Putrescent Knight
| Putrescent Knight | |
|---|---|
| Type | Legendary Boss |
| Region | Cerulean Coast |
| Runes | 220,000 |
| Weak To | Holy, Strike, Scarlet Rot |
| Required | No |
Putrescent Knight is a legendary boss in Elden Ring. It comes from the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
The Putrescent Knight is a skeletal rider born from the putrid remains in the stone coffins. It guards the way to St. Trina's cave at the bottom of the Stone Coffin Fissure. It swings a huge cleaver from a horse that sinks into the ground and rises again. In its second phase it adds ghostflame that can be jumped over.
Lore
The Putrescent Knight is a large, decrepit skeleton made of bruise-colored putrescence, riding a steed of the same rot. It wields a great cleaver. Its body seems to drip and congeal as it moves.
All tainted flesh eventually becomes putrescence. The putrescence is what remains of the impure lives kept within the stone coffins. One clump of it drank the nectar of St. Trina, which granted it eternal rest, and it became a knight in her service.
Where to find Putrescent Knight Location?
Stone Coffin Fissure, before the entrance to St. Trina's cave at the bottom of the fissure (Fissure Depths Site of Grace)
Putrescent Knight map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Weaknesses
| Weak To | Holy, Strike, Scarlet Rot |
|---|---|
| Immune | Poison, Bleed, Frostbite, Sleep, Madness |
| Parry | No |
Phases
- Phase 1: the knight fights with cleaver combos, horse charges and spins.
- Phase 2: it adds ghostflame attacks, some of which can be jumped over.
Attacks
- Plunging opener: the horse sinks into the ground, the knight leaps and chops down, then spins while the horse charges. A forward roll as the cleaver falls avoids it.
- Cleaver spins: wide spinning swings. Rolling through toward the knight avoids them.
- Horse charge: the steed rushes in during combos. A sideways roll avoids it.
- Ghostflame attacks: in phase two, ghostflame spreads along the ground. A jump clears the low waves.
- Move-and-retreat combos: it dashes in and away, which makes counters harder to time.
Tactics
- Stay close and chip away at it whenever there is an opening.
- Roll forward through its plunging opener.
- Coat weapons with Holy Grease or Drawstring Holy Grease, or use holy weapons.
- Summon the Mimic Tear Ashes to double holy damage, or Thiollier if his quest allows.
- Use scarlet rot, the only status effect that works on it.
- Use strike weapons for the best physical damage.
Best Builds
Holy weapon skills
Sacred Blade and holy greases exploit its main weakness.
| Gear | Ash of War: Sacred Blade, Holy Grease |
|---|
Holy incantations
Black Blade deals heavy holy damage from range.
| Gear | Black Blade |
|---|
Strike weapon
Hammers and great hammers such as the Black Steel Greathammer deal its weakest physical type.
| Gear | Black Steel Greathammer |
|---|
Scarlet rot
Rot is the one status that works on it, and Ekzykes's Decay builds it fast.
| Gear | Ekzykes's Decay |
|---|
Templar Build
| Class | Confessor |
|---|---|
| Level | 50 |
| Focus | Faith |
| Main Stats | Faith & Endurance |
| Other Stats | Vigor |
| Requires | 27 Faith, 16 Strength |
| Weapon | Noble's Slender Sword |
| Shield | Brass Shield |
| Armor | Mausoleum Knight Armor, Greathelm, Knight Greaves, & Knight Gauntlets |
| Skills | Ash of War: Golden Vow, Ash of War: Sacred Blade, Ash of War: Barricade Shield |
| Spells | Blessing's Boon & Aspects of the Crucible: Tail |
| Flasks | Mostly HP, some FP |
Black Blade Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 150-200 |
| Focus | Faith, Strength |
| Main Stats | Strength & Faith |
| Other Stats | Vigor & Endurance |
| Requires | 46 Faith, 4 Strength |
| Weapon | Maliketh's Black Blade & Clawmark Seal |
| Armor | Maliketh's Set or any Armor with high Poise |
| Talismans | Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Shard of Alexander, Sacred Scorpion Charm & Claw Talisman |
| Skills | Destined Death |
| Spells | Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree & Black Blade |
| Flasks | Mostly HP some FP |
Black Hammer Build
| Class | Any |
|---|---|
| Level | 165 |
| Focus | Faith |
| Main Stats | Vigor, Faith |
| Other Stats | Endurance, Strength, Mind |
| Requires | 35 Strength, 17 Faith, 17 Intelligence, 11 Dexterity |
| Weapon | Black Steel Greathammer |
| Off-Hand | Clawmark Seal, or Golden Order Seal |
| Shield | Black Steel Greatshield |
| Armor | Helm of Night, Black Knight Armor, Gauntlets of Night, Black Knight Greaves |
| Talismans | Two-Headed Turtle Talisman, Curved Sword Talisman, Blade of Mercy |
| Swap In | Ritual Sword Talisman, Crusade Insignia |
| Skills | Sacred Blade |
| Spells | Golden Vow |
| Flasks | Equal Charges |
| Crystal Tear | Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear, Stonebarb Cracked Tear |
| Great Rune | Radahn's Great Rune, or Godrick's Great Rune |
Champion of Rot Build
| Class | Any (Wretch Example) |
|---|---|
| Level | 150 |
| Main Stats | Dexterity, Vigor, Arcane, Faith |
| Other Stats | Strength, Mind, Endurance |
| Requires | 35 Faith, 22 Dexterity, 20 Arcane, 15 Intelligence, 14 Strength |
| Weapon | Poleblade of the Bud, Antspur Rapier (Keen) |
| Shield | Carian Knight Shield |
| Armor | Malenia’s Winged Helm |
| Talismans | Shard of Alexander, Kindred of Rot’s Exultation |
| Swap In | Carian Filigreed Crest |
| Skills | Romina’s Purification, The Poison Flower Blooms Twice |
| Spells | Scarlet Aeonia, Rotten Butterflies, Pest-Thread Spears, Ekzykes’s Decay, Heal from Afar, Golden Vow |
| Flasks | 11 Crimson, 3 Cerulean |
| Crystal Tear | Opaline Hardtear, Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear |
| Great Rune | Morgott’s Great Rune |
Summons
Spirit Ashes allowed
Drops
Defeating it grants 220,000 runes.
| Name | Image |
|---|---|
| Remembrance of Putrescence | 
|
Notes
- The rider and horse share one health bar.
- The remembrance can be traded for the Putrescence Cleaver or Vortex of Putrescence.
All Bosses
The table below lists all Bosses in Elden Ring.