How to beat the Shadow of the Erdtree Blackgaol Knight

The Shadow of the Erdtree Blackgaol Knight is one of the first bosses that players will come across in the Elden Ring expansion, a huge, spectral warrior in the Western Nameless Mausoleum who uses a giant sword and crossbow to punch through the Tarnished's defenses and drive them into the ground. If the Blackgaol Knight is proving difficult, you might want to hold off and play some more Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree first to better prepare, but if you think you're ready, our guide will help you clear that hurdle for good.

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

The Blackgaol Knight is found in the Western Nameless Mausoleum, a short Torrent ride away from the Scorched Ruins, which is likely the first location you'll encounter in Shadow of the Erdtree. He's an unassuming foe and not one of the Shadow of the Erdtree main bosses, but as you'll quickly discover, he hits like a freight train, so you need to be proactive with your dodge rolls.

The biggest tip I can give is from the second you cross through the fog, target lock on the Blackgaol Knight and sprint towards him. You'll have a window of a few seconds to deal a heavy attack which will stagger him, and you'll likely be able to follow this up with another few hits. Be wary of the Knight retaliating with a swift slash though, as it seems to be 50/50 whether he'll back off further or try to hit back immediately.

There are a few key attacks to watch out for from the Blackgaol Knight, all of which are obviously telegraphed. The first is his crossbow, which is fully automatic and if you get hit by one bolt, you'll be hit by the full barrage as it will likely break your poise. If you're close enough to attack when he pulls out the crossbow you can interrupt before he's fired a shot, or if you're further away, get ready to sprint around in a circle. The second he stops firing, that's your opportunity to attack.

Aside from standard swings, of which he has a few different ones, all of which finish with an opportunity to land a blow as he recovers, there are two other devastating attacks to watch out for. The first is his other ranged attack, where he will raise his sword into the air with both hands then thrust downwards and fire a gust of wind. This is easy to dodge with the right timing, but watch out for the follow up, where he'll drag his sword along the floor, perform a pirouette, then swing 360 degrees towards your current location. Dodge away from this and you'll have a window to land another hit or two.

He has two attacks where he'll jump into the air and slam down with his sword. One is used mainly as a way to dodge your attack and doesn't hit quite as hard, while the other is much more damaging as he does a barrel roll in mid-air. For both of these, dodge at the very last second, otherwise he'll hang in the air and change direction as you come out of the roll.

One thing to be aware of is when you get just past the halfway point, he will take a moment to heal. There is an incredibly tight window here to try and interrupt his heal, which if successful, makes this fight much easier, but it is such a small window you can't rely on pulling it off every time.

For the most part, the Blackgaol Knight fight is all about patience. Hit once, twice if you're sure, then roll away. The second you take damage, pop a flask because unless you're using an especially tanky build or you're an extremely high level, two hits will be enough to have you almost dead. I succeeded with a bleed dex build, using the Bloody Slash Ash of War to constantly deal heavy damage.

Blackgaol Knight rewards

Defeating the Blackgaol Knight will reward you with the Solitude armor set, which is some of the best armor for heavy builds. You'll also get the Greatsword of Solitude, which dishes out incredibly high damage per hit.

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