Black Knife Assassin
| Black Knife Assassin | |
|---|---|
| Type | Dungeon Boss |
| Region | Limgrave, Liurnia of the Lakes, Altus Plateau |
| Runes | 1,600 |
| Weak To | Frostbite |
| Required | No |
Black Knife Assassin is a dungeon boss in Elden Ring.
The Black Knife Assassin is a swift, silent killer in silver scale armor who strikes with a dagger. The first hides wounded at the end of the Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave. Others wait in the Black Knife Catacombs, in Sage's Cave and at the door of the Sainted Hero's Grave. Each one guards a prized item, such as a critical-hit talisman, the Concealing Veil or the Black Knife itself.
Lore
The assassin is a slender figure in hooded, silent silver scale armor. She darts, twirls and stabs with a short dagger, and some of her kind wear veils that render them invisible.
The assassins were all women, rumored to be Numen with close ties to Queen Marika herself. They came from the Eternal Cities and were led by Alecto, the Black Knife Ringleader.
They conspired with Ranni the Witch, who stole the Rune of Death from Maliketh, the Black Blade. With knives imbued with that stolen death, they carried out the Night of the Black Knives and slew Godwyn the Golden.
The assassin in the Deathtouched Catacombs still carries a grievous wound. Darkness, not blood, seeps from her when she is struck.
Where to find Black Knife Assassin Location?
- Deathtouched Catacombs, Limgrave, at the end of the catacombs
- Black Knife Catacombs, Liurnia of the Lakes, in a small chapel behind an illusory wall
- Sage's Cave, Altus Plateau, an invisible assassin in a flooded room
- Sainted Hero's Grave, Altus Plateau, blocking the entrance to the tomb
Black Knife Assassin map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Weaknesses
| Weak To | Frostbite |
|---|---|
| Resists | Pierce, Holy |
| Immune | Poison, Scarlet Rot, Hemorrhage, Sleep, Madness |
| Parry | Yes |
Attacks
- Quick Slash: fast dagger slashes, often with a twirl; block to make her bounce off or roll away until the combo ends.
- Lunging Stab: a straight stab, overhand or underhand; block or roll aside.
- Feint Attack: a fake slash followed by the real one; wait for the second slash before rolling.
- Spinning Retreat: a spin and a slash before she leaps away; roll left and let her finish.
- Blade-Dragging Sweep: she plunges the knife into the ground and pivots around it; back off, then strike or backstab when it ends.
- Helmsplitter: she jumps and slams the dagger down; roll as she falls, then punish the long recovery.
- Lunging Grab: she raises her left hand and lunges for a stab in the back; roll toward the raised arm or stagger her.
- Decoy Lunge: a low lunge that ends in a back-handed sweep in sparks; run away or parry near the end.
Tactics
- Summon Spirit Ashes at once; she fights one target at a time and many spirits overwhelm her.
- Use a light, fast weapon to keep her staggered, since she breaks easily.
- Wait for the Helmsplitter and line up a backstab during its recovery.
- Keep a shield up against her quick slashes; blocked hits break her combos.
- Bring the Sentry's Torch to Sage's Cave to reveal the invisible assassin, or watch the ripples she makes in the water.
- Casters can rely on fast close range spells, which she struggles to dodge.
Best Builds
Fast weapon with Spirit Ashes
Light attacks keep her staggered while summons overwhelm her single-target attacks.
| Gear | Lone Wolf Ashes |
|---|
Quick sorcery and incantations
Fast close range spells and slow-flying glintblades land while she is busy dodging.
| Gear | Carian Slicer, Catch Flame, Magic Glintblade |
|---|
Frost damage
Frostbite is the only status that takes hold on her, and it adds a burst of damage.
Level 80/90 Sorcerer Duelist Build
| Class | Astrologer |
|---|---|
| Level | 80 |
| Main Stats | 35/40 Vigor, 55/60 (47/52 base +8 from gear) Intelligence (level 80/90 respectively) |
| Other Stats | 26 Mind,15 Endurance ( |
| Requires | 52 Intelligence |
| Armor | Queen's Crescent Crown (+3 int), Veteran's Armor,any light gloves with >0 poise ( e.g. Astrologer Gloves ), Banished Knight Greaves |
| Talismans | Graven-Mass Talisman, Great-Jar's Arsenal, Stargazer Heirloom, Radagon Icon |
| Skills | Optional parry / quickstep etc. |
| Spells | Carian Slicer, Swift Glintstone Shard, Come t -> CHOOSE FROM: Carian Piercer / Stars of Ruin / Glintstone Arc / Magic Glintblade + Collapsing Stars / Shard Spiral / Gavel of Haima / Carian Phalanx / Eternal Darkness / Terra Magica / Anything |
Battlemage Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 100 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence |
| Other Stats | Mind, Vigor & Strength |
| Requires | 27 Intelligence, 20 Strength, 14 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Carian Glintstone Staff |
| Shield | Jellyfish Shield |
| Armor | Any that can med roll |
| Skills | Contagious Fury |
| Spells | Carian Slicer, Carian Greatsword, Carian Piercer, Glintstone Pebble, Loretta's Greatbow |
| Flasks | Mostly FP, some HP |
Blackflame Apostle Build
| Class | Prophet, Confessor or Samurai |
|---|---|
| Level | 50 |
| Focus | Faith |
| Main Stats | Faith & Mind |
| Other Stats | Vigor & Dexterity |
| Requires | 27 Faith, 24 Dexterity, 18 Strength, 10 Arcane |
| Weapon | Any Weapon that has Bleed on it by default such as the Uchigatana, Nightrider Flail or Bloodhound's Fang & Godslayer's Seal |
| Armor | Any |
| Skills | Bloody Slash or Unsheathe work well |
| Spells | Black Flame, Black Flame Blade, Catch Flame and Bloodflame Blade |
| Flasks | Split between HP and FP |
Darkmoon Spellblade Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 100 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence & Mind |
| Other Stats | Vigor |
| Requires | 38 Intelligence, 16 Strength, 12 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Dark Moon Greatsword & Carian Glintblade Staff |
| Armor | Any that still allows med rolling |
| Talismans | Godfrey Icon, Radagon Icon, Stargazer Heirloom & Green Turtle Talisman |
| Skills | Moonlight Greatsword |
| Spells | Magic Glintblade, Glintstone Pebble, Greatblade Phalanx, Loretta's Greatbow & Unseen Form |
| Flasks | Mostly FP, some HP |
Deathblade Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 100 |
| Focus | Intelligence |
| Main Stats | Intelligence & Faith |
| Other Stats | Vigor & Mind |
| Requires | 34 Intelligence, 25 Faith, 12 Strength, 12 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Sword of Night and Flame, Prince of Death's Staff & Golden Order Seal |
| Armor | Any that allows. Spellblade Set boosts Night and Flame's Magic attack by 2% per piece |
| Talismans | Fire Scorpion Charm, Magic Scorpion Charm,, Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +1 & Godfrey Icon |
| Skills | Night-and-Flame Stance |
| Spells | Golden Vow, Flame Grant me Strength, Black Flame, Loretta's Greatbow, Terra Magica, Magic Glintblade, Ancient Death Rancor |
| Flasks | Mostly FP, some HP |
Dragon Priest Build
| Class | Prophet |
|---|---|
| Focus | Faith |
| Main Stats | Mind & Vigor |
| Other Stats | Faith & Arcane |
| Requires | 15 Faith, 12 Arcane |
| Weapon | Any |
| Shield | Any |
| Armor | Any |
| Spells | Catch Flame and Dragonfire |
| Flasks | Most FP, 1 or 2 HP |
Summons
- Spirit Ashes allowed
- NPC: D, Hunter of the Dead (Black Knife Catacombs)
Drops
Defeating it grants 1,600 runes.
| Name | Image |
|---|---|
| Assassin's Crimson Dagger | 
|
| Assassin's Cerulean Dagger | 
|
| Black Knifeprint | 
|
| Concealing Veil | 
|
| Black Knife | 
|
Notes
- Deathtouched Catacombs gives the Assassin's Crimson Dagger; the assassin there starts the fight already wounded.
- Black Knife Catacombs gives 4,200 runes, the Assassin's Cerulean Dagger and the Black Knifeprint, which helps Sorcerer Rogier's story.
- Sage's Cave gives 9,000 runes and the Concealing Veil.
- Sainted Hero's Grave gives 10,800 runes and the Black Knife.
All Bosses
The table below lists all Bosses in Elden Ring.