The Black Knife Catacombs in Elden Ring is one of the many dungeons in the Interearth. Inside, you can find several unique items and fight with two dangerous opponents at once – the Black Knife Killer and the Graveyard Shadow.
The location is considered dangerous and is not recommended for characters below level 50.
This guide will detail how to completely clear the dungeon and show you where to find the lever to open the door to the boss.
HOW TO FIND THE BLACK KNIFE CATACOMBS IN ELDEN RING
To find the Catacombs of Black Knives, head to the lands of Lake Liurnia. First, move to the place of grace, Ruined Labyrinth, and then follow the road northeast. In the distance, there will be a gorge where the dungeon is located.
In front of the entrance to the cave is the Knight of the Mausoleum – he will have to be killed to go further. He doesn’t pose much of a threat and is easily killed with the standard hit and run tactic – hit and run when the Knight combos.
HOW TO GET THROUGH THE BLACK KNIFE CATACOMBS IN ELDEN RING
After going down the stairs, activate the Place of Grace to save in case of sudden death. Continue downhill until you encounter skeletons attacking in close combat.
Upon being defeated, the skeleton shatters into individual bones, which begin to glow with a ghostly light. It is imperative to hit the bone remains at this moment. Otherwise, the enemy will respawn and continue to attack. Using a weapon charged with holy power to destroy the animated corpses.
A locked door and a summoning pool are at the end of the stairs on the left. You need to go into the left passage, pick up the valley’s grave lily, and continue to go down further.
Two skeletons will appear at the very bottom of the steps – it is useless to kill them while the necromancer is alive nearby. The sorcerer instantly revives bone corpses after death, forcing them to deal with him first.
How to find the Rosus Ax
On the left is a demon statue, hiding a secret passage. Using the xiphoid key, you can remove the blockage and go to a secret place. A pair of skeletons with a sword and a bow await the Extinguished One. After destroying them, you need to examine the corpse on the right side of the room and pick up Rosus’ Axe.
Go back to the corridor in front of the statue and keep moving to the left. Don’t forget to pick up another grave lily from the valley.
Soon, a trap of moving blades and a pair of skeleton archers will appear ahead, firing from a secluded place. Killing them at a distance will not work – the skeletons quickly respawn, but after their temporary death, there will be a few seconds to complete the deadly “puzzle.”
Going further, kill the skeleton swordsman on the right and take the grave lily of the valley next to the coffin. A staircase down is on the left side of the room – the descent will lead to the sewers.
Aggressive small crabs will roam the water and can be killed with one blow.
Approach the corpse on the right to observe the appearance of a giant crab.
It can deliver powerful side claw strikes – it’s best to attack the crab from a distance, preventing it from getting too close. After killing the enemy, search the corpse and take away the runic arc.
Also, note that a second giant crab will spawn at the exit of the sewers.
HOW TO FIND THE BLACK KNIVES KILLER BOSS
After killing the crab, return to the room with the moving blades. Wait for the trap platform to descend and climb onto it to climb higher and find a necromancer with a skeleton guard.
After dealing with him, follow the road, killing the skeletons and another sorcerer.
Then go into the room with the Skeleton Warrior on the right and the Skeleton Archer on the left. After they die, go forward to hit the back wall in the middle of the room.
The illusory wall will disappear and open the way to the first boss of the dungeon, the Black Knife Killer . Having crossed the foggy veil, get ready to start a hard fight (read about ways to defeat him in a separate guide ).
HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR TO THE SHADOW OF THE GRAVEYARD BOSS
To open the door to the main boss of the Black Knife Catacombs, you need to find a lever in the same sewer where the giant crabs were.
The lever will be located on the south wall behind the grate and open the locking mechanism that will not allow you to go through the door at the beginning of the dungeon.
You need to go to the lever through the second descent into the sewer – it is located to the right of the passage to the first boss.
You need to press the lever, open the grate with another lever and return to the initial part of the Catacombs to go through the opened door.
HOW TO KILL THE SHADOW OF THE GRAVEYARD BOSS
Ahead awaits the main boss of the Catacombs of the Black Knife –Â Shadow of the Cemetery.
A dark humanoid with white eyes holds a black sword and immediately attacks the protagonist. He instantly moves around the room in short teleportations and can deal serious damage with a successful attack. The boss can use the following tricks:
- Combo Attack – The Shadow unleashes a quick series of precision strikes that can temporarily stun you.
- Side Slam – The boss unleashes a wide-range charged attack, dealing heavy damage. After losing a significant amount of health, he will be able to use several side attacks in a row.
- Web Shot – The opponent throws back his head and creates a ball of green substance to spit it out in the protagonist’s direction. A successful hit immobilizes the victim for a few seconds, making them helpless against the boss’s attack.
- Grab is the boss’s most annoying skill. The Shadow instantly travels to the Extinguished One and bites him, dealing massive damage over time. The attack is very difficult to dodge, and a character with low health can die from a single grab.
Shadow Weapons inflict a bleed effect on the Extinguished One, and Lightning Impact Flurries prevent using the Health Regeneration Flask. An additional problem will be three respawning skeleton helping to attack the player.
Using combat magic and ranged weapons has low efficiency – the boss moves too fast with teleports and easily dodges most spells. And assistant skeletons, in turn, will not allow you to aim and make an accurate shot.
The most effective melee tactic is to carefully attack after heavy blows of the enemy and slowly reduce his health. The charged attacks of the boss can be canceled if you attack him in time with a fast weapon.
First of all, you should get rid of the skeletons – otherwise, they will constantly get under your feet and attack from the back. It is better to call on spirits or other players to distract the main enemy and kill his bone servants.
The most important thing is not to stand still. Otherwise, the Shadow will be able to paralyze the Extinguished with webs or perform an instant grab. Most static spells are almost useless; from magic it is better to use area attacks.
Killing an enemy drops Ashes of the Mage of Double Wisdom ( spirit of summoning ), and in a chest nearby, you can pick up the Root of Death.
WHAT TO DO IF THE SKELETONS DO NOT DIE IN THE CATACOMBS OF THE BLACK KNIFE
Once in the Catacombs of the Black Knife, some players faced an unexpected problem – the skeletons did not die.
The first thing everyone needs to know is it’s not a bug.
You do NOT need to restart the game or, for example, update the world’s progress with the help of places of grace. To solve the sudden “immortality” of enemies, it is enough to go deep into the catacombs to solve the sudden ” immortality ” of enemies to find an elite necromancer that controls opponents and kills him.
As soon as the sorcerer is defeated, the skeletons will again become “mortal.”
