Exploring new lands in Elden Ring Shadow of Erdtree, you'll encounter a wealth of interesting content, from new items, resources, and weapons to new and challenging bosses that you will have to fight. Each boss possesses unique abilities.

While some enemies may be too difficult, heavily armored, and capable of powerful strikes, others might be weaker or have certain stats higher than others. One such enemy is the miniboss Curseblade Labirith. This optional field boss hides in the depths of the Bonny Gaol location.

In this guide, we'll try to offer some tips on how to deal with this not overly difficult but swift opponent.

Curseblade Labirith Location

To find Curseblade Labirith, start moving southwest from Bonny Village. Cross the bridge and pass the spiked barricades until you encounter two giant insects attacking from both sides. Defeat them, then look to the right of the wall to find the gate.

Descend into the Gaol and find the place with the bridge adorned with cracked jugs. The misty golden doors will indicate the entrance to the arena with this boss.

How to Prepare for the Curseblade Labirith Fight

Before meeting Curseblade Labirith, it's important to understand your enemy and properly equip yourself. The Curseblade Labirith boss has 8,426 HP, a defense rating of 122, and a poise of 85.

His attacks can be parried, and he is vulnerable to critical hits if you break his poise or perform a parry. His attacks deal standard, slash, and strike damage, so your character needs to have versatile protection.

Recommended Gear for Fighting Curseblade Labirith:

It's quite appropriate to have a spirit with you in the fight, particularly the Mimic Tear or Windy Crystal Tear, which will divert the enemy's attention. This is because the boss has very fast attack movements, making the window for attacking the boss quite small. Having a spirit will give you more space for additional attacks.

Any weapon will do, depending on your playstyle. However, since the boss is quite fast, your character should have quick attack moves with a light weapon. Alternatively, you can equip a heavy weapon that deals a lot of damage. This way, you can kill the boss in 4-5 hits at most since his health pool isn't very large.

We can recommend the Sacred Relic Sword as a weapon. This sword has the ability Wave of Gold, which unleashes a damage stream causing significant damage.

If you choose another sword, you can equip it with some Ash of War. Among them, Palm Blas is a good choice, creating a shockwave from the hit, which can shake the opponent's poise — quite appropriate against Curseblade Labirith, who quickly closes the distance. However, you'll need good timing to avoid being hit while performing this ability.

Carian Sovereignty is also an interesting Ash of War, creating a giant magical sword capable of dealing a lot of damage to this boss. However, as with the previous ability, executing the attack without getting hit can be a challenging task.

Strategies for Fighting Curseblade Labirith

Curseblade Labirith is more like a very strong regular enemy than a full-fledged boss, making him a miniboss. Curseblade Labirith can turn invisible, covering the arena with black fog. This invisibility lasts about 30–45 seconds, and while active, tracking the boss becomes quite difficult.

The boss actually doesn't have much health. The main problem is his very high movement and attack speed, easily closing the distance, leaving no opportunity for prolonged attacks or spells. You'll have to roll frequently and wait for the right window to attack the enemy.

Melee Strategy

In melee combat, Curseblade Labirith's two blades have a decent attack radius that you'll need to dodge, primarily using rolls. If you stay in the area where the boss creates darkness, he will become invisible.

To counter this, stand at the edge of the smoke zone to lure the boss out. Beware of his rush attacks, use a shield, or parry his attacks with your weapon. This won't disperse the black smoke but will make the boss visible during combat at the edges.

Ranged Strategy

In a ranged fight with Curseblade Labirith, be ready to roll when he creates darkness upon entering the arena. The rest of the battle is relatively straightforward since it's essentially a field enemy, although the confined space makes things more challenging, and you'll need to keep as much distance as possible, which isn't always feasible.

The boss easily loses balance, so use strong explosive damage or effective combos to quickly drain the enemy's health.

Attacks and Moves of Curseblade Labirith

One of the crucial elements in fighting any boss is knowing their moves and attacks.

• Blade Dance: The boss starts spinning and slashing in various directions. Defend with your weapon, shield, or roll back to avoid damage. Wait for the combo to end before attacking.

• Darkness: The arena is covered with dark fog, making the boss invisible. Observe the situation and try to avoid the invisibility phase as advised above.

• Double Strike: Raises both hands and swings forward. Defend with your weapon or shield.

• Foot Flip: The boss jumps up and kicks forward. Roll back to dodge.

• Spinning Slash: Curseblade Labirith rushes forward and jumps back after the first strike.

• Dagger Throw: The boss throws two daggers, flipping in the air.

Rewards for Defeating Curseblade Labirith

After defeating Curseblade Labirith, you'll receive the Curseblade Meera Spirit Ash and 100,000 runes. Additionally, you can use the tuft at the end of the room to teleport back to the dungeon entrance.