Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppGladius is a three-headed red wolf that can separate into three wolves during the fight. It uses its sword-whip to attack, as well as lunging and mauling attacks, and can spit out a fiery breath covering a large area.
The best general approach for this fight is to have someone like Wylder or Guardian take aggro and act as a decoy while high-damaging characters like the Recluse and Duchess attack from the sides or behind. Fast-hitting and hit-and-run strategies work the best against Gladius.
Weakness | Holy Damage |
|---|---|
Resistance | Fire Damage |
Damage Dealt | Physical / Fire |
Rewards |
"A many-legged beast appearing from shadow, carrying on its back a chain-link sword used to hunt its prey. Between the fangs of its many heads flicker overwhelming flames. When assailed by multiple shadows, only sacred light can hinder the hunt."
Here's a more detailed look at the resistances and weaknesses of Gladius, Beast of Night (Tricephalos).
Credits to the original compiler at pug.5ch.net.
Standard | Slash | Strike | Pierce | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Holy | Poison | Rot | Bleed | Frostbite | Sleep | Madness |
+10% | -50% | +35% | 541 | 252 | 252 | 541 | 154 | - |
Gladius moves around quickly while lunging and biting at players, so landing heavy attacks is difficult, as Gladius will never stay in place.
The boss can use these quick attacks in between combos:
Gladius can also perform stronger attacks that deal significant damage and even one-shot squishy Nightfarers:
After Gladius’ HP falls under 66%, it will enter phase two and immediately shape-shift into three You can reposition and heal during the phase shift.
Sometimes, a red circle will appear on one of the players, showing that they have the boss’ attention, and the three wolves will focus that character. If it’s you, try to play safe and run away until the focus mark disappears.
The individual wolves are more agile, too, and can hit in quicker succession. Stay on your toes and don’t over-commit to attacks. After a set time, the wolves will merge together again.
In Phase 2, Gladius gains a new sword attack where it’ll set the sword on fire and drag it across the ground, making it explode forward. This attack has a very punishable window afterward, so try to stay behind it to retaliate.
Gladius' Everdark Sovereign fight features a brand-new white look for the boss, and upgrades some of its regular attacks while gaining new ones, increasing the difficulty of the fight.
The boss will start the fight in its second phase, split into three separate dogs, which keep the regular moveset. Gladius constantly howls, making the other dogs focus a specific party member. While being focused (you will see a dark circle on your character), focus on running away and dodging while your teammates attack the dogs.
Around 70% HP, the three dogs will merge and transition into the Everdark phase, gaining a new set of attacks and increasing the range of other regular ones.
Some of Everdark Gladius' attacks cover a wide range and leave lingering AoE damage, so having access to extra healing, flasks, and HP boosts will greatly aid during the fight.
Gladius is weak to holy damage, and dealing enough Holy damage will stagger it, and decrease its attack and defense for a certain time.
When Gladius falls below 70% HP, it will enter its Everdark phase. You can freely hit the boss during this time. Immediately after, it will perform two quick lunges and then create three sets of fissures on the ground, very similarly to Heolstor's ultimate move.
Gladius can lunge and bite at nearby players just like its regular version, and also swing its sword in 360-degree sweeps around. His melee moveset is relatively similar, and players will find it easy to dodge its attacks if they can maneuver around its body.
Triple Fire Wave
Gladius will run away from players, set its mouth and sword ablaze, and shoot three fire waves at players. These cover a wide range and area to the sides, so dodging in the exact timing is crucial to avoid damage.
Extended Sword Combo
Gladius' sword combos create fire explosions, and it has a new follow-up move. It will start with two downward slams at players, then a 360-degree sweep, and a final horizontal lunge. Dodge the first one sideways, run away from the second one, get away from it to avoid the third hit, and dodge or run in any direction to not get hit by the final one.
These moves have a higher hitbox than the usual sword attacks due to the fire explosions, so don't hesitate to move away further than usual to avoid getting hit.
Phase Four
After Everdark Gladius is brought below 40% HP, it will split into three dogs again. This time around, it will perform a dangerous phase transition attack, where the dogs will lunge at players with incredible speed multiple times, ending with a howl and a last lunge that triggers an explosion afterward.
This attack is practically impossible to dodge unless you know the exact timing, so dodge a split second after the dogs are ready to lunge, and dodge twice in quick succession to avoid the final lunge. Running perpendicularly to Gladius is another viable strategy to dodge, but avoid running toward other players. You could also save your ultimate and use its invincibility frames to dodge the attack.
In phase four, the dogs become more aggressive, attacking nonstop. The target mechanic is back, and the player who has been targeted by Gladius (indicated by a dark red circle over the character) should avoid attacking and focus on dodging and running away.
The main dog will always use the sword, performing quick slashes, while the others will lunge and bite players, focusing on the targeted Nightfarer. Gladius will target players two or three times before merging again into a single dog, reverting to Phase 3. If this phase seems difficult to deal with, you could always stall it out, running away from the boss until it reverts.
