Crucible Knight is a recurring optional boss in the game Elden Ring. Though the boss appears on multiple occasions in the game, beating him to progress in the story is not necessary.
There is a total of staggering 16 forms of this boss that the player can fight.
Crucible Knights are implied to be the manifestation of the Erdtree’s primal vital energies. A vestige of the crucible of primordial life in the Erdtree, where all life was said to exist in one whole plane.
Crucible Knight can be a tough boss for both melee and ranged players but don’t worry, as we will cover all the nooks and crannies of how to best him in this guide.
Location of Crucible Knight
- Southeast of Stormhill Shack Site of Grace
- Northwest of Rampart Tower Site of Grace
- Down the Cliff near the Four Belfries Site of Grace
- In the spiraling room near the Aqueduct-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace
- Northeast of the circular room of the Aqueduct-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace
- Near the fountain on the east side of Avenue Balcony Site of Grace
- Near the elevator, close to the Erdtree Sanctuary Site of Grace.
- Along the dragon’s corpse near the Dragon Temple Lift Site of Grace.
- From the Dragon Temple Rooftop Site of Grace near the southeast building to where the Farum Azula Dragon is situated.
Crucible Knight’s Stats
- Stance: 80
Absorptions/Negations
- Standard Attack: 35
- Slash Attack: 35
- Pierce Attack: 35
- Strike Attack: 35
- Lightning: 20
- Fire: 20
- Magic: 40
- Holy: 40
Absorption works in such a way that the numbers are the percentage of the damage that will be blocked; for instance, if you deal Crucible Knight 100 magic damage, 60% will be dealt while 40% being negated.
The Boss Fight
The Crucible Knight has many forms to fight and has two distinct variants. One wields a giant shield and a sword, while the other two hand a spear.
The sword and shield variant is the one we will talk about first. It can be quite a tough boss to manage since he usually has his shield up and can block the player’s attacks.
For Melee Players
The Crucible Knight has quite a set of attacks that he can deal to the tarnished. He can be a little menace as he can simply block the player’s attacks with his shield. The player can deal damage to Crucible Knight when he makes his move as he leaves a window for the player to make attacks, get in some damage, then pull back.
Charged Shield Attack
The Crucible Knight does a charged shield attack where he passes toward the player with his great shield and shoves it upwards; this attack can be dodged by rolling inwards.
Sword Attacks
The Crucible Knight also swings his sword, which is relatively easy to handle and can be dodged easily, leaving him wide open for attack.
Seismic Wave
The boss stomps on the ground, creating shockwaves that can deal damage and break poise, jump as soon as you see the ground breaking, followed by the shockwaves.
Phase 2 of Crucible Knight
In phase 2, the Crucible Knight gets relatively aggressive, and he whips out a tail and a pair of wings.
Sweeping Tail Attack
The Crucible Knight can make a sweeping tail attack that sends the player flying and breaking their poise; whenever you see the enemy lift upward and see a glow around his back, just know to dodge backward, or you will get caught by it. There is a short window to attack the boss after the attack.
Flying Charged Attack
As the Crucible Knight acquires a pair of wings, he can fly around doing attacks and make you dance around on your tip toes. The boss takes flight in the air and returns to charge at you with the sword quickly.
Dodge this attack sideways by rolling and waiting for him to land so you can attack him; note that he can follow up with sword slashes, so do not rush the boss, as he can take you out if you’re not equipped properly.
Fire Breath
The Crucible Knight unleashes a storm of flames through his mouth, dealing fire damage to the player; it is an AOE attack and can be dodged by rolling either way. The player can also deal damage to him while he’s busy doing the animation for the attack.
Look out for the quick tail whips and get out of his path before the charged attacks, utilizing short frame windows, and you’re good to go.
For Ranged Players
Taking a bow and arrow against this boss is pretty much useless, as his shield will totally negate the arrows dealt, and he will receive no damage. Magic is the way to go with this boss. Even if the Crucible Knight blocks your magic spells with his shield, he will receive chip damage. Maintain a distance from the boss and cast spells from afar to get that victory status under your belt.
The Spear Variant
The Spear Variant of this boss is relatively easier to beat as he is slow and sluggish compared to the sword variant. This version of the boss can be dodged with ease as he wields a giant spear whose attacks can be foreseen in which way he will wield his spear and dodged accordingly; there are no significant attacks that are to be in check for this variant though the phase 2 additional attacks are to be kept in mind.
Rewards for beating Crucible Knight
Stormhill Evergaol
- 2100 Runes
- Aspects of the Crucible: Tail(an incantation for a sweep attack, good for crowd control and decent damage.)
Stormveil Castle
- 1613 Runes
- Aspects of the Crucible: Horns(an incantation that deals good AoE damage.)
Siofra River
- 3080 Runes
Siofra Aquedect
- 3080 Runes each.
- The sword variant drops Crucible Hornshield (The best great shield in the game)
- Spear variant drops Somber Smithing Stone [6]
Leyndell, Royal Capital
- 3840 Runes each
Crumbling Farum Azula
- 7360 Runes each
