Nicholaus the Fallen represents a strong barrier between amateur and solid gamers. Those who can beat him can take pride in being competent enough to see V Rising through to the endgame. Those who can't, however, will face the tough decision regarding whether to keep trying and dying or just stop advancing and enjoy the early part of the game.
Before getting frustrated with V Rising as a whole, take a deep breath. This boss is frustrating, but he's not impossible. With a few tips and tricks, even a novice gamer can take out Nichlaus with a little preparation. Of course, they must first start by tracking him down.
Preparing For And Locating Nicholaus The Fallen
New players will need to learn many things, especially how to use the Blood Altar. It will tell players generally which direction to go in order to find a V Blood Boss. This is very helpful for roaming bosses. However, Nicholaus is in a fixed location on the top platform on the north side of the Forgotten Cemetary in the Farbane Woods.
To prepare for the fight, use a weapon and abilities capable of dealing group damage. The spear is one of the best weapons against a single target, but it is rather ineffective in this situation. The mace, however, is strong, especially with its trait that pushes away minions. Regarding abilities, Nichalus is best taken down by ranged spells, so have a couple of those on the hotbar.
Make sure to drink some blood before entering the area as the enemies here are skeletons and zombies; they do not have drinkable blood. Wait for nightfall, then fight to the top of the Forgotten Cemetary.
It is more important to be comfortable with the weapon and abilities than it is to use the "right" ones, so if the player is more suited to a certain fighting style, don't change it up. This boss can be defeated with multiple styles, some are just easier than others.
Nicholaus' Moves And Strategy
Phase One
Nicholaus will start the fight off by resurrecting multiple skeletons (this number varies based on the number of players that engage him). During this phase, he will not resurrect these skeletons, so start by hammering them down.
He has two attacks. The first of these is a simple green missile. He will glow green and charge it up, giving players an obvious visual queue. A ranged player can dodge this by simply strafing, a melee character should save their travel ability for this moment.
The next attack is a teleportation attack. He will lift his arms up briefly, then disappear. A red circle will appear on the ground. He will transport himself to that location, dealing massive damage. Moving quickly is enough to elude the attack, but feel free to travel if the cooldown is up.
Phase Two
Nicholaus has both the attacks he does in phase one for the rest of the fight. At the start of phase two, he'll summon another wave of skeletons. Like the first wave, these will not respawn, so take them down first to simplify the battlefield.
He's also got one more attack. Nicholaus will stand still and a concentration bar will appear underneath his nameplate. When it expires, a wave of green orbs will expand from his point of origin, followed by two more waves. Melee attackers will be instantly killed if they are next to him when this cast completes. Get away from him and dodge the green orbs.
Phase Three
Nicholaus gets no new abilities for phase three, but there is a nasty twist. Not only will he start by summoning the biggest skeletal army in the fight to this point, but he'll also resurrect the fallen skeletons gradually. Players will need to decide whether to focus Nicholaus down or his legion.
The smart move is to go slow and steady. Nicholaus, compared to other bosses, is not at all difficult, it's his minions that pollute the battlefield. After wiping out his initial horde, killing a skeleton or two here and there between focusing on Nicholaus is an easy task.
V Rising is available in Early Access on PC.