In the Gaping Jaw expedition, you encounter one of the most grotesque bosses in Elden Ring: Nightreign — Adel, Baron of Night. Found on Day 3, this draconic beast is defined by its sideways maw and devastating bite attacks. The fight itself will test your ability to evade AoE damage, manage positioning, and handle constant aggression.
Adel, Baron of Night Moveset
The fight opens with a series of heavy physical strikes. Adel uses sweeping bites and lunge attacks that close whatever gap you have with him in moments, keeping your entire team constantly on the run. His hitboxes are deceptively wide, and many of his attacks can chain into one another — catching overly aggressive players off guard.
With how much Adel constantly moves around the arena, it is recommended that you use characters like Ironeye, whose skill lets you dodge with i-frames. Wylder’s grappling hook is also an incredible skill for closing the distance when Adel runs away.
Adel is susceptible to Poison, so inflicting enough of that to Adel will cause him to stumble and falter. After a short pause, he will start vomiting on the ground. While this gives a massive window to deal a lot of damage, be wary of the vomit as it also causes a lot of damage to you.
Grab Attacks & Roars
Adel also has devastating grab attacks up his sleeve, which makes the encounter all the more dangerous. The first grab is indicated by his jaw glowing purple as he roars to the sky. He will then slam his open mouth on the ground and charge towards you, very similar to the Golden Hippopotamus grab attack.
To avoid this, make sure to roll towards him only after you see him slam his mouth down. Rolling away or trying to jump during this can cause you to get grabbed instead. If you do get grabbed, it is almost always a one hit kill because of the massive bleed damage he builds up.
Occasionally, Adel will let out a mighty roar up at the sky and place a red mark on one of the players, indicating that they are now being targeted. After being marked, he will do multiple grab attacks and ground slams at the player, doing devastating AoE damage. If you are marked, make sure to stay away from the other players and isolate Adel so that his AoE does not affect your teammates.
Phase 2: Lightning
At around 60% of his health, the Baron of Night will start stomping on the ground and purple lightning will crackle around him. Once this happens, sprint as fast as you can away from him to avoid getting caught in the lightning storm. A massive blast will occur as he snaps his jaws, creating stray lightning bolts that you need to dodge.
As soon as the blast is done, Adel will jump high into the air and dive bomb a single player. The dive itself does massive damage, and it will also create fissures on the ground which explode with lightning. To evade this, roll as soon as you see him dive, wait till you see the fissures and then roll again to avoid the explosions.
Most of the fight remains the same as in Phase 1, and so does the strategy. Stay as close to him as possible, watch for the ground slams and keep the pressure up. If you’ve been saving the ultimates, now is the best time to use them — especially Wylder’s Onslaught Stake and Ironeye’s Single Shot.
Constantly reapplying the Poison status effect is key here, as it will slowly whither away the last of his health as you and your team keep the pressure up.
Victory
Adel is a powerful foe that rewards patience, precision, and positioning. However, like all bosses, he has exploitable weaknesses. With the right weapons and strategy, even the Baron of Night can eventually be overcome.
