Summary
By now, it’s common knowledge thatElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is simultaneously the best-reviewed and one of the most challenging DLCs of all time. FromSoftware certainly spared no expense when it comes to Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty, and it has proven to be an unfortunate point of contention for the otherwise noteworthy expansion. This challenge manifests itself as the vast majority of work that players have put into making theirElden Ringcharacters overpowered for the game’s base content is largely set aside in exchange for a new type of “leveling” system in Shadow Realm Blessings.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s new progression system has players seeking out Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash to increase their damage output and negation while on and off horseback in the Realm of Shadow. It has divided players, to say the least, as many of them don’t like feeling like their time spent inElden Ring’s base game means anything. Even so, while these upgrades are hardly felt initially, they make a significant difference once players have collected plenty. The case for collecting them is made even stronger byShadow of the Erdtree’s optional boss fights, as many of them are much more difficult than some of the main bosses. Commander Gaius is one of those significantly problematic optional bosses.
Players Need Plenty of Shadow Realm Blessings to Conquer Commander Gaius in Shadow of the Erdtree
Commander Gaius Is One of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Most Frustrating Bosses
Everything is more difficult inElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but much of it is fairly manageable so long as players maintain their patience. Commander Gaius, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Serving as the gatekeeper to the Realm of Shadow’s optional Scaduview area, Commander Gaius is a fierce boss who rides what seems to be one of the largest, fastest, and strongest boars alive. What makes Gaius such a challenge to overcome, however, isn’t strictly difficulty in its purest form, like most of Shadow of the Erdtree’s other bosses.
As soon as players enter the arena, Gaius begins charging at them on boarback from a distance. Aside from the very first time players enter Gaius' boss arena, they have very little time to get out of harm’s way before being sandwiched between Gaius and the fog they stepped through to get there. From that point on, Gaius is relentless — perhaps more so than almost any other boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. He is incredibly fast, hardly pays any attention to anySpirit Ashesplayers summon, and is so large that his melee attacks are nearly impossible to dodge.
All of this has forced players to either change their equipment or cheese him entirely by trapping him in a nearby corner while they collect themselves or deal AoE damage to him. Survival is possible if players have a shield equipped, but that forces them out of their favorite build. Furthermore, players arguably shouldn’t have to cheese a boss in anyFromSoftware game, as that defeats the purpose of them being challenging. Finally, there is a way to skip the fight with Gaius entirely, which seems to suggest even the game knows how frustrating of a battle it is.
Shadow Realm Blessings Are the Key to Defeating Commander Gaius in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
If players don’t wish to change their build just to defeat Commander Gaius, their best option is to prioritize collecting and activating as many Shadow Realm Blessings as possible. In this way, Gaius' extreme difficulty makes a strong case forShadow of the Erdtree’s new progression system, whether players like it or not. Once players have gathered enough Shadow Realm Blessings, Gaius becomes nothing more than another normal optional boss.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
