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Demi-humans are usually not considered the most challenging opponents inElden Ring, but this one in particular is tricky. Swordsmaster Onze is the boss located at the end of the Belurat Gaol in the Gravesite Plain area of the Realm of Shadow, exclusively available in the mightyShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion. This minor dungeon is northwest just to the left of the small lake sitting beneath the Belarut Tower.
To get to the demi-human, descend the Gaol cave as deeply as possible, battling or avoiding some prisoners. After traversing and platforming through a litany of rooms, cross the fog door where Onze resides. There are a few key ways to triumph over this dungeon’s boss which requires a little build prep and making real-time reads on Onze’s telltale moves.
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How To Prepare For The Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze Boss Fight
Get The Right Equipment & Tweak Your Build
Before stepping through the fog, know that aggression and timing will be key to victory. For players looking to clear this fast and not burden themselves with a harder challenge, theBlack Knife Assassin Tiche summon is slightly more effectivethan aMimic Tear, given her unblockable slash attacks and constant aggro-building offense.
For the most part, she’ll be sticky to Onze, allowing her to absorb most targeting while you pop off heavy attacks.Elden Ring’s Mimic Tearstill works great for many players since it is still an effective tool inShadow of the Erdtree.
For melee fighters leaning towards dexterity builds,weapons with longer range and speed will be helpful to gauge distance. This boss has a few tricks up its sleeve for opponents who get a little too close without a fast enough dodge roll, so heavy strength builds might have a tougher time avoiding big damage.
Mage builds inElden Ringwith abilities such asGreat Glintstone Shardwill have a slightly easier time interrupting Onze’s combos, which can lead to devastating finishers. Players equipped with shields should be sure to brush up their fast parrying abilities, as this will seriously come in handy for the swordmaster’s quick melee combos but won’t be much help against some special attacks.
How To Defeat Swordmaster Onze
Best Strategy & Tips
Resembling something like an angry Gollum wielding a glowingsword inElden Ring, Onze will begin the battle by landing the first attack (in most cases.) The demi-human will teleport towards you before you can even fully summon an ash or fire most magic range attacks and will attempt to land a heavy downward blow.It is recommended to immediately dodge this attack and counter with a heavy attackwith melee weapons, preferably something fast and rangy like the Uchikatana.
Onze’s opening attack is hard to parry, so consider roll slightly to the right as soon as the swordmaster teleports midair for that downward plunging strike.
As seen inBoss Fight Database’s video, Onze can be staggered with heavy and light-heavy attacks and get interrupted mid-combo. Be sure to manage distance well, and don’t get too greedy with a string of combos.
Getting too close will punish you with grabbing attacks and a powerful area-of-effect ability reminiscent ofMalenia’s strongest attack, which can be avoided. The telltale sign of that move is whenOnze powers up the glowing sword for what looks like a strong upward slash.
The demi-human has assassin-like maneuverability inElden Ringas the battle progresses since it can teleport and turn invisible while jumping around the arena. For the most part,Onze’s attacks can be read with its long jump animation and sword charge-upsat the end of slashing combos.
Dodge out of the way from the Area of Effect (AoE) attack when seeing the upward slash animation, stagger to get the piercing counter-attack for significant damage, and ultimately try to beat the swordmaster to the punch when you see those heavy strikes powering up.
Rewards For Beating Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze
Felling this enemy will reward you with the Demi-Human Swordmaster Yosh ash, which is somewhat effective against lumbering humanoid enemies for the most part but, unfortunately, still a bit slow against faster enemies, given the lead time for heavy sword combos. It comes with a 95 FP cost per summon.
However, given her agility and nimble dodging, it is yet to be determined if Tiche is still more effective as a summon for attracting aggro and dealing damage that can significantly stack. Either way, the Belurat Gaol’s exit will appear in the center of the boss arena, where players can continue to explore the rest of the world inElden Ring: Shadow of the Eritrea.
