Elden Ring: How to Beat Blackgaol Knight

How do you beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring? One of the first named Boss Fights of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the foe may come as a rude awakening for the difficulty of the expansion. In this Elden Ring guide, we're going to reveal how to beat Blackgaol Knight.

How Do You Beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring?

On this page, we're going to explain how to beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring. We will include an overview of the foe, Boss Fight strategies, their location, tips and tricks, and item drops.

Blackgaol Knight: Overview

Name

Blackgaol Knight

Location

Western Nameless Mausoleum

Recommended Level

150

Runes Reward

70,000 Runes

Item Drops

Greatsword of Solitude + Helm of Solitude + Armor of Solitude + Gauntlets of Solitude + Greaves of Solitude

Blackgaol Knight Location: How to Find It

From the Site of Grace named Scorched Ruins in the Gravesite Plain, head directly west to find a series of dead trees and glowing worms sticking out of the ground. In the back of this area is a small opening leading down to the fog door of the Western Nameless Mausoleum. You'll find the Blackgaol Knight on the other side.

Blackgaol Knight: Boss Fight Strategy

There's nothing particularly special about the look or feel of the Blackgaol Knight, except for the fact they hit hard with a Greatsword and whip out a crossbow when you retreat. As soon as you enter the boss arena, they'll shoot a series of arrows — either standard or set on fire — at you. Sprint in either direction to avoid them, then quickly close the space while they're reloading and land a strong attack.

You'll want to make this a close-quarters fight so the Blackgaol Knight attacks slowly, meaning you no longer need to worry about the crossbow attacks except for when you retreat to refill your health. If you have to, the same strategy applies: sprint either left or right while working your way closer to the Blackgaol Knight to get close to them again.

For this fight — once you're in close quarters — you'll be in an excellent position if you're able to stagger the boss with a standard attack. If you do, you can cancel out its own blows and quickly chip away at their health bar. Try to get two or three attacks in at once, then slightly retreat to refill your stamina bar. While you're doing this, the Blackgaol Knight utilises a series of slow but powerful blows. They will crush the ground in front of you, swing all around them, or jump into the air for a devasting attack. All of these moves are fairly easy to read and are telegraphed, so you'll quickly come to learn the attack pattern of the boss.

The trick here is simply not to get too greedy. Learn when your opportunities lie, then take advantage of them. You're not going to take the Blackgaol Knight down in just a few hits, so play things safe and use your chances effectively. One other attack to look out for is its Ashes of War, which fires a damaging wind effect straight out in front. Simply roll to either side to avoid it, but beware of the follow-up attack also.

There's no second phase to the Blackgaol Knight boss, but don't let it have too much space, especially when it reaches half health and below as it can heal itself. If it looks like the enemy is about to take a sip from their healing flask, immediately attack them to cancel it out. They can only heal themselves once, so you don't need to worry about it happening again.

If you're having trouble with the encounter, consider finding some Scadutree Fragments so you can increase your attack power and negate some more damage in the Realm of Shadow.

Did you find our guide covering how to beat Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring helpful? Share any of your own strategies in the comments below and check out our Elden Ring guide for more guidance and information.