You’ve seen the red arc. That soaring, mid-air flip that sends a sliver of concentrated death flying across the arena. In Elden Ring, the Black Knife isn't just another dagger. It's a statement. But honestly, most players treat it like a gimmick weapon you pull out for a flashy opener before switching to a "real" sword. That is a massive mistake.
This weapon is basically a cheat code for the late-game sponges and the terrifying HP bars in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It’s not about the raw damage per hit. It’s about the fact that this thing literally eats the concept of health.
What Is the Black Knife Elden Ring Dagger Exactly?
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. The Black Knife is a unique dagger that scales primarily with Dexterity and Faith. It’s one of the few weapons in the game that deals Holy damage and actually makes it feel viable against bosses that usually shrug off the light.
The real star here is the Ash of War: Blade of Death.
When you trigger it, your character leaps into the air—gaining a surprising amount of hyper-armor—and hurls a projectile of Destined Death. If it connects, three things happen. First, you deal flat Holy damage. Second, the enemy’s maximum HP is reduced by 10% for a short duration. Third, it applies a burning damage-over-time (DoT) effect that continues to peel away health.
It’s brutal.
How to Get It (Without Tearing Your Hair Out)
You don’t have to wait until the end of the game to find this. It’s tucked away in the Altus Plateau.
Head to the Sainted Hero's Grave. You’ll find a Black Knife Assassin literally sitting right outside the entrance. She’s not a boss with a giant health bar at the bottom of the screen, but she’s fast. Really fast. If you’re struggling, you can actually kite her back toward the elevator or use the environment to reset her aggro. Once she’s down, the dagger is yours.
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The Lore Most People Miss
People often confuse the Black Knife Assassins with Ranni’s personal guard, but the reality is way messier. These women are Numen. That’s the same race as Queen Marika herself. Rumor has it they had "close ties" to the Queen before the Night of the Black Knives changed everything.
Why did they kill Godwyn? Why did they later turn on Ranni’s counselors like Iji and Blaidd?
The game implies a massive betrayal. While Ranni orchestrated the theft of the Rune of Death, the Assassins likely had their own agenda tied to the Eternal City. They aren't mindless henchmen. They are a faction of displaced royalty using the only leverage they have left: the power to kill things that aren't supposed to die.
Why Scaling Matters (And Why It’s Tricky)
If you look at the stats, the Black Knife eventually hits a B in Dexterity and a C in Faith at +10.
A lot of players dump everything into Dexterity. That’s fine for the physical swings, but the Blade of Death projectile damage scales only with Faith. If you want that initial hit to hit like a truck, you need to invest in your Faith stat. However, the 10% maximum HP reduction and the percentage-based DoT stay the same regardless of your stats.
This means even a Strength-focused build can keep a Black Knife in their second slot just to soften up a boss at the start of a fight.
The Best Build for Making Bosses Disappear
To truly unlock the Black Knife, you need to lean into the "Destined Death" synergy. This isn't just about one dagger; it's about a playstyle.
- Primary Weapon: Black Knife +10.
- Secondary: Maliketh’s Black Blade or the Black Blade Incantation. (The HP reduction effects from the dagger and the incantation actually stack, which is ridiculous).
- Talisman 1: Shard of Alexander. This is mandatory. It boosts the skill damage significantly.
- Talisman 2: Carian Filigree Crest. The Blade of Death costs 25 FP. This makes it much more spammable.
- Talisman 3: Sacred Scorpion Charm. Increases Holy damage, though you’ll take more physical damage in return.
- Flask of Wondrous Physick: Mix the Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear.
Breaking the "Holy Damage Sucks" Myth
There is a common complaint that Holy damage is useless in the late game because bosses like Elden Beast have 80% resistance to it.
While that is factually true for the damage part of the hit, the debuff part of the Black Knife is irresistible. It doesn't matter if the boss is made of pure light; the Blade of Death will still chop 10% off their max health. In the DLC, where bosses have enough HP to survive a nuclear blast, that 10% is worth thousands of damage points for a single button press.
Combat Strategy: More Than Just Spam
Don't just stand there and throw knives. The animation for the Black Knife skill includes a jump that can actually dodge low-sweeping ground attacks. It’s a "jump-dodge" and an attack rolled into one.
If you’re playing co-op, you are the most valuable person on the team. By hitting the boss with the Black Knife, you are effectively lowering the "difficulty" for everyone else by shrinking the boss's health pool. Just remember that the max HP reduction doesn't last forever. You need to re-apply it every 15-20 seconds to keep the boss's health bar in that "shrunken" state.
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One weird trick? The DoT effect from this weapon goes through i-frames in PvP. If you time it right, an opponent can roll through the projectile and still take the "burning" damage. It’s incredibly frustrating to play against, which makes it perfect for invasions.
Step-by-Step Optimization
- Upgrade to +10 immediately. Use Somber Smithing Stones. The base damage jump from +9 to +10 is significant for the Holy scaling.
- Level Faith to at least 45. This is the soft cap where you get the most bang for your buck for the Ash of War projectile.
- Get the Black Knife Armor Set. Found under a bridge in Ordina, Liturgical Town. It makes your footsteps completely silent. It doesn't boost the dagger's damage, but it fits the vibe perfectly and allows for easy backstabs.
- Pair with a status effect. Since the Black Knife handles the "percentage" damage, carry a secondary dagger (like a Blood-infused Great Knife) to trigger Hemorrhage. The combination of HP reduction and Bleed will melt almost anything in the game.