Elden Ring – How to Beat Crucible Knight Boss Fight

Crucible Knight is a boss in Elden Ring that players can challenge and defeat in the game. Defeating this boss will allow players to get incantations similar to what the Crucible Knight uses during the fight. There are several Crucible Knights present in the game, one of which serves as a companion to another knight, Crucible Knight Ordovis.

In this guide, we will look into the fight against the Crucible Knight and share some tips and strategies to defeat him easily.

Crucible Knight Locations in Elden Ring

Crucible Knights in Elden Ring can be encountered in these areas:

Stormhill Evergaol
Stormveil Castle
Auriza Hero’s Grave (with Crucible Knight Ordovis)

Elden Ring Crucible Knight Rewards

The rewards in beating Elden Ring Crucible Knights differ depending on which knight you defeat:

Stormhill Evergaol
- Reward – Aspects of the Crucible: Tail
Stormveil Castle
- Reward – Aspects of the Crucible: Horns

As for the third encounter, both the Crucible Knight and Crucible Knight Ordovis should be defeated, and you will get the following rewards:

Crucible Set
- Axe Helm
- Axe Armor
- Gauntlets
- Greaves
Ordovis’s Greatsword

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring

Crucible Knights are adept at chaining their attacks into combos of varying lengths. The fights have two phases, in which on the second phase (HP at <60%) they start using their incantations.

Phase 1

Crucible Knight’s attacks are mainly physical attacks in the first phase.

Sword Slash

Crucible Knight will wind up his sword over his left or right shoulder and slashes diagonally.

Depending on where you are at, he can do a small charge to close the gap before swinging his sword. These attacks can be easily spotted and dodged, but you need to be aware for any follow up attacks that may follow.

If you are a melee attacker, this attack is highly punishable by doing perfect parries. Only one perfect parry is needed to get an opening for a riposte.

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring - Sword Slash

Sword Thrust

Crucible Knight will wind up his right hand and his sword backwards before charging forward and thrusting his sword.

Simply back away to a safe distance or dodge to the sides to avoid getting hit. This attack can be parried.

Shield Bash

Crucible Knight will put his shield in front of him and charges towards the player for a short distance.

Timing the dodge to this attack right will allow the chance for a counter-attack as it takes time for him to recover.

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring - Shield Bash

Upward Sword Swing

Crucible Knight will drag his sword across the ground and then swing it upwards, flinging rocks with it.

Dodge accordingly to avoid getting hit, or you may go on the offensive and time a heavy strike to land once his arm is raised. This attack can be parried.

Ground Stomp to Downward Sword Swing

Crucible Knight will raise his sword straight up using both hands. He will then raise his left leg before stomping the ground to release a shockwave that goes in a cone. He will then follow it up by swinging the sword downwards.

He normally does the Ground Stomp first and make sure to avoid getting hit by it. Failing to do so will make you susceptible to the following sword swing. One good tell is when he puts his shield on his back; once you see him do this, dodge to his side going to the back, or time the roll to avoid the shockwave.

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring - Ground Stomp to Downward Sword Swing

Spinning Slash

Crucible Knight will spin around with both hands on the sword to hit the player twice.

This attack will only happen once he has both his hands on his sword coming from doing a Ground Stomp or a Downward Sword Swing. Dodge away as the interval between the spins is a bit tight making dodging them both a bit risky.

Phase 2

Crucible Knight will start mixing in his incantations in between combos or attacks. He will do a power up animation once his health goes below 60%.

Tail Spin

The Tail Spin has two variations. The first one is a single spin that spans his close range. The second one is a double spin with the first spin covering his close range, followed by a second spin that covers a large area of his mid range.

This is one of the deadly attacks since there’s no easy tell if he will follow-up with a second spin. Just keep in mind to avoid the first spin and it’s a safe assumption that he will do a second one, so it’s best to just back away. Dodge rolling through both spins is possible.

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring - Tail Spin

Sword Dive

Crucible Knight will materialize wings and fly upwards. He will then dive downwards and forwards towards the player leading with his sword.

The tell for this attack is unique and the animation is long, so you can easily spot it. You can time your dodge to the side once he is about to hit you or you can also dive roll towards him at the right moment.

Crucible Knight Attacks in Elden Ring - Sword Dive

Charged Sword Smash (Auriza Hero’s Grave)

Crucible Knight will spin his sword behind him to charge it before slamming it to the ground in front of him.

The charging animation give some time to prepare so you can easily dodge this attack. Make sure to move away enough to stay clear from the sword’s slam AoE.

How to beat Crucible Knight Boss Fight

Here are additional tips on how you can beat Crucible Knight in Elden Ring:

Magic users will have an easy time with him as long as you keep some distance. Magic attacks can still penetrate his shield, but the damage will be lowered. On the other hand, bow users will need to use a weapon like a shortbow which will allow them to evade quickly out of their attack animations, or else they’ll get caught with the attacks.
Melee users should go for parrying his sword swings to make the fight quicker. They will also have to be patient and punish during heavy attacks and keep an eye out for those tail spins and ground stomps.
For the Auriza Hero’s Grave fight, it may make the fight easier if you focus on defeating Ordovis first and make sure that they don’t go to their phase 2’s simultaneously.