Elden Ring doesn't shy away from using bosses repeatedly throughout the game, something seen sparsely throughout other FromSoftware titles – the game has more Duo bosses than ever before, too. Thanks to Elden Ring's Day/Night cycle, the game also introduces bosses that only spawn at certain times of the day.
The Night's Cavalry is one such boss, one that players can only encounter at nighttime. This boss can be found in almost every zone in Elden Ring, including Limgrave, Caelid, the Forbidden Lands, the Consecrated Snowfield, and several places in Liurnia. Because they can only be fought in the open world, and because of their moveset, it's a very good idea to ride Torrent for this fight.
Updated January 3rd, 2023 by Russ Boswell: Players who explore the entire map in Elden Ring will likely come across a strange entity known as the Night's Cavalry. These hooded horsemen will jump unsuspecting players and attack them as they travel certain roads across the Lands Between. There are multiple Night's Cavalry and players will want to know how to deal with the enemies. To help players beat the Night's Cavalry in Elden Ring, the following guide has been updated with a video.
Night's Cavalry Moveset And Weaknesses
The Night's Cavalry bosses all use the same moveset and share the same weaknesses. It's easier to fight them on Torrent than on foot because they move around so much. Spellcasters and ranged players can have a tough time hitting the Night's Cavalry without resorting to cheesing, so be sure to equip a melee weapon or memorize melee-range spells like Glintstone Arc or Rock Blaster if you want to have an easier time with the boss.
The Night's Cavalry has three main type weaknesses: Holy damage, Lightning damage, and Thrusting physical damage. Consider picking up some Lightning Grease to apply before heading into a fight with the Night's Cavalry, and equip a Lance or Spear to deal significantly more damage to the boss with charged Heavy attacks on horseback.
Night's Cavalry Moveset
- Lunging Sweep: The Night's Cavalry will leap into the air and come crashing down on the player's location to swing its blade horizontally. Medium damage, can be jumped over or dodged.
- Lunging Pierce: Similar to the Lunging Sweep, the Night's Cavalry will leap up into the air and thrust their weapon toward the player upon landing, either smashing down or piercing depending on their weapon. Medium damage, dodging left or right avoids completely.
- Left-Hand Melee Combo: The Night's Cavalry performs a short combo of sweeps on its left side, usually no more than 2 or 3 swings total. Medium damage, avoidable by sticking to its right side.
- Summon Horse: When the Night's Cavalry is knocked off of its horse it will take a few seconds to get back up and re-summon its steed. Can be interrupted if you're quick enough to land a Heavy attack.
Night's Cavalry Weaknesses
The Night's Cavalry bosses are all weak to Holy, Lightning and Thrusting damage, though there are some other non-type-based weaknesses that players can take advantage of. Because the majority of its attacks are on its left side, stick to its right and use your other hand for attacks while mounted to avoid almost all of the Night's Cavalry moveset.
The horseman and their mount have two separate health bars, so dealing damage to one usually means dealing damage to the other at the same time. The horse has a much smaller HP pool, though, and is easier to take out than the boss itself. When its horse dies, the Night's Cavalry will fall to the ground and be vulnerable to Critical Hits for a few seconds. The Night's Cavalry is practically helpless in this state, so use the opportunity to deal a handful of high-damage blows until its steed is re-summoned.
Strategies For Beating The Night's Cavalry
The Night's Cavalry bosses are all fast-moving and their abilities cover a wider range than most expect. At higher levels, like when facing the duo Night's Cavalry in Elden Ring's late-game, these attacks can seemingly come out of nowhere. While it's generally a good idea to refrain from locking onto larger world bosses, keep your sights on the Night's Cavalry at all times to predict its movements, so you can respond (and punish) accordingly.
Players cannot use spirit summons in fights against the Knight's Cavalry, but they can be fought with other players. If you're having a lot of trouble with an instance of this boss (looking at you, Forbidden Lands Night's Cavalry), summon another player near the closest Site of Lost Grace to keep the boss' attention.
Spellcasting/Ranged
Spellcasters and Ranged players will have a hard time against the Night's Cavalry, but it's far from the hardest fight in the game for these playstyles. You won't be able to punish the Night's Cavalry as easily as melee players, but you can still create distance and punish its leaping gap-closing moves with good dodge timing.
The boss moves fast and can very easily dodge your ranged attacks, so only cast or fire your bow when you're sure the attack will connect. Sorcerers should memorize a few melee spells like Carian Greatsword to open up their options in close quarters, while Incantation-users should memorize spells that give their weapons Holy Damage. Bow-users should opt for a Shortbow that can fire more arrows in a short span of time than other bow types, guaranteeing that more of your shots will hit this agile enemy.
Melee Strategies
Melee players can punish the Night's Cavalry very easily as their attacks can all be parried, Barricade Shield practically nullifies their damage while blocking, and they are easy to stagger. Ride Torrent and aim to stay on the boss's left side to avoid most of its close-range attacks.
Because the Night's Cavalry is so easily staggered its attacks can be interrupted with even a lightly charged Heavy attack. Equip your heaviest and strongest weapon to make this even easier, and you'll likely be able to kill its horse and get a ground-based Critical Hit multiple times in the fight. The main thing to look out for is the boss' gap-closing leap attacks, but if you can get out of the way to the right or left you will have a brief opportunity to deal some damage while the Night's Cavalry resets itself.
Rewards For Beating The Night Cavalry
Different Night's Cavalry bosses drop different items and increasingly higher Rune amounts in Elden Ring, though they all share the same moveset. There are nine that can be found in the Lands Between, a possible reference to the Ring Wraiths of The Lord of the Rings, each with their own Ashes of War, armaments, and even crafting material rewards.
- Limgrave Main: Ash of War: Repeating Thust
- Weeping Peninsula: Ash of War: Barricade Shield and the Nightrider Flail
- Southern Liurnia: Ash of War: Ice Spear
- Northern Liurnia: Ash of War: Giant Hunt and the Nightrider Glaive
- Caelid Main: Ash of War: Poison Moth Flight
- Caelid Dragonbarrow: Ash of War: Bloodhound's Step
- Altus Plateau: Ash of War: Shared Order
- Forbidden Lands: Ash of War: Phantom Slash
- Consecrated Snowfield: Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone and Night's Cavalry armor set
Keep in mind that the only way you can fight these bosses is by finding them in the open world at night. If you want to track one down for its reward listed above, be sure to rest at a Site of Lost Grace until nighttime before heading out. You won't be able to tell where they spawn at all during the day, so it's a waste of time to scout out these zones anytime except at night if you plan to fight the Night's Cavalry.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.