Where is Commander O’Neil in Elden Ring? How To Beat And More

More Ring of Elden players prefer to spend as little time as possible in the hellscape that is Caelid, but there are optional bosses in the area for those looking for a challenge. Commander O’Neil is one such boss, and defeating him will reward you with a unique halberd as well as runes for your troubles.

Commander O’Neil can be a bit tricky to find, so here’s everything you need to know about his location and how to beat him.

Where is Commander O’Neil?

Commander O’Neil can be found in the eastern part of Aeonia Swamp in Caelid. The easiest way to enter the swamps of Aeonia is either from the south along the Caelid Highway or from the northeast through Sellia, the City of Sorcery. Once in the swamp, look for a grove of tall dead trees covered in scarlet rot. You’ll find Commander O’Neil in a clearing in the center of these trees.

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The closest Grace Site is Inner Aeonia, and we recommend grabbing this Grace Site before facing Commander O’Neil to save time between attempts. One thing to keep in mind while in Aeonia Swamp is the Scarlet Rot buildup that will be applied if you are not on Torrent while in Red Ooze. Luckily, the status effect does not stack in the clearing Commander O’Neil spawns in.

Once you’ve arrived at Aeonia Swamp and grabbed the nearest Grace Site, it’s time to face the boss. Commander O’Neil has relatively simple mechanics but can still be tricky to defeat, so here’s everything you need to know to take him down.

How to Beat Commander O’Neil

Commander O’Neil can be a little difficult to take down, not because of his own moves, but because he summons ghostly soldiers to aid him in battle. These summons might seem easy to ignore, but Commander O’Neil can buff them, so it’s best to remove them as soon as he creates them. One thing to note for the fight is that you can use the area outside of the clearing he spawns in while fighting him. Just be aware of Scarlet Rot buildup.

Since the boss fight takes place in the open world of Ring of Elden, one of the best strategies for defeating Commander O’Neil is to use your mount, Torrent. As soon as Commander O’Neil’s health bar appears and the fight begins, run towards him to take damage while he casts his summon ability. Once he is done, five crossbowmen will be summoned. At this point, jump on Torrent and quickly dispatch the crossbowmen before focusing on Commander O’Neil.

For melee users, a hit and run tactic is optimal for taking down Commander O’Neil. The boss’ attacks are quite slow and have a long duration, so get close to Torrent and land a few strikes before quickly moving out of his range.

One move to particularly keep in mind is his Rotting Winds attack. You’ll know he’s using this move when he kneels before swinging his halberd three times. This attack affects a wide area around him with a buildup of Scarlet Rot and if he catches you with it, it will almost always guarantee a proc from the status effect. So if you see Commander O’Neil kneel (no pun intended), run.

Once Commander O’Neil reaches 40% HP, he will start summoning again and it will almost look like his summon ability at the start of the fight. Run and take damage before focusing on summoning. This time it will be three enemies armed with axes.

For magic and ranged weapon users, combat can be extremely easy. Just like melee users, use Torrent and take out Ghost Troopers as soon as Commander O’Neil summons them. Once it’s just you and the boss, kite him while hitting him with your long-range attacks. The boss makes no effort to close the distance, so close it until it dies.

Defeat Commander O’Neil in Ring of Elden will reward you with his unique halberd, the Commander’s Standard, an unalloyed gold needle, a key item for Millicent’s questline, and 12,000 runes. You will also gain access to Aeonia’s Heart Grace Site upon her death.