The Northern Army
The Northern Army is led by the Frozen Commanders, three brothers of unknown origin whose army is made of everyone they have felled - and everyone unlucky enough to cross them. Lore from Lady Hikari places Lord Nivis in the Second Age, with strained ties to the Enclave.
The encounter spawns in the Arctic Plains every odd hour at :20 EST (1:20, 3:20, and so on), with each commander at his own documented position: Frigus, Master of the North, beside the gate to the Precipice; Evocator, the Soulcatcher, at the center of the Arctic Plains inside the giant skull and ribcage; and Lord Nivis, Heir of the Dead, beside the Dweller Cave.
Their shared kit is frost-themed posture pressure. Swing is a standard blockable, parryable, dodgeable hit with minor values. Delayed Swing baits early parries and hits for medium posture damage - parrying it staggers the boss. Frost Slam deals medium posture damage, low damage, and freezes on hit. Their most dangerous tool is Execute: anyone (mobs included) who drops below 30% health can be reanimated into a member of Nivis's army, healing him slightly in the process.
Lord Nivis has an exclusive skill, Rock Barrage: roughly 20 rocks divided evenly among everyone fighting him. Players can typically block around 5, so the documented counterplay is to break line of sight and hide behind terrain. Notably, Lord Nivis has no second phase - confirmed on camera in Pot Guy's PvE charm testing, where it is the stated reason the damage variant of the Raid Boss charm is preferred against Nivis while the defense variant is saved for Junichiro's phase two. The Execute reanimation mechanic has also been confirmed on camera: PhoenixVids' footage shows a commander killing an Arctic Plains bear mob and reanimating it into the army. The encounter's shared drop pool covers the Frostvein Shard material and a set of frost-themed equipment, while Nivis carries his own exclusive drops including the Radiant Edge skill essence.
Details
Attacks
Swing: blockable, parryable and dodgeable with minor damage and posture damage. Delayed Swing: same defensive options but medium posture damage and low-medium damage; parrying it staggers the boss. Frost Slam: blockable, parryable and dodgeable, medium posture damage, low damage, and freezes targets hit.
Execute: rather than a normal attack, this reanimates anyone who falls below 30% health - including mobs - turning them into a member of Nivis's army and healing him slightly. Keeping allies topped up denies the commanders free reinforcements.
Lord Nivis exclusive skills
Rock Barrage conjures around 20 rocks split evenly between everyone in the fight. Each rock is individually blockable, parryable and dodgeable with low damage and low posture damage per rock, but the volume overwhelms blocking - players usually block about 5. The intended counter is to hide behind terrain until the barrage ends.
Radiant Edge is his second exclusive skill: blockable, parryable and dodgeable, dealing medium damage with high posture damage, and it can stagger the boss when parried.
Lord Nivis has no second phase (confirmed on camera by Pot Guy), which shapes the PvE charm choice against him: the damage variant of the Raid Boss charm is preferred for Nivis, while the defense variant is preferred for Junichiro because of his phase two. Nivis also moves very slowly, a behavior visible in Gauntlet trial footage.
Rewards
Shared direct drops: the Frostvein Shard material, the Northern War Skirt, three frosted cape variants (Regal, Wide and Tattered), and the Frosted Steel Pauldrons.
Lord Nivis exclusive drops: the Radiant Edge skill essence, the Chaos Halo head equipment, the Frostwalker charm and the Frostvein Crystal (used at the Upgrade Shrine).
Fight tips
Fight Nivis near solid structures rather than trees - you need real cover to hide behind when Rock Barrage comes out.
Less is more: Nivis gets significantly harder with more players involved, since he snowballs and heals whenever he kills or reanimates enemies.
Gallery
Click any image to enlarge.
FAQ
Where does The Northern Army spawn?
In the Arctic Plains every odd hour at :20 EST. Frigus appears beside the gate to the Precipice, Evocator inside the giant skull and ribcage at the map's center, and Lord Nivis beside the Dweller Cave.
How do I survive Lord Nivis's Rock Barrage?
Around 20 rocks are split among all fighters and you can only block about 5, so the documented strategy is to break line of sight and hide behind terrain - pick a spot near solid structures, not trees.
What does the Execute mechanic do?
Anyone - player or mob - who falls below 30% health can be reanimated into Nivis's army, healing him slightly. Avoid fighting at low health near the commanders. The mechanic has been shown on camera: PhoenixVids' footage captures a commander reanimating a killed Arctic Plains bear mob.
Does Lord Nivis have a second phase?
No - Lord Nivis has no phase two, confirmed on camera in Pot Guy's PvE testing. That is why the damage variant of the Raid Boss charm is the preferred pick against Nivis, while the defense variant is preferred against Junichiro.
Other bosses
Source-checked
Compiled from community documentation, video documentation and cross-checked sources; values pending in-game verification. updated · GuideDex staff. Report a correction.