In an interesting twist, Sir Gideon Ofnir — who blocks your path to the Erdtree in Leyndell, Ashen Capital — is one of the NPCs you first meet at the Roundtable Hold. What he’s doing in the Erdtree Sanctuary is certainly up for debate, but what isn’t debatable is that he’s an arrogant jerk who needs to die. Careful observers will note that Gideon casts numerous spells available to the player, albeit with unlimited FP. His constant spell spamming can be frustrating, but he doesn’t have much HP and falls easily if you utilize summons.
General Tips
Gideon’s spells don’t do too much damage to summons, and therefore they are even more effective than usual in this boss fight.
Since Gideon exclusively casts spells, physical defense doesn’t matter, and it’s best to equip armor that has high Magic and Holy defense. The Haligdrake Talisman +2, Spelldrake Talisman +2, and the Pearldrake Talisman +2 are particularly effective in this fight. If there’s a spell you have trouble avoiding, you can also equip armor that has high resistance to the damage that spell does (see Moveset below for details).
This boss can be backstabbed and interrupted, but not staggered.
Running horizontally (at a 90-degree angle) to Gideon will cause all of his targeted spells to miss, except for the Triple Rings of Light incantation.
Use the pillars/corners to hide from the boss’s spells if you need to drink a flask.
Strategy
With the exception of the duo boss fights, this may be the boss that summons help the most against. There are two reasons for this: first, Gideon does a ton of damage to players, but significantly less to summons. The second reason is that he is a glass cannon, and can be backstabbed, so having a summon distract him lets you get behind him. Make sure you have your summon upgraded as much as possible (you should be able to get it to +10 at this point in the game). Latenna is a great choice since she keeps him rolling and therefore lowers his DPS, but the old reliables Tiche and Mimic are also perfectly good options.
If it’s your first time entering the boss room, you’ll be able to run over and get some free damage in while he monologues; otherwise, just summon your spirit ash of choice as soon as you enter the room, then start running towards him while sticking to the left. If he casts a spell, you can hide behind the pillars just before the stairs. Once he’s cast a spell, or if he’s idling/targeting your summon, make your way up the stairs and to the cluster of pillars on the left side of the room.
These pillars are where you can hide any time you need to drink a flask, or just if you want to wait for Gideon to stop targeting you. Once he turns to target your summon, run over and backstab him — you can also sometimes catch him with a charged attack after he gets up.
The Rings of Light spell Gideon casts can make it past the pillars, so try your best to avoid it on its return
If you’re running a bleed build or otherwise using a weapon with a powerful weapon art, feel free to spam that at him from behind rather than relying on backstabs — things like the Rivers of Blood’s Corpse Piler will not only stagger Gideon but quickly deplete his health. If you’re exclusively a ranged character, you can still use the same positioning and just use the pillars for cover after casting a spell. Every time Gideon turns to face your summon, you can step out from behind cover and hit him again.
It’s unlikely, but if your spirit summon dies before Gideon does, your strategy will have to change. Melee characters can apply pressure by rolling through Gideon’s attacks and constantly attacking to interrupt his spells. Depending on your weapon, you may find that light attacks, jumping heavy attacks, or rolling attacks work best to catch him coming out of his rolls.
Ranged characters should consider swapping to a melee weapon, although you can continue using the pillars and attack after dodging Gideon’s spells. Spells like Carian Piercer that can knock Gideon down (or up) are particularly effective.
Make sure you’re always fighting Gideon near the pillars, or else near a corner — you want to make sure you have a place to hide from his spells and heal.
It’s also worth noting that as of patch 1.05, it seems as though Madness incantations are bugged and do too much damage to Gideon — try Frenzied Burst on him and see if he dies in two hits!
Moveset
Gideon always has access to the following spells.
Knowledge Above All [Debuff] – Cast at the beginning of every fight, and reduces magic and holy resistance for both Gideon and the player.
Triple Rings of Light [Holy Damage] –Gideon summons three rings of light that fly towards the target, then return to their point of origin. If you’re at mid range or further, you can move backwards — the rings spread out and you can stand between them. If you’re close to him, you’ll have to get behind him and stay there to avoid taking damage.
Law of Causality [Holy Damage] –Gideon stands still and moves his arms, and a golden rune appears on his chest. After receiving five attacks, an AOE explosion will emanate from Gideon. Try to proc this with a ranged attack — melee characters can use Throwing Daggers or something similar for this purpose.
Carian Phalanx [Magic Damage] –Gideon summons an arc of glintstone daggers above his head that stay there until a target moves into range — the daggers then fly towards the target. These are deadly if you get caught by another spell while they’re active, so try to run in a circle around him to get them to fire at you while you’re moving horizontally — can also be rolled.
Comet [Magic Damage] –Gideon fires a powerful homing comet from his staff. Easily avoided by moving horizontally or rolling, but does a decent chunk of damage if it catches you.
Black Flame Ritual [Fire Damage] –Gideon creates a circle of black flame around him. If you’re in melee range, you can stay within the circle and avoid damage, otherwise back up to avoid the flames.
Gideon will only cast the following spells if certain conditions are met before you burn the Erdtree.
Rykard’s Rancor [Fire Damage] – Only used if you informed Gideon of Rykard’s location. Gideon summons a homing skull that leaves a trail of flames in its wake. After a brief delay, explosions occur along the trail. Since the skull doesn’t do damage, you just need to get out of the trail before it explodes. If you put a pillar or wall between you and Gideon as he casts this, the skull should get stuck on the obstacle.
Blood Boon [Fire Damage + Bleed] – Only used if you informed Gideon of Mohg’s location. Gideon tosses pools of flaming blood out in front of him. Easily avoided, but don’t stand in the flames, as they inflict Bleed. You can also interrupt him while he casts this by damaging him.
Comet Azur [Magic Damage] – Only used if you didn’t complete Sellen’s questline. Gideon summons magical energy into his staff and then releases a large beam. Can be avoided by running horizontally or rolling. You can also interrupt him while he casts this by damaging him.
Scarlet Aeonia [?? Damage + Rot] – Only used if you informed Gideon of Malenia’s location. Gideon leaps into the air and turns into an Aeonian flower, then slams into the ground. Upon landing, he begins inflicting Rot in a large AOE. Long windup, so easily avoided by running away.
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