The Fog Rift Catacombs are a very long and extremely challenging dungeon in Shadow of the Erdtree, but the rewards you get for clearing it are well worth the effort.
If you start at the Castle Front Site of Grace in the Gravesite Plains, you’ll want to head northwest until you see some wood scaffolding and bridges on your right. Head under those and continue straight through the thick woods until you see two flaming pillars on either side of a small stone door. That’s the entrance to the catacombs.
Navigating the Fog Rift Catacombs Level 1
The first room in the catacombs introduces you to a new type of gargoyle enemy. Fight them off and then go down the hall. The next room has a spike ceiling, but there’s an alcove on your left that will keep you safe.
Kill the enemies in this room and then you’ll move into an L-shaped hall that has a bridge about halfway through it. There’s a spellcaster standing on the bridge, so it’s best to just run straight past him and then tuck yourself into an alcove on the left where there’s a Yellow Fulgurbloom. From here you can fight the one gargoyle enemy that’s going to charge at you before going into the next hall.
Coming out of the L-shaped hall, you’ll descend some stairs. Watch out, because a cannon-mouthed gargoyle is going to shoot a fireball at you as you reach the bottom of the stairs. It’s up high, so ignore it for now and go into the room on your right. There’s two more gargoyles to kill here, but then you can loot the Ancient Dragon Knight’s Cookbook [1]. Go back to the fireball room, but this time take the exit on the western side and descend another set of stairs.
As you get to the bottom of the stairs, you should notice that there’s a big drop into a square room and another spiked ceiling waiting above. Instead of jumping off, get close enough to the edge to trigger the ceiling drop, then jump onto the ceiling and ride it upward. Run straight across to a stone platform, where another cannon is waiting to blast you to bits.
After killing the gargoyle, you should notice a doorway marked with candles on the southern wall. You’ll need to run back across the ceiling to reach it, but this path will eventually lead you across that bridge where the spellcaster was firing on you earlier. Kill him and run up another set of stairs, where two knights are guarding a doorway.
Dispatching them is easy. The fight waiting for you in the room they’re guarding is much harder. There’s a hammer-wielding knight that you’ve likely encountered before at Castle Ensis, but as you approach him, another small knight will pop out of the corner and try to attack you from behind. I’d recommend grabbing the item they’re guarding – a Great Ghost Glovewort – then run back out and go to your left. You can jump off a ledge here to re-enter that very first room with the spiked ceiling, and the ceiling can help you grind some health off the knights before you go in for the kill.
Navigating the Fog Rift Catacombs Level 2
Get yourself back to the staircase that leads to the drop below a spiked ceiling. This time you’re going to want to actually drop down and run straight across the room. You’ll find an elevator that will take you even deeper into the catacombs. You’ll be in another L-shaped hall with some gargoyles to fight, and there’s a room to the west with a spellcaster and a gargoyle. Kill all of them and then head south into an extremely long room with a spiked ceiling hanging out above it.
Once again you’ve got a safe alcove on the left, but this time as soon as you enter it, a gargoyle will drop down and try to kill you. Stick to the left wall, and you’ll be able to move from alcove to alcove to avoid the ceiling. Be very careful on the second alcove, though, as part of the ground has fallen away. Later you can drop down to loot some more Glovewort and the Electrocharge incantation.
After killing the enemies in the long room, stand at the top of the altar and look backward. When the spiked ceiling drops, you’ll see a square hole you can jump into. Ride it up to find a chest containing the Blinkbolt Ash of War. Pretty cool, but the best is yet to come. When the ceiling drops, jump on top of it and run back across the room and to your right. Here you’ll find a space containing the Stone Sheathed Sword.
Make your way back down to the altar, and this time take the exit on the west side of the room. This will lead you to the final elevator that will take you to the boss.
How to beat the Death Knight
The Death Knight uses twin axes with electric spells to deal high damage very quickly. Using talismans and items that give you a boost to electric damage negation is almost a must here. When it comes to his fast axe attacks, just make sure to keep your guard up and be prepared to roll toward him to avoid the hits.
The biggest problem in this fight is an AoE spell that covers the ground with two waves of electricity. When you see the Death Knight charging something with his axes, roll toward him to avoid the first wave, then as it scatters along the ground, roll backward as the second wave of electricity hits everything immediately surrounding the knight. When you manage to kill him, you’ll get his axes, which come with the Blinkbolt Ash of War, as a reward.
