How To Beat Putrescent Knight Reddit
Confronting the Putrescent Knight in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree can be a daunting trial but Reddit strategies combined with known boss mechanics make victory achievable. This fearsome skeletal rider looms over a corrupted battlefield, testing your awareness, timing, and mobility. Understanding how to beat Putrescent Knight requires studying his attack patterns, managing distance, and capitalizing on dodge timing. Drawing from playershared tips and boss lore, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the fight step by step.
Where to Find the Putrescent Knight
You encounter Putrescent Knight deep in the Stone Coffin Fissure dungeon, part of the Cerulean Coast region in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. The arena is a shallow lake filled with purple rot, and the Knight rides a skeletal horse, making for a visually distinct and hazardous battleground.
Boss Overview and Behavior
Appearance and Abilities
The Putrescent Knight is a mounted skeleton knight wielding a massive cleaver-like weapon. His attacks combine sweeping slashes, ground waves, and mounting charges. He’s relatively slow, but his strikes cover wide arcs and deal rot damage. Riding his skeletal steed adds reach and forward momentum to many attacks.
Dangerous Mechanics
- Cleaver Slash: Broad sweeping strike that creates a shockwave.
- Charge Attack: Long-range forward lunge from horseback.
- Ground Wave: Radial rot wave emerging at staggered intervals.
The Knight often signals attacks with a windup before performing wide arcs or charging. Recognizing these tells will let you dodge or reposition before impact.
Reddit Strategy Highlights
Players on Reddit advise: ‘Keep a distance so you can see them coming and don’t move left or right. When the waves come just jump over them. He will usually then do a ’. This emphasizes maintaining spacing and timing jumps rather than strafing unpredictably.
Preparation Before the Fight
Recommended Gear and Loadout
- High mobility build with light armor and fast roll frames.
- Weapons dealing physical or holy damage; bleed or frost helps stagger.
- Rot- resistant talismans or consumables if available.
Flask Management
Bring enough health and FP flasks. If using magic or weapon skills, carry items to buff resistances or cleanse rot status.
Phase-by-Phase Tactical Guide
Keeping Distance for Observation
Begin the fight by holding midrange. Avoid close proximity immediately; you need space to read his move animations. Staying still or strafing unpredictably makes avoiding the wave attacks harder.
Dodging the Ground Wave
When the Knight slams the cleaver and the arena pulses with rot, don’t dodge sideways jump forward or backward through the wave. This avoids unnecessary drift and keeps you aligned for counters.
Evading the Charge
Use your evade frames or roll to the side when you see him rear up while mounted. Dodging sideways early avoids getting knocked off-guard by the long-range lunge.
Countering After His Wind-up
Most of his combos end in brief recovery frames. Once you dodge the shockwave or slash, close in and land 23 attacks before he repositions himself or summons another wave.
Effective Strategies During Combat
Stay Calm and Maintain Rhythm
This fight rewards controlled aggression. Don’t overcommit. Wait for openings after each wave, then strike and back out. Repeating this rhythm avoids reckless engagement.
Rot Exposure Management
The arena’s rot pool deals constant passive damage. Quickly clear rot buildup with consumables or talisman bonuses. Don’t linger on the ground after wave attacks; move continuously.
Use Summons or Spirit Ashes
If playing solo, summon a spirit to draw some agro and create space for you. This reduces pressure and gives windows to heal or strike safely.
Advanced Tips and Counters
Spacing over Strafe
Reddit wisdom confirms that sideways strafing can leave you caught by wave radius. Instead, focus on jumping or stepping back to preserve your dodge frames and positional control.
Fit First-Attack Pressure
If your build supports frost or bleed buildup, landing early hits forces disruptions in his combos and delays his wave pattern enough for you to reposition.
Use Terrain to Your Advantage
The lake arena may include higher platforms or edges. Use those to break line of sight before his charge or to reset distance after heavy attacks.
What to Do at Low Health or Stamina
- Fall back to full distance if stamina low; wait for a recovery moment.
- Use shield or block timing against secondary cleaver hits if necessary.
- Heal only when safely downed in mid-range, not after being staggered.
After Defeating Putrescent Knight
Rewards
Upon defeating the Putrescent Knight, you earn the Remembrance of Putrescence. You may exchange it at a grace site to receive unique gear depending on your class and preferences.
Next Steps
Progression continues further into Scadu Altus with tougher bosses awaiting. Make sure to heal up, replenish consumables, and prepare for the next encounters.
Summary of Strategy
- Keep midrange distance to detect attacks early
- Jump through shockwaves instead of strafing
- Sidedodge charges smartly
- Counter after windups for safe hits
- Use rot mitigation and stay mobile
- Spirit summoning helps manage pressure
The Putrescent Knight in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC may intimidate at first glance, but with camped spacing, predictive dodging, and consistent counters, he becomes manageable. Take advantage of his slow windups, understand how to evade rot waves effectively, and wait for openings to strike. Reddit-tested advice like maintaining distance and timing jumps pairs wonderfully with core Soulsborne tactics. Defeat this skeletal rider with patience and poise, and you’ll walk away with a powerful remembrance and a confidence boost for battles ahead.