Bloodhound Knight Darriwil will remind Elden Ring players of Abyss Watchers of Dark Souls 3, both aesthetically and in terms of his attacks.
This will either bring back good memories, or traumatise players!
Where to find Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
Bloodhound Knight Darriwil is found in the Forlon Hound Evergaol in Stormhill, a weird region with Bloodhound is located in is pretty weird, with land octopuses, a blue glow, and a sort of parallel dimension.
Even though the gaol is clearly marked on the map via a big black dot, we almost didn't find Darriwil in the beta. The fact that there's little height to scope the area, and its position away from players' normal routes, does not help.
The Evergaol is found at the top of the cliffs. Just walk onto the blue circle in the center of the doorway, and accept the fight.
Preparation
- Unlike other boss fights, you can't summon your spirits. This complicates the battle, if you've become accustomed to relying on their assistance.
- Darriwil's attacks cause Hemorrhage, a painful bleed effect. You might want to craft some Staunching Boluses, for example, to counter this. To access the recipe, buy the Deserter's Cookbook [1] from the Merchant. You'll need one Herba, one Cave Moss, and one Bloodrose.
- Darriwil attacks quickly and erratically, so it might take a bit of practice to get the hang of dodging his attacks properly. A good shield to block everything is a much easier way to approach combat.
Combat
This boss is kind of like a ramped-up version of the Beastman of Farum Azula. He's fast, and he's going to run into melee range often. He whirls, dives forward, and jumps into the air. Basically, he's all over the place.
If you're using a shield, you can take some time to observe its movements and attacks, so you can spot the pattern and choose when to counterattack.
As mentioned above, make sure you watch for Hemorrhage building up. If it reaches max, you'll sustain heavy damage. Combined with damage from an attack, this could leave you very vulnerable, very quickly.
The good news is that this boss has very little health. If you attack decisively with a two-handed weapon you'll make him stagger, leaving a chance to chain some attacks together.
Otherwise, you can quickly dodge in order to avoid his next attack. Timing is going to be everything in this battle.
Rewards
The major prize for defeating Darriwil is the Ash of War: Barricade Shield. By default, this Ash has no effect on shield performance, but once activated with L2, your shield will glow.
The stamina cost to block will be drastically reduced, and attacks that pierce your shield, such as Dragon's Breath, have their damage reduced.
Its FP cost is very low, with a quick animation. This allows for intensive use. It's a safe bet that this skill will prove very popular in the final game. It'll especially help with the Flying Dragon Agheel and Margit the Fell Omen battles.
A pretty tough optional mini-boss awaits in the Stormfoot Catacombs. A hideous cat-like hound, here's how to find and take down the Burial Tree Watchdog.
