VALIANT GARGOYLES

Phase Strategy

The Valiant Gargoyles are not two phases — they are two opponents. The first gargoyle (wielding twinblades) fights you alone for roughly 60 seconds. At 50% of the first gargoyle's HP, the second gargoyle (wielding an axe) drops from the ceiling and joins the battle. You now face both simultaneously until one dies, then finish the survivor.

This is a damage-race disguised as a positioning puzzle. The longer the fight drags on, the more likely you are to die to overlapping attacks or poison buildup. Your goal is simple: burn down the first gargoyle before the second can establish pressure.

The First 60 Seconds

The twinblade gargoyle opens with wide horizontal sweeps and a jumping slam. Its moveset is manageable in isolation — every attack has a generous punish window. The mistake most players make is treating this like a learning phase. It is not. This is your kill window.

Critical: Use every offensive buff you have at the start of the fight. Golden Vow, flame-grant-me-strength, weapon grease — stack them all. The first gargoyle must drop below 60% HP before the second one lands, or you will spend the rest of the fight in reactive hell.

The twinblade gargoyle's key tells:

• Double horizontal spin — Roll into the second spin, not the first. Punish with 2-3 R1s.
• Jumping overhead slam — Huge telegraph. Roll forward through it and punish immediately.
• Flying sweep (airborne) — It hovers, then dives horizontally. Sprint perpendicular, do not roll.

If you are summoning, place your spirit ash immediately after entering the fog gate. Do not wait. Every second of DPS matters.

Tag-Team Chaos

When the axe gargoyle joins, the fight transforms. The axe gargoyle is slower but hits harder. More dangerously, both gargoyles can now use poison mist breath — a wide cone that lingers and builds poison rapidly.

The poison mist is the true threat. A single breath deals moderate damage, but two overlapping breaths guarantee poison proc. Once poisoned, you lose 15% of your max HP over 90 seconds. The fight does not give you 90 seconds of breathing room.

Your positioning priority:

1. Keep both gargoyles in your field of view. Lock-on becomes unreliable when they separate. Free-cam and manual targeting are safer.
2. Bait attacks from one gargoyle at a time. Sprint toward the twinblade gargoyle to force its aggro, punish, then reposition before the axe gargoyle closes distance.
3. Never stand between them. Overlapping hitboxes are instant death.

If the first gargoyle is below 30% HP when the second arrives, finish it immediately. A 1v1 against the axe gargoyle is infinitely more manageable than a 2v1 at half-strength each.

Attacks & Counters

| Attack | Counter | |--------|---------| | Twinblade double spin | Roll into the second spin. The first spin is bait. | | Twinblade jumping slam | Roll forward under the arc. Punish 3 R1s. | | Twinblade flying sweep | Sprint perpendicular to the dive path. Do not roll — you'll mistime the hitbox. | | Axe overhead slam (2-hit) | Roll forward on the second hit. The first is a feint with extended recovery. | | Axe horizontal sweep | Wide arc, short recovery. Roll into the gargoyle. Punish 1 R1. | | Poison mist breath | Sprint backward out of cone range. If poisoned, cure with Neutralizing Boluses immediately. | | Flying grab (both) | Rare. They hover, then dive-grab. Roll sideways at the last moment. |

Recommended Loadout

This fight rewards burst damage over sustained DPS. You want the first gargoyle dead before the chaos peaks.

• Spirit Ash: Banished Knight Oleg +10 or Lhutel the Headless +10. Both are tanky enough to survive the tag-team phase and aggressive enough to pressure the first gargoyle early. Mimic Tear works but is overkill — save the FP for buffs.
• Weapon: Anything +15 or higher with bleed or frost. Blasphemous Blade trivializes the fight if you have the faith for it (the weapon art staggers both gargoyles and heals you on kill). Alternatively, Rivers of Blood or Moonveil with their respective stat investments.
• Talismans:
  • Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (physical damage reduction)
  • Immunizing Horn Charm +1 (slows poison buildup dramatically)
  • Green Turtle Talisman (stamina regen for dodge-spam during tag-team phase)
  • Carian Filigreed Crest (skill FP cost reduction if using weapon arts)
• Items: Neutralizing Boluses ×10. Do not enter this fight without poison cures. The mist breath is unavoidable if both gargoyles breathe at once.
• Buffs: Golden Vow (15% attack/defense) and Flame, Grant Me Strength (20% physical/fire damage) stack multiplicatively. Pop both before the fog gate.

If you are struggling with damage output, respec at Rennala. This fight is a DPS check more than a mechanical check. A glass-cannon build with 60 vigor and all points in your primary damage stat will clear faster than a balanced 40/40/40 spread.

Poison Management

The poison mist breath is not RNG. Both gargoyles use it predictably when you create distance. The tell: they rear back, wings spread, then exhale a green cone.

Counter-strategy:

• Stay close. Gargoyles rarely breathe poison if you are within melee range.
• Sprint, do not roll. Rolling through poison mist still procs buildup. Sprinting out of range is the only safe counter.
• Cure immediately. Do not wait for the poison bar to fill. Use a bolus the moment you see the status effect icon. Losing 15% HP over time is a death sentence when both gargoyles are alive.

If you run out of boluses mid-fight, the Immunizing Horn Charm +1 (found in Leyndell sewers) cuts poison buildup in half. Equip it before the fight if you cannot afford 10+ boluses.

NPC Summon Option

If you are following D, Hunter of the Dead's questline, his golden summon sign appears just outside the fog gate. D is a competent tank but his damage output is low. He will not carry the fight — he buys you time. Summon him if you are learning the moveset, but expect a longer fight overall.

D's real value is drawing aggro from the axe gargoyle during tag-team phase. If you can keep him alive until the twinblade gargoyle dies, the final 1v1 becomes trivial.

Lore Pause

The Valiant Gargoyles guard the path to Deeproot Depths, where Godwyn the Golden's corpse festers. They are not Marika's creations — their design predates the Erdtree, carved by an older civilization that built Nokron and Nokstella. The poison mist is rot seeping from Godwyn's deathblight corruption below. You are not fighting the gargoyles. You are fighting the symptom of a god's decay.

Two gargoyles, one goal: survive long enough to claim the runes of a demigod's champions.

Related Bosses

Defeating the Valiant Gargoyles opens the path to Fia's questline finale and the fight against Lichdragon Fortissax in Deeproot Depths. If you struggled here, Fortissax will be worse — stock up on holy pots and lightning grease.