In Elden Ring: Nightreign, Augur formally known as Maris, Fathom of Night; presents one of the most complex and uniquely structured boss fights in the game. Unlike most grounded or melee-heavy encounters, this Nightlord fight requires a strong understanding of ranged combat, elemental weaknesses, and situational awareness. Whether you’re struggling with the boss’s punishing Sleep mechanics or trying to find the right build, this guide will walk you through every phase of the encounter and how to master it.
What to Expect from the Augur Fight
Augur is encountered during the third day of the Augur Expedition, following the defeat of Gladius. As a floating, dream-like entity that dominates aerial space, Augur creates an almost MMO-style raid encounter where coordinated team composition and positional awareness become critical. The battle is largely a test of patience and timing, with a consistent rhythm of waves, tentacles, and devastating area effects.
To enter the battle, look for a giant glowing sphere that appears in the area on day three—this is the Augur encounter bubble and acts as your gateway into the fight. Unlike other Nightlords, this version of Maris features fewer attacks and toned-down power, making it slightly more manageable than its raid-tier counterpart.
If you’re confused about the icon for Augur’s weakness—it resembles Lightning, which some players may mistakenly interpret as Holy. Keep this in mind while scanning ruins or loot drops for elemental upgrades.
Lightning vs. Augur: Best Gear and Tactics
Augur is particularly weak to Lightning damage, making it one of the few boss fights in Nightreign where your choice of elemental loadout can significantly change the outcome. Landing sustained lightning-based attacks not only increases damage output but can stagger the boss, providing precious windows to land follow-up strikes.
The best ways to exploit this weakness include:
- Equipping Lightning bows or spells, ideally found in lightning-affinity ruins, marked by icons on the map.
- Purchasing Lightning weapons from specific merchants or acquiring them from elite enemies in Limveld.
- Applying Lightning Grease or Lightning Pots if you’re limited in elemental gear.
- Using Lightning-enhanced Ultimate Arts for massive burst when Augur attempts Sleep abilities.
Stocking up on these resources before entering the expedition can dramatically smooth out the encounter.
Even if you’re unsure how elemental interactions work, keep in mind that Lightning damage is particularly effective against Augur and all of its spawned adds, including jellyfish and tentacles.
Best Builds and Party Composition
Because Augur remains airborne for most of the fight, melee classes like Wylder, Raider, or Guardian struggle to maintain consistent damage. Even when they close the gap, stamina constraints or erratic movement patterns limit their effectiveness.
For an optimized experience:
- Use three Ironeyes in co-op runs. Their ranged capabilities and sturdy builds make them ideal.
- Consider adding one Recluse if you need additional magic damage or AoE.
- Avoid melee-heavy builds unless you are specifically countering Sleep waves or clearing tentacles.
In solo play, Ironeye remains the most reliable choice due to its ranged precision and resilience. If you’re playing Revenant, summoning Sebastian can provide a useful utility—his roar can wake up teammates during Sleep phases, adding a layer of team safety.
Solo players should also take advantage of map pins and prioritize merchants early in the expedition. Merchants often sell auto-revive items, which can be the difference-maker when playing without co-op support.
How to Survive Augur Sleep Phases
One of the most disruptive mechanics in the fight is Augur’s ability to induce Sleep status, which not only immobilizes players but opens them to follow-up damage that can lead to wipes.
Augur uses Sleep in two major forms:
- Sleep Wave (Dream Phase): After taking moderate damage, Augur curls into itself and charges a full-arena Sleep effect.
- This must be interrupted quickly with Ultimate Arts or sustained lightning DPS.
- Coordinated teams should save their ultimates specifically for this moment.
- If available, the All Resistances Up Dormant Power is especially helpful here—it boosts resistance to Sleep and other ailments. To obtain it early, defeat a Night Boss before day three.
- Sleep Bomb (Sleep Bomb Phase): At ~50% HP, Augur drops large, slow-falling bubbles that explode on contact with the ground.
- These can be destroyed before landing using arrows or magic.
- Later in the fight, Augur may summon two bombs simultaneously.
- Each bomb covers half the arena, and if both hit, the entire team may fall asleep. Designate players to each bomb and destroy them quickly.
Some players worry about managing ultimates for both phases. While it is demanding, staggering Sleep Wave is the top priority. Sleep Bombs are slow and can often be dealt with using ranged attacks rather than Ultimates. Prioritize accordingly.
Without proper counters, these mechanics can easily spiral into team-wide failures.
Augur Attack Patterns and How to Counter Them
Though Augur uses a relatively small pool of attacks, its chaining behavior and field-wide impact make them difficult to handle if unprepared. Here’s a breakdown of each major attack and the appropriate countermeasure:
- Jellyfish Blobs: These float toward players and explode after a few seconds.
Keep moving and roll away once they start glowing. Stay spread out to avoid chain explosions. - Tentacle Spawns: Tentacles emerge from the ground in different parts of the arena.
Clear these if close—they have low health and reward you by launching blue orbs at Augur, dealing extra damage. This is an efficient way to contribute passive DPS. - Wave Attacks: Horizontal or spinning water waves travel across the arena.
Dodge into the wave rather than away. Rolling backward or sideways often results in getting hit. - Exploding Sleep Eggs: Large glowing orbs drop from above in phase two.
Focus fire to destroy them mid-air; otherwise, they trigger massive AoE and Sleep effects on contact.
Each attack tests a different aspect of positioning and reflex, but most can be safely avoided or interrupted with knowledge and precision. For those asking if adds like jellyfish or buds matter—they do. Destroying them contributes damage indirectly via orb projectiles.
Recommended Level and Best Buffs to Use
To approach this boss on standard difficulty, you should aim to be at least Level 12, though higher levels offer a more forgiving margin of error.
In addition:
- Equip items or relics that raise Sleep resistance, such as All Resistances Up.
- Build toward Magic resistance to reduce damage from wave and bomb effects.
If you’re using a melee build despite the difficulty, focus on destroying tentacles and helping interrupt Sleep phases rather than dealing consistent damage to Augur itself.
How to Unlock Augur and What You’ll Earn
You won’t encounter Augur immediately. To unlock this boss:
- Defeat Gladius, Beast of Night earlier in the expedition.
- On the third day, the Augur bubble becomes available—enter it to begin the encounter.
Upon victory, you’ll earn the Night of the Fathom relic, a large red item that increases maximum HP and allows flasks to heal nearby allies. It’s a substantial boon for cooperative play and raid-based expeditions.
FAQs: Augur Elden Ring Nightreign
Q. What element is Augur weak to?
- Augur (Maris) is weak to Lightning damage. Use lightning weapons, grease, or pots, and look for lightning icons in ruins when exploring.
Q. How do I stop the sleep wave from putting my team to sleep?
- Save your Ultimate Art and trigger it when Augur curls up during its Dream Phase. This will interrupt the sleep wave and prevent the full-party sleep status.
Q. Can I outrun the Sleep Bomb attack?
- It’s difficult but possible. However, it’s much safer to destroy the bomb mid-air using a bow or magic. Each bomb covers half the arena and can trigger devastating effects if not intercepted.
Q. Is this boss fight impossible as a melee class?
- While not impossible, melee characters are at a severe disadvantage. Consider switching to ranged classes like Ironeye or focusing on tentacle clearing and supporting Ultimate Art usage.
Q. Why does Augur feel harder with random players?
- The fight demands high coordination. Without timing ults to interrupt sleep or managing adds effectively, random groups can struggle. A team of Ironeyes is highly recommended.
Q. Do the jellyfish and tentacle adds actually damage Augur if destroyed?
- Yes. Killing them causes orbs to spawn that automatically deal damage to Augur. Clearing them is both defensive and offensive.
Q. What level should I be to fight Augur?
- Level 12 is recommended for a balanced fight. Solo players may want to level a bit higher and secure lightning gear in advance.
Q. How can I identify Lightning gear? The icon confuses me.
- The Lightning icon resembles a bolt or zig-zag symbol, sometimes mistaken for Holy. If uncertain, check item descriptions or target lightning-marked ruins.
Q. Can I solo Augur, or is co-op required?
- Yes, soloing is viable with the right prep. Use Ironeye, stock up on lightning gear, and buy auto-revive items from merchants before day three.
Q. Why does the boss feel like it heals or doesn’t take damage sometimes?
- Augur’s flight patterns, defensive phases, and lack of stagger during non-ult phases make it seem resistant. Focused damage with lightning during key windows is crucial.
Final Thoughts
The Augur boss fight in Elden Ring: Nightreign exemplifies the game’s growing push toward coordinated, raid-style content. Its reliance on ranged positioning, elemental counters, and party synergy makes it a compelling challenge for both solo adventurers and group players alike. By coming prepared with lightning tools, strong Ultimate Art timing, and an understanding of its attack phases, you can strip away the illusion of complexity and land a decisive victory against Maris, Fathom of Night.
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