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The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is one of the many optional bosses found in Elden Ring. This fearsome foe is a tough fight if you aren't prepared. The first time you encounter him, you will almost certainly feel overwhelmed by his non-stop aggression and incredible speed.Thankfully, all is not lost. Once you learn his attack patterns, you will see that he provides ample opportunities to get a quick swipe of your sword in here and there. With a little guidance, you will see that this Bloodhound is more bark than bite.
The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Overview
| The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Forlorn Hound Evergaol |
| Optional | Yes |
| Summons | No |
| Drops | Bloodhound's Fang |
| Weak To | ??? |
The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is an alarmingly fast boss: so fast that he will occasionally become momentarily invisible. His attacks recover frightfully quickly, as well. Worse yet, he inflicts the Hemorrhage status effect on you with every attack that lands. You won't be able to summon for this fight, but luckily if you die facing him, all your runes will be left outside the Evergaol, so there is little risk in fighting the Bloodhound Knight.
While Darriwil is extraordinarily mobile, he isn't particularly resilient. Although you won't be landing many attacks due to his fast recovery, you won't have to land many in order to defeat him. If you are confident in your ability to dodge effectively, you can fight Darriwil at the beginning of the game. However, less seasoned players may want to wait until they have upgraded their weapon a little to make the battle go smoother.
How To Find Bloodhound Knight
The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is located in the southern region of Limgrave. Follow the path that leads from The Stormgate to The Bridge of Sacrifice. Before you reach The Bridge of Sacrifice, you will encounter a narrow passage that contains a Spirit Spring. Don't enter the narrow passage, instead, take the overgrown path to the right. You will encounter a Stake of Marika as well as a number of Abnormal Stone Clusters (during the night they will light the way). At the end of the path is a large, circular stone floor. You will need to interact with the object at the center of it in order to enter the Forlorn Hound Evergaol and face Darriwil.
The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Attacks
Darriwil has a large repertoire of attacks. Most of them are quite quick. He can also close a great deal of distance remarkably fast. This is a fight that is all about learning the timing of his attacks and mastering your dodges. Thankfully, his attacks aren't so difficult to deal with once you familiarize yourself with his attack patterns.
| The Bloodhound Knight Attacks |
|---|
Dash
Darriwil has a dash that helps him close vast amounts of distance quickly. During this dash, he briefly becomes invisible.
Counter: As long as you are locked onto him, and steadily backing away, this shouldn't cause you too many problems. Dodge backward when you see him dashing in and that should avoid his sword swing if he tries to swipe at you immediately after the dash.
Claw Swipe
Darriwil lunges forward and swipes at you with his claw.
Counter: Darriwil isn't vulnerable after this attack, so just dodge backward.
Three Slash Combo
Here Darriwili hacks at you with a horizontal slash, he will then follow with a second horizontal slash, and finally, he will end this pattern with a vertical slash. He also sometimes starts this sequence with a lunging horizontal slash, though the rest of the combo is unchanged.
Counter: Time the three slashes with your dodge roll. After the third attack, you will be able to get one quick attack in. However, you should immediately dodge after you hit him, as he will often follow up with a quick plunging attack. He uses this combo a lot, so it is important to get the dodge timing down.
Plunging Attack
Darriwil leaps into the air and brings his sword down very quickly.
Counter: This is the attack Darriwil will sometimes follow his three-hit combo with. It recovers pretty quickly, but you can get a single quick attack in if you time things perfectly. Feel free to just roll away if you aren't comfortable with the timing, as he does recover relatively quickly.
Charged Sword Attack
Here Darriwil winds up for a giant vertical chop and brings his sword down heavily.
Counter: This is Darriwil's most telegraphed attack. Once he has fully wound up this attack, he will hold the sword behind himself for a second. Dodge into him, and you can get a quick slash off. If you don't have the timing down yet, feel free to just back away from him. This is also an opportunity for you to heal.
Sword Drag
Darriwil drags his sword behind him as he pursues you. Once he is close, he will swing the blade upward with such force that it will strike behind him.
Counter: Dodge toward him when he is about two feet away from you. This attack leaves him wide open, so you should be able to attack him twice.
Claw Drag
Darriwil drags his claw as he chases you. After closing the distance, he will swing his claw upward with enough force to propel himself into the air, and then bring his sword down as he descends.
Counter: You will need to dodge the claw swipe when he is about two feet away from you or so, then you will need to wait for a second to dodge the downward sword attack. This is one of the best chances for you to get some big damage in. You should be able to hit him with two quick slashes as he recovers. If you are a person who likes to parry attacks, this is the attack you should look for.
Boss Fight Strategies
While Darriwil can be a smothering foe, he is definitely beatable with any build once you know when to strike. Melee builds will have more opportunities to get attacks in, as Darriwil won't commit to a number of attacks if you are too far away from him, but that means the players using a melee build will have to spend more time in the danger zone.
Ranged attackers will have to spend a little more time fishing for specific opportunities, but they get to stay at a safer range (though Darriwil is more than capable of closing that range, so you are never truly safe). No matter what type of character you play, you will be able to beat this foul knight.
Melee Strategy
First of all, as Darriwil is materializing at the beginning of the battle, you can land a free heavy attack. If you time it perfectly, you can land two quick attacks (or even a charged heavy attack), but you will need to roll away the moment after the second attack lands. You are probably better off just going for the single heavy attack.
He likes to use his standard three-hit combo frequently. This will be two wide horizontal slashes followed by one downward slash. You will want to roll all of these attacks to the side. That will give you the opportunity to get a single quick slash in. Do not go for a heavy slash or two quick slashes. There isn’t enough time. The three-hit combo is going to be your bread and butter for dealing consistent damage; Darriwil doesn’t change the timing, so you should focus on getting the timing for your dodge sequence down.
Don’t mash the roll button! When he follows up with his plunging attack you will have a chance to get another quick slash in as well.
When he drags the sword on the ground, this is your moment to get in more damage. Wait for him to get close, then dodge to the side. This move leaves him vulnerable enough that you can land one powerful hit or two fast hits (you can push for a third, but you are taking a big risk). On the other hand, when he drags his claw you will need to dodge two attacks. First, you will need to dodge to the side as he swipes his claw upward, then you will need to dodge again as he comes down hard with a sword attack. However, you will be rewarded with a similarly longish window to dish out damage.
If you like to parry, the perfect opportunity is when he does the attack where he drags his claw on the ground. Parry the first hit, and you will stagger him, leaving him vulnerable for a big attack.
If you ever need to heal, roll backward instead of rolling to the side (to create more distance) and take a swig of your flask when he commits to one of his big attacks. This is also your chance to use a Staunching Boluses if you want to stop your hemorrhaging. Though, if you are getting hit enough times that the hemorrhaging is becoming a problem, you probably need to work on getting your dodges down first and foremost.
Ranged Strategy
Fighting Darriwil with a ranged weapon is absolutely doable, but it is going to take a little more time. Unlike with the melee strategy, you will want to roll away from him. Your primary goal is to keep your distance and fish for the sword drag or the claw drag. When he commits to these attacks, you will have an opportunity to get a shot off. Do not try to peg him when he isn't committed to an attack. He moves too fast. You will just be wasting arrows.
This strategy does take a little more time, but it will absolutely be successful if you are patient. A similar strategy could be utilized for magic users as well. Just always remember to take aim when he is committed to a heavy attack, and you should be fine.
General Tips
- If you die, your runes will be sitting right outside the Evergaol. There is also a Stake of Merika right next to it. So, despite him being a difficult boss, the stakes are remarkably low.
- As Darriwil is materializing, lock onto him and land a heavy attack.
- Unless you are looking to parry attacks, we wouldn't recommend relying on a shield. A good shield can help absorb a big hit or two, but it won’t stop you from accruing the bleeding effect. You could maybe absorb a few extra shots, but you will end up having to retreat anyway.
- Since the shield has limited utility, you are probably better off just double handing your weapon to eke out a little more damage from each successful hit.
- When you want to attack, strafe around him, when you want to heal, back away. After he commits himself to a big attack, or does the attack where he hops back, you will have enough time to take one swig of your flask.
