Tombsward Catacombs

Nearby but separate locations

The following places are in the surrounding Tombsward area but are not part of Tombsward Catacombs:

The nearby Tombsward Cave is particularly easy to confuse with the catacombs because both are optional underground areas in the same broad part of the peninsula. Tombsward Cave has different enemies, a different layout and a different boss. It should not be included in a Tombsward Catacombs completion list.

From the Tombsward Site of Grace

The entrance is also accessible from the surrounding Minor Erdtree area, but approaching from Tombsward is the simplest route. Tombsward Catacombs is optional and does not block progress towards Castle Morne or any major story objective.

Tombsward Catacombs Site of Grace

The Site of Grace is found immediately inside the dungeon. It provides the normal functions of a Site of Grace, including healing, fast travel, levelling once the relevant early-game conditions have been met, equipment management and storage access.

Summoning Pool

A Summoning Pool is located near the dungeon entrance. It can be activated for multiplayer matchmaking and is useful if you want assistance against Cemetery Shade or the skeleton-filled approach.

Boss fog door

The boss door is initially closed. It is opened by pulling a lever on the upper route, beyond the flame pillar. There is no separate key item for the boss door.

Catacomb Skeletons

Skeletons are the dungeon’s principal threat. They may carry melee weapons, shields or bows, and several are positioned to ambush the player in side rooms. Their most important mechanic is revival. Knocking one down does not necessarily kill it. When it begins to emit a blue glow, strike the body again to prevent it from rising. Holy damage is especially useful against undead enemies, but a normal weapon can also finish them if the revival state is handled correctly.

The dungeon’s narrow rooms make it easy to be surrounded. Where possible, draw one skeleton at a time back into a corridor rather than fighting a group around gravestones or in the fire-trap chamber.

Enemy directory

Ordinary enemies

Named boss

The available location and enemy directories identify Catacomb Skeletons as the ordinary enemy type associated with Tombsward Catacombs. One game-data-based directory counts 18 skeleton placements in the dungeon, although exact counts can be presented differently by guides depending on whether temporary ambushes and nearby placements are grouped together.

Stonesword Key room

Near the start, a sealed room is opened with a Stonesword Key. Inside is a corpse carrying Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [9], with a skeleton guarding or occupying the room. The key is not required to complete the dungeon or reach Cemetery Shade, so a player without one can return later.

Flame-spewing pillar

The central environmental puzzle is a flame-spewing pillar. It periodically projects fire down the passage. Strike the pillar to lower or deactivate it temporarily. Once lowered, it can be used as a moving platform to reach the upper level.

The pillar is therefore both a trap and the intended route forward. Do not treat it as a purely defensive obstacle.

Boss lever

The lever is at the end of the upper route, beyond the platform reached through the flame pillar. Pulling it opens the boss door. After activating it, drop down and return to the previously sealed passage near the lower section.

Upgrade materials

One route guide records three Grave Glovewort [1] placements, three Grave Glovewort [2] placements and one Ghost Glovewort [1] placement.

Crafting materials

The dungeon contains a fixed group of five Human Bone Shards in the passage near the flame trap. Grave Violet plants occur along the route, including around the upper section. Some databases list only the fixed corpse and plant pickups, while other guides also mention ordinary harvestable plants and nearby materials.

What the cookbook unlocks

Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [9] unlocks the recipe for Rancor Pot. The recipe uses Grave Violet and Human Bone Shard, both of which are found in or associated with this catacomb. Rancor Pot creates a projectile that releases vengeful spirits, making the cookbook a useful early reward for a character who invests in crafting.

1. Activate the Site of Grace

Enter the dungeon and rest at the Tombsward Catacombs Site of Grace. Before going deeper, decide whether you want to spend a Stonesword Key. The key room is optional.

2. Open the cookbook room

From the entrance, proceed down the corridor to the imp-sealed doorway. Use a Stonesword Key at the imp statue. Enter the room and collect Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [9].

Defeat the skeleton inside or retreat into the corridor if you prefer to avoid an enclosed fight. If the skeleton collapses but begins glowing blue, attack the body again before it revives.

3. Clear the first lower chambers

Return to the main passage and descend. A side room contains Grave Glovewort [1] and Grave Glovewort [2]. Skeletons can attack from the room and from the surrounding approach, so draw them out rather than rushing between the plants.

Continue into the larger chamber. Collect another Grave Glovewort [1] and Ghost Glovewort [1] beneath the arches. Check the floor and corners before moving on, as the room’s skeletons can appear to be inactive until approached.

4. Enter the east passage

Continue east to collect another Grave Glovewort [1]. The passage ahead contains the flame-spewing pillar.

Do not sprint directly through the fire unless necessary. Wait for an opening, use the side recess for cover and collect the five Human Bone Shards from the nearby corpse.

5. Disable the flame pillar

Strike the pillar when it is safe to approach. A ranged weapon can disable it from a distance, but melee attacks are also practical if you use the side nook to avoid the flames.

With the mechanism lowered, enter the room to the east. Defeat the skeletons and collect:

The side room is a common place to be surrounded, so consider luring the skeletons into the passage before taking the items.

6. Ride the pillar to the upper level

Return to the flame pillar. Once it has been lowered, stand on it and allow it to carry you upwards. You may need to jump onto the platform or remain on the pillar as it rises, depending on your angle.

At the upper level, collect the Golden Rune [2] and continue through the passage. A Grave Violet and another Grave Glovewort [2] are found along the upper route. The exact order in which these are encountered can vary slightly depending on which side of the platform you use first.

7. Pull the lever

Follow the upper corridor until you reach the lever. Pull it to open the boss door, then drop down and return to the lower section.

Rest at the Site of Grace if you need to recover health or flasks. The route back to the boss door is short once the lever has been activated.

8. Defeat Cemetery Shade

Enter the boss room and defeat Cemetery Shade. The boss is fast, evasive and capable of inflicting heavy damage with its attacks, but its health is relatively low compared with many later Elden Ring bosses. Heavy attacks, jumping attacks and well-timed spells can stagger it. The boss is also vulnerable to being punished after its teleport or close-range attack sequence.

Defeating Cemetery Shade awards Lhutel the Headless Ashes.

Practical tactics

The fight is usually easiest when one player or spirit summon holds the boss’s attention while the other attacks from the side or rear. However, a solo character can win reliably by avoiding panic rolls and attacking only after the boss finishes a sequence. A guide describing the encounter specifically recommends heavy attacks, spells and attacks from behind, while warning about its fast combos and heavy bleeding potential.

Skeleton revival

The dungeon’s skeletons are more dangerous when treated like ordinary enemies. After knocking one down, watch for the blue glow and hit it again. Leaving the room before confirming the kill can allow the skeleton to revive behind you.

Fire timing

The flame pillar’s damage is avoidable. The side recess near the Human Bone Shards provides a safe position from which to wait, and the pillar can be struck from a safe angle or with a ranged weapon.

The pillar is the lift

The intended route is not hidden behind a destructible wall or a second key door. The flame pillar itself provides access to the upper level. If the upper route appears unreachable, return to the mechanism and stand on it after lowering it.

Optional cookbook room

The Stonesword Key room is not necessary for the boss. If you are short of keys, you can complete the dungeon first and return later.