Defeating Maris, Fathom of Night - A Complete Strategy Guide

Day three of the Elden Ring: Nightreign event brings players face-to-face with one of the most unique Nightlords in the game: Maris, Fathom of Night, the final boss of the Augur expedition. Unlike many terrestrial bosses, Maris is a fully airborne entity, making traditional melee tactics significantly less effective. With an arena designed to emphasize mobility, timing, and range, players will need to adapt their strategies accordingly.

Here's a complete guide to understanding and defeating Maris, including recommended party compositions, elemental weaknesses, and phase-by-phase breakdowns.

Best Party Composition for Augur

Given Maris's aerial nature, melee builds are at a clear disadvantage. Even if you close the distance, stamina management becomes a major issue, leading to a quick burnout before you can land consistent hits. Instead, this fight is tailor-made for ranged builds, especially those utilizing elemental attacks.

Recommended Party Setups:

Full Ironeye Team: All players using ranged weapons and high mobility gear.

1 Recluse + 2 Ironeyes: A Recluse build offers utility and survivability, while Ironeyes handle the damage.

Make sure your party is above level 12, ensuring better FP pools, faster stamina regeneration, and access to stronger spells or weapon abilities. Equipping fast-cast talismans and ranged damage buffs will help you maintain pressure while avoiding retaliation.

Maris's Elemental Weakness

Maris, Fathom of Night, is vulnerable to Lightning, as are all Nightlords. Before facing this boss, take time on days one and two to gather Lightning-based weapons and consumables.

How to Obtain Lightning Gear:

Elemental Ruins: Explore Limveld for elemental ruins. Defeating their mini-bosses often rewards elemental-infused weapons.

Merchants: Some vendors in Limveld sell lightning arrows or bolts.

Loot RNG: If luck isn't on your side, make sure to stock up on Lightning Grease-a reliable backup to infuse your weapons.

Having Lightning-infused bows or spells like Lightning Spear, Ancient Lightning Strike, or even the humble Lightning Pots can massively increase your DPS output in this fight.

Boss Fight Breakdown: Maris, Fathom of Night

The Augur boss fight against Maris has three distinct phases: Attack, Dream, and Sleep Bomb. Each phase introduces new mechanics and hazards that require your team to adapt quickly.

1. Augur Attack Phase

At full health, Maris begins with evasive floating movements and ranged area attacks. The boss deploys Sleep Squids-floating entities that seek out players before detonating.

Key Abilities in This Phase:

Crashing Waves: Targets a player with fast-moving projectile waves. Dodge into the wave, not away from it, to avoid damage.

Vertical Tornado AOE: Maris ascends, then crashes down in a large vertical cyclone. Sprint out of range or perfectly time a dodge.

Horizontal Sweep AOE: A fast-moving ground-level sweep that punishes grouped-up players. Dodge sideways or jump if using light armor builds.

Tentacle Summons:

Maris will periodically summon tentacles across the battlefield. They have low HP and pose a moderate threat, but eliminating them triggers a blue orb burst that auto-targets Maris, dealing bonus damage. Assign one teammate to manage these tentacles for free DPS.

2. Augur Dream Phase

At 70% HP, Maris initiates the dream phase by retreating mid-air and curling up. This state emits a field that slowly inflicts sleep status on all players.

Strategy:

Equip sleep-resistant gear or talismans before the fight begins.

Use boluses or spells to clear sleep status buildup.

Maintain ranged pressure to keep the boss from lingering in this phase.

If players succumb to sleep, they are incapacitated and lose significant FP and HP when waking.

3. Augur Sleep Bomb Phase

This phase activates once Maris drops below 50% HP. The boss drops a large, slow-descending sleep bomb that detonates on contact with the ground.

Phase Mechanics:

Bomb #1: The first sleep bomb covers half the arena and applies immediate sleep + massive HP/FP damage.

Counterplay: All ranged players should focus fire on the bomb. Use Lightning Arrows or magic projectiles to destroy it mid-air.

Bombs #2 and #3: As Maris drops below 25% HP, it escalates by releasing two bombs simultaneously, each targeting half the arena.

Coordinate with teammates-each player should pick a bomb and destroy it before it lands.

Use rapid-fire abilities or charged projectiles to maximize impact.

Final Tips to Defeat Maris

Stay mobile: Always move diagonally to avoid tracking attacks like Sleep Squids.

Use blue orb tentacle mechanic: This can save your FP and deal chip damage passively.

Save Ashes of War or FP-based nukes for sleep bomb moments.

Watch your stamina: Don't over-commit to shots. Sprinting away is often more valuable than a few extra damage ticks.

Conclusion: Sleep No More

Maris, Fathom of Night, stands out as one of Elden Ring: Nightreign's most creative and technical bosses. While melee-focused players may struggle, a coordinated ranged team with Lightning-infused gear can turn this aerial threat into a satisfying victory. Use the terrain, communicate with your team, and don't let the boss's hypnotic sleep magic lull you into a false sense of security.

With the right preparation, a team that communicates effectively and employs the best Elden Ring runes and Elden Ring items will find Maris's aerial assault manageable. Don't let the hypnotic sleep magic lull you into complacency-the dream may be deadly, but with strategy and gear on your side, Maris will fall like all the rest.