Skip to main content

Elden Ring: Impaler's Catacombs walkthrough

Here's how to get through this imp-filled tomb in Elden Ring's Weeping Peninsula, and tips for beating the Burial Watchdog boss.

A close-up shot of a fire-breathing dog boss attacking the player in the Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring.
Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

The Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring is a dungeon in the Weeping Peninsula.You will find it on the peninsula's most north-eastern corner, just a little way south-east of the Bridge of Sacrifice as you come across from Limgrave.

It's a relatively brief dungeon compared to some of the others you'll find in Elden Ring, but it's stuffed full of imps and has a nasty Watchdog boss lying at the end of it. To help you clear it out and get through unscathed, read on below for our Impaler's Catacombs walkthrough.

You can see the precise location of the Impaler's Catacombs on the map below:

The map screen location for the Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring
Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

As you approach, you'll see some jellyfish-looking monsters guarding the entrance to the catacombs. Activate the Site of Grace 'Impaler's Catacombs' in the first corridor and you're ready to go.

There are lots of imps lurking here as you follow the path deeper into the catacombs. Before the boss door, take the left corridor and kill the other imps who will attack you.

The corridor straight ahead ends in a dead end, and an imp will try to stab you in the back from the right if you're not careful.

Instead, continue along the corridor on the right into a large room, but watch out: the floor is a trap here. It will throw you straight up into the air into the spikes hanging from the ceiling if you walk over it, and will instantly kill you if you have low HP and armor stats.

A warrior stands in front of a trap floor in the Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring
Watch out, because this floor is a trap. The trick is to drop underneath it when it flings itself upward. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

As you approach it, you can save yourself in the alcove above on the left. Then go back to the entrance of the room, briefly step on the floor, quickly get out again and drop down into the ankle-high water.

Downstairs you will find some materials, and in the next room a group of Putrid Corpses will keep rising up to attack you. You'll also find a Prattling Pate "Please Help" here, which is a tool that can be used to say 'Please help' in the game world.

Follow the course of the flooded area until you reach a corpse on the left, which is surrounded by 3x Root Resin. Now walk in the opposite direction, past more walking corpses, and you will reach a ladder, which leads directly to the lever for the heavy boss door.

A warrior picks up a Prattling Pate item  in the Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring
The Prattling Pate is one of Elden Ring's stranger tool items. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Follow the adjacent corridor, kill the imp and drop down into the familiar area. Now we can face the boss of the Impaler's Catacombs.

Boss: Erdtree Burial Watchdog

This boss is the same one found in the Stormfoot Catacombs. His behaviour is no different, but he has gathered a few wretches around him to cover his back.

They'll mob you all in one go, so the best tactic is to take care of the little pests first, so you can isolate the guard dog and give it everything you've got.

A warrior fights a flame-spewing boss in the Impaler's Catacombs in Elden Ring
This old foe has fresh reinforcements this time. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

If you have crystal darts, throw them at the guard dog or his mates, and they will go berserk, potentially attacking each other and doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Otherwise, a slow and steady approach is best here. Dodge his attacks and get hits in where you can, but watch out for its sweeping, wide-range attacks.

On defeat, you'll be rewarded with 2400 runes and the Demi-Human Ashes summon.


That's it for the Impaler's Catacombs. If you're looking for more dungeons to conquer in the Weeping Peninsula, then you should head to the Earthbore Cave and Morne Tunnel to give yourself a bit more of a challenge.

Read this next