The Crucible Knight in Stormhill Evergaol is the fight that teaches most new players how unforgiving Elden Ring can be. It is a slow, heavily armoured knight with a huge greatsword and a shield, and partway through the fight it starts using the old powers of the Crucible: a holy stomp, wings and a tail. This guide covers what the Crucible Knight is weak to, where to find the Evergaol boss and every other Crucible Knight, what they drop, and a simple plan to win.
Quick facts
| Boss location | Stormhill Evergaol, Limgrave |
| Nearest Site of Grace | Stormhill Shack |
| Required? | No, optional Evergaol boss |
| Runes (NG) | 2,100 |
| Drop | Aspects of the Crucible: Tail (incantation) |
| Weak to | Fire and Lightning (20% negation) |
| Resists | Magic and Holy (40%), all physical types (35%) |
| Parry | Yes, most sword swings can be parried |
| Spirit Ashes | Not allowed in Stormhill Evergaol |
| Co-op | Not allowed in Stormhill Evergaol |
| Difficulty | ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 6/10 (very hard this early) |
Where is the Crucible Knight boss?
- Travel to Stormhill, the windy hills around Stormgate and Stormveil Castle in Limgrave, and rest at the Stormhill Shack Site of Grace.
- Head south-east from the shack toward the cliff edge. The Evergaol is the round stone platform with a glowing seal in the middle.
- Interact with the seal to enter. If you die, you can step straight back in from the same spot after resting at Stormhill Shack.
What is the Crucible Knight weak to?
Fire and Lightning are its two weak points at 20% negation. Every physical type sits at a flat 35%, so your weapon choice matters less than adding an element. Magic and Holy are its best-defended types at 40%, which makes Glintstone sorceries and Holy incantations a poor pick here.
| Damage type | Negation |
|---|---|
| Fire | 20% (weakest) |
| Lightning | 20% (weakest) |
| Standard | 35% |
| Slash | 35% |
| Strike | 35% |
| Pierce | 35% |
| Magic | 40% |
| Holy | 40% |
How to beat the Crucible Knight
- Come back with a few levels. You are alone in the Evergaol, with no Spirit Ashes and no co-op. Extra Vigor and a couple of weapon upgrades make the biggest difference.
- Stay close and keep moving around it. Its sword swings have long reach, so backing away only feeds you into the lunge. Circle to its side at close range and roll through the swings.
- Respect the delays. Many swings are held for a beat before they come down. Wait for the blade to start moving, then roll. Panic rolls are what get most players killed here.
- Punish, then back off. Take one or two hits after a finished combo and stop. Its shield bash comes out fast when you get greedy.
- Parry the sword, not the shield. The sword slash, lunge and slam can be parried, which opens a critical hit. The shield bash and the foot stomp cannot be parried.
- Get ready for the second phase. Partway through the fight it stomps the ground with a holy shockwave, then grows wings and dives at you. Roll forward or to the side when it drops, and watch for the tail sweep in this phase.
Best builds and tools
- Fire or Lightning: a Fire or Lightning infusion, Flame Sling, or Fire Grease and Lightning Grease.
- A medium shield with good stability for parries, or a Buckler if you parry often.
- Jump attacks and charged heavy attacks to break its stance faster.
- Avoid relying on Magic or Holy, its two best-defended types.
Rewards
- 2,100 Runes (NG).
- Aspects of the Crucible: Tail, a Faith incantation that grows a tail and sweeps around you.
All Crucible Knight locations
The Evergaol knight is only the first. These are the other Crucible Knight fights worth knowing about, with what each one gives you.
| Where | How many | Notable rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Stormveil Castle, near the Rampart Tower grace | 1 | Aspects of the Crucible: Horns, 1,613 runes |
| Redmane Castle plaza (with a Misbegotten Warrior, after the Radahn Festival) | 1 | Ruins Greatsword |
| Siofra Aqueduct, before Nokron | 2 | Crucible Hornshield and a Somber Smithing Stone [6] |
| Auriza Hero’s Grave, Altus Plateau (Crucible Knight Ordovis and a partner) | 2 | Ordovis’s Greatsword and the Crucible Axe armour set |
| Deeproot Depths (Crucible Knight Siluria) | 1 | Siluria’s Tree, 25,000 runes |
| Leyndell, Royal Capital | 2 | 3,840 runes each |
| Crumbling Farum Azula | 2 | 7,360 runes each |
The Siofra Aqueduct pair guards the way to Nokron; see how to get to Nokron for the route, and our Ruins Greatsword guide covers the Redmane drop.
Related: the Crucible Knight is a good warm-up for Margit, the Fell Omen, who waits just past Stormhill, and if it is still too hard, the Tree Sentinel and our rune farming guide are good ways to build up first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Crucible Knight weak to?
Fire and Lightning (20% negation). It resists Magic and Holy (40%), and all physical damage types sit at 35%.
Can you use Spirit Ashes against the Crucible Knight?
Not in Stormhill Evergaol: you fight it alone, with no Spirit Ashes and no co-op. Several of the later Crucible Knight fights do allow summons.
Can you parry the Crucible Knight?
Yes. Its sword attacks can be parried for a critical hit. The shield bash, the foot stomp and the second-phase Crucible attacks cannot.
What does the Crucible Knight drop?
The Stormhill Evergaol knight drops Aspects of the Crucible: Tail and 2,100 runes. The Stormveil Castle knight drops Aspects of the Crucible: Horns.
Stuck on another boss? Browse all Elden Ring boss guides.
Further reading: Crucible Knight on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.