Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is kicking players’ butt, but an optional dungeon called Fog Rift Catacombs is causing a special kind of despair. After spending some time trapped in this place, I can see why – this dungeon is simultaneously the best, worst, and funniest thing FromSoftware has ever done.
Naturally, this post will include wrecker for this dungeon. After crossing the large bridge that leads away from the DLC starting area, the map may draw your eye north to a path that seems to lead to a new Shadow of the Erdtree map fragment to collect. This is FromSoft’s first trick. After getting through a fortress with piles of enemies raining real fire down on you and surviving a foggy valley filled with tiny gremlins trying to backstab you, you’ll start seeing messages from other players for the “no map” effect. ahead, the more tears.”
This is when the valley path takes you into the mist rift catacombs. At first glance, it looks like any other crypt-style dungeon in Elden Ring, with a bunch of stone paths and a few enemies tucked away in awkward places to scare you. Then come giant spiked traps from the ceiling. Then come the weird mist guys to spew fireballs like the egg-shooting Birdo in Mario 2. then you begin to realize that you don’t just have to avoid those spiked traps, you have to ride them to find hidden paths.
Into the rift catacombs of mist and, frankly: what the hellJune 21, 2024
If you are playing online, you will continue to see messages from other players suffering from increasing levels of despair. There’s a room with some soldiers that you can easily drag out to fight one-on-one. The last enemy in this room is a knight with his back to you – and my truly should have I realized this was a trap, but the stealth guy around the corner from this knight killed me anyway. By the time I walked into this room, my despair levels were there with all those messages I had found.
Perhaps the last middle finger that the mist rift catacombs give you is a giant, long hall with another ceiling trap that spans the entire distance. On the flip side, it’s a mage that hits you with machine gun-style magic bolts. You must run around the room between each spike trap point, dodging into side alcoves to avoid damage. The catch? The second alcove you dive into is actually just a hole that drops you into a sewer area where you have to fight what I can only describe as sentient piles of excrement.
“I want to challenge anyone who has done the mist rift catacombs to a cage fight,” as one Reddit thread says, and I can see where that sentiment is coming from. I also understand why so many people call it “so much fun”, a “10/10 catacomb” and “my favorite Elden Ring dungeon”. You can just feel the level designers laughing at you to the point where it’s honestly kind of endearing.
This post from Reddit user Magistraten sums it up for me: “This is honestly the funniest location in From Software’s history. Basically just a series of FromSoft’s patented pranks with you the player as the punchline. It’s not particularly difficult , especially compared to the rest of the DLC, but damn is it good Oh, you survived a few sneezes, a series of death traps, a few messages that said ‘message first, then try the explosion’ the little hell still alive?
Then there is the boss of the entire dungeon, who is literally called the Death Knight. As with many Shadow of the Erdtree bosses, the Death Knight has many quick attacks that hit TOUGH and extremely limited windows in which to do damage. The kidnapper is a hasty capture where the boss grabs you and drains your life to restore his health bar. Despite eventually defeating the Death Knight, I still don’t know if it’s possible to dodge that attack.
“I don’t know where else to go in this catacomb: (“Miyazaki: OH HO HO DID YOU LOOK FOR A LITTLE HIDEY’S ROOM INSIDE THE FALL ALBANY?🥹 pic.twitter.com/XeCb2KM7YPJune 23, 2024
And while looking for reviews on the Misty Rift Catacombs to reflect this story and justify my mixed feelings on the DLC, I just discovered the above tweet and learned that there is even more to find in this dungeon. Hell, I don’t think I’m done yet.
Need help surviving the DLC? Check out our guide at where you can find Scadutree Fragments in Shadow of the Erdtree.
