Elden Ring: Death Knight (Fog Rift Catacombs) Boss Fight (SOTE)

Published: January 18, 2026 at 5:16:29 PM UTC

Death Knight is in the lowest tier, Field Bosses in Elden Ring, and is the end boss of the Fog Rift Catacombs dungeon in the Land of Shadow. It is an optional boss in the sense that it is not required to defeat it in order to progress the main story of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

As you probably know, bosses in Elden Ring are divided into three tiers. From lowest to highest: Field Bosses, Greater Enemy Bosses and finally Demigods and Legends.

Death Knight is in the lowest tier, Field Bosses, and is the end boss of the Fog Rift Catacombs dungeon in the Land of Shadow. It is an optional boss in the sense that it is not required to defeat it in order to progress the main story of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

This is the second time I face a Death Knight, but this one is slightly different because it wields two axes instead of a large halberd. That doesn’t prevent him from trying to split my skull with the tools available though. I’m almost starting to feel like I’m not welcome to kill all the denizens and take all the loot in this dungeon. That’s kind of rude considering all the work I put in.

Anyway, in addition to the axe swinging, the boss also shoots some yellow lightning at random people within range, but since I’m usually the only one there, I tend to be picked “randomly” a lot.

I did summon Black Knife Tiche for assistance, but I don’t think that was strictly necessary. The fight was over faster than I expected, but I suppose there is no point in dragging out the inevitable. And silly me for once again forgetting to swap talismans before the fight, so I was still wearing the ones I use for exploring.

And now for the usual boring details about my character. I play as a mostly Dexterity build. My melee weapons are the Hand of Malenia and the Uchigatana with Keen affinity. I was level 198 and Scadutree Blessing 10 when this video was recorded, which I think is reasonable for this boss. I’m always looking for the sweet spot where it’s not mind-numbing easy mode, but also not so difficult that I will be stuck on the same boss for hours ;-)

Fan art inspired by this boss fight

Anime-style fan art showing the Tarnished in Black Knife armor facing the dual-axe Death Knight in a foggy underground catacomb just before battle. Click or tap the image for more information.

Dark fantasy scene of the Tarnished in worn Black Knife armor confronting a dual-axe Death Knight inside a fog-filled stone catacomb. Click or tap the image for more information.

Wide dark-fantasy scene of the Tarnished facing a dual-axe Death Knight in a ruined, fog-filled stone catacomb. Click or tap the image for more information.

Isometric dark-fantasy view of the Tarnished and a dual-axe Death Knight facing each other in a ruined fog-filled catacomb chamber. Click or tap the image for more information.

Anime-style fan art of the Tarnished in Black Knife armor facing the Death Knight boss in Fog Rift Catacombs. Click or tap the image for more information.

Realistic fan art of the Tarnished in Black Knife armor facing the Death Knight boss in Fog Rift Catacombs. Click or tap the image for more information.

Realistic fan art of the Tarnished in Black Knife armor facing the Death Knight boss in a vast dungeon. Click or tap the image for more information.

High-angle fan art of the Tarnished in Black Knife armor confronting the Death Knight boss in a misty dungeon. Click or tap the image for more information.

Fan art inspired by this boss fight

Further Reading