Elden Ring has quite a strong intro. It rolls out a grand and imposing carpet for its varied, dramatic, and serious characters—but then the narrator suddenly announces the loathsome Dung-Eater! And all the gloom went away because FromSoftware literally gave the character that name instead of maybe something more formal.
Despite breaking the ice in the intro, however, Dung-Eater remains one of the most enigmatic characters in the game. He's either so notorious and repulsive that "Dung-Eater" was the most fitting name, or perhaps he's just a Tarnished with scat fetish. Either way, it's time to pop off the sewer grate and cover thy noses to get a closer look at Dung-Eater from Elden Ring.
Updated August 31st, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: As fans eagerly await the announcement of an assumed expansion and/or DLC for Elden Ring, there are new aspects of the game's in-game lore being discovered every day. The game's scope and detail have provided the community with a universe worth exploring and investigating. Additional content added to the game will go a long way in fleshing out old and new characters.
The Dung Eater became a fan favorite from the opening credits and has remained that way throughout 2022 and beyond.
12 The Source Of Roderika's Worries
Everyone residing inside of the Roundtable Hold tends to speak in riddles in such a way as to make the player come up with the answers themselves. Roderika introduces herself as a down-on-her-luck spirit-tuner but quickly becomes pivotal to the player's growth thanks to her ability to upgrade the power of spirits summoned by the Spirit Calling Bell item.
Once the player reaches the Atlus Plateau and returns to the Roundtable Hold Roderika will say upon talking to her, "I can hear it from across the wing, past the roundtable ...The howling and wailing of spirits in fear of the curse. I can ever hear the repulsive, twisted malison itself. You should keep your distance, I know you're strong, but please."
She is referencing the sudden appearance of the Dung Eater's phantom inside of the hold. He is of no danger in his current state, but she's a loyal and dependable ally who simply wants the player to remain safe.
11 Voiced By
Jim Johnson isn't necessarily a famed voice actor in the world of video games, but he does an excellent job at bringing one of the more grotesquely mysterious characters in all of Elden Ring to life. In addition to this game, Jim Johnson has also lent his voice to Mass Effect: Andromeda, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Amazing World of Gumball, among other projects.
A character named after the action of eating dung could be a comedic beat that's easily forgotten about in a game of Elden Ring's length, but Johnson took the intrigue outlined in the introduction of the game and made him feel eerily memorable.
10 He Was Resurrected
The Greater Will is what Elden Ring describes as an Outer God and is an incredibly powerful entity that has maintained control over the Lands Between. It is said that the Greater Will resurrected several Tarnished, presumably to do its bidding. It turns out that the Dung Eater lore states that he was one of these Tarnished that happened to be brought back to life.
It's unclear who or what imprisoned him underneath Leyndell, but the likeliest assumption is that he did it himself. The version of him sitting at the Roundtable Hold is a weird phantom form detached from his actual body.
9 He's Not How He Appears
Most people take one glance at the Dung Eater lore and appearance, assuming he's some sort of sentient heaping pile of waste. It turns out that he looks much more human-like than most people thought. Thanks to developer tools and modding, the Elden Ring community has released screenshots showcasing what he looks like underneath his helmet.
He sports a girthy goatee and a long head of dark brown hair. The suit of armor he decides to reside in allows him to hide his identity and come off much more like a diety or demonic being of some sort, which coincides with his murderous intent.
8 Whether He Really Eats Dung Or Not Is Ambiguous
So, the big question. As always, Elden Ring doesn't provide a straight answer, like most Souls games. It could be that either he or the citizens of the Lands Between came up with the name because that's the aura he projects or wants to, based on his personality.
The name also probably stemmed from the fact that all of his victims have one thing in common: they're typically slain from the "behind" and have blood dripping down their inner thighs or legs. Players can even see the bloody evidence in all the six Seedbed Curse recipients all over the game. Big Boggart, the Blackguard also describes what Dung Eater does to his victims as the vilest and disgusting thing he's ever witnessed.
7 He Holds The Key To One Of The Bad Endings
So what exactly is Dung Eater's motivation for slaying and defiling the corpses of his victims? Well, apparently, he's not just evil for evil's sake. Like all beings who are vying for the Elden Throne or the Elden Ring's power, Dung Eater's goal is to curse all beings in the Lands Between.
He does this through his aforementioned Seedbed Curses, which grows on the corpses of his victims. This is so that they'll be cursed if they ever get reborn and so will their children and their children too. If players return five Seedbed Curses to Dung Eater, he gives them a special rune that unlocks an ending where everyone gets cursed. It's not clear what exactly the curse does, but it's a pox that makes the accursed grow Omen horns.
6 He Likely Worships The Same Outer God As Mohg
Omen in Elden Ring is a curse where the afflicted individuals grow horns. Apparently, this is a corruption of the blood from an Outer Good, the Formless Mother as she tries to squeeze her way into the Elden Ring power struggle. The most prominent among the afflicted are the royal demigods, Margit/Morgott and Mohg. They're Marika and Godfrey's offspring.
Seeing how Dung Eater's Seedbed Curses are poxes that grow Omen horns, it would be safe to assume that he's also carrying out the Formless Mother's will, much like Mohg. So it would seem that most of Dung Eater's transgressions and crimes to others are merely services carried out to further the Omen corruption. For him, the best way to do this is by defiling corpses and doing goodness knows to their innards.
5 The Pustules In His Armor Are Shaved Horns
There are plenty of other indications that Dung Eater is an agent of the Formless Mother. His armor is the most telling. Those large white or yellowish "pustules" in his armor are actually horns— Omen horns (like Margit's). Except, the horns in Dung Eater's armor appear to have been trimmed or shaved crudely.
Of course, the most common evidence that he's also furthering the Omen bloodline corruption is the armor's name itself. It's called the Omen Set, and Dung Eater drops it if players kill him in the sewers of Leyndell, Royal Capital. It's not clear whether Dung Eater himself is an Omen or not, as most Omen who have had their horns cut off die, only the royal Demigods managed to survive despite having clipped horns.
4 The Sun In His Armor Has A Twisted Meaning
One might be wondering what the sun in Dung Eater's armor means. It's such a contrasting piece of ornament for such a foul creature with sickening armor. Turns out Dung Eater might have been normal once or at least less of a psychotic hazard than he is in Elden Ring's current timeline.
Because based on his armor's description text, the sun medallion represents the guidance he once saw. As usual, it's not clear what kind of guidance that was or whether it's good or bad. One thing is for certain, however, Dung Eater needs more than guidance—he needs a lifetime of rehabilitation for the criminally insane, at least.
3 His Sword Was Ripped Out From A Giant's Spine
One other thing that stands out in Dung Eater's gear apart from his medallion is his weapon. It's called Sword of Milos and has a bizarre appearance that looks like it fits better for someone else. It even comes with Bleed damage which is rare for a weapon that slow.
Sure enough, it wasn't originally a weapon. It's actually the backbone of a small malformed giant named Milos. The bones were merely fashioned and tapered to be sharp enough to cause some sinister wounds. How Dung Eater managed to get his hands on such a weapon or body part remains a mystery.
2 He'll Kill Big Boggart, The Blackguard
Big Boggart, the Blackguard also known as Shrimp Bro wasn't exactly a likable character. He scams Rya and steals her medallion in Liurnia of the Lakes and isn't too guilty about it. However, even someone as deplorable as him shivers at the mention of Dung Eater's name. Turns out he was once a cellmate to Dung Eater, and the latter killed his friend in his typical fashion.
This traumatized Boggart for life, and sadly for him, Dung Eater would later hunt him down just outside Leyndell, in the outer moat. It's part of Dung Eater's quest, which is easy to miss. Big Boggart's throat was cut, and players can even harvest a Seedbed Curse from his corpse after he dies.
1 Players Can Turn Him Into A Puppet
For all of Dung Eater's smack talk and heinous crimes, he's not exactly tough or untouchable. He's merely disturbing but just as vulnerable as the lowliest of Tarnished. And while he can't be permanently killed as per the lore (as the Tarnished keep coming back to life), players can exact some justice on Dung Eater.
Because giving him Seluvis' potion can turn him into a puppet that will fight for and assist the players. This is the same potion that Seluvis gives to the player and asks the players to make Nepheli drink it so he can turn her into his puppet. He's a different breed of creep, for sure, but that's a topic for another time. It is rather poetic, though, that it takes a similar kind of evil to dispatch another evil like Dung Eater.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.