Head into the fight with Immobilize spell ready and try to have at least 2-3 focus points stored up youll need them. The fight breaks down into two main phases and knowing how to handle each one makes a huge difference

First phase you want to stay medium distance from him and wait for his attacks The overhead smash is your best friend since he takes forever to recover giving you time to hit him with Thrust stance's heavy attack 2-3 times. When he does that charging attack just dodge to the side and use Smash stance's varied attack it does crazy damage if you time it right. Save your Immobilize spell for when he starts doing that multi-hit combo since it gives you a huge window to punish him

Second phase gets messier when he goes all cloudy but there's a trick to it Watch the ground for fire patches since that shows where hes gonna pop up next The Pillar stance varied attack with the spin works great here since it hits all around you and gives you space. Don't get too aggressive just hit and run with basic attacks to build focus then unleash the heavy stuff when he's recovering

Really important to use your focus points smart. Build them up early with light attacks then save them for when hes vulnerable after big moves. Punishing Downpour absolutely destroys his health bar if you catch him during recovery animations

Only use your Gourd when you know its safe like after dodging his big moves or when youve made space with Thrust stance. If you cant see whats happening in phase two maybe adjust your camera settings lots of players have trouble with that part at first but you'll get used to his patterns