We’ve gotten used to having the advantage in Elden Ring, or at least being on an equal footing with our mount, but the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC reverses the trend, with a boss equipped with a horse while we remain on foot. We must also admit that the appearance of this boss scared us, for a moment, because of the distance and the shape of his weapon, we had the impression of seeing the Orphan of Kos charging at us.
Preparations
- You can reach level 10+ and above of Shadow Realm Blessings by searching the different areas well. This will help you greatly in this fight..
- To get help from a summoned golden NPC, you must find Thiollier East of the first area, at the foot of a Miquella Cross. Go back and talk to him, after discovering the areas to the south of the map, he will warn you that he is going in search of Saint Trina. A golden mark will then appear in the Putrid Knight’s combat zone, near your drop point.
- As usual, a spirit summon will help you too, if he doesn’t get killed too quickly. Andreas, Commander of the Black Knights Available in one of the first dungeons, it is a new summon from the DLC, which holds up extremely well once upgraded.
- This boss’ damage is mostly physical. Talismans and buffs that can reduce this damage will significantly help you survive.
- Plan for Defrosting balls can help, if you have trouble avoiding its blue flames.
Phase 1
The Putrid Knight is a boss that will also put pressure on you with its many physical attacks. They are varied and quite unpredictable. It takes a little time to get used to them, and to understand how to dodge them. As with many other bosses, it is better to try to dodge behind the Putrid Knight, so as not to have to avoid the whole series of attacks.
Be careful though, he is able to turn around very quickly. In addition, he will regularly separate from his horse, which will attack you independently. It is difficult to monitor both at the same time. The positive point is that without his horse, the knight is easier to hit.
Phase 2
Around 50-66% health, like other bosses, the Putrid Knight will get angry and gain new attacks based on frozen flames. These flames mainly come in two forms: A long trail of flames in your direction, you can dodge them with a sideways roll.
The second attack is to send out a large wave of flames. Dodging it may be possible, but it seems that jumping is a much more reliable way to avoid it.
The boss will gain some extra attacks, such as a weapon throw, as well as a rain of fire all around him. The flames will then rush towards your position. Perform a jump with good timing to avoid them.
Reward: Memory of Putrescence
The Memory is the only reward from this boss. But you can meet Saint Trina and Thiollier in the next room.
This may come as a surprise, but you can return to the Round Table to trade memories from the expansion’s bosses. You can even purchase armor pieces from the Augur of Fingers in some cases. Press “RB” from the map.
You have two rewards to choose from:
- Rot Cleaver : A large axe that accumulates freezing on the enemy.
- Vortex of putrescence : A sorcery combining Faith and Intelligence to unleash a whirlwind of putrescent jets.
