Awaken, Extinguished Soul! A new expansion has just been released for Elden Ring: Nightreign . “Forsaken Wastes” adds new playable characters, a new map, enemies, and bosses, offering a decent amount of content for those eager to battle in the Betweenlands.
Unsurprisingly, not every enemy will be easy prey, and some classic Dark Souls bosses return with a vengeance. One of these is the Demon Prince, the boss of the second Night, who only appears if you defeated the Demon in Agony and the Demon from the Deep on the first Night. While he’s not the main star, the Demon Prince is no pushover and can easily wipe out your entire party if you’re not careful.
Here’s everything you need to know about the battle with this pesky enemy.
How to defeat the Demon Prince
The Demon Prince will appear in the northern part of the map, in a large citadel, as soon as the Ring begins to fully close on the second day. If possible, try to reach level 13-14; otherwise, you may lack survivability, especially if you play one of the more fragile classes, such as the Ghost or the Hermit.
When the Demon Prince finally reveals his ugly face, he’ll fly into the arena from above, rather than simply appearing in the center like all previous bosses. This boss is fire-based, meaning he has a natural affinity for this element and all his attacks are directly imbued with it. While I couldn’t test the compatibility of every weapon against him, it’s safe to assume that he, like all other fire-based bosses in this game, has a natural resistance to anything that uses fire.
Attacks of the Demon Prince
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Demon Prince fight is understanding that there are two versions of him. Which one you get (light or dark) apparently depends on who you killed last during the boss fight on the first Night.
While both bosses share some common moves, each version has its own unique attacks that you should be prepared for.
For convenience, we’ll list all the attacks below and indicate which version uses them. The Demon of the Deep has a lighter, softer orange hue, while the Demon in Agony is jet black, with a bright neon orange glow shining through its armor. If an attack is labeled “common,” it means it can be used by either of the Demon Prince’s two forms.
| Attack | What Demon Prince | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Claw Swipes | General | The Demon Prince slashes with his claws in front of him or to the side to reach someone behind him. |
| Air strike | General | He rises into the air, raises his arms above his head, and slams down on a single point. This causes a small explosion in the impact area, dealing significant damage. |
| Rending Claw Strike | General | The Demon Prince rakes his claws across the ground, creating a pool of lava beneath them. The lava damages anyone who steps in it. |
| Strike from above | General | Similar to the Air Strike: The Demon Prince, while standing on the ground, quickly raises his arms above his head and slams them down on the ground in front of him. |
| Fire Line | General | His right hand is engulfed in flames, and when he hits the ground, a line of fire appears in front of him. |
| A series of blows | General | In a fit of rage, the Demon Prince quickly moves forward and slashes the ground in front of him with his claws. He often uses this attack to pursue a target he’s focused on. |
| Explosion during takeoff | General | While on the ground, the Demon Prince seems to absorb all the fire around him, then rises into the air. As he takes off, a swift wave of smoke and fire is released around him. |
| Slow-moving bombs | General | His left hand ignites in flames, and he hurls a fireball that splits into four flaming stones. They embed themselves in the ground and explode after a few seconds, creating a large radius of destruction. |
| Beam attack | Demon from the depths | The Demon Prince quickly charges up and fires a beam of energy that zigzags across the arena. He moves horizontally three times, then fires a single, more powerful beam straight ahead. |
| Flying fireball | Demon from the depths | The Demon Prince flies into the air, ignites his right hand, and quickly throws a large fireball into the ground, causing a small explosion at the point of impact. |
| Air Ripping Strike | Demon from the depths | While in mid-air, the Demon Prince flies forward and slashes his claws across the ground, leaving a pool of lava where he makes contact. |
| Fire turrets | Demon in agony | The Demon Prince raises his hands and summons two large fireballs above him. They hover in place and launch volleys of smaller fireballs at you. |
| Fire rain | Demon in agony | The Demon Prince raises his head and spews a massive amount of fire upward. Seconds later, he explodes, sending a shower of fiery meteors raining down around him. |
How to defeat the Demon Prince
When it comes to killing the Demon Prince, I highly recommend getting the Demon Prince in Agony whenever possible . The Demon of the Deep has many more aerial attacks and feels much more aggressive in combat. In contrast, the Demon Prince in Agony has several slower, easier-to-dodge moves. The downside is that they deal much more damage, but this also leaves the Demon Prince open to easy counterattacks.
It’s especially important to punish him during his Rain of Fire attack . The Demon Prince will stand motionless for a few seconds, spewing flames into the sky. This leaves him completely open to attack, and you can even interrupt this attack before it’s complete by using Supreme Art .
Additionally, if you’re playing a melee fighter, always try to stay to the side or, ideally, behind the Demon Prince. He doesn’t really have many counters against those attacking him from behind, other than his Claw Slash or flying away. Another good counter is his Combo Attack , as he’ll only attack those in front of him. This means your allies behind the Demon Prince can get in a few free hits!
If you’ve got the Demon of the Deep variant , the main attack to punish is the Beam Attack . It looks intimidating, but its range isn’t that great, and if you run towards him from the left or right, you’ll almost certainly dodge it. The Demon Prince is completely stationary during this attack, meaning you can deal massive damage. Even if you don’t have time to attack during the zig-zag portion of this attack, try to land a hit when he fires a powerful beam directly in front of him. This is a huge window for damage, so don’t waste it unless you absolutely have to.
The Demon of the Deep is a bit easier for ranged characters like Iron Eye or Hermit, if only because this version spends much more time in the air—at least that’s what all my tests showed. Being able to punish him while he charges up attacks in the air can significantly speed up the battle.
Regardless of which version you encounter, I can’t emphasize enough: be sure to dodge his Air Strike . It deals massive damage and can instantly kill a character who isn’t at full health. If the Demon Prince flies into the air, watch his arms. If he raises them above his head, it means a downward strike is about to follow—be ready to dodge! This move is executed very quickly, so you need to pay close attention to this signal, otherwise you’ll be smashed across the arena.
However, with patience and punishing him at the right moments, you can defeat the Demon Prince and get those sweet, sweet Runes.
