How to cheese Commander Gaius in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Commander Gaius, despite his unique design and combat style, is considered by many as one of the most infuriating and unfair boss fights in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. While Gaius doesn't technically look like a boss that could rival the likes of Messmer the Impaler, Rellana, and even Promised Consort Radahn, in terms of difficulty, for some players, he does.

The hate against Commander Gaius' boss fight is somewhat justified as well, given his unending string of combos, AOE attacks, and the tendency to run away before giving players a chance to land a hit. Additionally, some of Gaius' attacks have the potential of "one-shotting" players, regardless of their Vigor.

Thankfully, much like any other boss in Elden Ring, even Commander Gaius isn't immune to being "cheesed" to death. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to cheese Commander Gaius in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Tips to easily cheese Commander Gaius in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

There are two significant issues most players face when dealing with Commander Gaius; first, his charge attack, which he starts the battle with, and second, the Gravity Missile, which he combos into another attack that can easily one-shot you. However, apart from these two, most of Gaius' attacks are not that hard to dodge or even interrupt with charged-heavy or jump attacks.

Recommended build for Commander Gaius (Image via FromSoftware)

Now, as for the "cheese," you can use the "pillar sorcery" technique, which requires you to spec into Intelligence and Arcane and basically cower behind the pillar adjacent to the arena while using Impenetrable Thorns. This is an easy way of defeating Gaius, but it sure ain't fun.

Now, the "fun" way of cheesing Gaius requires you to use power-stanced Heavy Great Stars with Cragblade and some Incantations. Great Stars is easily the most broken melee weapon in Elden Ring, far surpassing the likes of Bloodhound's Fang and even the Bloodfiend's Arm. If Bleed and posture-break is what you're after, Great Stars is the right pick for you.

Here's a build that I found to be extremely effective against most bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

Weapons:

• Heavy Great Stars +25 (Power-stanced)
• Cragblade Ash of War
• Dragon Communion Seal

Talismans:

• Erdtree's Favor +2
• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
• Claw Talisman
• Two-Headed Turtle Talisman

Incantations:

• Golden Vow
• Black Flame's Protection
• Beastial Vitality
• Flame, Grant Me Strength

Armor:

• Rakshasa's armor set (For increased DPS)

As for stats, here's the breakdown:

• Vigor: 60
• Mind: 35
• Endurance: 50
• Strength: 50
• Dexterity: 50
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 30
• Arcane: 60

The Dragon Communion Seal is an integral part of the "cheese" build (Image via FromSoftware)

Now, the trick to using this build is, well, "jumping attacks." Your primary goal would be to stick close to Gaius at all times and only rely on jump attacks and only jump attacks. Ideally, only three jump attacks are enough to stagger Commander Gaius. However, with Cragblade, you can technically stagger him in just two hits, granted you're able to land them.

Also, using the Messmer's Flame grease makes sure you're dealing additional damage on top of the base damage of the Great Stars. I went with the Heavy infusion, but you can also choose Bleed if you want to maximize the weapon's hemorrhage potential.