How to Beat Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants): Boss Fight Guide

This is a guide on how to beat Black Blade Kindred in Mountaintops of the Giants, an optional boss in Elden Ring. Read on to learn more about Black Blade Kindred's drops, weaknesses, and recommended level!

Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants) General Info

Stats and Rewards

Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants)
Weakness	Resistance	Immune
Strike Pierce	Slash Fire Holy Lightning Thrust	Poison Sleep Scarlet Rot Frost Bleed
Affected By	━
Spirit Ashes Available?	Yes
Rune Rewards	60000 (NG)
Summonable NPCs	None
Location	・Mountaintops of the Giants
Item Drops	・Gargoyle's Black Axe ・Gargoyle's Black Blades

Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants) Location

Where to Find Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants)

A Black Blade Kindred can be found guarding the Grand Lift of Rold. From Leyndell, head to the eastern gate, take the lift that takes you to Forbidden Lands, and make your way northeast along the snowy path to the Grand Lift of Rold. This is the only path into the Mountaintops of the Giants, so it's hard to miss.

How to Beat Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants)

Tips for Beating Black Blade Kindred
Use Sorceries or Magic-Infused Weapons
Equip Striking or Piercing Weapons
Aim to Stagger Black Blade Kindred with Jump Attacks
Learn Its Moves to Dodge Perfectly
Try to Stay Behind It

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Ranged Strategy

Black Blade Kindred Boss Tips
Use Fast, Homing Spells or Magic Arrows
Summon a Melee Spirit Ash
Learn to Dodge All Its Moves

Use Fast, Homing Spells or Magic Arrows

Black Blade Kindred is a slim, fast-moving target so stay on your feet and ready to dodge at any given moment by equipping quick-release spells like Swift Glintstone Shard. For archer builds, use magic-infused arrows like Dwelling Arrows.

Summon a Melee Spirit Ash

Mimic Tear Ashes or Banished Knight Engvall will be excellent tanky melee spirit ashes that will do well to draw Black Blade Kindred's attention while you unleash your slower, more powerful spells.

Learn to Dodge All Its Moves

Backpedaling and dodging backwards are good strategies to keep your distance while you dish out long-range attacks. However, Black Blade Kindred has attacks that home in on your position. The Black Blade Flying Slash is especially tricky to dodge, as it would be better to run towards this move than away, so take some time to learn how to react to its moves.

Melee Strategy

Black Blade Kindred Boss Tips
Jump Attacks to Stagger
Attack Only at Combo Ends
Try to Stay Close to or Behind It
Use Striking or Piercing Attacks
Imbue Your Weapon with Magic

Jump Attacks to Stagger

Black Blade Kindred likes to move around a lot, so stringing hits is not a good idea. Aim to stagger this boss by performing jump attacks. Perform critical attacks on Black Blade Kindred's face when it staggers.

Attack Only at Combo Ends

You will need to learn Black Blade Kindred's combos and how to dodge each one of them. The best time to attack Black Blade Kindred is at the very end of each of its combos.

Try to Stay Close to or Behind It

Black Blade Kindred's flying Black Blade twinblade slash can be devastating and difficult to dodge, so stay close to it, or better yet, behind it, to avoid that move from triggering.

Use Striking or Piercing Attacks

These attacks will do slightly more damage than slashing attacks, although slashing weapons will still work fine if you have little other choice.

Imbue Your Weapon with Magic

Black Blade Kindred is immune to all status ailments so imbuing your weapon with additional magic damage with an item like Magic Grease or a spell like Scholar's Armament will do good to increase your damage output.

Black Blade Kindred (Mountaintops of the Giants) Attack Patterns

Twinblade Attacks

Twinblade Attack Variations
Jumping Ground Thrust: Black Blade Kindred does a forward jump and thrusts one side of its twinblade into the ground. Dodge in any direction and land a quick hit on its body.
Jumping Slash: Black Blade Kindred Jumps forward and slashes with its twinblades. Avoided by dodging forward into the swing.
Regular Twinblade Slash: Black Blade Kindred gears up for a swing and does a single slash with its twinblades. Dodged forward or backward.
Spinning Backstep Slash: Black Blade Kindred spins around, bringing its whole twinblade with it for a wide slash, then moves away to safety. Avoided by dodging into the attack or backwards. Only ranged builds can retaliate with a few hits, since this boss will be out of melee range after it moves around.
Dashing Twinblade Slash: Black Blade Kindred dashes forward and performs a wide slash with its twinblade. Dodged forward or sideways into the attack. Feel free to get a hit or two in after this move.
Twinblade Uppercut: Black Blade Kindred charges up for an attack, then moves forward with a twinblade uppercut. Dodged to the side with correct timing. Do not attempt to counterattack, as it may continue its combo.
Twinblade Combo: Black Blade Kindred sometimes follows up its uppercut with a series of twirling twinblade slashes. Keep on dodging to the side to try to stay behind Black Blade Kindred as this move is happening. It's a tricky move to avoid but you'll be safe if you're dodging to the boss' back.
Twinblade Poke: Black Blade Kindred does a single poke with its twinblades. This move is easily dodged in any direction.

Axe Attacks

Axe Attack Variations
Axe Drag into Slash: Black Blade Kindred drags its axe on the ground and slashes immediately after. Avoided by staying back or dodging into the attack.
Axe Smash: Black Blade Kindred usually follows up its attacks with an axe smash. Dodge this attack to the left or right with correct timing. Then, feel free to get a hit in.
Double Axe Smash: Black Blade Kindred first does a one handed axe smash on the ground, then follows it up with a two-handed axe smash. Both of these attacks can be dodged to the side.
Stomp into Axe Swing: Black Blade Kindred stomps its foot on the ground, then performs an axe swing. Dodged either forward into the swing or backward.

Black Blade Skill Attacks

Black Blade Skill Attack Variations
Black Blade Roar: Black Blade Kindred roars with massive power, causing damage to anyone near it, while also infusing its next few attacks with Blade Black power. Dodge backward and stay away. Be careful not to get hit by its attacks while it's infused with Black Blade, as they are powerful and cause extra damage over time.
Black Blade Axe Drag into Uppercut: Black Blade Kindred drags its axe on the ground and performs a powerful uppercut. It's safest to dodge backwards and stay a distance away but dodging at the exact moment is also doable.
Black Blade Axe Smash: Black Blade Kindred smashes its Black Blade infused axe into the ground, which causes the ground in front of it to explode with Black Blade energy. If you're at point black range, dodge sideways to get around it. If you're a few paces away, it's better to run backwards and try to dodge the explosion, if you can time it right.
Black Blade Twinblade Slash: Black Blade Kindred twirls its twinblades around, gathering Black Blade energy. Then, it performs a horizontal slash. This attack can be avoided with a single dodge right at the moment. Note that this boss performs this attack when you are close to it.
Black Blade Flying Slash: Black Blade Kindred twirls its twinblade gathering Black Blade energy. Then, it flies into the air and swoops down at you with a powerful slash that is very difficult to avoid. When you see it powering up for this move, run forward to try to make its swoop attack miss you entirely. Running backwards from this attack doesn't guarantee safety. To avoid this attack from triggering entirely, try to stay close to Black Blade Kindred while it has its twinblades equipped.
Black Blade Shout: Black Blade Kindred releases a quick shout, which contains Blade Blade energy. This attack can come surprisingly, so always keep your guard up if you fail to dodge it in time.

Weapon Change Attacks

Weapon Change Attack Variations
Equip Axe: Black Blade Kindred sheathes its twinblades and equips its axe. This move is usually followed up by a Black Blade Roar, and a Black Blade Axe Smash, which causes AoE damage. Stay away when you see it equip its axe.
Equip Twinblades: Black Blade Kindred sheathes its axe and brings its twinblades out with a twirl and a slash. After this slash is the perfect time to hit it once or twice.

Elden Ring Related Guides

List of All Bosses

DLC Bosses

Main Bosses

Optional Bosses

Mini-Bosses

Hostile NPCs and Invaders