Crepus's Crossbow
Crepus's Crossbow is an unresolved roster label appearing beside the confirmed Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow. No distinct in-game crossbow, item description, statistics, or acquisition source is supported locally, so this page is held as a likely duplicate.
Key Takeaways
Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow is a specialized Elden Ring crossbow whose main distinction is quiet operation rather than a unique damage profile.
Canonical identity
The weapon's full in-game name is Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow, a crossbow associated with stealth-oriented use.
Silent firing
Its defining trait suppresses the sound of firing, making it useful when ranged attacks should draw less attention from nearby enemies.
Fixed handling
As a crossbow, it uses bolts and a fixed weapon skill rather than the interchangeable Ashes of War and affinities available to many standard weapons.
Acquisition condition
It is found in a locked chest in Roundtable Hold's imp-sealed area, so obtaining it requires Stonesword Keys rather than a boss drop or vendor purchase.
Upgrade path
The weapon follows a standard reinforcement path using Smithing Stones, allowing its base performance to improve without changing its core silent-firing identity.
Main trade-off
Its strongest advantage is discreet ranged utility; players seeking maximum damage, broader customization, or a different ranged role should compare it with other crossbows.
Overview
Crepus's Crossbow is a unique crossbow in Elden Ring, built for deliberate ranged attacks rather than sustained bow fire. It is a base-game weapon associated with the Roundtable Hold and the assassins who operated within its wider sphere.
The weapon occupies a specialist place among Elden Ring's ranged options. It fires bolts and uses the crossbow's ready-to-fire handling rather than a bow's drawn shot, making it suitable for players who want a compact ranged tool without committing to a bow-focused setup. Its identity comes primarily from its named connection to Crepus and its fixed crossbow format, not from a broad collection of interchangeable weapon configurations.
Crepus's Crossbow is most relevant when ranged damage is being used to open an encounter, pressure an exposed target, or deal with an enemy from a safer distance. Crossbows do not use the same draw-and-release rhythm as bows, so the weapon's practical role is different even when both occupy the same general ranged category. It should therefore be assessed through its bolt use, handling, and compatibility with a player's ranged routine rather than treated as a shorter version of a bow.
Compared with ordinary crossbows, its named status gives it a clearer place in the game's equipment progression and collection structure, while its fixed weapon identity limits the kind of customization expected from many melee weapons. It is better understood as a self-contained sidearm for a character who occasionally wants ranged reach than as a complete replacement for a dedicated bow, a greatbow, or a specialized damage setup.
The weapon is available in Elden Ring's base game and is tied to the Roundtable Hold's progression and secrets rather than to Shadow of the Erdtree content. That context makes it a notable acquisition for players exploring the hub thoroughly, but its practical value still depends on whether bolts and ranged attacks fit the character's resources and habits. This overview intentionally leaves exact combat values, reinforcement details, and acquisition steps to their dedicated sections.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryCrossbows
- Damage TypePierce
- Primary ScalingDex D
- Weight3.5
- Str Req8
- Dex Req9
- How to ObtainFound tied to Rogier's questline, Raya Lucaria area
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar crossbows
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crepus's Crossbow | 8 | 9 | 3.5 | Dex D |
| Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow | 8 | 9 | 3.5 | Dex D |
| Light Crossbow | 8 | 7 | 4 | No scaling |
| Repeating Crossbow | 8 | 15 | 4.5 | Dex D |
| Pulley Crossbow | 8 | 15 | 5 | Dex D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Access to Roundtable Hold.
- Two Stonesword Keys.
- 01Reach Roundtable Hold after gaining access to the hub, then take the stairs leading down from the central hallway toward the sealed lower rooms. Locate the room blocked by two Imp Statue seals.
- 02Use two Stonesword Keys on the Imp Statues to dispel both seals. Open the chest inside the room to obtain Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow; the chest reward is guaranteed rather than an enemy drop or vendor purchase.
Availability
Requires Access to Roundtable Hold and two Stonesword Keys.
This is a fixed pickup in the base game, not vendor stock. It has no DLC, difficulty, NG+, or purchase-price requirement.
Mechanics and Handling
Single-shot firing and silent use
Crepus's Crossbow fires one equipped bolt at a time rather than using a charge, draw, or multi-shot attack. Each shot consumes one bolt, after which the crossbow must be readied again before firing. This makes its rhythm deliberate: it is useful for placing individual ranged attacks, but it cannot sustain pressure like a bow with rapid shots or a weapon with a repeating attack pattern.
Its defining handling trait is its quiet firing behavior. The reduced firing noise supports stealth-oriented use and can make it preferable when opening an encounter from range, although the projectile still has to hit and ordinary enemy awareness rules still apply. The crossbow does not provide a general damage multiplier or an automatic stealth kill.
Ammunition determines the secondary effect
The weapon's projectile is governed by the equipped bolt type. Crepus's Crossbow does not supply a separate innate status effect through its weapon body; bolts with special damage or status properties provide those effects instead. Changing ammunition therefore changes the purpose of the shot, while also consuming the relevant bolt from the player's inventory.
Because only one bolt is fired per attack, ammunition management matters more than with weapons that produce several projectiles at once. The crossbow has no charge timing to extend its damage, no spread-based volley, and no conventional magazine to manage. Its main interruption is the readying cycle between shots, so firing from a safe distance or after an enemy commits to an animation is more reliable than attempting repeated point-blank shots.
Kick weapon skill
The crossbow's weapon skill is Kick. This is a close-range utility action rather than another bolt attack: it delivers a forward kick that is particularly useful against an enemy holding a shield or guarding. It does not consume ammunition, and it gives the weapon a limited answer when an opponent closes the distance, but it is not a substitute for a dedicated melee weapon. After using Kick, the crossbow still returns to its single-shot ranged handling and must be readied before the next bolt can be fired.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its built-in silencing effect lets shots be fired with less risk of alerting nearby enemies, giving it a distinct stealth advantage over ordinary crossbows.
- As a crossbow, it provides ranged damage without requiring a bow-style draw or charge input; the shot can be prepared and released quickly when an opening appears.
- Its fixed weapon behavior makes it a predictable utility option for characters that want a crossbow without building around weapon scaling or a customizable Ash of War.
Weaknesses
- The weapon must be reloaded after firing, so it cannot sustain pressure like a rapid-fire ranged option and is vulnerable during repeated shots.
- Its fixed skill and crossbow rules limit customization compared with an infusible bow or a weapon that can receive different Ashes of War.
- The silencing effect improves stealth utility but does not solve the weapon's limited shot cadence, ammunition dependence, or reduced value when open combat is unavoidable.
Best uses
- Opening encounters from concealment without immediately drawing nearby enemies into the fight.
- Pulling or isolating targets during exploration when a quiet ranged attack is more useful than sustained damage.
- Providing ranged utility on a build that wants occasional projectile access without committing to bow-focused attributes or weapon customization.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Role / distinguishing trait | Trade-off for a stealth-focused user |
|---|---|---|
| Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow | Its soundless firing supports stealth, but it lacks the Pulley Crossbow's multi-bolt attack. | — |
| Light Crossbow | A practical baseline, but it does not provide Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow's distinctive silent-firing utility. | — |
| Pulley Crossbow | Its louder, more conspicuous attack is less aligned with discreet play, and ammunition is consumed more quickly per attack. | — |
| Arbalest | A direct damage-oriented alternative, but less specialized for assassination and stealth utility. | — |
Lore and Design
Crepus's Crossbow—canonically listed in Elden Ring as Crepus's Black-Key—is tied directly to Crepus, described in its item lore as the head of the Roundtable Hold's assassins. Its defining lore association is the Black-Key ammunition it was made to fire, connecting the weapon to the assassins' specialized equipment rather than to a broader faction history. The available item text establishes this relationship but does not document a real-world model, developer design rationale, or development history.
Trivia
- The weapon’s canonical in-game name is Crepus’s Black-Key, although its item description identifies it as Crepus’s crossbow. The name “Crepus’s Crossbow” is therefore a descriptive reference rather than the displayed weapon name.
- Crepus’s Black-Key is fitted with a device intended to conceal the sound of its shots. This built-in stealth feature distinguishes it from ordinary crossbows and reflects Crepus’s association with assassination.