Black Knife Catacombs is home to two Elden Ring bosses, but the enemies are hidden behind secret passages.

The Black Knife Catacombs is an important place in Elden Ring. It hosts many mobs inside it, including the Black Knife Assassin who's concealed in a hidden chamber. Unsurprisingly, the Catacombs has a couple of puzzles to be solved, all of them leading to unseen Elden Ring locations.

Usually, hidden areas in Elden Ring are prepared with rewards for the curious. Therefore, when exploring the Black Knife Catacombs, make sure to visit these places as they'll be worth the time.

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The Black Knife Catacombs are located northeast of Liurnia in Elden Ring. Players can find the Catacombs by riding on the eastern edge of the mountain. Keep going north and at some point, the way to these Catacombs will reveal itself without any extra effort.

As Tarnished approach the Black Knife Catacombs, there’ll be an invisible Golden Knight inside their armor, protecting the Catacombs. It’s a fairly hard enemy to beat, so players can avoid it and enter the Catacombs directly. Then, light the Site of Lost Grace found immediately after entering.

The Black Knife Catacombs are filled with Skeletons. Players have to kill them immediately after the mob fall (before they fully resurrect) or they will keep resurrecting. If the enemy endlessly comes back to life no matter how much Tarnished attempts to bring them down, then search the area for the Necromancer. Killing the master will stop the Skeletons entirely.

After defeating a bunch of Skeletons and a Necromancer, Tarnished will come across a Chamber with three Blade traps. Moving through these Blades and defeating the enemies in the Chamber will lead the Tarnished to another Chamber with a ladder. Do not use this ladder. If players descend using the ladder, they will end up trapped inside a big pool of Crabs with no progress into the Black Knife Catacombs.

What should be done instead, is mount the second Blade after it comes down, and wait for it to come up. That will lead to a secret passage, the right way to progress into the Catacombs.

Many Skeletons are inside that passage, with one Necromancer. Again, kill the Necromancer and all Skeletons will fall instantly.

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At some point, players might think they reach a dead-end. But there are actually two hidden passages from that area, each leading to a boss fight.

Carefully check the right wall and search for a small hole. Then, drop into that hole to find a Lever.

Pull the Lever and the main boss Chamber will open. This boss is located at the start of the Catacombs, so now players need to find a way out. By using another Lever nearby, Tarnished will open a cell gate leading to the trap area filled with crabs. Take the ladder up and go back to where the Cemetery Shade is located.

The Elden Ring Cemetery Shade hits really fast and hard. Yet, its HP is almost none; any hit takes a decent chunk of the boss's HP. Players can also summon in this fight, which will make it significantly easier.

Upon winning against the Cemetery Shade in Elden Ring, players will be rewarded with Twinsage Sorcerer Ashes. Additionally, there’s a Chest at the end of the boss chamber that contains a Deathroot.

Going back to the Chamber in the secret passage with the dead-end, players can keep moving forward this time until reaching a wall.

Hit the wall, and it will disappear, revealing a hidden corridor leading to the Black Knife Assassin boss fight.

The Black Knife Assassin is quick and moves around the tight Chamber freely. It’s so hard to catch the boss, yet it punishes players quickly on any mistake. Simply put, it’s an unforgiving assassin.

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To ease the fight, players can progress the D, Hunter of the Dead story quest and summon him to fight alongside the Tarnished.

After defeating the Black Knife Assassin, players will be rewarded with the Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger and a key item called Black Knifeprint.

As usual, Grave Glovewort and other Catacombs exclusive items are available inside the Black Knife Catacombs in Elden Ring. There’s also a locked Chamber at the start of the Catacombs. It can only be accessed if players used a Stonesword Key. Inside it, Tarnished will find Rosus’ Axe. Further exploring the Catacombs will reward players with items such as:

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

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Nahda is an enthusiastic writer with a love for games who one day decides to put the two together. She's now professionally writing niche articles about Genshin Impact.