One Sep 9 press report describes a three-fight demo chain—Cleaver Fellstone, Qiongqi, then Maldrake with its Knight. Qiongqi rushed selected players and created tornadoes; the finale added spear pressure, battlefield objects and an airborne launch. These are press-demo observations, not final launch strategies.
On this page
The first Nodusfall bosses shown in playable form turn one contract into a moving mythic set piece. Journalists fought Qiongqi, pursued the creature after it fled, encountered the dragon Maldrake, and faced an armored rider described as the Maldrake Knight. The demo used a four-player party and emphasized role coverage, recovery, large transformation skills, and short windows for coordinated attacks.
This page is a development-build field record, not a finished boss guide. Nodusfall Guide did not attend the session. The encounter names and mechanics below come from named press reports, including 4Gamer, MeinMMO, Polygon, and GAME Watch. No source has published final health values, elemental weaknesses, loot tables, break thresholds, enrage timers, or a launch-ready move list.
Which Nodusfall bosses have been shown?
| Encounter | What the demo established | Evidence state |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaver Fellstone | Named as the first encounter in one Sep 9 press-demo sequence; detailed move set not published | Named press-demo boss |
| Qiongqi | Winged, horned tiger-like target; area pressure; retreat and pursuit between fight locations | Named press-demo boss |
| Maldrake | Large dragon; broad fire attacks; later encounter in the same demo sequence | Named press-demo boss |
| Maldrake Knight | Armored rider associated with Maldrake; targeted lance pressure and large spectacle attacks | Press-demo name and observation |
Some reports describe three enemies while others frame Maldrake and its rider as one combined finale. CGMagazine also names Cleaver Fellstone as an earlier fight. Those differences are a reminder that a short event demo does not define the final contract screen or campaign order.
Cleaver Fellstone encounter
CGMagazine names Cleaver Fellstone as the opening fight in its gamescom press session, before Qiongqi and the Maldrake finale. That establishes a development-build name and observed order, but not a move list, element, weakness, reward table or launch location. Other hands-on reports began their detailed account with Qiongqi, so the event appointments may have differed or simply been summarized differently.
For now, Cleaver Fellstone is a named press-demo encounter—not proof of the first campaign boss or a permanent three-boss contract structure.
Qiongqi encounter
Qiongqi is a large winged creature based on a being from Chinese mythology. CGMagazine adds that it could select a player for a rush and create tornadoes, combining direct targeting with wider arena pressure in that specific build. 4Gamer identifies it by name and describes it as the first major target in its session. MeinMMO’s reporter saw a saber-toothed, horned, winged enemy that used area attacks to threaten several party members. Polygon’s account describes a towering gryphon-like target with multiple segmented health bars and tornado-summoning pressure.
The encounter did not end in one arena. After the party reduced Qiongqi’s health, the creature escaped. Players mounted up and followed it to another location before continuing the fight. 4Gamer then records a transition in which the pursuing team found Maldrake attacking Qiongqi. This makes the hunt feel more like a sequence of connected events than a menu of isolated boss rooms.
Do not treat that sequence as a universal Qiongqi strategy. The escape may be scripted for the demo contract, the number of health bars can change, and the launch version may use a different arena or objective. There is no verified weakness chart, recommended weapon, breakable-part list, or solo method yet.
Maldrake encounter
Maldrake is the large dragon that follows Qiongqi in the best-documented demo route. CGMagazine says the accompanying Knight attacked aggressively with a spear, the arena included objects players had to destroy, and one attack could launch a player airborne. These are useful press-build observations, not final counters or damage rules. 4Gamer describes the party arriving to see the dragon biting the earlier target before combat begins. MeinMMO records broad flame attacks spreading across the battlefield, giving players a reason to watch the whole arena rather than only the creature’s head.
The demo encouraged recovery and sustained pressure. Reports mention teammates healing and reviving one another while the group layered high-impact abilities into the fight. This supports the game’s stated co-op focus, but it does not prove that a dedicated healer is mandatory. The bow user in MeinMMO’s session equipped a selectable support action that could heal and immediately revive downed allies, showing that at least one development-build loadout could add support utility without changing to a separate character.
Maldrake also demonstrates how Nodusfall may connect mythologies. Press coverage associates the dragon and rider with the German Nibelungenlied, while Qiongqi comes from Chinese tradition. Those influences are editorial descriptions of the demo and its inspirations. Final lore, spellings, localized names, and the exact relationship between the creatures need first-party profiles.
Maldrake Knight
The Maldrake Knight is the armored rider seen with the dragon. Polygon’s hands-on calls the rider by that functional name and describes an enormous sword-of-light attack. MeinMMO reports that the knight could focus a player and attack with a lance while Maldrake applied wider fire pressure.
That pairing creates two different awareness problems: one threat can cover space, while the other selects a player for more focused pressure. It may reward voice communication and role discipline, especially if the frontline player can control attention while ranged characters keep safer angles. This is an interpretation of the observed encounter, not a verified aggro guide. The final game has not published targeting rules or a threat meter.
It is also unclear whether “Maldrake Knight” is a final proper name, an English demo label, or a descriptive translation. This page will retain the term only as a press-demo identifier until HoYoverse publishes an official English boss profile.
Maldrake Knight or Moldrake Knight?
Both spellings now appear in English-language coverage of the development build. This guide keeps Maldrake Knight as its primary working label because Maldrake is the spelling used in the earlier named press reports already cited on this page. A later secondary summary of an IGN Japan first look uses Moldrake Knight. That may reflect transliteration, localization, or an evolving demo name rather than two different encounters.
HoYoverse has not published a final English boss profile that settles the spelling. Searches for either name should therefore lead to this same encounter record, but neither form should be treated as a launch-final name yet. No separate Moldrake page or duplicate boss entry is warranted.
What did the September 3 first-look coverage add?
A secondary article summarizing an IGN Japan first look reports a mounted-to-dismounted encounter structure, a giant greatsword, debuff magic, and simultaneous pressure from the knight and dragon. It also mentions loadout changes and a “low barrier, high skill ceiling” impression. These details are useful leads, but this site could not retrieve the underlying IGN Japan publication for line-by-line verification.
| Reported detail | Current source state |
|---|---|
| Knight begins mounted and later fights on foot | Secondary report of an IGN Japan development build |
| Giant greatsword and debuff magic | Secondary report; final move names unknown |
| Dragon and knight create overlapping pressure | Reported demo observation, not a launch strategy |
| Lower entry barrier with room for mastery | Journalist impression, not an official difficulty setting |
Until the original first-look material or a first-party boss profile is available, these points remain reported, not officially confirmed launch mechanics. They are not evidence for final phases, weaknesses, rewards, difficulty modes, or a fixed boss name.
The media panel on this page uses traceable HoYoverse announcement images and a named 4Gamer development-build video. It does not reuse an unverified IGN screenshot or label a generic dragon frame as Maldrake/Moldrake. That keeps the naming note searchable while preserving the source boundary around the First Look details.
How do joint executions work?
MeinMMO reports a coordinated execution window after a boss became stunned. Several players had to gather around the target, stop normal attacks, and press the required input together. When successful, the group attack removed a large portion of health. The reporter’s team missed some windows because one player continued attacking instead of joining the prompt.
Polygon separately names these attacks “joint executions” and describes the party summoning a spectral giant for a dramatic strike. Together, the reports establish a real cooperative mechanic: the party must recognize a vulnerable state and briefly synchronize. They do not establish the exact player count, input window, damage formula, frequency, or whether every boss supports the same sequence.
The practical lesson for the demo is simple. More damage is not always the right immediate choice. When a joint execution prompt appears, the team may gain more by pausing its normal rotation and committing together. A launch guide will need the final UI prompt before giving exact instructions.
Boss phases, pursuit and arena changes
Nodusfall’s demo fights used movement as part of the encounter. Qiongqi fled, players mounted up, and the hunt continued elsewhere. MeinMMO also notes that a monster could move to a new location after a portion of its health was removed, requiring the group to teleport or travel after it. 4Gamer describes the Qiongqi-to-Maldrake sequence without a hard stage-selection break.
This resembles Monster Hunter’s pursuit rhythm more than a stationary Souls boss door, but the presentation is heavily authored. The target transition can reveal another creature and continue the story of the hunt. That is one reason a plain “boss arena” label undersells the demonstration.
Unknowns remain extensive: whether targets recover during pursuit, whether players can gather resources en route, how mounts are summoned, what happens if a team takes too long, and whether every contract contains multiple bosses. Those fields should wait for a public test.
How difficult were the demo bosses?
The evidence is mixed because difficulty is partly an impression. GAME Watch called its four-player battles demanding enough that careless players could die. MeinMMO’s group died repeatedly but still became the first of eight teams to clear all three encounters, despite little communication outside execution attempts.
The key recovery rule in that session was forgiving: a dead player could revive at a nearby campfire and run back while the boss retained its reduced health. Teammates could also revive a downed player. MeinMMO therefore judged the penalty too light and the demo too easy overall, while also criticizing weak low-health warnings.
That is one journalist’s view of one controlled build. Event demos are often tuned for limited appointment times, unfamiliar controls, and a broad range of visitors. Nodusfall may later adjust boss damage, checkpoints, life limits, health reset rules, warning feedback, or separate difficulty settings. The current answer is not “Nodusfall is easy.” It is “this demo allowed repeated recovery with little lost progress.”
What rewards do bosses drop?
No reliable drop table exists. Official material says defeating powerful creatures can provide resources that expand skills, weapons, or build options, but no public source defines which item belongs to Qiongqi or Maldrake. There are no verified rarity rates, crafting quantities, weekly limits, first-clear rewards, or body-part carve rules.
Any current farming route, drop percentage, armor set, or “best counter build” would be invented. This page will add reward tables only after a public build or first-party database makes the fields reproducible.
Frequently asked questions
Is Qiongqi the first boss in Nodusfall?
Qiongqi appeared early in several gamescom demo reports, but that does not confirm the first boss of the final campaign. Tutorial order and contract availability can change.
Are Maldrake and the Maldrake Knight one boss?
They appeared together in the demo finale. Reports sometimes describe them as a paired encounter and sometimes count the rider separately. The final boss taxonomy is unknown.
Can Nodusfall bosses be fought solo?
The development team says Nodusfall is playable solo, but no report explains solo scaling or confirms that every demonstrated boss can be completed alone. AI companions and replacements for joint executions are also unannounced.
Will the boss names change?
They may. Qiongqi and Maldrake are traceable press-demo names, while Maldrake Knight may be descriptive. All footage came from a development build, so final English spelling and terminology remain subject to change.
Sources and evidence notes
- 4Gamer gamescom hands-on — Qiongqi, Maldrake, pursuit, healing, revives, and connected encounter flow.
- MeinMMO gamescom hands-on — three combatants, attack patterns, support skill, joint execution, campfire recovery, and difficulty criticism.
- Polygon hands-on — joint-execution label, Qiongqi and Maldrake sequence, rider spectacle, and genre comparison.
- GAME Watch report — three-boss development session, four-player roles, revives, coordinated techniques, and explicit build-change warning.
- Nodusfall Hub summary of the IGN Japan first look — secondary account used only for the reported September 3 observations and alternate Moldrake spelling; the underlying IGN source was not independently retrieved.
- CGMagazine gamescom hands-on — Cleaver Fellstone order, Qiongqi rush and tornado observations, plus Maldrake and Knight arena mechanics.
- Niche Gamer preview — independent four-player press-demo account of a gryphon-like fight and multi-phase dragon-and-rider finale.
Continue with the combat and co-op guide, compare the four demo character roles, or learn what kind of game Nodusfall is.
Follow the target between encounters
The mounts and hunts guide reconstructs one reported contract, travel and pursuit sequence. It does not turn the Qiongqi or Maldrake demo into a fixed launch quest template.