The Land of Shadow, the setting ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, is very much a land of the dead. Indeed, it is said that all forms of death are drawn to the Land of Shadow. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that catacomb dungeons make their return from the base game. One such Catacomb is of particular interest to those interested in Godwyn, Prince of Death and first of the Demigods to die.
The Scorpion River Catacombs, found in the lower area of the Rauh Ruins region. Unlike most of the Rauh Ruins region, this area can be reached from the beginning ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewithout requiring you to fight any bosses. This guide will explain how to reach, and then navigate, the Scorpion River Catacombs.
How to Get to the Lower Section of the Rauh Ruins Region (How to Find Scorpion River Catacombs)
In order to get to the part of the Rauh Ruins where these Catacombs can be found, you’ll first need to go to the Moorth Ruins in Scadu Altus, then ride north through a cave containing some Perfumers. This will bring you to a poison swamp and then, after travelling westward for a bit, the Rauh Base Site of Grace. From here, you can ride southwest past some Golems to reach the Temple Town Ruins. Grab the Site of Grace Here and then go east from there. You’ll encounter a new variant of the Kindred of Rot as you travel, so take them out or avoid them as best you can, heading northward and following the river. Eventually, after encountering some Spider-Scorpions, the river will curve westward and lead you right to the Scorpion River Catacombs. Watch out for the Shadow Militiamen hiding near coffins on the way to the entrance, then head inside and activate the Site of Grace.
Scorpion River Catacombs - Section One
In the first room after the Grace, a Bigmouth Imp will drop from the ceiling. Charge at it and take it out fast because they can deal a lot of damage if they get a chance to shoot. Head down the stairs on the left to find a large room with a Lion Imp. After killing it, go through the passage on the left to find a room guarded by another Lion Imp, which also contains three Rejuvenating Boluses.These will be handy if you end up building up too much Deathblight, which is a very real threat throughout this dungeon.
Back in the large room, sprint across the bridge and get under the stone canopy on the far side. A statue projecting Deathblight Eyes is on the platform above, building up Deathblight on anything the eyes can see. Watch out for the Imp on the bridge, weaving around it and then fighting it under the canopy so you don’t have to worry about the Deathblight build-up.
The Deathblight Eyes won’t inflict Deathblight if they can’t see you, a trait that also means they’ll cause no build-up if you use the Mimic Veil to disguise yourself. While under the effect of the Mimic Veil you can safely walk around in view of the eyes, though taking damage, attacking, rolling, or jumping will break the illusion and expose you.
After making it to the canopy and taking out the Imp, head down the stairs and take out the Imp waiting to ambush you on the right once you reach the bottom. With that taken care of, follow the path left from the bottom of the stairs to reach the next room. An Imp is waiting to ambush you on the left of the door, so take it out first and then go to the right and drop off the ledge to get the drop on another Imp. With both Imps in the room taken care of, grab the ghost glovewort under the stone canopy and continue onward. The next room you enter has a Bigmouth Imp in an alcove, along with a Yellow Fulgurbloom, so charge in and take it out before it gets a chance to fire.Grab some Redflesh Mushrooms off a corpseand continue onward a little further.
The small archway here leads into a room with a Bigmouth Imp and a Lion Imp. Ignore the archway for now and proceed to the large room. We’ll make our way back here in a moment. The next large room has a spiked roof trap, so you’ll need to move carefully. Move into the room and then back out so that you’re inside the hallway near the door, triggering the trap. Once it slams into the ground and starts rising back up, sprint into the room and towards the alcove on the right. Wait for the trap to fall again, then sprint out of the alcove and under the large archway on the right (from the alcove) to make sure you’re out of the danger zone.
Head left after passing under the archway, you’ll find a ledge you can drop off, taking you to a lower section with some Basilisks. Eliminate them quickly and keep your Rejuvenating Bolus' handy to deal with their Deathblight. After taking care of them, head under the arch here to get a Shadow Realm Rune (4.) Deal with the Lion Imps in the next room and use the ladder to reach the room we ignored earlier containing a Lion Imp and a Bigmouth Imp. Eliminate them, and with both Imps dealt with,you can grab a Ghost Glovewort 5and head back to the hallway.
Black Knight Captain Huw’s Spirit Ashes
Head back into the trap room and use the same method as before to reach the area under the large arch again. This time, turn right and watch out for the second spike trap. Use the alcove to the left to avoid it, then sprint over to where the Messmer Soldiers and Black Knight are guarding an altar. Take them out and loot the altar to get Black Knight Captain Huw’s Spirit Ashes. The easiest way to deal with these enemies is to take down the two soldiers without aggroing the Black Knight, which is fortunately pretty simple as said Knight has their back to you.
Head back to the alcove you used to approach the knights to find a ladder. This will get you to the upper section of the room, but you should head for the alcove up here as soon as possible. Another pair of Deathblight Eyes on a nearby ledge can build deathblight on you if you linger in its gaze for too long. Instead of sprinting across the nearby bridge, we’re going to take a detour and pick up some extra items. Head for the corner where the wall meets the banister, near where the spike trap is. This will cause the Spike Trap to start moving again and we need to jump onto it as it slams down.
When it rises back up, use this opportunity to get onto the raised section above where you jumped on and grab the Imp Head (Lion), then get back on top of the trap and use it to jump over to where the statue emitting the Deathblight Eyes is. There’s no way to turn it off, so head down the corridor past it. Go straight ahead first and eliminate the two Imps guarding theKnight’s Lightning Spear Incantation.Now that you have the Incantation, head up the stairs you passed on your way into this room and watch out for the Imp on the right as you enter the room at the top.
Take out the second Imp and grab the Yellow Fulgurbloom, then keep moving straight ahead to drop down on the far side of the bridge you saw at the start of this section. From here it’s just a short walk to the elevator, leading further into the Catacombs.
Scorpion River Catacombs - Section Two
After heading down the elevator, the path onward eventually splits at a T-junction. Left leads to a dead end, while right leads to a long hall patrolled by Deathblight Eyes. you may use the alcove on the left as you advance to hide while the eyes pass and then sprint ahead, or use the Mimic Veil to avoid their gaze entirely. Another safe spot to pause and let the eyes pass is the section where the path dips into a short tunnel, since the eyes float over that section without entering the tunnel.
Climb up the rubble on the far side of the tunnel and turn right at the statue that summons the eyes to find a room with a Bigmouth Imp. A Lion Imp is waiting to jump on you on the right of the entrance, but you can sprint at the Bigmouth Imp and take it out first if you’re quick. Once both are dead,you should peek around the corner to spot a giant Bigmouth Imp.Charge and attack while circling it so it doesn’t hit you with its giant fire blasts. After beating it, you can head onward to what is probably the most frustrating room in the entire dungeon.
On a raised platform in the upper right of the room,there’s a Sorcerer who uses Finger Sorceries.This includes a very irritating attack where they conjure a Nail underneath you, which launches after a delay, dealing a lot of damage, and then ricochets back towards you. Two Lion Imps aid them, so it’s highly recommended that you take the Sorcerer down with ranged attacks as soon as possible.
Once this Nightmare of a room is free of enemies, you’re able to snag a Ghost Glovewort (8) from a corpse and then find a ladder just to the right of there. Grab the Great Grave Glovewort and head right back up the ladder, nothing else is down here except pain.
Ancient Dragon Knight’s Cookbook 2
Back in the main room, take the hallway out of the room to reach a staircase. More Deathblight Eyes are patrolling a bridge once you climb these stairs, so duck into the alcove on the side and wait for them to start heading back the way they came before you cross. Drop off the bridge halfway to reach a lower area with a Fulgurbloom and a Lion Imp. Use the ladder nearby to find a room with a chest, guarded by a Bigmouth Imp and a Lion Imp. Dodge the Bigmouth Imp’s first shot by rolling as it fires and prioritize taking it down before dealing with the Lion Imp.Open the chest in this room to grab the Ancient Dragon Knight’s Cookbook 2.
Once you’ve got the Cookbook you may drop back into the hallway here and make your way back to the bridge. Cross it all the way this time to reach the elevator to the final floor. Once you’re down there, it’s only a short walk to the boss room.
Scorpion River Catacombs - Boss: Death Knight
Guarding Godwyn’s giant terrifying face (which defies all laws of physics by existing in multiple places throughout the game) is the Death Knight. This loyal knight of Godwyn wields Lightning and a longhaft axe to attack.The Death Knight will often open the fight by leaping into the air, slamming down and creating a lightning burst. you may avoid this by rolling as it hits the ground. The Death Knight can also use Blinkbolt to turn into lightning and flash-step forward, dealing damage as it does. You can block or roll through the lightning to avoid damage (though you’ll still take chip damage when blocking in most cases.)
When the knight uses Blinkbolt to shift away from you for a moment, get ready to dodge. It will follow up with a short dash forward and an electrified axe swing. This attack has a small wind-up you can use to spot it coming and roll through it. The Knight also has the usual assortment of basic axe swings, which are easily dodged if you keep an eye on his swings and your finger on the roll button. If you back away from the Knight it will often use Knight’s Dragonbolt to strike at a distance. Roll once as the initial bolt fires and again to avoid the follow-up barrage. When a burst of energy emits from the knight and it lowers into a lunging stance, you need to be ready to dodge. It will attempt a grab attack that lifts you into the air and siphons your health if it connects, giving it nearly half of its health back and extending the fight considerably. Roll to the side or diagonally toward the incoming grab, or you’ll risk getting caught by it anyway at the end of the roll.
Defeating the Death Knight will earn you the Death Knight’s Longhaft Axe(allowing you to use its Blinkbolt technique) and the Cerulean Amber Medallion +3 (Which massively boosts your maximum FP.)
