your team toward these field bosses, making stops at churches and small encampments to pick up extra resources along the way.

If a boss seems too difficult for your group, don’t force the fight. Skip it and move on. There’s a good chance you’ll find a more manageable encounter elsewhere, and it’s far better than wiping and losing levels.

Take some time to sort through your gear and equip weapons with the most useful passives you’ve found so far. That little bit of extra damage could be what makes the difference in the final fight.

Day 3

Take your time to prepare.

Level up first, then pick up any upgrades or consumables you need from the merchant.

Swap out any unused upgrade materials or keys for extra consumables.
These won’t be usable during the fight, so bring only what you’ll actively use.

BUY STARLIGHT SHARDS AND WARMING STONES!!! 

The starlight shards will allow you to spam your spells without the need to collect affinity residues as often.

The warming stones will grant you another source of healing, which you will find is a scarce resource during these long fights.

• Try to stay at the edge of your spell’s effective range to avoid taking damage and drawing the boss’s attention.
• • If you do grab aggro, create distance and kite the boss toward your teammates to safely reset its focus.
    
• Top up your FP by collecting affinities between casts. 
• • Managing this well ensures you can keep casting without running dry.
    
• Equip at least two elemental damage types to give yourself some flexibility when mixing Magic Cocktails.
  
• Once the boss splits, try to pull one of them toward you and let your team handle the other two. Just be sure to keep an eye on the others, as you can easily get flanked if you lose track.
  
• Prioritize survival over damage.
• • If you go down, one of your teammates will be forced to handle two bosses at once, which can quickly spiral into a wipe.