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Elden RingNightreignhas eight character classes to play as, once you manage to unlock them all, and each one handles pretty differently. Because of this, it can sometimes be tricky to bounce back and forth between these Nightfarers without knowing exactly the type of playstyle you’re getting into.
That’s where I come in. Of the eight classes in the game, Guardian quickly became my main. I’ve done so many runs with Guardian at this point, and his true use and utility honestly only get more apparent the more time I spend with him.
Elden Ring Nightreign Review
“Git gud” personified.
If you’re someone who putsa premium on being able to survive as long as possible, likes dealing damage, can play a support role, or simply likes birds, Guardian might also be the Nightfarer for you.
Let’s check out how to get the most out of our favorite feathered friend.
Guardian’s Abilities
Description
Steel Guard
Trades running for an improved defensive stance while blocking.
Character Skill
Summons a tornado that lifts smaller enemies into the air, then crashes them back down to earth. Deals damage to all in the area regardless of size.
Wings Of Salvation
Ultimate Art
Guardian flies into the air, then smashes into the ground while dealing AOE damage to any enemy close by.
Passive: Steel Guard
Guardian’s passive trait is Steel Guard, which serves to amplify his status as Best Tank in Nightreignto even higher standards. At the cost of being able to run while this move is deployed, Guardian is able to brace himself to absorb even more enemy damage with his shield.
I’ll be honest, I almostalwaystwo-hand my weapons in Nightreign, so Steel Guard wasn’t my most utilized Guardian feature. Still, for those of you who like to play a more sword-and-board traditional style, Steel Guard will be a huge plus to any shield you pick up in the game.
Character Skill: Whirlwind
Whirlwind is a solid enough character skill, though not one of the absolute best in the game compared to other Nightfarers. Still, it has its uses and can be deployed to catch any close enough enemies inside a mini-tornado and launch them into the sky if they’re small to average-sized. Once they crash back to Earth, you can pummel them as they try to stand back up.
Of course, this skill isn’t able to launch something as large as an actual boss into the air in most cases, but it will still deal a small amount of damage to anything in the game. With some nice timing, it’s also possible to deflect projectiles with a well-placed Whirlwind.
Ultimate Art: Wings Of Salvation
Despite having average passive and character skills, Guardian’s ultimate art is one of my favorites in the game. It’s simple in execution, yet useful in many different settings. Most obviously, this is a great offensive skill.Guardian will leap into the air, then come crashing back down at full speed to deal AOE damage to anyone in the radius.This can chunk boss health and outright kill grunts.
you’re able to steer Wings Of Salvation while airborne to fine-tune where Guardian will smash down.
This move is also great for support and defense. If you continue holding R2 after landing, Guardian will keep his AEO radius active, now turning it into a large, glowing zone that shields any allies that stand within this zone.
Most importantly, however, is Wings Of Salvation’s ability to immediately revive any ally that’s in Near Death. If you happen to have the move available and a teammate falls in battle, simply hit them with this move to get them back in the action.
Best Weapons For Guardian
This section is honestly pretty straightforward. Guardian starts with ahalberd, buthe’s able to find and pick up a few different weapon types throughout a run, including axes, colossals, and greatswords. I guess it’s ultimately up to you if you prefer these weapon types, but Guardian’s bread and butter is still the halberd regardless.
Throughout a run, your goal is simply to continue grabbing the next best halberd you come across. If it has a higher damage output or deals a specific elemental damage type you prefer, then it’s time to swap out your starting weapon for this new upgrade.
Pay particular mind to the Nightlord’s weakness when you enter into an expedition. If you can find a halberd that deals the type of damage you need for a boss, you’ll be in pretty good shape by the end.
That’s really about as simple as it gets, but I can specifically recommend theGargoyle’s Halberd,Nightrider Glaive, orLoretta’s War Sickle, if you’re able to get your hands on them.
There isoneexception to pairing Guardian with his beloved halberd that I’ve found, and that’s theGodskin Stitcher. This heavy sword still works with the thrusting/poking motion of a halberd, so it’s an easy transition in terms of moveset while also being a bit faster than most other halberds in general.
Best Relics
Relics come down to some personal preference, but there are special options to take a look at in order to get the most out of Guardian. They’re somewhat RNG-dependent as well, since some of the best ones you’ll earn are doled out randomly after runs.
Guardian starts out with one red relic slot and two yellows. What I’d mainly suggest is checking forrelics that charge Guardian’s ultimate art more quickly so that he can deploy Winds Of Salvation as often as possible, either for damage or ally reviving capabilities.
Since he’s such a melee-focused class as well, look for anything in your relic roster that synergizes with this too. Things like boosted critical hit damage, increased damage after applying greases, and even a higher rune count for all allies after defeating enemies can be super useful.
Personally, I heavily prefer the alternative relic options you can get for Guardian if you purchase his goblet from the Small Jar Bazaar at Roundtable Hold. This gives you two blue spots and one green instead of the one red, two yellow layout that Guardian starts with.
With this new color scheme, there’s one specific relic that you can give to Guardian fairly early on in the game to get a nice advantage.
Night Of The Baron is picked up after completing the Gaping Jaw expedition.This one focuses solely on critical hits. It boosts their power, fills up your ultimate art gauge more quickly so you can keep using Wings Of Salvation, and also replenishes stamina more quickly after critical attacks as well.
Guardian’s Expedition Strategies
Guardian isn’t that hard to figure out compared to many of the more complex characters in the game, but that doesn’t mean there’s not anything else to learn about his playstyle. Here are some additional tips to be the best bird you can be during any expedition.
Best Team Composition
Truth be told, Guardian can pair nicely with just about anyone else in the game. Since he’s useful for support and can also be a tank that stays up front and deals the most direct melee damage, he’s got synergy with several Nightfarers.
At least one of the three needs to be a ranged class; however, Guardian will struggle to take down any airborne opponent. His wings have been clipped. It’s not his fault.
Ironeye is the actual best Nightfarer in the game, and a large part of that is because he fits in perfectly with any combination of characters out there. For Guardian synergy specifically,Ironeye’s main focus being ranged attacks thanks to his unlimited bow and arrow is a mandatory addition.
If you want to bring Guardian along for bosses like Sentient Pest or Augur, you’re going to need Ironeye to be able to deal chip damage while these bosses are airborne. In the meantime, Guardian can play more support and leverage his ultimate art to continually revive any allies that fall in the meantime.
Ironeye’s Marking character skill is also incredibly useful alongside Guardian. Marking applies an icon onto a selected enemy. As long as this icon is active, the afflicted enemy will take extra damage. Since Guardian is your classic melee tank, this is his cue to go crazy and unleash as much damage on the marked enemy as possible.
Ironeye’s passive, Eagle Eye, is also nice since it will also show Guardian where certain item types are on the map. Again, since Guardian is mostly close-ranged melee, it’s important for him to bring a weapon to the Nightlord fight that deals the correct damage type to strike the boss' weakness. With Eagle Eye from Ironeye, Guardian can typically track down what he needs.
Executor can deal a ton of quick damage thanks to his ability to Bleed opponents, which can create a devastating combo for enemies alongside Guardian’s combat prowess as well.
Executor also has one of the most overpowered ultimate arts in the game with Aspects Of The Crucible: Beast. This transformation move allows Executor to deal insane damage quickly for as long as he remains transformed, but there is one catch. Executor can still take damage and sometimes even die in this form if he’s too focused solely on attacking.
Because of this and Executor’s occasional proclivity for an added Near Death experience or two since he’s reliant on constant aggression, Guardian’s support moves pair nicely overall.The Guardian player can simply keep Wings Of Salvation charged and ready in their back pocket, then revive Executor with it immediately if he happens to get knocked down.
Executor is another class that can fit with most players, but his high-risk, high-reward playstyle makes most sense with someone who can get him right back into the action like Guardian.
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