He’s the first real wall you’ll hit in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree-a relentless knight who denies you the comfort of Spirit Ashes and punishes every mistake with brutal force. The Blackgaol Knight waits in the shadows near the DLC’s starting point, daring you to test your mettle and patience for a shot at one of the best early-game rewards. Ready to claim his legendary armor and weapon? Here’s how to outsmart and outlast this formidable foe.
Our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree guide covers how to beat the Blackgaol Knight, including its weaknesses and the best ways to prepare yourself for the DLC’s first big challenge.
Blackgaol Knight location in Elden Ring DLC
The Blackgaol Knight is found in the Western Nameless Mausoleum, located on the western edge of the Gravesite Plain in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. To reach him, start from the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace-one of the first Sites of Grace you’ll encounter after beginning the DLC-and head directly west. As you travel, you’ll pass through an area with dead trees, stone archways, and blue worm-like creatures jutting from the ground, as well as several Gravebird enemies perched nearby. The mausoleum itself sits atop a small hill, and the Blackgaol Knight awaits inside as a solitary boss, making this one of the earliest and most accessible boss encounters in the expansion.
The Blackgaol Knight lives in the Western Gravesite Mausoleum at the western end of Gravesite Plain. If you start from the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace and head due west, you’ll pass through a field of weird little worm guys – harmless, unless you attack them (don’t attack them) – and then end up in front of the mausoleum.
The area is accessible as soon as you enter the Land of Shadow, so if you’re after a nice new set of armor and feel up to a challenge, don’t hesitate to visit here first.
Blackgaol Knight weaknesses and how to prepare
The Blackgaol Knight is particularly vulnerable to Lightning damage, making Lightning-infused weapons and fast Lightning-based incantations highly effective choices for this fight. He is also susceptible to being parried, which opens him up to critical hits and backstabs-an excellent opportunity for skilled melee players to capitalize on his slow, heavy attacks. However, he is extremely resistant to most status effects, including Bleed, Poison, Rot, Frostbite, Sleep, and Madness, so it’s best to avoid relying on these tactics. To prepare, upgrade your weapons as much as possible, consider using Greatswords, Hammers, or Colossal Weapons for their ability to stagger or interrupt his attacks, and collect Scadutree Fragments to boost your damage and defenses. Since Spirit Ash summons are disabled for this encounter, you’ll need to face him solo, so bring the best healing items and damage-negation buffs you can, and ensure your equipment load allows for quick dodging to avoid his devastating blows.
As far as I could tell across a dozen battles, the Blackgaol Knight resists all status ailments. He won’t bleed or suffer from rot, poison, or frostbite, so don’t waste your items and time trying to inflict special effects on him.
What he is prone to, however, is interruption from strikes with heavy weapons. Those include greatswords, along with:
- Hammers
- Colossal weapons
- Great katana
- Greataxes
A hit from a weapon in any of those categories will interrupt one of his in-progress attacks give you enough space to back away and avoid his follow-up strike. The method is a little tedious, but it’s the safest way to finish the fight.
My ideal choice for this fight is Bloodhound’s Fang, thanks to its excellent built-in skill, Bloodhound’s Finesse. Bloodhound’s Finesse sees you dash forward in a brief moment of invincibility and deliver a strike, before leaping backward. If you execute the skill right as the Blackgaol Knight delivers a horizontal or overhead strike, you’ll deal damage and retreat out of his reach. You can follow up with a strong attack if you’re feeling particularly brave, or just repeat the method until the knight falls.
If you’re a magic user, it’s definitely worth pulling out a magic weapon and leaving the spells aside. Gravity spells such as Rock Sling will eventually break the Blackgaol Knight’s poise, but he moves too quickly for sorcery and incantations to be safe options. The Darkmoon Greatsword, Onyx Lord’s Greatsword, Death’s Poker, and Royal Greatsword from Blaidd’s quest are solid choices for intelligence builds, and faith builds can make good use of the Golden Order Greatsword or Blasphemous Blade.
Whatever weapon you choose, make sure it’s upgraded to at least its 6 form or higher. Go find some Bell Bearings for the Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold if you don’t have enough Smithing Stones.
This fight doesn’t allow spirit summons, so don’t worry about which one to take with you.
How to beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring DLC
The Blackgaol Knight is a formidable early boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, found in the Western Nameless Mausoleum of Gravesite Plain. To defeat him, preparation is crucial: upgrade your weapons, collect a few Scadutree Fragments for increased damage and resistance, and avoid heavy armor to maintain mobility. The fight does not allow Spirit Ash summons, so you’ll need to rely on your own skills and timing. The Blackgaol Knight wields a powerful greatsword and a repeating crossbow, making both close and ranged combat dangerous. His attacks are slow but devastating, so patience is key-dodge his overhead and horizontal swings, then counterattack during the brief openings that follow. Greatswords and other heavy weapons are effective, but spellcasters can also exploit his weaknesses to magic and lightning with fast-casting spells. Stay alert, keep your distance when he readies his crossbow, and strike decisively when you see an opening to secure victory against this challenging foe.
Like most human enemies, the Blackgaol Knight has one phase and one set of attacks that changes very little as the battle progresses. His most common combo is an overhead strike with his sword, followed by a horizontal slash. Roll sideways to avoid the former and backward to get away from the latter. You could also roll forward and hit him from behind if you’re really quick.
You can interrupt either of these attacks with a strike of your own, and while he won’t remain staggered for more than a second, it’s enough to hit him one more time and retreat before he’s back in action. I don’t recommend jumping attacks or Ashes of War skills with long animations, as these just leave you vulnerable to attack before you can even pull them off.
The Knight will occasionally run at you and perform a jump attack of his own. Dodge out of the way, and attack him in turn while he recovers.
If you’re too far away, the Knight will equip a crossbow and fire a single bolt, followed half a second later by a stream of bolts. There’s a random chance he might use exploding flame bolts as well, which you, naturally, don’t want to get hit by. His aim follows you around the room, but you can just sprint sideways to avoid getting hit. You can interrupt this attack if you strike him before he starts firing, and you can also make your way toward him as you avoid the bolts for a chance to hit him right as he finishes firing.
The Knight’s deadliest combo is his weapon’s unique skill. He’ll raise his sword and emit a vertical arc of moonlight; if you’re close enough, he’ll quickly follow up with a strong horizontal sword slash that might knock you down. A sideways dodge gets you safely away from the moonbeam, and another or a forward roll should keep the follow-up from harming you. That second strike has a wider reach, so it might take some practice to get the timing right.
If that skill is giving you trouble, your best bet for avoiding it is maintaining a bit of distance – enough to keep him from using his skill’s follow-up attack, but not so far that he just spams his crossbow shots. I found he’ll come to you n most cases,, so you can just attack, retreat, and repeat. Either way, the Knight is open to attack right before and right after using his skill, so it’s a good chance to rush in and get a hit or two in before the cycle starts again.
Once the Blackgaol Knight’s health reaches roughly the halfway point, he’ll drink from a Flask of Crimson Tears and restore a small portion of his HP. Nothing changes after this point, though, so just keep at it until the mausoleum becomes his shade’s permanent resting place.
Victory against the Blackgaol Knight earns you the Greatsword of Solitude – complete with the same moon arc skill and follow-up slash the Knight used – and his armor: a set of heavy equipment that, if you have the stats to manage the load, goes a long way toward keeping you safe in the Land of Shadow.
What hidden weaknesses can I exploit to defeat Blackgaol Knight quickly
To defeat the Blackgaol Knight quickly, exploit these hidden weaknesses:
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Punish Crossbow Usage: The Blackgaol Knight becomes highly vulnerable when drawing, firing, or reloading his crossbow. Bait him into using it by keeping your distance, then rush in and land several free hits while he is locked in the animation.
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Stagger with Heavy Weapons: He is notably susceptible to poise-breaking attacks. Use strength-based builds and heavy weapons-like greatswords, hammers, or colossal weapons-to interrupt his attacks and potentially stun-lock him, opening him up for repeated damage.
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Parry Single-Handed Swings: When he swings his sword with one hand, his attacks are easy to parry, giving you a chance for a critical riposte.
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Counterattack After Jump Attacks: His jumping attack has a clear wind-up and recovery window. Dodge it, then counterattack while he recovers.
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Magic and Quick Spells: While he is not especially weak to magic, he is not highly resistant either. Spells that stagger, like Rock Sling or Maliketh’s Black Blade, can disrupt his rhythm, but avoid slow or AoE spells due to his speed and aggression.
He is immune to most status effects (bleed, poison, frost, etc.), so focus on direct damage and stagger tactics rather than debuffs. By exploiting these weaknesses-especially his vulnerability during crossbow animations and to poise-breaking attacks-you can defeat the Blackgaol Knight much more efficiently.
How can I exploit Blackgaol Knight’s susceptibility to stagger effects
To exploit Blackgaol Knight’s susceptibility to stagger effects, use the following tactics:
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Equip Heavy, Poise-Breaking Weapons: Weapons like greatswords, hammers, colossal weapons, greataxes, and great katanas are particularly effective. Strikes from these weapons can interrupt his attacks, giving you a window to back away or land additional hits before he recovers.
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Focus on Repeated Heavy Attacks: Performing a series of powerful jumping or charged attacks can rapidly break his poise, keeping him off-balance. A strength-focused build with heavy weapons allows you to chain these attacks and potentially “cheese” the fight by keeping him staggered.
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Use Stagger-Inducing Magic: Spells like Rock Sling or Carian Greatsword Sorcery can break his stance and interrupt his attack patterns. Fast-casting spells that deal stagger damage are especially valuable, though you should be cautious, as the Knight can quickly close distance and punish slow spellcasting.
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Parry and Riposte: His single-handed swings and certain combos are parryable. Successfully parrying will stagger him, allowing for a critical riposte.
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Punish Recovery Windows: After the Knight’s jumping or overhead attacks, or when he is reloading his crossbow, he is vulnerable. Use this time to land heavy or stagger-inducing attacks.
By consistently applying pressure with heavy weapons or stagger-focused magic, you can disrupt his attack flow and create opportunities for quick, decisive damage.
