Direct answer: the Unsightly Catacombs are in south-western Altus Plateau, at the base of Mt. Gelmir, directly beneath the Perfumer’s Ruins. The entrance is on the south-western face of the cliff below the ruins, sealed by an Imp Statue Seal. It costs two Stonesword Keys.
Getting there
Head west from the Abandoned Coffin Site of Grace toward the Perfumer’s Ruins, which are also the nearest landmark to the Sacred Order Scarab described in the other Altus guide. Once you have the ruins in view, the way down is not the front door. Look for the cliff face to the south-west and find the imp statue holding the seal.
Two Stonesword Keys is a real commitment early on. Keys come from root diggers such as the one at Stormcaller Church, and the game does not give you spare ones. If you are not sure you can afford two, mark the location and come back — the region does not gate and this dungeon does not expire.
What is inside
The catacombs are a small network infested with Omen and Misbegotten, which is consistent with the location’s whole conceit. These are beings the Golden Order rejected, and the game’s own description of the place uses that language directly.
Two Spirit Ashes are collected here, and this is the more valuable of the pair to pick up:
- Perfumer Tricia Ashes — from the boss, which is a duo fight. Perfumer Tricia is fought alongside a Misbegotten Warrior that has its own separate health bar. The Warrior is aggressive and will absorb a lot of your attention, so a tanky Spirit Ash at +5 or better is worth summoning to hold its attention while you clear Tricia. At 37 FP this is one of the more expensive summons in the game, so do not attempt the fight without a build that can spare it.
- Winged Misbegotten Ashes — a free pickup, found by checking the corpse with the glowing light along the wall. No combat required.
The catacombs are also a consistent early source of Grave Glovewort, the material used to upgrade Spirit Ashes at the Spiritcaller’s Cave. If you have not yet progressed Roderika’s questline to unlock spirit ash upgrades, this is a place to bank material ahead of that unlock.
What it is not
There is a widely repeated claim that this dungeon is a good source of the Prattling Pate “Apologies” gesture. Treat that as unverified — it appears only in community video descriptions and did not survive cross-checking, and we would rather omit it than repeat a guide’s mistake. The Perfumer Tricia Ashes are the reward that matters, and they are confirmed.
Evidence status
Research-reviewed. The entrance position, the two-key cost, the boss duo, both Spirit Ash rewards, and the Grave Glovewort note were each confirmed against multiple independent references. The Aptus Pate claim was checked and rejected rather than published. This guide has not been play-tested on camera.