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Elden Ring: How to Beat Both Death Knights in Shadow of the Erdtree

Shadow of the Erdtree has two Death Knights. Here’s how to tell them apart and handle the twin-axe lightning fight and the longhaft boss’s grab and shockwave.
WorldShadow of the Erdtree Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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There are two Death Knight encounters in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. The first is at the end of Fog Rift Catacombs: use a Mimic Tear to draw its attention, then punish openings with Rock Sling and dodge its lightning sideways. The second is in Scorpion River Catacombs and adds a health-stealing grab and a broad ground shockwave, so its counterplay is different.

Which Death Knight are you fighting?

Check the dungeon before choosing a strategy. PowerPyx’s walkthrough identifies the first encounter at Fog Rift Catacombs and the second at Scorpion River Catacombs; the bosses use different weapons and have distinct signature attacks.

Encounter Location Weapon and main threats Listed rewards
First Death Knight At the end of Fog Rift Catacombs Twin axes; close-range combos and ranged lightning 110,000 runes, Death Knight’s Twin Axes, Crimson Amber Medallion +3
Second Death Knight Scorpion River Catacombs Longhaft axe; winged health-draining grab and a wide electric ground shockwave 130,000 runes, Death Knight’s Longshaft Axe, Cerulean Amber Medallion +3

Reward names and rune amounts above are those listed by PowerPyx in its 2024 guides. PC Gamer also lists the first boss’s Twin Axes and Crimson Amber Medallion +3, and calls the second boss’s weapon the Long Hafted Axe while confirming the Cerulean Amber Medallion +3.

How to beat the Fog Rift Catacombs Death Knight

The first fight is built around pressure from twin-axe melee strings and lightning at range. The cited walkthrough’s approach is to let a summon take the boss’s attention while you attack from a distance; if you fight in melee, apply the same core rhythm of avoiding the full attack string and countering during recovery.

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Ranged approach: Mimic Tear and Rock Sling

  1. As the arena fight starts, summon Mimic Tear so it can draw the Death Knight’s attention.
  2. Keep some distance and cast Rock Sling while the summon is engaging the boss. PowerPyx recommends it over Comet Azur for this encounter because the Death Knight moves around.
  3. When the boss charges yellow lightning, be ready to dodge sideways as the projectile is fired.
  4. If the summon dies, evade the boss’s combo, wait for an opening, and use one Great Glintstone Shard. Repeat the bait-and-counter pattern rather than casting into an active attack.

This is walkthrough advice, not a guarantee or a claim that every build will perform the same way.

Melee approach

Do not trade blows through the twin-axe strings. Evade the attacks, move clear of the combo, then use the recovery window to land a counter before resetting your spacing. The available walkthrough emphasizes a ranged strategy and does not establish a tested, weapon-specific melee recipe.

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How to handle the Scorpion River Catacombs Death Knight

The second encounter is not simply the first fight with a different weapon. PowerPyx describes a longhaft axe, a winged grab that drains your health to restore the boss’s, and a wide electric shockwave along the ground.

  • Winged grab: Run back out of range when you have time. If retreating is too slow, roll sideways to avoid the grab.
  • Ground shockwave: Run far enough away to escape its wide area rather than staying close to the boss.

PC Gamer uses the name “Long Hafted Axe” for this encounter’s weapon; PowerPyx lists its reward as the Death Knight’s Longshaft Axe.

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Preparation and difficulty

PowerPyx gives level 150+ as general Shadow of the Erdtree preparation advice, not as a minimum requirement for either Death Knight. The same guide recommends collecting Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash Blessings; the blessings provide damage negation in the Realm of Shadow. Treat these as ways to improve your broader DLC readiness, not as a boss-specific checklist or guarantee.

Sources

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