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Elden Ring Deathtouched Catacombs walkthrough

In one of the game's first dungeons, you come across skeletons and a battered assassin.

elden ring deathtouched catacombs black knife assassin
Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

The Deathtouched Catacombs in Elden Ring are a location in Limgrave.

This is a rather early Elden Ring Dungeon and the boss in it, though tricky, isn't impossible to defeat if you're a beginner. There's also a fair amount of loot for you to collect if you fully explore this Catacomb.

Here's our Elden Ring Deathtouched Catacombs walkthrough, plus how to beat the Catacomb's Black Knife Assassin boss.

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Elden Ring Deathtouched Catacombs walkthrough

You will find them west of the Holy Bridge in a rock face that serves as camouflage for the entrance door. Here is the location on the map:

elden ring deathtouched catacombs map location
Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Inside, activate the Site of Grace 'Deathtouched Catacombs' and follow the path into the room with the large door, which must first be opened using the lever. In the corridor on the left, skeletons attack and their shimmering remains must be destroyed to keep them dead.

Go down the stairs and take care of all the bone heads in the room. The obvious path on the right will take you to a larger area full of skeleton enemies, including an archer on the platform at the top left (we'll show you how to get there in a moment).

elden ring player inside deathtouched catacombs corridor
The narrow side passage will take you up to the archers. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Be careful when going in and lure them to you one by one if possible. The room at the end contains the lever to open the heavy boss door and a corpse with 3x Bloodrose.

Before we tackle the boss of the catacombs, we can explore a narrow side passage in the previous room:

elden ring player collecting uchigatana katana
The Uchigatana is a fantastic starting weapon for a character who relies on skill. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

This leads to an area where two skeletons stand guarding a few materials. Through the left passage you will reach the platform with the archer skeletons and discover a corpse with the Uchigatana Katana.

How to beat the Deathtouched Catacombs Black Knife Assassin boss in Elden Ring

This boss only has just over half his energy bar and looks very weakened. You can block his attacks with your shield and send a defensive counterattack after him to defeat him.

Due to its agility and sudden movements, it may still be a challenge for low-level and inexperienced characters. That should be the case, so don't worry.

elden ring player vs black knife assassin in deathtouched catacombs
Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Remember that in the boss room, you can use summons with the spirit ash to distract the assassin while you have time to give him a good pouring.

Unlike his colleague who appears later in the Black Knife catacombs, however, he still fights very cautiously and should not present you with unsolvable problems.

Your rewards for beating them are 1600 runes, Assassin's Purple Blade, 1x Deathroot (in the treasure chest.)

After the Black Blade Assassin has been defeated, you can use the teleporter back to the entrance of the catacombs and pursue other adventures.


Need more help? Jump back to our list of Elden Ring bosses or our Elden Ring walkthrough.

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