How to Beat the Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

If you have started to explore the Shadow Realm in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you’re bound to cross paths with the Blackgaol Knight in the early stage. It’s one of the first bosses you will encounter not far from where you start your journey in this DLC. You can’t take this enemy lightly, but don’t worry, this walkthrough has you covered. Although you will have a hard time in this combat because of the limited equipment, you will be very happy once you get the final rewards.

In this guide, we will explain everything you need to beat the Blackgaol Knight in Shadow of the Erdtree and secure yourself a win. We’ll go over what weapons and equipment you can use, the Knight’s moves, how to counter them, and a few extra tips and tricks in order to sweat through this fight with slightly less effort.

Understanding the Blackgaol Knight’s Attacks

This guy isn’t a pushover, so stay sharp to avoid getting overwhelmed. First off, watch out for his crossbow. If you put some distance between you and him, he’ll switch to this ranged weapon and fire off a rapid barrage of bolts. Dodging these can be difficult, so either keep running, sprint to the side or use your shield to take the hits. He loves doing this throughout the fight so you can use the same tactic every time to avoid the damage. After he shoots, there will be some free time before reloads it again, it’s your opportunity to land a few hits and get some revenge.

When he pulls out the big greatsword, stay on guard; he’s got some heavy-hitting moves. One of his favorites is the overhead slash—he swings that sword down from behind with bone-crushing force. When you see this coming, dodge to the right or block with your shield. Then there’s his jump slash, where he leaps into the air and comes crashing down. If you time it right, you can stagger him mid-jump with a hit. Otherwise, dodge to the side and get ready for his follow-up move.

Speaking of recovery, the knight often follows up his attacks with a quick stab. If you’re caught off-guard or staggered, this can really hurt. Keep your guard up and be ready to roll away or block. And remember his signature move—the Spirit Slash. He’ll raise the greatsword over his head, charge it up, and then send a devastating wave of energy your way. This one’s tricky because he can immediately follow it with a quick slash. Just remember to dodge and then dodge again to keep yourself safe.

• Related: Where to Go or What to Do First in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?

How to Defeat the Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Before you charge into battle, let’s make sure you’re prepared. Here’s what you need to know:

Weapons and Equipment:

• The Blackgaol Knight struggles against bleed damage, so weapons that inflict bleed buildup, like katanas or twin blades with the Seppuku skill, are excellent choices.
• If the bleed build isn’t your style, go with weapons that deal hefty amounts of physical damage. Colossal swords, great axes, and great hammers are all good picks.
• Equip armor that offers high poise and physical damage reduction. You’ll need to withstand some heavy hits in this fight if you fail to dodge his powerful attacks.
• If you have a strong partner in your team, you can ask his/her help if it’s hard for you alone.

Consumables and Buffs:

• Stock up on Crimson and Cerulean Tears to restore your health and FP respectively. The boss will also use his Flask of Crimson Tears to recover his stamina once on low health. If he can do that, why not you? You may use these a lot throughout the fight if get a lot of damage.
• Preserving Boluses temporarily increases your damage negation, giving you a much-needed boost to stand long in the battle arena.
• If you have Exalted Flesh in your inventory, this consumable can temporarily increase your attack power, so you can dish out more heavy damage to the Knight.

Optional Items:

• Scadutree Blessings: These unique blessings found in the Shadow Realm can provide great buffs to your attack power and defense. It’s better to explore the new map first to collect some of these blessings, if you haven’t already, before reaching the Blackgaol Knight.
• Weapon Buffs: Use weapon greases or consumables that temporarily increase the weapon’s damage. So for instance, Holy Grease adds holy damage to your regular melee attacks and can be a big help when fighting this enemy.

Strategies to Take Down Blackgaol Knight Boss

First, go to the Western Nameless Mausoleum, there you’ll find Blackgaol Knight waiting to have a dual with you. Just head west from the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace to reach this area. When you are there, the knight is gonna start loading up his crossbow. Don’t let him get those shots off. Sprint to the side when you see him start pulling out the weapon. You can close the gap in this way, and deliver a few solid hits before he changes to his greatsword. Thereafter, stay close and proceed to whack him after his attacks.

You should have high stagger potential weapons if you are using Melee build. The Bloodhound’s Fang is a great option, as its Bloodhound’s Finesse skill allows you to safely dodge his attacks and then strike back. Greatswords, hammers, and colossal weapons also work well to interrupt his combos as I told you already. Moreover, you can use a shield to block the Blackgaol Knight’s ranged crossbow attacks and some of his melee strikes. This allows you to get in close and counterattack; also try to parry his attacks to provide yourself an opening for retaliation.

For you, Mage players, focus on spells with short cast times like Magic Glintblade and Night Shard. Spells that can stagger the Blackgaol Knight, such as certain sorceries, are great for interrupting his attacks. Avoid the long-winded AoE stuff, you won’t have enough time for these spells as the knight will likely hit you before you can get them off. Instead, focus on Elden Ring incantations that are quick to cast.

As one of the best Elden Ring weapons, I found the Moonveil Katana‘s Transient Moonlight skill amazing for dealing with this boss. After dodging the attack from Knight, you can quickly get closer and punish him strongly with this weapon ability. No matter your build, you are going to need heaps of patience and good positioning on the ground. Don’t get greedy, watch his moves, and be ready to dodge or block. If you get it right, then Blackgaol Knight will be on the ground in no time.

Blackgaol Knight Boss Fight Rewards

Triumphing over the Blackgaol Knight is no easy feat, but the spoils of victory are worth it. Here are the great rewards you will receive after defeating the boss:

• 70,000 Runes
• Greatsword of Solitude
• Helm of Solitude
• Armor of Solitude
• Gauntlets of Solitude
• Greaves of Solitude

The Greatsword of Solitude is a powerful weapon that has impressive base damage and scales well with Strength. It also comes with a unique Ash of War even though you can’t change it, giving more power to your weapon. Thus, the fight with the Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is not only exciting but also gives an excellent weapon and solid armor set that will undoubtedly be valuable in further exploration of the Lands of Shadow.