Elden Ring’s Lands Between are filled with hidden dungeons, dark caves, and foreboding castles. Tombsward Catacombs is one such minor dungeon, located inWeeping Peninsula. The Catacomb dungeons usually involve some tricky element, and Tombsward Catacombs is no different.
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It also contains a powerful reward in the Spirit AshLhutel the Headless, one of the more powerful found in the game. If you’re having trouble with the catacomb, or you just need help finding it to get Lhutel the Headless, this guide is for you.
How To Reach Tombsward Catacombs
You’ll eventually spot a church up on a hill to the north. Head to theChurch of Pilgrimageto rest and grab a Sacred Tear. Don’t forget to chat with Melina while you’re resting here! You can also find one of theWalking Mausoleums in this area, so keep that in mind once you’ve finished with Tombsward Catacombs.
From the Church of Pilgrimage, head south. Down the hill, you’ll find a rocky outcropping on the right; atop this outcropping, you should spot one of thefamiliar statuesholding a candle. These statues are dotted across the Lands Between, and they point toward nearby dungeons. Activate this statue, and it will point you toward the Tombsward Catacombs. You can find the entrance just to the south of the statue, built into the side of the great hill that leads up to the minor Erdtree. The entrance isbehind the right pillarof a crumbling archway.
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Exploring The Catacombs
Within these catacombs, you will mostly encounterskeleton enemies: archers, sword-wielding skeletons, and ones that hurl explosive pots. They all will begin to glow after you defeat them for the first time, indicating that they will rise again. You will need to strike them again while they are glowing so they will remain dead.
After resting at the site of grace, head straight forward, into the catacombs, until you reach a fog barrier with a hallway to the left. The fog barrier ahead requires you spend a Stonesword Key to enter. Inside, you will findNomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [9]and a skeleton enemy.
Head down the hallway, deeper into the catacombs. You will reach the boss door ahead, but it is still sealed. You will need to pull the boss door lever deeper in the minor dungeon to gain access to the dungeon’s boss.
For now, turn right into the next passage. In the next room, you will find apatrolling skeleton, another skeleton which will form when you near, one Grave Glovewort [1], and one Grave Glovewort [2].
As you advance down the next stairwell, you will spot the boss door lever ahead, but it’s up on a level you cannot yet reach. Turn your attention instead to the skeletons in this room.Two archerswill rise from beneath the boss door lever, hidden in the pillared shadows, and one will rise from your right as you enter. You will find another Grave Glovewort [1] in the rightmost alcove where one of the skeleton warriors spawned.
Another skeleton is patrolling the hall ahead, but he can easily be aggroed during your battle in this room. Be prepared for him to run in. He wields a large sword and can do some surprising damage if left unchecked.
In the recess beneath the boss door lever, you will find one Ghost Glovewort [1] in the corner.
The next room contains one Grave Glovewort [1] in the middle of the room and one skeleton in thefar back right corner. The skeleton will form as you pass, so be ready for it. You don’t want it sneaking up on you at the next junction.
The hallway ahead turns to the right, and you’ll spot aflame pillar trapat the far end periodically shooting a stream of fire down the passage. There is analcove on the rightside of the next passage which you’re able to duck into for safety. When the stream of fire dies down, sprint down the hall and duck into the alcove on the right. A skeleton will form from a pile of bones in the alcove, so be ready for a quick fight. Just outside the alcove, you will spot an item on the ground. Interact with it in between gouts of fire to receive five Human Bone Shards.
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When you’re ready, sprint the rest of the way down the hall toward the flame pillar in between streams of fire. Once you’re safely in the next room,strike the flame pillarto lower it, removing the fire hazard (for now). Under the right overhang, you’ll find one Grave Violet to loot. As you approach, a skeleton will form from a pile of bone beside you. Defeat this enemy.
Past the deactivated flame pillar, you’ll spot the next hallway, which will lead into another small room. This next room containsfour skeleton warriors, all of which will rise from piles of bones in the corners of the room. Be aggressive when fighting them. They can be defeated fairly quickly, but if allowed to gang up on you, they can quickly end your run.
After the four skeletons are defeated, you’re able to loot oneGrave Glovewort [2]and thePrattling Pate “Thank You”item, which allows some rudimentary communication between players online.
Now, you’ll see that this room is a dead-end.Return to the previous room. When you do, you’ll notice a skeleton on the left side of the above balcony, throwing fire pots down at you.
In order to reach him, you’ll want tojump onto the deactivated fire pillar. Doing so will make the pillar trap reactivate, rising from the ground, and bringing you up to the balcony level.
If you jump directly onto the pillar, it might not activate. You’ll need to be right up against it, then just onto it—if you jump directly onto it without touching the side, it won’t activate.
Once the skeleton is defeated, loot the corpse hanging over the ledge to acquire one Golden Rune [2].
Head into the next room and loot the one Grave Violet on the left side. This room is clear of enemies, so you’re free to continue on. The room beyond will contain two skeleton enemies: one spawns directly across the room, in front of the coffin, and one will spawn at the entrance you just came through. Dispatch these two enemies and loot the Grave Glovewort [2] in front of the coffin.
At the far end of the following passage, you’ll spot theboss door lever. You have no traps or enemies here to deal with, so you’re free to run straight ahead and pull the lever. Feel free to loot the one Grave Violet beside the lever as well.
To reach the boss room from here, simply drop down to the level below the lever and run up the stairs on the far side of the room. Head through the next room, around the central pillar, and beyond, the now-opened boss door will be on your right.
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Dungeon Boss: Cemetery Shade
The Cemetery Shade doesn’t have a massive health pool, but it makes up for it witherratic teleportationmovement. He wields dual blades which causeBleed buildup, so it’s important to keep your health topped off. If the Bleed triggers and you’re already low on health, it could mark the end of the encounter for you. Otherwise, strike when you may. He has two main moves to be extra wary of:
Flurry Of Blows
The Cemetery Shade will swing his dual swords about nine times in rapid succession. The attack can do somedevastating damage, so as soon as you recognize it, retreat or dodge to a safe range. You’ll know the attack is finished when the Cemetery Shade slams both swords down onto the ground with a loud clang. Once he does this, he’s vulnerable to counterattack.
Green Paralysis Grab Attack
The Cemetery Shade will ‘weave’ green threads with the spider-like legs on its head, then the Shade will shoot out agreen orbtoward you. If it strikes you, it will hold you in place, immobilizing you, for about three seconds. He will often follow up this attack by teleporting in front of you and transition into a sickening grab attack, which involves his bizarre spider-like head opening up and clamping down on your face.Use the pillarsaround the room to avoid the paralysis projectile, or dodge at the right moment to avoid the attack.
Once the Cemetery Shade is defeated, you will 2,200 Runes andLhutel the Headless Spirit Ashas reward. Lhutel the Headless is apowerful Spirit Ash companion, and a valuable addition to your collection.
