Information for the Erdtree Burial Watchdog boss in the Impaler’s Catacombs in Elden Ring, including details about how to find and defeat the Erdtree Burial Watchdog.

Where is the Erdtree Burial Watchdog in the Impaler’s Catacombs?¶

The Erdtree Burial Watchdog can be found at the end of the Impaler’s Catacombs in the Weeping Peninsula. To reach the Implaer’s Catacombs, make your way to the Castle Morn Rampart Site of Grace and head uphill to the northeast to reach the top of a plateau. Continue north and you’ll find a crone statue on some rocks overlooking a cliff, which will guide you down to the catacombs. To actually get there, you’ll need to head southeast past some ruins until you find a slope leading down - you’ll know you’re on the right track when you spot some large tombstones, and shortly thereafter, some ethereal jellyfish. The entrance to the Impaler’s Catacombs are along the cliff to the southwest.

You’ll have to navigate through the Impaler’s Catacombs, walk onto a trap floor and dodge off it as it rises, then drop down beneath it to reach some watery chambers. Navigate these chambers while dodging Zombies, climb a ladder, then pull a lever to open the doors leading to the boss.

Attacks¶

Virtually identical to the Erdtree Burial Watchdog you may have encountered in the Stormfoot Catacombs, albeit with somewhat higher stats (more HP and damage), this boss is on the easy side and doesn’t have too many attacks, but it can still deal some damage to you, so don’t completely underestimate it. Because it’s of a mechanical nature, some of its animations can be tough to judge.

Pounce¶

This is the Watchdogs’ signature attack. It’ll Pounce in the air and slam down with its sword pointing to the ground. It can do this attack several times in a row, although it’s normally around 2-4 times. This is a great opportunity to get some damage in, as it slams down, you can quickly get an attack in before it jumps back in the air. The more times it does this, the more damage you can deal.

Pyro Spin¶

The Watchdog will tilt its head forward slightly, then unleash a stream of fire from its mouth in a circular motion. This is another great time to deal some damage to the boss. Stand to the right of its head, attack it, and as the fire gets close to you, sprint away from it in a circle whilst throwing in the odd attack. You should be able to get at least two hits during this attack.

Thrust¶

As the name implies, the watchdog will do a singular thrust towards you. You can pretty much do anything to avoid this attack. Block, roll either side of the attack, counter, even jump! You can get a couple of free hits in whilst it does this attack.

Sword Spin¶

If you’re going to be losing any damage to this boss, it’s this attack that’ll most likely cause it. The boss will drop its sword hand down by its side with the sword tip at feet level, before spinning 180°. The problem with this attack is it comes quick, so you have to really keep your eyes open for when it drops its sword hand down. If you’re in melee range, jumping over or blocking it is your best bet to avoid the attack, if you’re further out, you can just roll backwards.

Standing Chop¶

The Watchdog will stand on its hind legs, walk over to you, and slash down in a chopping motion. This is a really easy attack to avoid, you can block it if you have a shield, move to either side if you don’t. Running away is also an option to avoid the attack. This move is a great time to heal up, get some distance and sip on the lovely crimson nectar that your flask provides.

Swipe¶

Simple horizontal swipe attack. The boss will pull its weapon back slightly before swiping towards you. A short roll towards him will suffice to avoid taking any damage. It can also be blocked.

Sword Slam¶

It feels like every boss has a variation of this attack. They’ll grab their weapon with two hands, dealing significant stamina damage if you’re blocking, or health if you’re not. Thankfully, it’ll only do this attack if you’re spending a lot of time directly in front of it. To avoid it, get out of melee range.

Tail Slam¶

Similar to the Sword Slam attack, but with its tail instead. This attack only occurs if you are attacking the boss from behind. If it does do this, it’s probably too late to avoid it. To avoid the attack, avoid attacking from behind for more than one attack. If you have quick reflexes, you can block it.

Vertical Slash Combo¶

You don’t see this attack too often, but it is in its arsenal. It seems to happen more frequently when the boss has low HP. The Watchdog will perform a three-hit combo, this’ll be two vertical slam attacks before finishing with a thrust. Although it is a combo, it’s slow enough that they could look like separate attacks. It’s best to just roll away from the boss, as the attacks can track you.

Strategy¶

This boss is virtually identical to the one found in the Stormfoot Catacombs; as an automatron, its movements are somewhat awkward and jerky, making it somewhat difficult to gauge its attacks. Janky animations aside, the main attacks you’ll see are Pounce, Pyro Spin, and the Thrust attack, with the rest being mixed in throughout the fight.

Except Pounce, most of these attacks can be blocked or rolled away from with relative ease. For Pounce, either run/roll away from it. The harder part of the battle is finding an opportunity to get some damage in. It appears that the best time is when it’s either doing Pounce or Pyro Spin, as you can hit the boss whilst it’s doing the animation for its attack.

To do this, during Pounce. Keep near enough to the boss when it lands where you won’t get hit, but you’re not too far away either, this’ll allow you to get a singular attack for each Pounce it does. With Pyro Spin, keep walking to its right in a circular motion attacking away, and when the fire starts getting close to you, start sprinting to get some distance. You can get a minimum of two hits on the boss here. Finally, if you need to heal, try to keep a bit of space from the boss, as it’ll try to interrupt you with its Thrust attack.

The boss itself may not be too bad, but the Erdtree Burial Watchdog in the Impaler’s Catacombs doesn’t fight alone - it’s joined by several Jade Goblins, whose presence complicates matters significantly. While their damage output isn’t high, their melee attacks can inflict blood loss and they’re also capable of attacking at range, potentially staggering you. This can make it more difficult to cast spells, perform ranged attacks, summon allies or it can just foil an attack combo or get in your way while you’re trying to dodge or block another attack. Suffice to say, they’re a pain, and their influence on the fight is greater than it may seem - before you bother fighting with the Erdtree Burial Guardian, you should try to kill all the Jade Goblins in the chamber. Summons will, of course, make this much easier, as will ranged attacks.

The Erdtree Burial Watchdog is fairly resistant to all forms of damage save for physical (strike), and is immune to all status effects.