Elden Ring has quite a diverse cast of characters, many of them able to completely change how the game is played. Some characters even offer new endings, so they can be quite important to know about. The Loathsome Dung Eater is one of those endgame characters! By completing his questline, you can obtain the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse. This unlocks one of the optional endings to the game! So, let’s figure out how we can complete the Dung Eater’s quest.
How to Complete the Dung Eater Questline in Elden Ring
The Dung Eater first appears at Roundtable Hold. He’s found past the Twin Maiden Husks in the library area after you enter the Atlus Plateau for the first time, appearing as a red phantom surrounded by flies. You can begin the quest by handing him one Seedbed Curse. In exchange, he’ll grant you the Sewer-Gaol key used to unlock the cell imprisoning his mortal form.
The rest of this guide will contain spoilers to Elden Ring. Read at your own discretion.
Seedbed Curses
There are six total Seedbed Curses in the game. You’ll need them all to complete the questline, but you’ll only need one to start it. Here’s where you can find them:
- You can get one in Leyndell, Royal Capital by taking the first elevator from the East Capital Rampart, heading into the building, and climbing the ladder on the right.
- In the Fortified Manor, head inside of Dung Eater’s room, the same library that you see in the Roundtable Hold. The Manor is in western Leyndell, accessible by dropping down from the Dragon corpse and opening the gate.
- You must complete Blackguard Big Boggart’s quest. See below.
- In Volcano Manor, you can head from the Temple of Eiglay up towards Rykard. Enter the Stonesword Key door instead of the prayer room. Drop down the room by using cages, and you’ll see the Curse on a chair, guarded by enemies, at the bottom of the room.
- In Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, head to the area where you see two crossbow knights. Head down the arch to the right and hop onto the platform where you can see a Scarab. In that room, you should see a Cleanrot Knight and a chest. Go to the nortwest, pop onto the arch and follow it to a balcony. The item will be on a chair looking over the area.
- In Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, head all the way down the stairs. Head towards the room with two Cleanrot knights. Hop over the railing to the right and drop down. There’s a dark room under the railing. You’ll find it on a body sitting in a chair.
Blackguard Big Boggart’s Questline
This questline is very important if you want to complete Dung Eater’s questline. Thankfully, it is very short.
Start by talking with Rya, an NPC in Liurnia of the Lakes, under one of the gazebos in the southwest. Someone has stolen her necklace, and she asks for your help in getting it back. For that, head northwest of the place where you encounter Rya to find a cabin.
You must purchase the necklace from the NPC at the cabin. Then, you must purchase some boiled prawns from his store. This will make him trust you, and thus you may continue the quest.
Afterwards, he will be in the water of northeastern Leyndell, in the corner of the moat. He will be cooking prawns right next to the ramp down into the moat.
Now, we’ll have to complete some of Dung Eater’s quest. Don’t kill him! He’s right where we want him.
At Long Last, the Dung Eater Questline May Begin
Once you have the Sewer-Gaol Key, you may finally find Dung Eater. To enter the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, you may either head to this location on the map, where you’ll see a well, or you may wait for Leyndell to become the City of Ash. Either way, this’ll bring you to the Subterranean Shunning Grounds.
Head through this dungeon until you reach the Underground Roadside Grace. Then, take a left. Head underneath the grates that do not have a ladder, dropping right into water. Run past the poison plants and climb the ladder. This room has a giant hand in it, so be careful!
Use the key to open the door. This will allow you to interact with Dung Eater, who is braining himself on the wall. Chat with him.
Dung Eater Duel
Now, head back to the Roundtable, where there will be a message waiting for you. He wants to fight!
Head to where Blackguard Big Boggart is, in the northeastern moat of the outside of Leyndell. Talk with him, where he expresses concern that Dung Eater is probably nearby.
Reload the area by saving, quitting, and continuing. Boggart should be injured and worried about the Dung Eater defiling his corpse. Dung Eater will then spawn, and you need to beat him. Be wary of the giant crab that spawns!
He’ll drop the Sword of Milos, a Quality weapon with bleed that restores FP when you kill enemies. It has a decent Weapon Skill, though it is extremely expensive.
You’ll want to make sure to loot Boggart’s body at this point. He should have dropped his helmet and a Seedbed Curse.
After defeating the Dung Eater, you can head back to Roundtable Hold. Dung Eater thinks you’re worthy of spreading his curse. After this point you’re allowed to give his real body Seedbed Curses. His real body is located right where you saw it, in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds.
Once you give him all remaining Seedbed Curses, he will reward you with his ending. Nice job!
He’ll also drop his armor the next time you reload the area. It’s actually pretty spectacular, if you’re looking for medium or heavy armor. Fair physical resistance, high Poise, and fantastic Immunity and Vitality.
Alternate Ending: Selvius’s Potion
Alternatively, if you’d like, you can give Dung Eater the Selvius Potion. You get this potion by talking to Selvius, who would like you to give it to Nepheli Loux. Giving it to Dung Eater will allow you to get the Dung Eater Puppet summon from Selvius’s shop.
In the current iteration of the game, we recommend killing Dung Eater after giving him Selvius’s Potion. This will let you get the Omen Set and the Dung Eater Puppet. Updates may prevent this from happening, however, so if you really want to guarantee the Puppet Drop, don’t risk it!
