Elden Ring is a challenging game right from the First Step Site of Grace. The game can test your abilities, reflexes, mental strength, and patience in many ways. Sometimes, it tests you with impossible puzzles; other times, it prevents you from reaching an object right in front of you.
However, this is only the beginning, as you must constantly fight with fierce enemies and tough bosses. In this regard, the Crucible Knight is one of the hardest bosses that you can fight in the game. Moreover, you must fight the boss in seven different locations to progress any further.
Fortunately, the Crucible Knight is an optional boss, and you can avoid fighting him if you want. However, you are bound to run into him at least once in your playthrough. That being said, the Crucible Knight is also the first optional boss that you can fight in the Lands Between. The difficulty level of this overpowered boss makes it seem like the game is trolling you.
However, you can stand a chance against this fighting machine if you know the do’s and don’ts. So, how to defeat him? This Elden Ring Crucible Knight Guide provides every bit of information on this topic and much more.
Table of Contents
Crucible Knight Overview
Crucible Knights are the ancient special forces of Godfrey. Initially, there were a total of 18 Knights, 16 of whom you could fight in the Lands Between. The remaining two have died, but you can still fight them in spirit form.
They are optional field bosses that you can avoid if you want. However, some of these Knights reside on your path to the main storyline. So, you will eventually run into at least one of them if you aren’t careful enough with your routes.
That being said, the Crucible Knights are also the most fun to fight. They are powerful beings who attack you continuously without stopping for a break. So, fighting any Crucible Knight will test your patience and fighting strategies.
The Crucible Knights are the improved versions of the Black Knights from the Souls series. Your fight encounter with this fighting machine is not very far from the first game location. However, he is an overpowered boss, and you should avoid fighting him till you unlock the Royal Capital.
Still, if you are willing to test your patience, you can find the fight Crucible Knight boss in Stormhill Evergaol, south of the Stormhill Shack Lost Site of Grace. Similarly, you can find the other Knights in the following locations:
- Siofra River.
- Stormveil Castle.
- 2 in Crumbling Farum Azula.
- 2 in Leyndell, Royal Capital.
- 2 in Siofra Aqueduct.
Crucible Knight Attacks & How to Counter Them:
The Crucible Knight doesn’t seem like a difficult enemy at first glance. However, you will quickly learn of his capabilities within a few minutes of the battle. The Knight is tough, fast, and persistent in his attacks. In other words, this boss will keep attacking or trying to attack till one of you dies.
His move sets are very similar to the Black Knights from the Dark Souls series. So, you will know how tough he is if you are a Souls veteran. Still, the loot you get for defeating each Crucible Knight makes up for your troubles.
Secondly, there are two variants of the Crucible Knight boss, i.e., a Sword variant and a Spear variant. Each has its own move sets and counters. Therefore, you must know the boss’s every move and practice its counter if you wish to stand for more than a few minutes on the battlefield. Here are the Knight’s common moves and how to counter them:
Crucible Knight (Sword):
The Sword Crucible Knight has two phases and different move sets for each phase. The second phase of the boss fight begins when the Knight loses half of his health bar.
Phase 1:
- Grinding Swing: In this attack, the Knight drags his sword on the ground so fast that sparks fly in all directions. Finally, the Knight will end his attack by delivering a powerful upward slash.
- Counter: You can easily dodge this attack by rolling in any direction. However, the Knight won’t stop running till he gets within attacking range. So, you must wait for him to strike before initiating a counter.
- Lunging Stab: The Crucible Knight runs toward you with his sword pointing forward. As the Knight gets close enough, he will stab you in the chest. This attack will drain a lot of your HP bar and can even kill you if you don’t have much health.
- Counter: You can easily counter this attack by dodging to your left so that you can counterattack on the unguarded side. Again, the Knight won’t attack till you are within his range. So, you must wait till the last second before dodging the sword. This move requires both patience and practice.
- Ordovis’s Vortex: Only the Crucible Knight Ordovis and Tanith’s Knight can perform this move. In this attack, the Knight will spin his sword and then slam it to the ground, creating a small explosion. So, even if you dodge the sword, you may still lose some HP if you get in the explosion.
- Counter: The move is fairly slower than others, giving you enough time to attack from behind. To counter this move, run away from the Knight while he winds up the attack and then try to get behind him to attack one or two times.
- Running Slash: The Crucible Knight runs toward you while holding the sword on the left shoulder. As the Knight gets close enough, he will swing his sword clockwise to perform a slash. The attack is fast but doesn’t drain as much HP as others.
- Counter: You can easily counter this attack by dodging counterclockwise or in the opposite direction of the sword. Doing this will not only save you from the follow up strike but also give you room to lay a few blows.
- Seismic Combo: The Crucible Knight will perform a Seismic Wave while holding his sword in the air before slamming it to the ground. Finally, the Knight will end his attack by slashing while spinning in a clockwise direction.
- Counter: You can only parry the sword swings in this attack. So, your only options are either to run backwards and out of his reach or dodge to your side and take a few steps back if you want to counterattack.
- Seismic Wave: In this attack, the Crucible Knight will raise his left leg along with the sword and then stomp the ground. This causes a Seismic shockwave on the ground.
- Counter: This attack doesn’t involve any sword attacks, so parrying is not an option. You can only dodge this attack by rolling away from the Knight or jumping at the last second. However, both counters require practice, so use whatever you are comfortable with.
- Shield Bash: The Shield Bash is the most common of the moves for any Crucible Knight. For this move, the Knight will place his shield on the ground and take a few steps toward you.
- Counter: The Shield attack is pretty slow, and you can easily dodge it with little to no rolling practice. To counter this attack, simply roll in any direction as you see the Knight approaching toward you. Moreover, you can strike once or twice if you roll in the right direction.
- Swing: The Swing is another common attack for most Crucible Knights. If you are fighting the one in Limgrave, you will encounter a lot of these. For this attack, the Knight will randomly swing his sword in any direction. However, it is a combo attack and is followed by several strikes.
- Counter: The easiest way to dodge this attack is to roll or move toward the Knight in the opposite direction of the sword. You can even strike a few times if you find yourself close to an unguarded area.
Phase 2:
If you thought the first phase was hard, wait till you reach the second phase. In this phase, the Knight is faster, smarter, and uses magical powers. In short, your enemy just became the fire version of Thor.
The Crucible Knight always starts the second phase with a transition attack. In this attack, the Knight will raise his right left and stomp it on the ground. The attack creates an explosion of Holy energy. This attack is usually followed by a flying dive on the ground to throw you even further away.
Fortunately, you can easily dodge this attack by running away from the Knight boss. Other attacks and their counters for the Phase 2 of this boss fight are:
- Flying Dive: The Flying Dive is the most famous Crucible Knight attack from the second phase. In this attack, golden wings grow on the Knight’s back and take him to the sky. From there, the Knight will dive onto the ground while stretching his sword. This attack alone is powerful enough to kill you.
- Counter: To counter the Flying Dive, you must roll to any side to dodge the dive. Next, you must wait till the last second to dodge the sword by jumping.
- Tail Spin: The Knight only performs this attack when you are behind him. In this attack, the Knight will grow a golden tail and swing it counterclockwise to attack you. The attack doesn’t deal much damage but makes you vulnerable against the follow-up attacks.
- Counter: The only way to counter the tail attack is to roll in the opposite direction, i.e., roll to the right.
- Great Tail Spin: The Crucible Knight performs the Great Tail Spin instead of the small one after his HP drops below 40%. For this attack, a large tail will grow on the Knight. He will spin the tail in the clockwise direction, and the tail grows even more and spins another circle.
- Counter: There is no escape to the Great Tail spin. So, your only option is to roll in the same direction as the tail, i.e., to the right. You shouldn’t stop rolling till the second spin has ended.
- Fire Breath: The attack is exactly as the name suggests. The Crucible Knight will grow a throat sac and move forward while breathing fire. The fire covers a small distance in a conical shape. However, it can consume a lot of your HP if you touch it.
- Counter: The only way to counter this attack is to run for your life. In short, you should run away from the Knight as soon as he inflates his throat.
- Fire Breath Retreat: This attack is pretty similar to the first one, but it’s a defensive move. For this attack, the Knight will breathe fire from the throat sac after jumping backward.
- Counter: You can easily dodge the Fire Breath Retreat by rolling backwards. However, timing is very important for this move. So, you should roll as soon as the Knight jumps backward.
Crucible Knight (Spear):
The Spear-wielding Crucible Knight is slightly more overpowered than the Sword variant. The main reason is that the Spear extends its range of attack. Apart from this, most moves are pretty much the same. So, to learn about similar moves, replace the sword with a spear in the previous ones. Here, the special spear attacks and their counters will be discussed for both phases:
Phase 1:
- Thrust: This is the simplest Crucible Knight attack and the most common one. So, you can last the first phase if you master to dodge this attack. In this strike, the Knight will quickly thrust his Spear to the front, targeting your chest.
- Counter: You can easily dodge this attack by rolling to any side at the last moment. Alternatively, you can use a strong shield to parry the attack and launch a counterattack to deal some extra damage.
- Double Strike: For this attack, the Knight will spin his Spear into the ground in the clockwise direction. The attack knicks up some dirt to cover his movements as the Knight spins the Spear counterclockwise to back away.
- Counter: The Crucible Knight can’t move without completing the move. So, you can easily counter this attack by rolling to the right side. This opens up a window to attack while his Spear is still locked to the ground.
- Siluria’s Woe: Siluria’s Woe is a special attack that the Knight saves up for the second phase. However, if you use certain items in the battle, he may use it in the first phase. In this attack, the Knight will spin his Spear in the air to create a cone of Holy magic. Once the cone is complete, he will launch it in the forward direction.
- Counter: There is no counterattack to this attack. However, you can still dodge it by timely rolling to your side as soon as he starts spinning the Spear.
Phase 2:
The Transition attack for the Crucible Knight’s Spear variant is pretty much the same. In this attack, the Knight will raise his right left and stomp it on the ground. The attack creates an explosion of Holy energy. This attack is usually followed by a flying dive on the ground to throw you even further away.
Fortunately, you can easily dodge this attack by running away from the Knight boss. Other unique attacks and their counters for Phase 2 of this boss fight are:
- Horn Impale: In this attack, the Crucible Knight grows a horn on his hand. He then swings the horn, sending forward a light of Holy energy. This attack will impale you on contact and drains a large chunk of your HP.
- Counter: You can only dodge this attack by moving out of its way. Being a grab attack, it is impossible to counter with a shield. So, you must roll back and again roll to your left to dodge this attack.
- Horn Shoulder Charge: The Horn Shoulder Charge is the improvised version of the Horn Impale. In this attack, the Knight grows horns of Holy light on both his shoulders. After charging the attack, he will thrust the horns forward and may even dash to cover more distance.
- Counter: Again, you can only dodge this attack by moving away from the horns. In other words, you must first dodge forward and then roll to the right to get away from the Holy light.
How to attack the Crucible Knight?
The strategy to fight the Crucible Knight varies from build to build. The fight is relatively easy if you have a melee character build. On the contrary, magic or Faith builds may find it difficult as there is not much room to get away in the arena.
Therefore, it would be best to bring at least one powerful melee weapon and a robust shield, even if you are a magic fan. Secondly, Spirit Ashes and co-op are available for some Crucible Knights. So, make sure to summon some tank Ashes or your toughest friend if you get a chance. Apart from that, here’s how to attack the Crucible Knights:
Parrying:
Parrying will come in very handy in any Crucible Knight boss fight. Usually, most of his moves comprise a sword attack. So, you must bring the best shield in Elden Ring that you can find. After getting the shield, simply perfect your parrying timing to dodge and attack.
Another benefit of parrying most attacks is that it guarantees a critical strike every time. All you need to do is wait for the Knight to raise his weapon, parry the attack, and lay a critical strike right after parrying. One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t parry the magic or Holy attacks. So, if you see some wings or horns, dodge, roll, or move away as soon as you get a chance.
Movement:
Movement is the key to defeating any Crucible Knight boss. He is a fierce warrior, so baiting or tricking him is very easy. All you need to do is to keep your distance and have him come to you. You can take him by surprise while he is busy dashing or spinning.
Moreover, if the Knight raises his shield, you can easily bait him by moving close and quickly moving away from him. Lastly, another way to make him lose his temper is by throwing crafted knives or striking with any ranged magic spell.
Counterattack:
Hunting down a Crucible Knight is all about patience. You must wait for the right moment to roll or dodge the attacks in such a way that you reach an unguarded space. For instance, you can counterattack his spin by rolling to your left and then striking on the unguarded part.
Similarly, you can move to his back during a long attack to lay a few blows. In short, you must maintain your distance and wait for the right moment to launch a counterattack.
Weaknesses:
The Crucible Knights are immune to most magic and Holy attacks. So, your only options are to attack with fire damage, physical damage, parrying, and sometimes frostbite might get the job done. So, you must bring all these elements with you when preparing for the boss battle.
In my opinion, improving your weapon with the Bloodflame Blade spell can greatly increase your damage output. Sometimes, this spell is so powerful that every strike counts as a critical hit.
Rewards for defeating the Crucible Knights:
As mentioned before, the rewards you get for defeating any Crucible Knight make up for your effort. The loot drop is so enormous that you will quickly forget about your hardships. Here’s what you get for slaying every Crucible Knights in Elden Ring:
- Evergaol: 2100 Runes; Aspects of the Crucible: Tail.
- Leyndell: 28,000 Runes; Ordovis’s Greatsword; Crucible Knight Armour Set.
- Deeproot Depths: 25,000 Runes; Siluria’s Tree.
- Caelid: 16,000 Runes; Ruins Greatsword.
Some tips for fighting the Crucible Knight Boss
The article covers everything that you need to defeat the Crucible Knight boss. However, some extra tips may increase your chances in the battle. You should consider as many of them as possible to get the upper hand during your fight. So, here are some tips and tricks that can turn the odds in your favor:
- Firstly, make sure that you are at least at character level 70 when attempting to fight a Crucible Knight.
- You should have at least one +12 melee weapon and a powerful parrying shield for the battle.
- Try to parry the Shield attack to quickly lay some critical strikes.
- Opaline Bubbletear can come in handy for your fight.
- Save your Healing Flasks for when the Knight is actively swinging his weapon. Otherwise, you will get knocked out during the flask animation every time.
- The Phase 2 moves are only unlocked after he damages you with the Angelic Slash. So, make sure to parry every time he initiates this attack to increase your chances.
- You must choose the best melee weapons for the battle. In this regard, the Black Knife, Bloodhound’s Fang, or any Katana work best.
- All Crucible Knights are tough and meant mostly for veterans. So, make sure to avoid fighting them unless you really have to or you are confident in your character.
Conclusion
All Elden Ring bosses are tough and challenging, but the Crucible Knights hit a different spot. Some players even consider them as being tougher than Godfrey. Despite being an optional field boss, you are bound to encounter at least one of these 16 Knights during your playthrough.
However, nothing is impossible, especially when you know the boss’s strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, this article provides a detailed Elden Ring Crucible Knight Guide to help you survive the battle and come out victorious.
