Here’s how to beat the Blackgaol Knight in the Elden Ring DLC with all weaknesses and rewards listed
Want to know how to beat the Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree?Although a tricky first mini-boss inElden Ring, you’ll be glad to know that there areBlackgaol Knight weaknessesto manipulate.
While he might be accessible immediately after entering the Lands Of Shadow, the Blackgaol Knight hits like a tank, with a Greatsword and Repeating Crossbow combo that’ll keep you on your toes. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly what you need to do to beat him.
In this guide:
How to beat Blackgaol Knight in Shadow Of The Erdtree
To defeat the Blackgaol Knight, you’ll need to rely on your own tactics, as Spirit Ash summons aren’t available during the fight. Abide by the following tips for an eventual victory:
The Blackgaol Knight can be interruped with multiple strikes from heavy weapons. If you have aGreatsword(or theCarian Greatsword Sorcery, which is what I used), you should be able to interrupt his attack and get five or six strikes on him before he can react, taking off about a third of his health bar.
The Blackgaol Knight usually strikes in three swift arcs which you can disrupt if you get behind him and attack or parry his blows. Occasionally, he’ll unleash a jumping Greatsword slash. If you manage to hit him while he’s in air, he’ll be knocked onto his back. Otherwise,it’s tough to stagger the Blackgaol Knight, as his poise is very high.
It’s very important to recognise this telegraph, as the Blackgaol Knight will unleash a vertical wave of energy directly at your last location. It’s easy to avoid if you know it’s coming, but get hit once, and a huge section of your health bar will be in shambles instantly.
The Blackgaol Knight’s Crossbow loading time marks the best chance to attack him. Of course, if it’s impossible to approach him before he begins shooting,strafe around him and you’ll easily avoid his line of fire. The Blackgaol Knight shoots both regular bolts and exploding flame blots, and typically switches to the Crossbow whenever you’re a good distance away from him or when you’re resorting to heals.
You can keep him from doing this by continuously applying pressure, but if you don’t manage to hit him in time, no worries.He only has one heal.
Targeting the Blackgaol Knight will be an effort, and AoE spells like Meteorite will be too slow in this fight. Rely on faster magics likeBlack FlameorComet, and try to catch him when his back is turned or he’s in mid-attack animation. Your best option is to use a magical weapon if you’ve got one, however. The Royal Greatsword fromBlaidd’s questin the base game scales with Intelligence and is a good choice; alternately, the previously-mention Carian Greatsword Sorcerery works great.
The Blackgaol Knight is weak against Lightningand strong against Sleep and Madness status effects. He is also parryable, which leaves him vulnerable to critical hits and backstabs.
There are plenty of Lightning Weapon Skills and Incantations you can use in Elden Ring. You can also infuse Lightning damage to a regular non-magic weapon if you have acquired theSanctified Whetbladeand chosen the option via theAshes of Warmenu at aSite Of Grace. The Sanctified Whetblade can infuse either Holy or Lightning damage to a regular weapon and can be picked up from the Fortified Manor inLeyndell, Royal Capital(must be retrieved before defeatingMaliketh).
Lightning spells tend to beIncantationswithin the Dragon Cult category. This features options like Ancient Dragon’s Lightning Spear, Dragonbolt of Florrissax and Death Lightning. These spells can then be further buffed by 20% with thePriestess Heartitem. This item can only be obtained from completing theDragon Communion Priestess quest, however, but it can be worth using if you have any Dragon Cult Incantations equipped. Don’t forget that you can also use Lightning Pots, Arrows and Grease.
There are also plenty of Ashes of War that utilise Lightning attacks such as the Lightning Ram, Storm Kick, Ice Lightning Sword and Thunderbolt.
After you’ve killed the Blackgaol Knight, you’ll receive the following:
The Greatsword of Solitude requires Strength 27 (scaling B) and Dexterity 13 (scaling E). It has the Solitary Moon Slash Weapon Skill which emits a downward heavy attack (with a light projectile that inflicts stance damage). It then produces a follow-up whirl of slashes.
Aside from looking cool, all of these pieces of Solitude armour constitute an excellent set for taking on the challenges of the Land of Shadow, and the physical protection they offer is an immediate cut above the vast majority of armour sets from the Lands Between. A fitting reward for a tough boss right at the onset ofShadow Of The Erdtree!
That’s all we’ve got on beating the Blackgaol Knight, who’s just the start of the bosses available in Elden Ring’s expansive DLC. If you need more assistance, we have a guide on thelocations of all 78 bossesin the Land of Shadow for your perusal, as well as a guide on thebest order to fight these bosses. Good luck!
