The War-Dead Catacombs are a dungeon in the cliffs surrounding the Wailing Dunes, in southern Caelid. The name is literal: the spirits of Radahn’s Redmane Knights and Malenia’s Cleanrot Knights are still fighting each other inside. It has its own Site of Grace, which makes it a clean first stop if you are approaching Caelid from the south.
- Start at
- Wailing Dunes, Caelid
- Region
- Caelid
- Edition
- Base game · PC
Before you set out
- Reach the Wailing Dunes in southern Caelid.
- The Redmane and Cleanrot spirits inside hit hard and come in numbers.
- The Radahn Festival at Redmane Castle is a separate questline and is not part of this route.
Follow the route
1. Reach the Wailing Dunes
The Wailing Dunes are a vast expanse of red sand in the southeast of Caelid, close to where General Radahn is wandering. The catacombs are in the cliffs around the dunes rather than in the sand itself, so the cliff line is the landmark to aim for.
2. Find the catacomb entrance in the cliffs
Look for the dungeon entrance set into the cliff face around the dunes. Activate the War-Dead Catacombs Site of Grace inside before going deeper, so you have a way back.
3. Expect the knights to still be fighting
Redmane and Cleanrot spirits are locked in a battle that never finished, and they keep at it while you are inside. Use that: the two groups fight each other, so picking off the stragglers after they engage each other is far easier than fighting them as one group.
4. Work the dungeon and loot what is there
The catacombs are a standard dungeon layout. Take the crafting materials and any weapons or talismans you need, then rest at the grace to reset the encounter.
5. Decide whether to stay for the Radahn Festival
This guide ends at the catacombs. The Radahn Festival, held at Redmane Castle, is a separate long questline and one of the hardest encounters in the game, so do not treat it as part of this route.
Common wrong turns and restrictions
The War-Dead Catacombs are in southern Caelid near the Wailing Dunes. They are not the Caelid Catacombs, which are a different dungeon elsewhere in the region, and the similar names cause real confusion. Check which one your map marker points at before you travel.
Radahn is nearby in the Wailing Dunes and he will not be part of your business when you arrive. Do not wander into the dunes expecting the catacombs to be a way past him.
Southern Caelid is not a place to arrive at in a hurry with no flasks. Being this far south usually means you have crossed a lot of rot ground to get here, and the return trip is the same distance.
The spirits fighting inside are dangerous in a way that is easy to misjudge. They hit hard and they come in numbers, and the fight between them does not make the room safe for you.