Gravelord Nito, also known as Nito, The First of the Dead, is a boss, the leader of the Gravelord Servant Covenant, and one of the original Lords in Dark Souls.
Location
Gravelord Nito can be found at the end of the Tomb of the Giants.
Lore
Nito, first of the dead, is one of the original Lords who found a Lord Soul at the dawn of the Age of Fire. He administers the death of all life, and offered much of the energy of his own soul to death itself.[1] He, along with the other Lords, waged war against the Dragons, unleashing a miasma of death and disease upon them.[2]
After the war with the dragons, Nito presumably returned to the Tomb of the Giants, where he slumbers to this day as keeper of a Lord Soul. Travelers brave enough to find their way into his tomb can pay their respects and become a Gravelord Servant.
In time before the player's mention, Pinwheel stole the power of Nito, holding on to it until the Chosen Undead meets the Pinwheel. This power was also sought after by Occultists who wished to destroy the other lords using the power of Nito. These events are considered ancient history that fall in a timeline between the fall of Oolacile and the Chosen Undead's arrival.
Strategies
When falling into Nito's domain, some damage will be incurred. This can be negated through use of the Fall Control sorcery. If Fall Control is unavailable, make sure to heal once landed, preferably with Estus as the other forms might not be fast enough to avoid Nito's ranged attack.
Nito is a very large, very slow boss with average HP. This makes large weapons and slow spells excellent candidates for dealing damage to him quickly. Nito's attacks often cause toxic and can be quite damaging, but almost all of them have a very long startup time and are easily avoidable. All of the attacks except the sword dance can be blocked.
Nito is aided by some minor Skeletons initially, and Giant Skeletons if the player ventures too far from the place they fell down from. The smaller Skeletons resurrect after being killed, unless they are killed with a divine weapon(even with a Divine weapon a Phantom can't kill the skeletons, only the Host can). They are no tougher than the Skeletons found throughout the Catacombs and the Tomb of the Giants, but may prove to be a fatal distraction to fighting Nito himself. Wearing the Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring will help in avoiding confrontation with the Giant Skeletons at the back of the cavern.
He can easily be strafed behind for free hits, resulting in large amounts of damage – especially if attacking him with fire weapons or pyromancies (as he is weak to fire).
Boss Information
Attacks
Slam
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
550 | - | - | - | Physical | No | Neither | Slow |
Nito slowly raises his weapon, then slams it into the ground. Difficult to block, but can be easily dodged. Also, Nito pauses for a few moments afterwards, leaving him open to attacks.
Thrust
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
506 | - | - | - | Thrust | No | Neither | Slow |
Nito thrusts forward with his sword. Can be blocked or dodged.
Swing
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
396 | - | - | - | Physical | No | Neither | Slow |
Nito swings his sword horizontally. Can be blocked or rolled under.
Gravelord Greatsword
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
305 | - | - | - | Physical | No | Both | Slow |
Only used by Nito when the player is either far away from him, or when they are out of sight range. After a scream, Nito plunges his sword into the ground, where it emerges where from underneath the player, causing toxic build up along with decent damage. It has a similar effect to the Gravelord Sword Dance miracle.
Soul Explosion
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | 528 | - | - | Magic | No | AoE | Slow |
After pausing to charge the attack, Nito will expel a wave of darkness in all directions, causing Magic Damage and Toxic buildup.
Death Grip
Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
275 | - | - | - | Regular | No | Neither | Slow |
Nito's hand glows red, whilst also attempting to grab the player. If successful, it deals a great deal of damage to the player.
Defenses
Physical Defenses | Elemental Defenses | Resistances | |||||||
317 | 317 | 317 | 317 | 238 | 221 | 317 | S | S | S |
These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.
Drops
Item | Lord Soul |
Drop Rate | Guaranteed |