How to Beat Bloodhound Knight Darriwil: Boss Fight Guide

This is a guide on how to beat Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, an optional boss in Elden Ring. Read on to learn more about Bloodhound Knight Darriwil's strengths, weaknesses, attack patterns, and lore!

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil General Info

Stats and Rewards

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
Weakness	Resistance	Immune
Lightning	Bleed Frost Scarlet Rot Poison	Madness
Affected By	Sleep
Spirit Ashes Available?	No
Rune Rewards	1400 (NG)
Summonable NPCs	・Blaidd the Half-Wolf
Location	・Forlorn Hound Evergaol, Limgrave
Item Drops	・Bloodhound's Fang

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Location

Where to Find

Map Location
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Recommended Level	Lv.15

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is located at the Forlon Hound Evergaol in Stormhill. Look for a blue platform at the end of the road, south of the Site of Grace. Interacting with it will lead you to where Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is.

How to Beat Bloodhound Knight Darriwil

Tips for Beating Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
Summon Blaidd the Half-Wolf to help out
Always save some of your stamina for dodging
Avoid taking consecutive hits to avoid hemorrhage build-up
Try not to attack too much to avoid trading damage

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Ranged Build Strategy

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Boss Tips
Keep your distance
Equip a shield off-hand
Avoid using slow moving spells

Keep your distance

Always make sure to maintain a safe distance away from Darriwil as much as possible for this fight. Try to walk or run away whenever you're not attacking or using items to make sure you have enough distance to safely cast your spells against him.

Never attempt to attack him with your spells if he's close, as there's a big chance he'll get to you faster than you can cast your spell.

Equip a shield off-hand

Having a shield equipped on your off-hand will be helpful whenever you try to walk or run away from his attacks. As long as you have it up, you'll lessen the chance of you getting hit while also having a better time keeping your distance.

Try not to be over-reliant with your shield, as you can have your guard broken if he chains his attacks. Try to balance out defending and dodging attacks whenever you can.

Avoid using slow moving spells

Try to avoid using spells with slow projectile speed when you fight against Darriwil since he will be able to dodge the projectile with ease using his speed. Instead, try casting spells that have a fast projectile speed or one with a large hitbox. This will lessen the chance of him evading your attacks.

One example of such spell you can use in this fight is the Beast Claw, which lets you hit anything in front of you for a decent amount of damage. You can also use Glintstone Arc as the projectile is fast and wide enough to hit Darriwil.

Melee Build Strategy

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Boss Tips
Get used to delayed attack timing
Attack after he jumps
Always keep moving
Use weapon skills

Get used to the delay timing

Darriwil will often delay some of its attacks to bait you into dodging really early. You will have to fight him repeatedly to learn his attack patterns to get used to his delay timing.

This will take a bit of time to get used to, but once you get it all down, you'll be rewarded with an opportunity to strike him down on some of his attacks.

Attack after he jumps

Knowing Darriwil's attack patterns and getting used to dodging his attacks is critical because of how fast his movements are. Although it could be hard to find an opportunity to strike, as a rule of thumb, attack right after he performs an overhead slash or jumps into the air. If you manage to dodge these, you will be able to land a few blows on him before he recovers.

Always keep moving

Always try to rely on your movement when fighting against Darriwil. Strafing around the boss will often make him miss some of his attacks, such as the overhead strike, which usually just hits in front of him. Equipping a shield is a good idea, as this will help mitigate any damage you receive while you're moving.

Try to experiment with which direction will cause his attack to miss, and you might be able to use this as a chance to strike.

Use weapon skills

The Reduvia Dagger’s weapon skill, Reduvia Blood Blade can be used repeatedly and shoots fast projectiles which can take a huge chunk of health away from Darriwil as well as cause Hemorrhage damage.

If you want a riskier play, the slow yet hard-hitting skill Carian Glintsword is perfect for inflicting a massive amount of damage against him.

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil Attack Patterns

3-Hit Sword Slash

A 3 hit attack with the final slash being an overhead. The boss can delay its attacks or cancel them depending on the situation. Dodge backward and create some distance away from the boss to avoid getting hit by all 3 hits.

If you're confident enough, try to evade all 3 attacks by dodging towards the boss. If you manage to dodge the final attack properly, you will gain an opportunity to hit him once. Afterward, he will usually follow this attack shortly with a ground slam.

Ground Slam

An attack where the boss will jump high up in the air before dropping back down, slamming the sword on impact, and damaging anyone nearby.

Run or dodge backward as far as possible from the boss to avoid taking damage, or you can dodge towards the boss if you can time it as soon as he reaches the ground.

Forward Slash

An attack where Darriwil will move towards you to try and slash you with his sword. Dodge backward or towards either side of him to avoid the attack.

Feel free to attack after dodging it, as there is a slight delay before he can attack again.

Backward Slash

A two-hit attack where the boss will backflip away from you after the final slash. Avoid both attacks by dodging backward.

You can use this time to heal up or recover your Stamina as there will be a considerable distance between you and him after the final slash.

Overhead Slash

A slow-moving attack where Darriwil will try to hit you with an overhead slash. There will be a wind-up before the attack, which you can use to strafe to his side or run as far away as possible from the boss. You may also try to dodge towards his side to avoid the attack.

If you can get the timing down, you can attempt to parry this attack for a riposte.

Homing Overhead Slash

A variation of the overhead slash, where Darriwil will follow you before he attacks. Dodge back or towards his side just before the overhead slash to avoid the attack.

You can also attempt to parry it for a riposte as it is a slow enough move to react to.

Uppercut Attack

An uppercut slash followed shortly by an overhead slash. Dodge backward to avoid the initial attack, then dodge towards the boss to avoid the overhead slash. You'll be able to land a hit afterward.

Charging Uppercut Attack

A variation of the Uppercut Attack where Darriwil will charge at you first before doing the uppercut as it reaches you. It is shorty followed by an overhead slash while he's still in mid-air.

Dodge backward to avoid the initial attack, then dodge behind the boss to avoid the overhead slash. There's a delay before he can move again after the attack, which you can use as an opportunity to deal damage.

Fading Dash

One of Darriwil's movement options, where he will dash towards you. He disappears during the dash for a split second before appearing near you.

Keep a safe distance and be prepared as the boss will immediately follow it up with another attack after the dash.

Short Hop

A short hop that Darriwil uses to move around. This is usually accompanied by an attack and can be dangerous as it can make your attack whiff, leaving you open for attacks.

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Bosses

DLC Bosses

Main Bosses

Optional Bosses

Mini-Bosses

Hostile NPCs and Invaders