Elden Ring Impaler's Catacombs Guide: How to Beat the Impaler's Erdtree Burial Watchdog

Here's how to complete the Impaler's Catacombs and get yourself some Demi-Human Ashes.

Guide by Kelsey Raynor Guides Writer

Published on April 27, 2022

Of all the dungeons across Elden Ring and The Lands Between, there are a few that share similar bosses. The Impaler's Catacombs is one of these, and you'll find yourself up against another Erdtree Burial Watchdog.

If you haven't fought with one of these statue-like creepy creatues yet, good for you, but there are five of them to feel as dungeon bosses. They can be found in Stormfoot Catacombs, Wyndham Catacombs, Cliffbottom Catacombs, and the Minor Erdtree Catacombs.

Similarly to Stormfoot Catacombs, the Impaler's Catacombs are full of razor-sharp Imps and traps. Fortunately, we've put this guide together to help you get through the catacombs, collect every item, and to beat the Erdtree Burial Watchdog (again).

Impaler's Catacombs Items

Grave Violet
Grave Glovewort
Ghost Glovewort
Prattling Pate "Please Help"
Demi-Human Spirit Ashes

How to get through Impaler's Catacombs

You can first find the Impaler's Catacombs located on the cliffs that are in the northeast area of Weeping Peninsula. To get here, go to the Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace and northeast until you reach the cliffs edge, shown on the map below.

Like most catacombs, you'll find a lot of Imps here. You'll want to proceed with caution and watch out for the Imps jumping at you from around corners, and you can attempt to clear them out with ranged attacks before alerting them in some instances.

Either way, they're fast and can deal devastating amounts of bleed damage. So, you'll want to try and fend off these guys as much as possible.

Once in the cave, there will be an Imp down the first staircase. Down the second staircase beyond this, there is 1x Grave Violet and another Imp to the left. A locked door will be here that we'll revisit after exploring the rest of the dungeon.

Proceed forward, deal with some more Imps, and grab the Grave Glovewort from the nearby coffin.

You'll soon find that you're at a fork in the road. Continue straight ahead, deal with another Imp, and there is a Grave Glovewort to grab.

Return to the fork in the road, and take the alternate hallway this time. Here's where you need to be really careful, because as soon as you touch the floor ahead, it will begin to rise. This might not seem all that bad, but the ceiling is spiked...

Run to the item on the left and collect 1x Grave Violet. Now, trigger the trap and jump down from it before the floor reaches the ceiling. You can then jump down beneath the trapped floor. There will be Grave Violet and a Ghost Glovewort down here.

Up ahead, you don't need to worry about Imps anymore, but the undead instead. You can attack them, but they will continuously resurrect themselves. Alternatively, you can simply run around and avoid their attacks while grabbing the various Grave Glovewort around the room.

At the end of the room there is a ladder, but be sure to collect Prattling Pate "Please Help" from the nearby corpse before ascending.

Atop the ladder, you'll find a lever. Just like the Stormfoot Catacombs' lever, this will unlock the door to the dungeon boss room. Go ahead, there is one more Grave Glovewort to collect, and you can then jump down to the now-unlocked door to the boss arena.

How to Beat the Impaler's Catacombs Erdtree Burial Watchdog

This Ertree Burial Watchdog is pretty similar to the one you may have seen in Stormfoot Catacombs. It's movements are very stiff, but fast, and it wields a hefty sword while also being able to breathe fire at you.

When first entering the boss arena, you'll likely want to clear out the two Imps first, or else they might be a bit of a pain in the ass while trying to fight the Watchdog.

With them cleared, keep your distance from the Watchdog's attacks, most of which are swipes that can be easy enough to dodge. The Watchdog also has an impressive jump attack and a spinning attack which can seem rather intimidating, but again, spend some time studying the Watchdog's moves, and you'll be able to dodge them quite easily thereafter.

Be cautious to not accidentally roll into any of the four pillars around the room, but do take note that you can attempt to coerce the Watchdog into temporarily getting stuck on one of these pillars. If they do get stuck, use that time to try and deal as much damage as possible before retreating again.

As for the fire attacks, your best bet is to simply run away from the Watchdog at this point and return when the floor is no longer lava. You'll know a fire attack is about to begin when the Watchdog begins to shake.

Have a little patience with this fight, dodging away to safety and attacking from behind while the Watchdog warms itself up (or gets stuck!). Soon enough, you'll have felled this foe.