How to beat Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing in Elden Ring
Sir Gideon Ofnir is one of those Elden Ring boss fights that can either be a cakewalk, or a little annoying.
Update: Elden Ring has had plenty of updates, so we've updated this Elden Ring Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing boss fight guide to reflect any changes made to the game. There's also some new tips and tricks for taking on this spell-slinging boss.
Elden Ring puts you through a tough and varied boss gauntlet towards the climax of its main story, which you must get through in order to see it to its conclusion. Before you get to the actual major bosses in that gauntlet, however, one small hurdle stands in your way in the Capital of Ash.
Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing is technically the first boss of the gauntlet. If you’ve been paying attention to his dialogue throughout the game, you’ll know that Ofnir always gave off bad vibes, and it likely won’t surprise you that he’s going to turn on you just as you’re getting closer to your goal.
This fight is particularly crucial for story reasons, because Ofnir will happily spill the beans about how rigged this whole thing might be.
When should you fight Sir Gideon Ofnir in Elden Ring?
Until the moment you burn down the Erdtree and cover Leyndell in a mountain of ash, Sir Gideon Ofnir will be just another NPC to you. Once the deed is done, Ofnir will move into the room where you fought Godfrey’s Golden Shade and turn into a boss.
As such, Sir Gideon Ofnir is not an optional boss, and you must eliminate him to progress the story forward. As all-knowing as he might proclaim, Ofnir is only a scholar, so don’t expect any Great Runes from this one – though you will get his armour set and weapon after he's defeated.
Seeing as you’re on your way to fight the final bosses, you should be at around character level 130-140, with a fully-upgraded weapon – so between +22 and +25.
How to make the Sir Gideon Ofnir boss fight easier in Elden Ring
Sir Gideon Ofnir is definitely the easiest of the bosses in the gauntlet you’re about to face. He’s a simple human, and though he’s adept at Sorceries and Incantations, he’s not going to do anything you haven’t seen other magic users in the game do.
Being a sorcerer also means Ofnir has practically zero poise and super armour. If he’s cornered, he’s pretty much dead.
If you decide to bring a Spirit Ash summon into the fight, it’s going to trivialise it. Anything will work here, really, considering the goal is to overwhelm Ofnir and not necessary exploit any of his weaknesses. That said, the speed and mobility of the Black Knife Tiche spirit ash will work brilliantly here.
That said, in case you want to cater to his weaknesses anyway, this boss is weak to Lightning and Madness damage.
How to beat Sir Gideon Ofnir in Elden Ring
As mentioned, the main thing to note with this boss fight is that Ofnir has little to no poise or super armour. Like all mages, they’re at their best when they keep you at a distance. The minute you get close – especially as a melee user – you can easily stun-lock them and end the fight.
Sir Gideon Ofnir boss fight tactics
The vast majority of Sir Gideon Ofnir’s attacks are ranged, and most of them come out as projectiles. You can easily dodge those as you spot them coming your way, or position yourself behind the pillars in the arena and use them for cover.
Your goal as a melee user is to ultimately close the distance. If you manage to do so, you can easily interrupt Ofnir. His most tricky attack spawns three discs of light, which home in on you, and return to hit you from the back a few seconds later. They’re easy to dodge, but the ricochet can get you if you’re not expecting it.
Outside of his ranged attacks, Ofnir also has a particularly nasty AoE move that spawns a well of Black Flame around him, which will force you to back off. Simply dodge away from the circle of Black Flame to avoid it, though you’ll have to close the distance again.
Be careful not to leave Ofnir enough room, because he won’t hesitate to use a Crimson Flask to heal (though he’ll only do it once per fight). This shouldn’t be a problem if your Spirit Ash summon has him cornered/occupied, of course.
Beyond that, just keep up the pressure and remember that virtually all of his moves can be interrupted, particularly if you spam jump heavies.
If you're a magic user, this fight should also be quite trivial. You'll want to dodge his spells as you would as a melee user, but remain conscientous that Gideon can also dodge your attacks.
As a result, you want to use spells that are fast are agile. On top of that, sorceries and incantations that can deal Madness build-up or Lightning damage will be extra effective here given Gideon's weaknesses.
That’s it for this one, but there’s a whole Elden Ring boss walkthrough detailing all the main (and required) bosses in the game, and how to easily beat them. If you’re not struggling with any particular boss, you might be missing out on some other crucial tips, which you’ll find plenty off in our main Elden Ring guide.