Elden Ring players can find many challenging enemies and optional bosses in the region of Caelid, including Commander O’Neil, an optional boss found in the Aeonia Swamp. With that said, if you plan on completing Gowry’s questline, defeating the boss is a must, so to help with that, here’s how to beat Commander O’Neil in Elden Ring.
How to Beat Commander O’Neil in Elden Ring
First of all, it’s important to point out that Commander O’Neil will rely not on his ability to overwhelm you, but on his ability to both deal massive damage with his trusts and summon knights to aid him in the fight. He will also be able to affect you with Scarlet Rot by performing AoE attacks on his position, so keep that in mind as well. On the flip side, you will be able to stay mounted on Torrent during the whole fight, which will allow you the ability to stay away from him and escape his advances easily.
With that said, you can beat Commander O’Neil easily by, while mounted on Torrent, running to him, getting a few hits, and then backing away. It’s also vital that you avoid the phantoms the boss will summon and stay constantly in movement. On the last quarter of the fight, the boss will summon a wide array of heavy hitters, capable of dealing massive damage and taking you off torrent, to avoid that, try to make a clear path between you and the boss before advancing, so that you can run towards him and deal damage. Patience is key in this fight, thanks to the fact that, if you go on the offensive at the wrong time, the boss or the phantoms may take you off Torrent and finish you off.
After defeating Commander O’Neil, you will receive 12,000 Runes, the Commander’s Standard halberd, and the Unalloyed Gold Needle, the item needed to complete both Gowry and Millicent questlines.
Elden Ring is currently available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, exclusively via Steam. You can check out our review of the From Software’s newest epic here.
