Dark Souls is a notoriously difficult game, and that’s due to a number of things, including a wide array of bosses. However, few have quite as much of an impact on the world as Dark Souls’ Nito. Gravelord Nito is one of the four required bosses to overcome the arduous challenge that is Dark Souls, and doing so is no easy task. Luckily for you, we’re here to tell you all about Nito’s role in the game, offer some backstory, and even give some advice on how to defeat him. Though we can offer a tip right now – git gud.
While few bosses can match the importance of Nito, there are still some that do, so we recommend having a look at our Dark Souls Artorias, Dark Souls Gwyn, Dark Souls Gwynevere, Dark Souls Manus, and Dark Souls Gwyndolin guides to gain an even deeper understanding of this intricate world. Or, if you just want to be an undead that kicks serious butt, check out our Dark Souls bosses guide and have those big bads shrieking in terror.
Anyway, onto everything you need to know about Dark Souls Nito.
Who is Dark Souls Nito?
Gravelord Nito is known as the first of the dead, he who oversees and enforces all death, who, at the beginning of the Age of Fire, finds a Lord Soul and becomes the unsightly view we see in Dark Souls. Along with his fellow lords, he declares war against the dragons in an attempt at seeking power in the world of Dark Souls. Nito himself deals a lethal blow by setting a deadly plague onto the dragons, wiping most of them out. Following his victory against the dragons, Nito treks into the Tomb of the Giants where he rests in a giant stone coffin, guarded by a platoon of skeletons until you discover him.
In terms of gameplay, Gravelord Nito is one of the mandatory four bosses you’re required to defeat to beat the game by obtaining their Lord Soul. Nito is also a covenant leader which you can join by following our guide below.
Where can I find Dark Souls’ Nito?
You can find Gravelord Nito at the base of the Tomb of the Giants. However, you need to defeat the dark dynamic duo Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough to gain access to not just Nito but all of the bosses that carry the essential Lord Souls to beat the game. From the bonfire near where you meet Patches, you have to make your way past the NPC invader Paladin Leeroy and proceed into the tunnel.
Beware, there are Pinwheel clones and baby skeletons. Yes, you read that right, baby skeletons, which inflict toxic and block your way into the last room before the boss arena. After you break through some debris, you find the fog wall to Nito and a large damage-inducing drop, because going into the boss fight and needing to heal immediately is typical of Dark Souls.
You’re also able to find Dark Souls Nito quite early on in the game. Just don’t expect to fight him. As you explore the catacombs beside Firelink Shrine, you come across a stone casket guarded by a Titanite Demon. If you climb into this casket while hollow after a short time, it transports you to Nito’s boss room, where you have a prompt to speak to him and be able to join his covenant, The Gravelord Servants.
What is the Dark Souls Gravelord Servants covenant?
Giving Nito the Eye of Death item increases your covenant ranking and the potency of the Gravelord Sword Dance miracle you receive upon joining the covenant by 10%, 20%, and 30% when given ten, 30, and 80 Eyes of Death, respectively. You find this item by participating in Dark Souls’ multiplayer.
- When you’re a member of the Gravelord Servant covenant and hollow, you can use an Eye of Death to send powerful red phantom enemies into other players’ worlds
- The invaded player then gets cursed and must invade you to undo the curse
- If the invader is defeated you gain an additional Eye of Death to give to Nito. Which is pretty neato
Dark Souls Nito boss fight
Gravelord Nito’s boss fight can be extremely challenging due to his entourage of skeletons and long-reaching magic sword attack. The name of the game here is POISE. Use the Wolf ring and heavy armour, being careful you don’t become over-encumbered and reduce your mobility, so you can dish out damage to the skellys as quickly as you can without being staggered.
Despite the area being lightly flooded in water, giving the impression that lightning damage is most effective, Nito is greatly weak to fire, so going in with pyromancy is a great strategy here. We recommend Firestorm, as though it has a long cast time it does high damage and spreads like wildfire. Hey, fire spreads like fire who knew?
The boss arena has many skeleton enemies which respawn after you defeat them. Grinding your way through the skeletons and attacking Nito may seem effective, but it leaves you open to attack by the skeletons when they reform. Another way is to upgrade one of your weapons, or discover one, with the divine special attribute. This causes the walking bones to stay dead and not reform upon defeating them. Nito also has a massive dark magic blast area of effect attack which damages everything in its path, including his skeleton henchman. Though it might assist you, always take care, because Nito has a lot of tricks up his skelly sleeve.
There you have it, where to find the Dark Souls boss Gravelord Nito and a good handful of tips to beat him. Check our Dark Souls rings guide if you need a little boost to your stats.