Ketch the Executioner
BLACK SOULS II · Early game · Optional
An early Rabbit Hole Nightmare invader named for England's infamous executioner. Ketch appears through the red-door route when the protagonist is in the required living state.
Where and when
Ketch is an early BLACK SOULS II Nightmare invader, not a guaranteed ordinary enemy. The protagonist must be in a living, non-Hollow state for the red-door encounter to produce the fight.
Location
Rabbit Hole, west of the bonfire in the red-door area.
Prerequisites
- Reach the Rabbit Hole red-door route.
- Enter while living / non-Hollow; the Nightmare invasion does not use the same state as an ordinary map boss.
Attack cues and responses
Loadout
- Carry an early-game sustain option and a defensive response for multi-hit physical damage.
- Use a save before changing living/Hollow state so the invasion condition can be verified cleanly.
Rewards
- Butcher Greataxe
- Ketch / executioner achievement flag
Route risks
- Entering in the wrong life state can make the encounter appear absent.
- Record the life-state UI in the same capture as the invasion so the condition is auditable.
First-hand verification backlog
Capture these in one documented Steam-version run before this page becomes indexable:
- Red-door route from the bonfire
- Living versus Hollow state comparison
- Attack-buff and charged multi-hit cues
- Butcher Greataxe reward
Context and planning notes
Ketch is an early optional Nightmare rather than a mandatory story gate. Enter the Rabbit Hole red-door area while living / non-Hollow to trigger the invasion.
He raises attack before a charged multi-hit sequence. Use that setup turn to defend, heal or prepare a finish instead of trading into the powered attack.
The reward is the Butcher Greataxe; record the life-state UI with the invasion because SEN and living/Hollow state are different conditions.