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Elden Ring

How to Beat Black Knife Assassin in Deathtouched Catacombs

By
Ben Chard

This page details where to find and how to defeat Black Knife Assassin in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave. Includes an overview of attacks and strategy to defeat the boss.

The Black Knife Assassin in Limgrave.

Runes Drops
Runes_Elden_Ring.png Assassin’s Crimson Dagger, Deathroot (in a chest)

Black Knife Assassin Location in Limgrave

Black Knife Assassin will actually show up in three different locations in the Lands Between, but this particular boss will appear at the bottom of the Deathtouched Catacombs. You can find this dungeon to the east of Stormhill, directly to the east of the Warmaster’s Shack or by heading west from the Saintsbridge Site of Grace. The dungeon itself can be tricky, you’ll have to find the lever while navigating through hordes of Skeletons, just remember to finish them off before they can reanimate.

You’ll find the Black Knife Assassin in the Deathtouched Catacombs.

Attacks

Lunge

The Black Knight Assassin will do a single swipe, followed by a dodge away and then quickly follow-up with a deep lunge. This is quick so as soon as he dodges away, be prepared to dodge to the side or backwards.

Spinning Slash

The Black Knight Assassin will drag his dagger across the ground and spin it around himself, this will deal damage to anyone close to him. If you’re using a Spirit Ash such as the Lone Wolf Ashes, expect them to get caught in this. When in melee range, dodge backwards to avoid this strike.

Three-hit Combo

He will dart in and do a quick three-hit combo, you can safely guard all three strikes, but it will leave you low on Stamina so instead, try to dodge roll away from the final strike, this will also leave him open for a few strikes.

Strategy

The Black Knife Assassin is one of the easier bosses you’ll face in the early stages of your journey throughout the Lands Between. He’s nothing more than a regular soldier enemy with one attack, the Lunge, that can catch you out. To make matters even simpler, he doesn’t start with full HP (there’s no trick to be had here) and you could possibly use the Lone Wolf Ashes to make the battle completely one-sided and wail on him as the Wolves take his attention away from you.

The Black Knife Assassin does have one thing going for him, he’s fairly quick, but so long as you remain on guard, his attacks are easy to roll through and his strikes don’t inflict much damage to your stamina when guarding. He also appears to have little in the way of Poise, so most melee player’s strikes will constantly stagger him, leaving him often open to multiple strikes at once.

(1 of 2) The Black Knight Assassin will swoop in for a quick hit-and-run when at medium range

The Black Knight Assassin will swoop in for a quick hit-and-run when at medium range (left), this can leave his back vulnerable if you dodge it. (right)

Pay attention to when he dodges away from you, he often does this to get a bit of range before using his Lunge, this is his most damaging attack and probably the only one that will catch you out. Look to when he uses his Spinning Slash instead, if you keep your guard up and move to the left of him, you can very easily find yourself behind him and perform a Backstab.

As magic users, you’ll want to keep your distance and pelt him with spells, there’s not much he can do to resist them although be prepared that he will use his Lunge more often at greater ranges so just keep your distance whenever he finds himself too close and you should have little issues. Once the Black Knight Assassin falls, don’t forget to loot the nearby chest for a Deathroot before leaving the Catacombs.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, PS5, XB One, XB X|S
  • Guide Release
    24 February 2022
  • Last Updated
    9 December 2022
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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