After defeating the first Nightlord in Elden Ring Nightreign, you're free to tackle the remaining Expeditions in any order you desire. Many players are struggling to complete Nightreign's Sentient Pest Expedition because Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, is destroying their groups with its magic-based moveset at the end of their runs.
Gnoster isn't the hardest boss in Elden Ring Nightreign, but this annoying insect will make quick work of any unprepared players who don't grab the right items during the first two days of the Expedition. Even with weapons and items that exploit Gnoster's weaknesses, the fight is still an exercise in patience with multiple magical projectiles and an overly aggressive brute guarding the moth throughout the encounter. Thankfully, this guide is here to help, offering everything you need to know to defeat Gnoster and complete the Sentient Pest Expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign.
Elden Ring Nightreign: Best Team Comps
The best team comps in Elden Ring Nightreign balance damage, utility, and ability synergies to create the most powerful parties.
How to Beat Gnoster, Wisdom of Night in Elden Ring Nightreign
The description of the Sentient Pest Expedition provides the first few hints about the best strategy against Gnoster. There are two enemies to keep track of during the final fight: a moth and "living shears." Both enemies share a single health bar, though, so your group can split them up to make things easier (at least for the first phase). The description also mentions poison and "a parasite that cannot be removed alone," another hint about one of the fight's key mechanics.
Despite the ominous introduction, the boss battle against Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, is actually fairly straightforward. The moth specializes in ranged magic attacks, while the living shears perform aggressive melee attacks. Even though they start the fight separately, you need to be prepared for both types of attacks since they'll join together in the second phase of the encounter. With that said, these are the important things to consider when preparing for the Sentient Pest boss battle in Elden Ring Nightreign.
Best Characters for Beating Gnoster
While you can defeat Gnoster, Widsom of Night, with any of the game's eight Nightfarers, ranged damage is a necessity for this boss battle. The moth spends most of the fight in the air, so arrows and magic are the way to go. Ironeye and Recluse are the two best characters for the Sentient Pest expedition, and having one player choose a tanky melee character like Raider is a good idea for distracting the shears so that the ranged players can shoot the moth.
Gnoster, Wisdom of Night Weaknesses
Gnoster is weak to fire damage. If you want to win easily, just burn the bug. That's why Ironeye and Recluse are two of the best choices for this fight. Recluse can find staves with powerful flame spells, and Ironeye can find weapons like the Harp Bow that come with fire damage passives. Also, the Relic obtained from defeating Tricephalos in the first Expedition grants fire damage to your starting weapon, which can make the search for additional equipment less stressful.
To prepare for the fight, rush to every POI with a flame icon during the first two days of the Expedition. Make sure you press the detailed information button on the map, too. With detailed information displayed, you can see exactly what type of equipment is located at each POI. Grab a weapon you like, visit a village to upgrade it with a Smithing Stone, and then spend the rest of your time farming Runes to level up and searching for items with passives that complement your build.
Remember, passive buffs work as long as a weapon is in your inventory. It does not have to be actively equipped for the passive to activate. The only exception is passive buffs with a hand icon attached, which only activate when the weapon is held.
Gnoster is also particularly susceptible to stagger, especially during the first phase of the fight. Bring a Greatbow, and you can shoot the moth out of the air a few times before it transitions to phase two.
Phase One
The first phase of the fight has the moth flying around, launching magical projectiles at your group while the living shears attack nearby Nightfarers with big, slow hitboxes. During this phase, ranged users should pelt the moth with arrows and spells (preferably one that deal fire damage). Melee users should target the shears and draw them away from everyone else. This phase lasts until Gnoster reaches roughly 60% HP.
If you're the Nightfarer on distraction duty for the shears, it helps to pick up items with passives that make you more likely to be targeted by enemies during the run.
The moth isn't much of a threat during the first phase. Its main attack launches three pairs of orbs at a targeted Nightfarer with a short delay between the second and third set. You can spam dodge rolls to avoid these, but make sure you wait a second before dodging the last pair of orbs so you don't get caught off guard by the delay.
The moth can also perform a huge AOE attack where magic bolts rain down from the sky above. Sprinting away and spamming dodge rolls is usually enough to avoid these, though.
Like most of Nightreign's Nightlords, the moth also has a grab attack that will kill most players in a single hit if their health bar isn't upgraded enough. Before grabbing someone, the moth will bob and weave side to side. If you see it shimmy, get ready to dodge.
In addition to the grab attack, the main thing to watch out for from the moth is its poison attack. It will periodically spread purple poison clouds throughout the arena. If your poison meter fills up, a parasite will appear on your head. Remember the description mentioning "a parasite that cannot be removed alone?" This is it. Your teammates have to attack the parasite to remove it from your body.
The shears have a much more straightforward attack pattern during this phase. They has a roar like Elden Ring's Grafted Scion boss that does huge damage to anyone close by, so be ready to run at a moment's notice. Other than that, the shears will spend most of the fight trying to bite anyone in front of them or slamming their legs down to launch an AOE attack at their sides.
The main thing to watch out for is the shears' digging attack. It will occasionally disappear underground and re-emerge in a different part of the arena, so keep an eye on the sand to track its movements. The shears will also harden their skin every now and then, giving you a chance to focus on the moth.
Phase Two
In the second phase of the fight, the moth will land on top of the shears, and the two enemies will join together. On the bright side, you no longer have to worry about tracking two independent enemies. That's really the only benefit, though, since both of them get powerful new attacks for the second half of the encounter.
The moth will periodically summon devastating beams of light that directly target Nightfarers. Sprint as fast as you can to avoid these. Take care not to run into your allies, though. If you get hit by one of these, it's basically game over.
Throughout the second phase, Gnoster will target a random Nightfarer with a red dot. The shears will chase down this unfortunate player while the moth fires magic projectiles all throughout the arena. These blue orbs can hit players who aren't currently targeted, so don't let your guard down. To avoid this attack, just sprint to the side of the shears and roll if any of the moth's projectiles head your way. The targeted attack ends with the shears performing a huge AOE slam, so everyone should keep their distance.
At this point, Gnoster will repeat all of its attacks over and over until the fight is over. Watch out for the poison clouds, save your teammates from parasites, and don't let the shears rush you down while you're focusing on the moth's projectiles. As long as your team is prepared with the right equipment, the fight should end relatively quickly.
Elden Ring Nightreign Sentient Pest Rewards
Defeating Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, and completing the Sentient Pest Expedition will reward you with a Trace of Night, some Murk, and some powerful Relics. Tears of Night are required to progress through the main story of Elden Ring Nightreign, and Murk is used to purchase new items at the Small Jar Bazaar or to unlock new skins at the Roundtable Hold.
The Relics are the most exciting rewards, however. In addition to some random drops, you'll also unlock Night of the Wise. This is Gnoster's special Relic, so it's a guaranteed drop if you clear the Expedition. It increases Maximum FP, adds poison damage to your starting weapon, and increases your attack power if poison or rot are in the vicinity. It's a great fit for Recluse because of the FP bonus, but the other buffs make it very helpful against certain bosses in other Nightreign Expeditions.
Elden Ring Nightreign
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
- Released
- May 30, 2025
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
