How to complete the Dung Eater's questline in Elden Ring

Plus unlock an alternative ending.

Image credit: FromSoftware

Guide by Sebastian Thor Contributor

Published on April 16, 2024

The Dung Eater is an NPC in Elden Ring whose name appears during the intro sequence, but one we won't get to meet until later in the game.

His quest provides you with a special (non-equippable) rune that affects one of the endings. If you want to unlock all Elden Ring endings, completing the Dung Eater quest is mandatory. So follow our step-by-step guide to complete the Dung Eater mission.

Where to find the Dung Eater in Roundtable Hold

The Dung Eater appears in the Roundtable Hold, but it takes a while for him to appear there. After reaching the Altus Plateau, the chamber behind the Twin Maidens suddenly opens up and you'll find him sitting inside.

A warrior with a sword approaches the Dung Eater sitting on the floor of a library inside the Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring — Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Talk to him and follow his dialogue. After you have found the first Seedbed Curse in the game, he will hand you the Sewer-Gaol Key with a clue to the cell in which his body is locked up.

Free the Dung Eater from the sewer

You will find the Dung Eater's prison in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, a hidden area beneath the Royal Capital Leyndell (accessible via a well or via the sewer hole in the Ashen Capital).

Follow the course of the area until you find the Dung Eater's cell (it's the one with the spider hands in front of it). Here's a quick rundown of how to get there:

Go to the Site of Grace "Underground Roadside", leave the room and keep to the left.
Drop down the open grate and run north-westwards.
Behind the poisonous plants, climb up the ladder to the cell.
Use the key, and you can free his body from the sewer cell.

Where to find the Dung Eater after the sewer

Following his release from the dungeon, the Dung Eater will no longer be in the Roundtable Hold.

Instead, you will find a note hinting at the location saying that he is waiting for you "at the outer moat". This is where his quest and Blackguard Big Boggart's quest intersect.

Go to this point in the outer areas of the capital:

An overhead map of a moat in Elden Ring, with a red circle showing the location of the Dung Eater — You'll find the Dung Eater in the area marked by the red circle above. | Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

An important note: if you want to complete the Blackguard questline, finish that quest first before you face the Dung Eater, otherwise you won't be able to complete it.

When you find the Dung Eater, he will invade your world and force you to fight him. On defeat, he drops the Sword of Milos.

Complete the Dung Eater's quest

After your victory, the Dung Eater will return to the Roundtable Hold again and ask you to desecrate his body with the Seedbed Curse. His body can be found back in the sewers where you freed him from the dungeon. He is tied to a chair. The Dung Eater quest ends here.

A warrior speaks to the Dung Eater, who is tied to a chair inside a prison cell in Elden Ring — Image credit: Eurogamer/FromSoftware

Talk to him and select the top option from the dialogue menu. If you have at least five Seedbed Curses in your inventory, his quest is complete. You will also receive the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse, which can be used to unlock an alternative ending after the final boss.

You can also reload the area and return to the Dung Eater's body to receive the Omen Set, consisting of the Omen Helm, Omen Armour, Omen Gauntlets and Omen Greaves.

Note: If you follow Seluvis's quest with the potion, you can also give it to the Dung Eater to buy the Dung Eater Puppet from Seluvis. This in turn locks you out of the alternative ending, however.