Since its release, Shadow of the Erdtree has taken the gaming world by storm. Fans have been expecting a lot from the expansion, and FromSoftware successfully fulfilled their expectations by featuring every popular aspect of the base game. So, like Elden Ring, the expansion also has multiple bosses to beat, and not all of them are major bosses to deal with. Instead, some optional bosses are equally or more powerful to tackle. Without a doubt, Putrescent Knight will make it to the list.

This boss seems to be a late-game enemy, especially for its powers, but it appears pretty early in the game, long before you reach the climax fight of the DLC. Suffering in a tough battle is quite a common issue, so we have made this guide to help you find all the necessary information about the boss to prepare strategies.

Bosses Be Gone: How to Defeat Putrescent Knight in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree

As an optional boss of the game, players can easily skip this fight. Not beating the Putrescent Knight won’t affect their main story progress, but they will miss a thrilling fight for sure. Moreover, this enemy blocks some attractive rewards. So, don’t think much and jump into the battle. Anyway, locating the boss is tough, so let’s start with the boss’s location.

Where to Find Putrescent Knight in Shadow of the Erdtree

The boss will be found in the Stone Coffin Fissure. This is an optional location, but it is tricky to access. To begin your journey to the boss arena, first make your way to the largest legacy dungeon in the game, Shadow Keep. Once there, keep exploring the area until you get an alert, “Somewhere, a Great Rune has broken.” Unless you get this alert, you can’t access Stone Coffin Fissure, no matter how much you look for it.

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After receiving the alert, your next destination will be the Ellac River Cave Site of Grace, which will be found after reaching the Ellac River. From the Site of Grace, start moving left and do some parkour to go downstream. Finally, it will take you to the Cerulean Coast. From there, keep progressing towards the southwest side, and you will arrive at a ruin. Jump into the void, and you will land in the Stone Coffin Fissure. Complete this optional dungeon, and the boss will be found at the end of it.

Once you have reached the boss fight arena, make sure to watch out for the boss’s moves and prepare strategies accordingly. In the next section, we’ll reveal the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses.

How to Beat Putrescent Knight in Shadow of the Erdtree

When you first see the boss, the Putrescent Knight may seem like an unbeatable enemy with no weakness to take advantage of. Anyway, that’s the wrong assumption, and like every other boss, this one also has two significant weaknesses. First, the boss is weak enough to bleed damage. This is the biggest weakness he has, and if you can let him bleed, the boss will lose a chunk of health. In that case, you can easily go for the Rivers of Blood katana as your primary weapon.

The next weakness the boss has is that he is weak to physical damage. Putrescent Knight can’t handle physical damage, so don’t forget to attack him with weapons like Bloodhound’s Fang to drain his HP faster. Apart from these two, the enemy has no weaknesses to exploit. Additionally, remember that patience is key to this fight. To speed up the fight, if you take the wrong steps, elimination is confirmed.

So, as the fight begins, summon a Spirit Ash. The boss will be hard to tackle alone, and we never suggest going for a solo fight. Therefore, summon a Spirit Ash, most likely Mimic Tear. Alternatively, you can go for Black Knife Tiche. Also, remember to stay away from the enemy throughout the fight. 

The boss fight is divided into two phases, and the enemy can initiate the battle in two ways. He can either jump at you and slam his massive cleaver, or he can perform a few swing attacks as he comes riding toward you. Throughout the first phase, the boss will keep using spinning and swing attacks, even in combos. Fortunately, these attacks can be dodged or avoided. Jump to the sides to avoid them. However, whenever you get a chance, don’t waste it and land hits on the boss. 

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After the boss loses one-third of his HP, the second phase of the fight begins. The boss will become more aggressive. With the swing and sweep attacks he has been using previously, he now adds fire attacks and projectiles. These projectiles inflict frost damage on players and let them lose a chunk of their health. Sometimes the boss launches three sequences of projectiles. Roll to any side and avoid them. 

A variation of the projectile attacks is when the boss shoots a number of projectiles and they hit the ground, creating a circle of fire. Eventually, this circle will start coming to the center of the arena. Jump and avoid getting hit by the fire circle as it starts closing. Don’t worry; the boss will give you enough opportunities to hit him. But, of course, you need to have patience. Wait for the chance while avoiding the incoming attacks. 

This fight is indeed tough, and players may need a few attempts to clear it. However, this fight will be one of the most memorable ones. Once the boss is dead, he will drop Remembrance of Putrescence and 220,000 Runes. Players can exchange the Remembrance to acquire The Putrescence Cleaver or Vortex of Putrescence. 

Bosses are in no way easy to deal with in Shadow of the Erdtree. Starting from the beginning, they give players a hard time beating them, and this tradition will be felt strongly when you face Bayle the Dread or Commander Gaius in the game. However, a little guidance may solve these issues. Additionally, for any queries or confusion, go through our Shadow of the Erdtree guides for the required information.