Elden Ring: Bloodhound's Fang Location and Early Upgrade Path

Find Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol

Bloodhound’s Fang comes from Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol in southern Limgrave. The Evergaol is an optional circular arena, so you can leave and return after improving your weapon or flask charge. The fight rewards spacing more than a big build: Darriwil closes distance with quick slashes and a disappearing dash, then gives short punish windows after a committed sequence.

If you have followed Blaidd’s early Mistwood introduction, his summon can be available for this fight. It is useful help, but do not rely on it to hide a heal. Darriwil can change targets and catch a player who commits beside him. Keep him in view, roll through the end of his dash rather than away early, and use one or two attacks while he recovers. When he vanishes, stop swinging and locate him before using a flask.

Darriwil moment	Better response
Long dash begins	Hold position until the attack commits, then dodge through or to the side.
Short slash chain	Guard or evade the final cut and punish only after it ends.
He disappears	Unlock your attack button; find his re-entry rather than healing blindly.
Blaidd has his attention	Take a flank hit, then reset before Darriwil retargets.

Upgrade it on the Somber track

Check the requirements before equipping it: 18 Strength and 17 Dexterity for one-handed use. Two-handing can help meet a Strength requirement; it does not remove the Dexterity requirement.

Bloodhound’s Fang is a curved greatsword that uses Somber Smithing Stones, not the ordinary smithing stones used by most early weapons. That makes its upgrade route simple: feed it one suitable Somber stone per level through the normal weapon-upgrade service, and do not spend regular stones expecting them to work. The Church of Elleh anvil is sufficient for the earliest work; later, Smithing Master Hewg or Iji can handle further upgrades once you reach them.

Its skill, Bloodhound’s Finesse, is a two-part move. The opening slash creates distance; a follow-up heavy input can bring you back in. Practise it on a slow enemy before using it in a boss room. The retreat can save you from a counter, but the return is unsafe if the enemy has already started a new swing. Use it after a clear recovery, then decide whether the gap or the return is the valuable half.

The weapon cannot accept a normal Ash of War, so choose it because its moveset and fixed skill suit you, not because you plan to swap its affinity later. It is a good early option for players who want reach and a reliable retreat button. Pair it with weapon upgrades and enough stamina to roll after a heavy swing; a stronger weapon still fails if every attack leaves you unable to escape.