How To Defeat Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign

Everything you need to know about the Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign, including its weaknesses and how to easily defeat it.

Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign (Image via FromSoftware)

The Sentient Pest, i.e., Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, is easily one of the most tricky Nightlords in Elden Ring Nightreign. While not particularly challenging, understanding how to tackle Gnoster and play to its weaknesses can be a tad confusing. It’s more of a “gimmick” boss fight than a regular encounter, a la Fulghor, Gladius, Adel, Heolstor, etc.

However, once you figure out the boss’s gimmick, the Sentient Pest is rather easy to defeat, especially with the melee Nightfarers. This, more or less, stays true for the Enhanced Sentient Pest as well. The Enhanced Sentient Pest is also a gimmick boss, with a few new mechanics that separate it from its regular counterpart.

Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat the Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign.

Overview of the Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign

The Enhanced Sentient Pest is more or less the same encounter as regular Gnoster, Wisdom of Night. However, one key difference between the empowered variant of the Sentient Pest and its regular counterpart is Animus, Ascendant Light. In the regular Sentient Pest boss fight, you have to face Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, and Faurtis Stoneshield. However, in the case of the Enhanced Sentient Pest, these two bosses are joined by the spectral being, Animus.

Animus only appears during the encounter after you’ve beaten the first phase, i.e., depleted the entire health bar. After that, Animus spawns off the corpse of Gnoster, akin to a phoenix, and reanimates both Gnoster and Faurtis.

Admittedly, having three health bars on the screen is quite intimidating, especially when it’s for a boss that’s undeniably powerful. Animus also occasionally possesses either Gnoster or Faurtis, granting them a few new abilities. However, unlike in the case of empowered Adel or Fulghor, these new abilities are mostly extensions of the Nightlord’s existing movesets. As such, they are easier to dodge if you’re already familiar with the regular variant.

The gimmick to this boss fight is to focus on Animus and the Sentient Pest it possesses. Once you defeat Animus, it automatically kills both Gnoster and Faurtis.

Weaknesses of the Enhanced Sentient Pest

Similar to the regular Sentient Pest, the empowered variant is weak to Fire. Dealing Fire damage to the boss not only deals bonus damage but also reduces its defenses. In addition, Fire also deals damage over time to Animus and is the most effective way to prevent the boss from phasing into its third and more powerful version. Apart from Fire, Frost is extremely effective against Enhanced Gnoster. Even without an Affinity buff, Frost deals significant damage and also slows the boss down. Frost is a good choice if you’re going with Nightfarers like Ironeye, Raider, or even Duchess.

Tips To Easily Defeat the Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign

Screenshot from Elden Ring Nightreign (Image via FromSoftware)

Here are some tips that should help you easily defeat the Enhanced Sentient Pest in Elden Ring Nightreign:

Firstly, if you’re playing in co-op, make sure you have at least one Ironeye in the team. You can swap Ironeye with a Recluse; however, due to the limited range of Spells, we recommend using Ironeye for this boss fight. Also, three Ironeyes are basically the easiest way to defeat Gnoster.
Right at the start of the battle, Gnoster will do a rush combo, followed by a projectile barrage. Make sure not to rush the boss at the same time. Instead, you want to let it complete its combo and only then dish out your attacks. The first phase is relatively easy, as the boss doesn’t have too much HP.
Once you reach the second phase, you need to make a crucial decision: whether to target the Scorpion or the Moth. If you don’t have any ranged characters in your party, focus your attention on the Scorpion. Otherwise, it’s always better to attack the Moth.
Whichever boss you defeat first, it will be possessed by Animus. It’s good to know that you can attack (and Mark) Animus during its possession animation. Once Animus possesses a boss, it will grant new attacks to its existing combo.
For the Moth, the boss gains extended projectile combos that you can dodge with a roll or two. Make sure not to panic roll, as its follow-up projectiles will catch you off guard and deal a ton of damage. For the Scorpion, the new attacks include ground-based AOEs, which can be dodged with jumps.
Once you bring the possessed boss close to death, Animus will leave its shell and give you a good opportunity to dish out extra damage. You can also use this opportunity to heal, apply buffs, and revive your allies.

The Enhanced Sentient Pest is a battle of attrition. However, if you’re carrying the right elements and Nightfarers, it’s a relatively easy boss.

Additional Notes

If you’re unable to get Frost Relics, we recommend using the Relic obtained from defeating Gladius (Tricephalos). Gladius’s Relic grants Fire to your starting armament, which comes in quite handy if you don’t get any Fire Camps during the Expedition.