Elden Ring: How to Beat The Black Knife Assassin

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Penned by Gibson Vasela

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Elden Ring — much like all the other Souls games that came before it — is well known for its challenging boss fights. Every boss in the game has a unique design and an even more unique move set that players will need to learn and adapt to in order to overcome. One of these bosses is The Black Knife Assassin.

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Elden Ring’s Black Knife Assassin is an optional side boss that you can encounter along your journey in the Lands Between. If you’re a low-level character or simply aren’t used to Elden Ring’s combat yet, you’ll likely have trouble putting him in his place. Luckily, we have a full walkthrough on how to find and defeat the Black Knife Assassin quickly and easily.

Let’s jump right into the walkthrough!

Where is the Black Knife Assassin located?

The Black Knife Assassin is located inside the Deathtouched Catacombs. This is a dark and creepy dungeon populated by bands of undead skeleton warriors. You can find the entrance to it in Stormhill, Limgrave, just at the north of that part of the map. For the exact location, see the image located below.

Once you enter the Deathtouched Catacombs, head down the stone steps and rest at the Site of Grace. Travel down until you find a big locked door. Remember this door! Then turn left and go down some more stairs.

Move slowly, as there are skeletons hiding around the corners. They can easily swarm you if you aren’t paying close attention.

After you fight your way to the end of the tomb, you’ll find a large lever. Pull it, then start heading back. In the previously emptied room, you’ll be ambushed by skeleton archers and two skeleton swordsmen! Try to lure the swordsman back into the room with the level to finish them off, then just run past the archers (or kill them if you need the runes).

Now travel back to that big door we mentioned earlier, as it’s unlocked now. Enter through it and head down some more stair. From, there you can enter the boss’s arena.

How do you beat him easily?

Unlike most bosses in the game, this one is actually fairly defensive in its move set. The assassin will dash backward every now and then when you attack, which can make it difficult to hit him. Try to push him into one of the room’s four corners before you attack, as this will ensure you land a blow on him.

One way you can defend yourself from his attacks is to hide behind one of the nearby pillars. If he lunges at you to strike, he will hit the pillar instead of you, giving you ample time to heal or regenerate some stamina.

When you do get up close and personal, be sure to keep your shield ready at all times. The Black Knife Assassin hits very quickly, and it can be hard to decide when to dodge out of the way. Don’t forget to watch your stamina! Try to memorize his attack patterns and animations, so you’ll know exactly when he attacks and how quickly he strikes.

Once you think you’ve got a hang of things, you can start playing more aggressively. While some of his attacks are very fast, others are noticeably slower. If you’ve memorized his animations, you should be able to tell whether he’s launching a slow or fast attack. Attack while he’s readying a slower strike. The Assassin always dashes away once you land a hit on him, so be prepared to bring your shield back up again. Keep repeating this until you eventually bring his health down to zero.

Upon finishing him, you’ll be rewarded with the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger talisman. When equipped, this will allow you to regain lost health points when landing a critical hit on an opponent. Very useful!

Join the High Ground

And so concludes our walkthrough for how to beat The Black Knife Assassin in Elden Ring! What did you think of our guide? Let us know down in the comments section, and be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter! We offer regular content on all the latest and greatest games, including more of FromSoftware’s Elden Ring.

Happy gaming!

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