The Outer Moat is an unofficial location in Elden Ring, named only during part of the Dung Eater’s Questline. Historically, moats are medium-sized ponds that surround a building, usually a castle, to dispense it with an initial line of protection. As shown in Elden Ring, the Royal Capital, Leyndell, is encircled by various small ponds.
After finishing a couple of steps from the NPC’s Questline in Elden Ring, the Dung Eater will leave a message inviting Tarnished to a location called the outer moat. If players are interested in completing the Dung Eater’s Quest as well as exploring this area, then visiting this area is crucial.
Updated August 21st, 2023: Players that want to see and do everything in Elden Ring, including unlocking multiple endings, will eventually have to deal with the strange Dung Eater NPC. Unfortunately, some of his questline can be a bit confusing, specifically a part in which players must challenge the Dung Eater in a location called the Outer Moat. Thankfully, the location itself isn't too difficult to get to if players know where to look. To better help players find the Outer Moat in Elden Ring, the following guide has been updated with a video.
How To Find The Dung Eater's Message
To get the message that beckons the player to the Outer Moat, players must progress the Dung Eater’s Questline in Elden Ring. After releasing the physical body of the Dung Eater from his cell beneath Leyndell, a sign will appear where he once sat within Roundtable Hold (the room just past the Twin Maiden Husks). The Dung Eater first spawns in this room after reaching the Altus Plateau. After exhausting the Dung Eater's dialogue, players must obtain a Seedbed Curse to get to the next part of the questline.
These can be found in several locations, but the easiest to find is in the alternate version of Roundtable Hold in Leyndell. After giving this to him, he will reward you the Sewer-Gaol key. To get the Dung Eater Outer Moat message to appear, he must be freed from this Gaol. Head to the Subterranean Shunning Grounds and drop down a hole in the pipes to the left of the primary site of grace.
Head through the pipe, killing the rats and Miranda flowers, to find his cell. Open it, exhaust his dialogue, then return to Roundtable Hold to find his shade replaced with a message. If you are trying to progress Blackguard Big Boggart’s Quest, speak with him in the Outer Moat, buy as many Boiled Prawns and Crabs as possible, then re-load the area to find him slain.
How To Get To Outer Moat In Elden Ring
The Outer Moat can be found southeast of the Outer Wall Battleground site of grace in the Capital Outskirts, a section of the Altus Plateau just outside Leyndell. To reach it, travel to the Outer Wall Battleground grace and head east towards the broken stairs. Continue moving east past the gravestones and Skeletons until you reach two paths: one leads east, the other leads southeastern roads.
Take the southeast road from this fork to reach the outer moat in Elden Ring. Continue ahead between the trees while descending the slope to find a shallow pond filled with small Crabs that’ll drop decent Elden Ring crafting materials. This is the Outer Moat Elden Ring describes to players via the Dung Eater's message. In the Outer Moat, the Dung Eater will invade - you can attempt the invasion as many times as you like, but he must be defeated to access the end of his sprawling questline.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.