Blackgaol Knight is a Showcase for Shadow of the Erdtree’s New Build Meta

Even with how open the Land of Shadow is from the start, there are a few places that will likely lead to the first boss encounter for players as they begin to explore Shadow of the Erdtree. Among those early bosses that could easily be a player’s introduction to Elden Ring‘s DLC roster is Blackgaol Knight, an NPC-type boss who quickly sets the bar for the new location’s difficulty.

Hidden away in one of the Nameless Mausoleums, Blackgaol Knight appears as a spirit clad in a set of Solitude Armor and using the Greatsword of Solitude. In fact, the Solitude gear has taken a more front-and-center part of the boss’ identity, as a recent Elden Ring patch has renamed the character as the Knight of the Solitary Gaol.

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Armor of Solitude Bolsters the Blackgaol Knight

As one of the earliest bosses hidden away in Shadow of the Erdtree, Blackgaol Knight eases players into the DLC’s difficulty with a standard NPC-style fight that uses equipment unique to the new content. However, while the basic moveset is familiar, the Greatsword of Solitude mixes up the usual trappings of the archetype enough to catch players off-guard. This is mostly due to the Ash of War that comes with the Greatsword of Solitude, which can deal a devastating vacuum slice from a distance and follows up with another attack that is capable of leaping almost the full distance of the arena.

In addition to the expanded moveset from the Greatsword of Solitude’s Ash of War, Blackgaol Knight also gains a small amount of poise when two-handing the weapon. This means that the boss can rely on his poise to resist the damage from at least a couple attacks and punish greedy players, even when facing off against colossal weapons. It is a unique quirk that helps to showcase one of Elden Ring‘s stronger builds that also gets a serious upgrade thanks to a new mechanic added in Shadow of the Erdtree.

The Blackgaol Knight Rewards by Bolstering the Player

Armor is a tricky subject in FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring included, as stats like poise have been reworked from game to game ever since Dark Souls. However, while the exact benefits of poise have been difficult to quantify for most builds, the raw defense offered by heavier suits of armor can be the difference between surviving a boss’ endless combo or being instantly sent back to the nearest site of grace. In the case of the new DLC armor, the boon from the Scadutree Blessings found in Shadow of the Erdtree helps to not only improve a player’s damage, but also increase the effectiveness of each piece of equipment’s damage reduction.

For this reason, starting the DLC by wandering into Blackgoal Knight’s Nameless Mausoleum can be a huge benefit for players giving Shadow of the Erdtree a try for the first time. While the boss is certainly more difficult to beat than some NPCs in the base experience of Elden Ring, Blackgoal Knight still falls into many of the trappings of the archetype; his AI can be manipulated for a relatively easy victory. As a result, players get their hands on a powerful weapon with a ranged option, as well as an armor set that works in tandem with hunting down Scadutree fragments to help fill the difficulty gap between Shadow of the Erdtree and the base game.

With the massive map and plentiful new pieces of equipment to find in Shadow of the Erdtree, players could be paralyzed by choice when considering how to approach the DLC. However, it is still helpful for FromSoftware to leave an impressive starting set only a short ride away from the start of Shadow of the Erdtree. On top of that, players get to engage with a unique boss that immediately shakes up the norm for NPCs right at the start of the new content.

Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.

Released

June 21, 2024

Developer(s)

FromSoftware

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

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