Meet Blackgaol Knight, the Elden Ring DLC boss bullying Shadow of the Erdtree players even though he’s just a guy with a sword
The first boss you can fight in the Elden Ring DLC is giving lots of players lots of problems.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
-Elden Ring DLC review-How to start the DLC-Scadutree Fragment locations-Revered Spirit Ash locations-Hand-to-hand martial arts-Best Elden Ring builds
The bosses in theElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLCare quite scary — and no, I don’t just mean the big ones. Even the minibosses located around the Land of Shadow will send you back to your last Site of Grace in the blink of an eye if you’re not careful, and one in particular has proven to be particularly deadly despite the fact there’s really nothing special about him.
That boss is the Blackgaol Knight spirit, and you’ll find him within the Western Nameless Mausoleum just northwest of the Gravesite Plain Site of Grace where the expansion began. Like you, he’s a Tarnished, and he’s equipped with heavy armor, a greatsword, and a rapid-fire crossbow loaded with explosive bolts.
Aside from the novelty of the newly added Repeating Crossbow he carries and the fact he can use his greatsword’s Ash of War to launch an energy projectile at you from afar, there’s nothinguniqueabout this guy — he’s just anElden RingNPC with a sword, and I beat him first try with my Strength/Intelligence colossal sword build while playing Shadow of the Erdtree formy review. I was surprised, then, to see memes about how tough he is on social media:
how blackgaol knight got me pic.twitter.com/xkmJhAB7iXJune 21, 2024
killing the blackgaol knight once after he killed me 100 times pic.twitter.com/Z6KOHnN8FxJune 21, 2024
Raise your hand if you have been personally victimized by blackgaol knightJune 21, 2024
From the dozens of comments I’ve read, it seems that ultimately, there are two reasons why players are struggling with the Blackgaol Knight:
1.People weren’t expecting enemies in the DLC to hit as hard as they do — that is to say, very, no matter what build or level you are — and experienced a rude awakening when the Blackgaol Knight two-shot them.
2.The Blackgaol Knight’s heavy armor and Poise makes him difficult to fight with smaller, speedier weapons, as they don’t have the staggering power that larger, slower ones do. As a result, the boss often “trades” hits with them, and these trades are far deadlier for players than the knight.
The second reason explains why I was able to handle him quite easily with my Royal Greatsword, while the first is something players simply have to get used to and account for when approaching fights in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
If you’re still struggling with the Blackgaol Knight, check out the section below for some tips. It’s worth noting that while the fight is entirely optional, you’ll get his armor and greatsword if you beat him.
How to beat the Blackgaol Knight
Having a hard time taking the Blackgaol Knight down? Here are some quick tips to keep in mind before and during the fight:
The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here, and it makes one of thebest Xbox gamesandbest PC gamesof all time even better. It’s out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC for $39.99.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree |$34.89 at CDKeys (Xbox)
Shadow of the Erdtree is Elden Ring at its most refined, with the base game’s overly formulaic elements cut away and some of FromSoftware’s best boss fights. The result is a 40-hour-long masterpiece of a DLC that’s an absolute must-play for any Soulsborne fan.
Also see:Shadow of the Erdtree (PC, $37.09)|Deluxe Edition (PC, $90.89)
Collector’s Edition:Bandai Namco Store (€249.99)
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
