Gravelord Nito is a unique encounter in the originalDark Soulsthat rewards one of the most powerful builds available for players looking to invest in a specific type of magic throughout a playthrough. While the intelligence-aligned sorceries are often seen as theoverpowered option throughoutDark Souls, Nito and his accompanying army of skeletons can help show exactly how strong a paladin build with a concentration on faith can be.
An otherwise simple fight, it’s really the arena and additional enemies in it that makes Gravelord Nito stand out among the bosses inDark Souls. Especially considering the comparisons that can be made between Nito and the other three Lordsoul bosses, it says a lot for the endgame that this is one of the best fights after finishing Anor Londo.
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Gravelord Nito’s Skeleton Bodyguards
The most challenging aspect of the Gravelord Nito fight isn’t the boss himself but is definitely the group of skeletons that accompany the boss in an otherwise cramped arena. While these enemies are nothing special on their own, having been the primary enemies fought in the dungeons leading up to Nito, it is their numbers and the distraction of fighting them that make them truly dangerous. It’s the fact that the mass ofdead bodies that make up Gravelord Nitotakes the form of a full mob which means players will have to be on their toes throughout the entire fight against the oversized group.
To make matters worse, the skeletons themselves can’t be killed by normal means, even if Gravelord Nito’s own attacks have a tendency to smack around his own companions. Much like the earlier skeletons in the Catacombs, Nito’s entourage will fall as if they died after their HP reaches zero, but they will also get back up every time they go down until their controlling necromancer is defeated. Considering that Nito himself is the necromancer, this makes him one of theharder bosses inDark Soulsfor the majority of players. This is especially the case if the player wanders too far into the boss arena and finds the pair of giant skeletons waiting back there.
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While there is no true “Paladin” class inDark Soulsin the same respect asDungeons and Dragonsor similar RPGs, the series has seen a variety of powerful faith-builds carve through enemies. Often using lightning magic and blessed weapons as their main source of damage, theDark Soulsequivalent of a Paladincan easily toe the line between melee fighter and spellcaster. Additionally, these blessed weapons often have the added benefit of being uniquely deadly towards the undead, being able to kill skeletons without taking out their necromancer.
It has become common knowledge for the majority of players now, but for those still learning to make their way through the game, discovering that holy weapons can permanently kill skeletons completely changes the dynamic of these enemies. Likewise, this means that Gravelord Nito goes from being a tense fight against an undying army into a brief clearing of adds beforechallenging theDark Soulsboss outright. Now, the biggest problem becomes making sure to kill Nito’s bodyguards before the boss can, since his attacks don’t revive them. The result on a second playthrough could feel like a completely newDark Soulsencounter, one that leans a bit on the easier side.
More often than not, thebuild differences inDark Soulstend to relate to the amount of damage dealt and received. However, Gravelord Nito is an impressive example of how some builds can completely alter an encounter. This might trivialize one of the best bosses in the process, but it’s still worth seeing how different builds can absolutely break what should otherwise be an intensely difficult experience.
Dark Soulsis available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
