Excalibur is lodged in the stone at the sword altar in Notre-Dame Chapel. Interacting before meeting the requirement reveals a clue but leaves the blade in place. To claim it, equip Fist of Talos, The Builder’s spell, as your Arcana spell. After equipping the spell, press INTERACT at the altar to awaken The Brittle King and begin the battle with Arthur, the stained-glass knight.
Quick answer: Equip The Builder’s spell Fist of Talos, return to the Chapel altar and press INTERACT (R1, PC: E) until the cutscene triggers, then defeat Arthur to receive Excalibur and the Arcana card The Brittle King.
Where to find the Excalibur altar in Notre-Dame
Head to the Chapel in Notre-Dame. The sword sits on the central stone altar, surrounded by stained-glass windows, and it is marked on the map inside the Chapel. On this route you enter from the East Gallery on the left.
On a first visit, pressing INTERACT (R1, PC: E) at the sword adds “NEW CLUE ABOUT THE BRITTLE KING” to the Tarot menu as a Feat of Strength clue. The blade cannot be drawn at that point, so leave it and continue the story.
How to draw Excalibur and trigger the Arthur fight
The spell is the sole requirement for taking the sword, matching the clue’s “titan of strength”. Many players return after the first ending, but what matters is having Fist of Talos equipped.
How to beat Arthur (The Brittle King)
Arthur rises from glass fragments into a giant stained-glass knight carrying a crested shield. He has 11,000 health and seven kinds of attack: high and low sword strikes, a jumping slam, light rays, a shield drum, a raised-shield slam and crystal shards. The ground wave and the light beams below are the two that shape the fight.
Ground wave
Watch for him crouching with his sword and shield held low. Move back, then jump over the shard wave as it rolls across the floor.
Light beams
As he rises off the ground, he hoists his shield overhead and gathers yellow light. A vertical pillar then surrounds him, with beams at fixed angles as his sword comes down. Stay grounded beneath him, strike his lower body from the spaces between beams, and dash into an opening whenever a beam sweeps your way.
In one version of the fight, he remains in this beam posture until the battle ends; holding position beneath him between the beams lets you deal steady damage. Your spells hit him too.
Arthur: health, phases and damage
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 11,000 |
| Phase changes | Light rays at 80%, 55% and 30%; shield drum and constant rays at 50% |
| Attack types | Seven |
| Experience | 500 |
| Rewards |  Excalibur, Stained-Glass Shield spell (The Brittle King card) |
| Immune to | Freeze, petrify, bleed, burn; Chains of Justice works |
| Damage figures assume DEF | About 85 |
The damage numbers below assume Rose has roughly the DEF shown in the table. With less DEF, attacks hurt more: at 20 DEF below that benchmark, they deal about 1.7 times as much damage. Extra DEF is less helpful; 20 above the benchmark reduces damage by only about 10%. Rose gains 1 DEF per level and per DEF UP book read. More on this in how damage works.
Arthur has seven kinds of attack: a high sword strike, a low sword strike, a jumping slam, light rays, a shield drum, a raised-shield slam and crystal shards. The light rays come in three levels, starting at 80%, 55% and 30% of his health, while the shield drum and the constant rays start at 50%.
- High and low sword strikes: 55 per hit.
- Jumping slam: deals 44 while airborne and 55 when it lands.
- Light rays: deal 55 and cannot be crossed by sliding; move clear of their path.
- Crystal shards: deal 28 and cannot be crossed with a slide.
The light rays and the crystal shards cannot be slid through.
Freeze, petrify, bleed, burn and Chronomantic Dive’s slow don’t affect him, while Chains of Justice works.
Excalibur rewards and how to confirm the unlock
After Arthur is defeated, his senses return and he pledges to serve you. The Arcana card and sword are awarded together.
| Reward | Details |
|---|---|
| Weapon | EXCALIBUR, LEGENDARY, ATK 100 |
| Weapon effect | Attacks send out bolts formed entirely from light |
| Charge attack | Hold and release Square (PC: left mouse button); Blade Dive |
| Arcana card | The Brittle King (spell Stained-Glass Shield) |
Excalibur is described in-game as “The sword of the true king. Shoots projectiles of pure light when used to attack.” Its flavour text reads, “The fabled sword of legend, only the most worthy may wield its power and might.” To take it, follow the HOLD TO EQUIP prompt.
Beating Arthur pops the trophy “I am Arthur, King of the Britons”, and you know the unlock worked when the “Arthur” boss bar empties, the reward cutscene plays, and both EXCALIBUR and the Arcana card The Brittle King appear as your new gear.
