Dark armored character with horned helmet sitting on a stone throne in a dim dungeon in Elden Ring
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Looking for one of the most unsettling characters in Elden Ring? The Dung Eater's got you covered—and by "covered," I mean cursed for all eternity. This guy's entire questline revolves around defiling corpses, spreading curses, and potentially giving the Lands Between the worst possible future imaginable. Fun stuff.
Here's everything you need to track down this maniac, collect his cursed items, and decide whether you want to help him ruin the world or turn him into your personal puppet warrior.
First stop: the Roundtable Hold, but you can't just waltz in and meet him right away. You'll need at least one Great Rune in your pocket—meaning you've taken down a major boss like Godrick or Rennala.
Once that's done, check the room next to where the Twin Maiden Husks hang out. That locked door? It's open now. Walk in and you'll find the Dung Eater sitting there—well, his ghost version anyway. Real friendly guy. He'll immediately start going on about defilement and curses, really setting the tone for what you're getting into.
Talk to him until he repeats himself. He'll mention something about his real body being locked up somewhere (spoiler: it's in the sewers beneath Leyndell). The conversation's pretty one-sided at this point since he doesn't give you much actionable intel yet.
Good news if you're doing this late: even if you've already torched the Erdtree and watched Leyndell turn to ash, you can still kick off his quest. Just don't expect him to be any more pleasant about it.
He'll eventually clue you in about Seedbed Curses—nasty items you'll need to hunt down. You don't actually have to grab one before heading to the sewers, but it helps to know what you're looking for.
Author: Tyler Vance;
Source: canelomobile.com
Ready to get your hands dirty? The Dung Eater's actual body is chilling in Leyndell's sewer system, which FromSoftware decided to make as confusing as possible.
From the Avenue Balcony grace in Leyndell, head northeast through the capital's streets. You're looking for a massive well in a courtyard—can't miss it once you're close. Jump in. Yeah, just jump. The fall won't kill you, though the lovely welcoming committee of Omen enemies might try.
Down here, you'll snake through pipes and tunnels filled with the game's favorite ambush tactics. Multiple paths branch off, and half of them lead nowhere useful. Keep pushing deeper until you hit the Underground Roadside Site of Grace. Light that thing up immediately—you'll be coming back here multiple times, and respawning at the surface every time sounds like a nightmare.
From Underground Roadside, continue through the tunnels. You'll eventually reach a big area with prison cells lining the walls. The Dung Eater's in one of them, still wearing that horrifying armor and probably still complaining.
Talk to him. He'll demand Seedbed Curses—wants you to be his delivery service for cursed items. Charming.
Author: Tyler Vance;
Source: canelomobile.com
Now you've got options. Standard route? Go collect those curses and bring them back. Alternative route? There's this sorcerer named Seluvis who has... plans... for the Dung Eater. We'll get to that later.
Seedbed Curses show up on corpses throughout the game world—bodies the Dung Eater personally "blessed" with his special brand of defilement. You need five total to finish his quest, though six exist (FromSoftware giving you one freebie in case you miss something).
They're pretty obvious when you spot them: glowing items on bodies that are usually slumped in chairs or propped against walls. Each one you grab, take it back to the Roundtable Hold and show the ghost version of the Dung Eater. He gets weirdly excited about them.
| Location Name | Region | How to Access | Notes |
| Leyndell, Royal Capital (East Rampart) | Altus Plateau | From the East Capital Rampart grace, drop to the room with the view of the dead dragon | Sitting on a corpse in a chair; grab this early while exploring Leyndell |
| Leyndell, Royal Capital (Fortified Manor) | Altus Plateau | Ground floor of the manor, small side room | Easy to run past if you're rushing; check corners carefully |
| Volcano Manor prison | Mt. Gelmir | Join Volcano Manor through Rya's quest or invade; accessible in the locked prison area | Doesn't require completing assassination contracts, just explore the manor thoroughly |
| Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree | Miquella's Haligtree | Near Prayer Room grace; a Cleanrot Knight guards the area | Late-game zone with tough enemies everywhere |
| Auriza Hero's Grave | Altus Plateau | Solve the chariot trap puzzle, reach the lowest level before the boss door | Most players skip this dungeon entirely—don't be one of them |
| Leyndell, Ashen Capital | Altus Plateau (after burning Erdtree) | Same spot as the East Rampart curse, but only spawns post-fire | Safety net if you missed the first Leyndell curse earlier |
That Volcano Manor curse trips people up constantly. You don't need to kill anyone for Tanith or complete her whole questline. Just join the manor, explore every room, and you'll find it. But here's the catch: if you murder Rykard before grabbing it, certain doors lock permanently. Don't make that mistake.
Got at least one Seedbed Curse? Head back to the Roundtable Hold and chat with the phantom Dung Eater. He'll tell you about a key that unlocks his cell. Convenient—it's in the same sewer where you found him.
Trek back to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. In the cell room, look for a lower passage leading down. The key's on a corpse surrounded by player messages (thanks, community). Grab it.
Author: Tyler Vance;
Source: canelomobile.com
Return to his cell and use the key. Here's where it gets fun: he immediately attacks you. No warning, no choice—fight's on. Don't panic though. He's not particularly tough, and you can't actually kill him permanently here. Beat him down and he runs off, dropping his sword.
Back to the Roundtable. The phantom's vanished. Rest at any grace, then return to the sewers one more time. The Dung Eater's sitting calmly in his cell now, real body and all. Suddenly he's chatty and polite—well, polite for a serial defiler anyway.
Now feed him Seedbed Curses one at a time. After each one, rest at a grace and come back for new dialogue. He gets progressively more excited as you deliver each curse, revealing bits of his twisted philosophy. After the fifth curse, he hands over the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse—the key to his ending.
About that Volcano Manor connection people ask about: there isn't one beyond that single curse location. The Dung Eater doesn't know Tanith, doesn't care about Rykard, and won't show up during any of their content.
Two paths forward once you've got the Dung Eater in play. Both lock out the other, so choose carefully.
Author: Tyler Vance;
Source: canelomobile.com
Finish the game with the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse in your inventory, and you can use it after beating the final boss. This transforms the entire world into a cursed hellscape where every person born from now until forever is cursed and defiled from the start.
It's bleak. Like, really bleak. The Dung Eater's whole philosophy is "everyone should suffer like I do," and this ending makes that a permanent reality. The cutscene shows the Erdtree turning sickly and corrupted while the narration confirms you've just condemned all future life to eternal suffering.
Mechanically, you beat the last boss, touch the Elden Ring, and select the Dung Eater's rune from your inventory. Simple as that. Achievement-wise, this counts as one of the alternate endings (not the standard Elden Lord one).
Here's the alternative: never unlock that cell door. Instead, work through Seluvis's questline until he offers you a special potion meant to turn people into puppets. He'll eventually ask you to slip it to someone, and the imprisoned Dung Eater qualifies perfectly.
Give him the potion while he's still locked up (before using the key). He drinks it—probably thinks it's something else—and boom, instant puppet. Head back to Seluvis and you can buy the Dung Eater Puppet as a Spirit Ash summon.
This puppet's legitimately useful in combat. High health, aggressive, draws boss attention like crazy. Great for players who struggle with certain fights. He hits hard, staggers enemies, and doesn't die easily.
Trade-off's obvious: no Blessing of Despair ending. Ever. The Dung Eater's quest ends permanently when he becomes a puppet, and that Mending Rune is gone for this playthrough. Pick based on whether you need every ending for completion or just want a strong summon.
People love comparing these two "dark" endings. Fia's Age of the Duskborn accepts Those Who Live in Death into the natural order—outcasts finally recognized. The Dung Eater's ending just curses everyone indiscriminately forever.
Fia's got this tragic hope angle: the persecuted gain acceptance, death changes fundamentally, maybe things get better. The Dung Eater offers pure suffering with zero redemption or purpose. Lore-wise, Fia represents change and acceptance while the Dung Eater embodies nihilistic corruption.
Difficulty-wise, Fia's questline is way easier to complete. Her requests are straightforward, items aren't scattered across the entire map, and you don't have to navigate confusing sewer systems five times. The Dung Eater demands more exploration and backtracking.
The Dung Eater represents the ultimate perversion of the Elden Ring's order—not destruction like the Frenzied Flame, but corruption that perpetuates itself eternally. His ending isn't just dark; it's deliberately hopeless in a way that even the game's other tragic paths aren't
— Vaati Vidya
Several ways to permanently screw this up, and some aren't obvious until it's too late.
Kill the phantom at Roundtable? He respawns. No problem there. Kill his physical body in the sewers before getting the Mending Rune? Quest failed permanently. He won't come back, rune's unobtainable, you're done until New Game+.
Burning the Erdtree before collecting curses causes issues for some players. One curse location in Leyndell shifts when it becomes the Ashen Capital, but a replacement appears nearby. Real problem happens when people speed through Ashen Capital and completely miss it, then can't backtrack to the earlier version.
Author: Tyler Vance;
Source: canelomobile.com
Seluvis's questline has a time limit people forget about. Advance too far—specifically, defeat Rykard or finish Ranni's quest—and Seluvis dies automatically. No more potion, no puppet option. Make your choice before those events trigger.
That Volcano Manor curse deserves another warning. Kill Rykard first, several doors lock forever. Can't get the curse after that. Grab it before fighting him or you're waiting for NG+.
Finally, double-check you've actually delivered five curses. Some players give four, can't find the fifth, then give up. Use the table above and cross-reference. Auriza Hero's Grave gets missed most often because that dungeon's brutal and completely optional.
The Dung Eater's questline ranks among Elden Ring's most morally questionable narrative paths—and that's saying something in a FromSoftware game. Whether you enable his vision through the Blessing of Despair or reduce him to Seluvis's puppet, the quest demands thorough exploration and careful planning.
Tracking down five Seedbed Curses means visiting multiple regions, surviving Auriza Hero's Grave, and navigating those miserable sewers repeatedly. Worth it? Depends whether you want every ending or just need a reliable spirit summon for boss fights.
Most quest failures happen because someone kills the physical Dung Eater too early or misses time-sensitive curse spawns before areas transform. Use the location checklist above, don't rush through Leyndell or Volcano Manor, and you'll be fine. The quest stays accessible pretty late into the game, but planning ahead beats replaying entire sections.
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