The Blasphemous Blade is an Elden Ring weapon obtained by defeating Praetor Rykard in Mt. Gelmir, an especially challenging Elden Ring boss. It’s a greatsword that scales with strength, dexterity, and faith with a nasty look and a weapon skill that replicates one of Rykard's most powerful spells.
Elden Ring Blasphemous Blade: Exploring Volcano Manor
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There are two main routes to Rykard. Neither are particularly easy or quick, and both require you to reach the front entrance of Volcano Manor. You can get there through Rya's quest in Liurnia of the Lakes, or by simply finding the front door in the northwest corner of the Altus Plateau.
Speak to Tanith, and join the Manor, as there is no penalty for doing so. The first route to reaching Rykard's boss chamber is to complete all of Tanith's invasion missions, after which she will teleport you to a Site of Grace right next to Rykard's fog door. The duels aren't too hard, but this will require having completed the Leyndell, Royal Capital Legacy Dungeon and reached the Mountaintops of the Giants for the final assassination.
The other route is simply to complete the Volcano Manor Legacy Dungeon. There is nothing preventing you from doing both, and there are worthwhile rewards and cool sights associated with both routes unless you want to make a beeline to the Blasphemous Blade. To start the dungeon portion of Volcano Manor, enter the first accessible door on the right in the hallway off Tanith's chamber. There is an illusory wall at the back of this room, and you can jump into it to access a secret passage.
Proceed through the passage, defeating some giant slugs and a Bloodhound Knight, and you'll find yourself at the Prison Town Church Site of Grace, the beginning of the Legacy Dungeon. From here, Volcano Manor is a full-fat FromSoft level comparable in size to Stormveil Castle, and there is also a difficult Godskin Noble boss fight on your path to Rykard. Follow Volcano Manor's branching—but still relatively straightforward—path as you would any Souls Dungeon, and you will eventually find a portal after the Temple of Eiglay Site of Grace. That will teleport you to the same pre-boss checkpoint that completing Tanith's quests would.
Elden Ring Blasphemous Blade: Beating Rykard
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Rykard is one of the most challenging bosses by this point in the game, rivaling Margit or Starscourge Radahn in difficulty. He's also unique, in that there is a special weapon with powers that can only be used in this fight: the Serpent-Hunter great spear, which will be immediately in front of you and to the left when you enter the boss room but before Rykard aggros.
Like Storm Ruler from Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 3, it sends out wind slashes with every strike, helping you go toe-to-toe with an otherwise difficult-to-reach boss. Serpent-Hunter has no stat requirement, but it can be upgraded with somber smithing stones if you're having trouble with the boss.
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Here are my tips for Rykard's first health bar, God Devouring Serpent:
- An excellent combo to use is Serpent Hunter's weapon skill, which will stagger Rykard in both phases, followed by two fast attacks. It is safe to perform this string right at the beginning of the fight, as the serpent is waking up, and after every one of its combos.
- Save your Flask of Wondrous Physick and potions for phase two if possible.
- It attacks on long, roll-punishing delays, and it's safest to dodge backwards in most cases.
- After depleting its health, there is plenty of time to pop your Physick and heal before the cutscene beginning phase two.
Here's how things change in the second phase, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy:
- The weapon skill will still stagger, but you will have fewer windows to use it, and Rykard pulls back when staggered now. I could usually only get one hit in after staggering.
- His most common combo is to swing from the left, then slam his sword down at your right and sweep back across. Dodge after he slams his sword on the ground.
- His fire storm attack is on a timer as opposed to being tied to his health. I had it trigger twice in one fight.
- The flaming skulls that rain down from his firestorm do not damage you on contact, but instead trigger a short timer until they blow up. Keep moving during his firestorm and focus on dodging Rykard's attacks. The firestorm ends after half a minute or so, and then you can continue the fight.
- After reaching half health, Rykard will mix up his sword combos with the snakebite attacks of the first phase.
Defeat Rykard, then bring his remembrance to Enia for the Blasphemous Blade.
Elden Ring Blasphemous Blade: stats and moveset
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The Blasphemous Blade's skill, Taker's Flames, lets you send out the exploding skulls that probably gave you you a lot of trouble in Rykard's boss fight. It's requirements are:
- Strength: 22 points, with D scaling rising to C at +9.
- Dexterity: 15, with identical scaling to Strength.
- Faith: 21 points, with D scaling, upgrading to C at +3, B at +10.
Ted Litchfield
Associate Editor
Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.
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