Gertrude's Knights, also known as Ascended Winged Knights, are enemies in Dark Souls III.
Description[]
An advanced version of the Winged Knights, this time with armor plated in gold and featuring real wings protruding from their backs. Despite their massive size, these knights are very quick and agile, and have incredible attack range.
Only three are encountered in the game, all of them awaiting at their lookout post on the Grand Archives' highest tower, atop the main dome. As the player approaches, all three will jump down at the same time for an ambush, one wielding twinaxes and the other two wielding halberds. They have advanced attack versions from their Winged Knights counterparts and also feature some devastating new moves and spells.
Once they land, the two halberd-wielding knights will stay on post, while the one twinaxes-wielding knight will start patrolling around the dome.
Location[]
Only three appear in the game and they are all found at the top of the Grand Archives' highest tower, located at the center of the main dome and opposite to Lothric's and Lorian's boss arena. As the player approaches the tower, all three will jump down at the same time from their lookout post for an ambush.
Lore[]
Beneath the rooftops where Gertrude's Knights are fought, a drop into the upper rafters of the Grand Archives reveals a large bird cage, messy with white feathers and containing the corpse of Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter, holding the spell scroll for Divine Pillars of Light.
While Gertrude has already perished in captivity, her knights still stand guard above, ever watchful and waiting for the enemy.
Strategy[]
The three Gertrude's Knights can be seen from a distance, holding position at the top of a tower located at the center of the archives' main dome. As the player approaches the tower, all three will fly down to the player using their wings. The knights have a very powerful set of attacks compared to the regular Winged Knights. Upon first detecting the player, they will likely fly into the air and perform a overhead slam, or a spin attack.
The player is advised to approach the tower by their blind side in order to stay out of sight when they land, and hide as soon as they jump down. It is advised to take on the Twinaxes-wielding Knight first, as he will fly down and begin patrolling the dome. The overall general tactics used for dealing with the Winged Knights should be followed. All Winged Knights are very tough to stagger, so the player should take caution when attempting long combos against them, as they will often interrupt with a shunt.
Trying to take on more than one knight at a time can overwhelm the player, and lead to death. So it is advised to lead them away from each other before engaging.
Both variants of knights can perform a spin attack lasting several seconds that will completely drain the player's stamina if blocked, and inflict heavy damage. Evading through the spin is the best way to avoid it, as it can clip the player if they try rolling to the side.
After the first one falls, the player can then cautiously approach another from behind, trying to score a backstab before he reacts, or at least driving him away from his companion.
The fight can be greatly trivialized with the use of Rapport. This can either be used to make them fight each other, or for attacking them without fear of retaliation.
Both variants are able to cast Divine Pillars of Light which track the player almost indefinitely and inflict heavy damage.
Drops[]
| Item |  Large Titanite Shard |
 Titanite Chunk |
 Titanite Slab |
 Blessed Gem |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed (unless it drops a Chunk) |
5% | Guaranteed (once all three knights are defeated) |
1% |
| Item |  Winged Knight Twinaxes |
 Winged Knight Halberd |
||
| Drop Rate | 25% (twinaxes wielder) |
25% (halberd wielder) |
Notes[]
- Affected by Alluring Skulls.
- Affected by Rapport (allowing for an easy farming method).
- Added to their normal drops, the player will also receive a Titanite Slab once all three are defeated, once per new game cycle.
- They have the highest soul drop of any respawning enemy in the game, and are in relatively close proximity to a bonfire (Grand Archives or Twin Princes), making them arguably the best farming spot in the game. On NG+ with the Shield of Want and the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring equipped, one knight will drop over 34,000 souls. This can be boosted further with the Symbol of Avarice equipped.
- Once the endgame has been reached and the Soul of Cinder has been defeated, the three knights can disappear from the game.
- The three knights can be defeated rather easily without open battle if one casts Hidden Body plus Spook or has the Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring to sneak past the knights, then head up the staircase and then head to the balcony (but not up the ladder to the top of the tower). From here, the Poison Spores weapon art of the Storyteller's Staff can be used on each patrolling knight to slowly whittle their health down without them knowing where their aggressor is. It is not necessary to keep casting Hidden Body while one is on the balcony. Two casts per knight should kill them on NG.