Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough
How to unlock the War-Dead Catacombs in Elden Ring and find every item
Looking for an Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough? The War-Dead Catacombs is a devilishly well-hidden dungeon found in the northwestern corner of Caelid. Once you figure out how to unlock the War-Dead Catacombs, you'll have to navigate its many corridors filled with warmongering spirits.
This Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough will help you find the dungeon entrance and survive the spirits' civil war.
War-Dead Catacombs location
To reach the Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs dungeon, you must defeat Starscourge Radahn in Redmane Castle (southern part of Caelid). Beware that fighting Radahn comes with some extra steps too, as you must first activate the 'Radahn Festival' by following Ranni's questline or by resting at a Site of Grace in Altus Plateau. Once the Radahn Festival is active, you can speak with an NPC named Jerren in Redmane Castle's courtyard to start the boss fight. Our guide on how to start the Radahn Festival will explain this in more detail.
When Radahn is defeated, ride across the plains north of Redmane Castle to find the War-Dead Catacombs location - it's as far north as you can possibly go.
War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough
Upon entering the Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs, you'll find yourself in the midst of a battle between spirit warriors. Feel free to ignore the ones that aren't aiming for you.
While there are several paths to choose from, the easiest way to start your War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough is to head upstairs to the left upon entering the first large room. Grab the Grave Glovewort [6] at the end of the path, then drop down into the lake of Scarlet Rot below. Don't worry, there are unaffected patches in all corners (the coral-like flooring), so you can take a rest there if you need to reduce Scarlet Rot buildup.
Open the chest in front of you to obtain Collapsing Stars, then run to the east and grab a Golden Rune [6] from a dead body. Continue towards the northeastern corner of the room and pick up a Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot from the body there. Go through the door opening in the north, leaving the Scarlet Rot lake, and be prepared to fight three imps. On the other end of the room, collect a Ghost Glovewort [4].
Run back through the Scarlet Rot lake to where you first entered the room with the battling spirits. Grab the Magic Grease and Ghost Glovewort [6] in the middle of this room, then take the stairs at the end of the room to the right. Be ready to dodge some arrows from nearby spirit archers.
Keep moving through the main corridor (don't jump through any of the window openings on the right) and defeat the spirit warriors. You'll find another Grave Glovewort [6] on the path and one more at the end of the corridor, surrounded by Grave Violets.
After hitting a dead end, turn around and jump through the first window on your left, onto a stone platform.
Go upstairs - the two suspicious-looking imp statues on your right are alive, but they won't come after you. In the room to your left, the one with the Scarlet Rot, defeat the spirit knight and collect the Radahn Soldier Ashes.
Jump through the next opening onto a platform with a lever; this will open the War-Dead Catacombs boss arena ahead. Don't forget to collect the Grave Violet and Grave Glovewort [6] before you jump down!
War-Dead Catacombs boss
The Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs boss is a Putrid Tree Spirit. This boss is particularly weak to fire damage, but strong against Holy. Physical attacks work fine as well, especially if you dodge towards the Putrid Tree Spirit's side and hit the belly. Beware that the Putrid Tree Spirit inflicts Scarlet Rot, so it's wise to bring Preserving Boluses or the Flame, Cleanse Me incantation to cure the affliction.
For more tips on how to stay healthy while fighting the War-Dead Catacombs boss, take a look at our full guide on how to cure Scarlet Rot in Elden Ring.
And that concludes this Elden Ring War-Dead Catacombs walkthrough. Our complete Elden Ring walkthrough may help you find your next destination in The Lands Between. We can also point you to the Elden Ring boss locations, but you might want to get the best builds and best armor sets first.