Looking for an Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss guide? In a game known for its punishing difficulty, it’s no surprise that one of the first bosses you encounter in the latest expansion is such a pain to fight. The Blackgaol Knight is equipped with a greatsword and a crossbow, capable of dealing considerable damage both up close and from a distance.
It’s important to note that if you are struggling in the Elden Ring expansion, you should try to collect as many Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes right away to strengthen your character. Not only will this help you against the Blackgaol Knight, the benefits remain active throughout your time in the Realm of Shadows, helping you take down all the Elden Ring bosses. Here’s what you need to know to take down the Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss.
How to beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring
We took on the Blackgaol Knight using the Glass Cannon Mage, one of our tried and tested Elden Ring builds. You might be tempted to start the fight using the Wondrous Physick and Comet Azure technique, but this beam isn’t very consistent, as the Knight usually rolls out of the way after a few seconds. It’s better to begin the fight waiting for the Knight to switch to its crossbow before moving in to deal some damage.
The Blackgaol Knight is capable of striking down our Mage in just two attacks, but this build has everything it needs to take down bosses like this one. You can’t avoid the boss, as the Knight will pull out its crossbow if you refuse to engage it in combat. Occasionally, the Knight enchants its bolts with fire to deal additional damage over time. These fiery bolts aren’t any faster than the standard ones, so continue to strafe out of the way until the Knight switches to its other weapon.
The Knight is equipped with the Greatsword of Solitude, a gigantic sword capable of wiping out half of your health bar in a single attack. Fortunately, it takes the Knight quite a while to swing the sword, so keep a small gap between you and the boss as you search for opportunities to land hits. Depending on your amount of vigor, you should be able to withstand a two-attack combo from the boss, but be careful as you cannot afford to take a third consecutive hit.
We’ve come to this fight prepared with the Moonveil Katana, one of the best Elden Ring weapons, perfect for close to medium range battles. This weapon is special because it has a unique skill called Transient Moonlight, giving you the ability to launch a projectile. With this skill in mind, you can keep a safe distance between your opponent, knowing you have an ability that can instantly close the gap after the Blackgaol Knight misses an attack. This is particularly helpful when the Knight goes for a jumping lunge attack, you can smash them out of the air using Transient Moonlight.
When the Blackgaol Knight equips the Greatsword of Solitude with both hands, they unlock a new attack that allows them to launch a projectile from their sword. It’s easy to take damage from this projectile when you’re trying to land your attacks and spells from afar. Instead, stay within range of the boss and wait for them to run through their set routines.
Most of the Knight’s patterns are easy to remember, but there’s one involving the two-handed Greatsword which can be devastating. The Knight transitions from its standard two-attack sequence into a projectile, then immediately launches forward with a heavy attack that is capable of instantly killing our Mage. After you avoid the projectile, you must dodge forward into the Knight to miss its killing blow. A dodge in any other direction will result in you taking fatal damage.
The last thing to be aware of is the Blackgaol Knight does have a flask to top up their health, but they’re only carrying enough for one sip. You can use this to your advantage as the fight progresses, as they will go for a second sip only to find that their flask is empty. The Knight’s constant need to drink makes the second half of the fight is a lot easier than the first. Use this opportunity to smash them as they pull out the flask, we managed to land an attack several times as the boss continued to reach for a drink on wake up.
Blackgaol Knight rewards
You finally did it, the Blackgaol Knight has been defeated. It’s worth reminding you that this was an optional boss, and unless you’re playing as a Hercules-like character, you might not find the rewards particularly useful.
Here’s are the rewards for defeating the Blackgaol Knight:
- 70,000 Runes
- Greatsword of Solitude
- Helm of Solitude
- Armor of Solitude
- Gauntlets of Solitude
- Greaves of Solitude
Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight location
The Blackgaol Knight can be found in an enclosed arena not too far from where you begin the expansion. Following the Shadow of the Erdtree map, rest at the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace and head west until you reach the Graveyard Plain. Enter the Western Nameless Mausoleum and travel through the golden mist to start the Blackgaol Knight boss fight.
And that’s all you need to defeat the Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss. The clever thing to do with this fight is to return to it after you’ve explored the Realm of Shadows after a few hours. However, we know most of you are too stubborn to do this, hence why this guide exists. If you’re running a Dex build, you should use our Blade of Mercy guide to find a powerful Elden Ring talisman early in the expansion. For everyone else, check out our best Elden Ring armor sets to make sure you look beautiful as you explore the new area.