Many of the boss fights in Elden Ring include unique designs that help to differentiate this latest title from older FromSoftware games. However, the Erdtree Burial Watchdog is a perfect example of reducing the effectiveness of an Elden Ring boss through overuse as it starts cropping up in multiple catacombs.
The repeated appearance of the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs are an unfortunate case for Elden Ring, since they are a minor boss that would otherwise be unique to FromSoftware's roster. It's a boss that might have worked while being repeated once or twice, especially considering the variants that appear across the many catacombs. But more than five total encounters pushes this a touch too far.
Ertree Burial Watchdogs' Interesting Variants
Though there is no way to be certain that a player will run into the original version of a boss first, second, or third, the variations on the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs are a strong case of designs that escalate as Elden Ring progresses. However, while there is no guarantee that players will have a specifically crafted experience when running into these bosses, it does appear there is an intended order. The ideal first encounter with the Erdtree Burial Watchdog should be Stormfoot Catacombs in Limgrave, followed by the version in Impaler's Catacombs in Weeping Peninsula, then additional versions can be found in Liurnia, Caelid, and Altus Plateau.
While fighting the same boss this many times appears uninteresting, the variations between each version of these enemies is how FromSoftware keeps the fights from getting stale too fast. The best example comes with the Erdtree Burial Watchdog found in Liurnia, which takes inspiration from the magical area by swapping its greatsword with a staff and spells. Though this particular version of the boss doesn't have the type of overpowered magic that players can access in Elden Ring, it is still an intimidating and surprising twist on the first two that can be encountered.
This redesigning of the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs is expanded again with a variant that spits fire in a large arc. Then there is the double fight that pits players against both the greatsword and staff versions, which work well together as one attacks from close range while the other peppers in spells from a distance. It's a set of designs that feels like it was built to be retooled with every new encounter, but Elden Ring doesn't make good enough use of the concept. The reduced effectiveness of the boss becomes even more apparent when combing through every available fight in Mountaintops of the Giants.
Elden Ring Fills Space With Too Much Repetition
The two most common critiques that Elden Ring receives is that the repetitive use of bosses hinders its sense of discovery as the game goes on, and that the game's balance after the Fire Giant encounter is heavily skewed against the player. Both of these complaints ring true for the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs as players make their way toward the Mountaintops of the Giants. By the time players reach this area, it is possible to have already fought this boss in five different encounters. Then, the Giants' Mountaintop Catacombs makes the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs a normal enemy.
The two versions of Erdtree Burial Watchdogs found in the Giants' Mountaintop Catacombs are a special kind of nuisance. They are now the sixth and seventh versions of these enemies, now with an insane increase in damage and health given to everything in the Mountaintops of the Giants. This makes the "normal enemies" or "lesser variants" even stronger than previous boss encounters, which can be especially annoying to players who are already sick of the Watchdogs.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
