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Elden Ring Lake of Rot walkthroughHow to reach the Lake of Rot and survive the Scarlet Rot buildup
How to reach the Lake of Rot and survive the Scarlet Rot buildup
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Trying to make your way through the Lake Of Rot in Elden Ring?The Lake of Rot is notoriously difficult to find, and thanks to itsScarlet Rotstatus effect, even harder to traverse. As long as you know which coffins to rest in and what obelisk buttons to press, you’ll clear this treacherous lake in no time.
ThisElden RingLake Of Rot walkthrough will help you survive the Lake of Rot and its annoying Scarlet Rot affliction.
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Lake of Rot location
The Lake of Rot is found in an underground area, next to the Ainsel River and Nokstella regions. In theElden Ring area order, it roughly follows the Deeprot Depths and Nokstella areas, while preceding Mt. Gelmir, Dragonbarrow, andLeyndell. It’s recommended to reach level 80 or higher before attempting to cross the Lake of Rot.
Lake of Rot is an underground area in Elden Ring. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
How to reach Lake of Rot
To reach the Lake of Rot, you mustdefeat Starscourge Radahnin Redmane Castle (which requires the activation of theRadahn festival). This boss battle is part ofRanni’s quest.
Once you’ve defeated Radahn, a ‘Starfall Crater’ will appear in the eastern part of Limgrave; descend down this crater and take the tunnel on the northern side to reachNokron, the Eternal City. From that point onwards, there are two ways to reach the Lake of Rot:
After defeating Radahn, the Starfall Crater will appear. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
If you’d like to find the Fingerslayer Blade (which is faster), head north from the ‘Nokron, Eternal City’ Site of Grace, past the Mimic Tear boss and across the large bridge, and go left at the first opportunity. Stick to the left to find the ‘Ancestral Woods’ Site of Grace. From there, jump onto the rooftops and keep going southwest until you find the Silver Tear enemy, then turn to the southeast. You must drop down into the cathedral, take the southwestern exit, and unlock the Night’s Sacred Ground Site of Grace outside. Run in a straight line to the northeast, and you’ll find a chest containing the Fingerslayer Blade at the top of the stairs.
Follow this route to the Fingerslayer Blade. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Return to Ranni in Ranni’s Rise and show her the blade. You can now use a portal at the top of Renna’s Rise (the tower north of Ranni’s Rise) to reach Ainsel River. You must proceed through Nokstella and take two elevators down (the first is at Nokstella Waterfall Basin) to reach the Lake of Rot.
If you’d rather use the coffin portal to reach the Lake of Rot, proceed towards the north after entering Nokron: past the ‘Nokron, Eternal City’ Site of Grace, past the Mimic Tear boss, past the caves behind the glowing jellyfish, and then through Siofra Aquaduct. After defeating the Valiant Gargoyle duo boss, interact with the stone coffin in the boss arena, which will transport you to theDeeproot Depths.
Find the Valiant Gargoyles north of Nokron. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
From there, ride west across the tree branches towards the Site of Grace and the Finger-reader, then cross the lake towards the north and interact with the ‘Nameless Eternal City’ Site of Grace. Just a few paces west of this location, you’ll see another coffin standing at the top of a waterfall. Rest in this coffin to be teleported again, then follow the main path to Nokstella.
Find the portal to the Lake of Rot in the Deeproot Depths. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
At the Nokstella Waterfall basin, you’ll find an elevator that’ll take you to a lower tunnel. From here, follow the main path to yet another elevator - this will (finally) get you to the Lake of Rot.
Use the elevator at the Nokstella Waterfall Basin. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Lake of Rot walkthrough
Before we start this Elden Ring Lake of Rot walkthrough, get some items or incantations to protect yourself against Scarlet Rot. The Lake of Rot is filled with it, and it’s very hard to survive without any countermeasures. Here’s what you can use:
Starting from the Lake of Rot Shoreside Site of Grace, walk towards the lake’s shore and obtain the area map from the corpse.
Press the obelisk buttons to make a rot-free path. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Use the platforms southeast of this location to reach the third obelisk. Again, press the pressure plate when you’re there. The fourth obelisk is southwest of this location, just a bit further ahead.
Run across the platforms to obelisk number three. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
To complete your Lake of Rot walkthrough, however, you must take the ladder back down and go inside the large building in the south. Don’t worry about Scarlet Rot buildup; the Grand Cloister Site of Grace is right ahead of you.
Enter the massive building. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
Walk down the stairs and carefully drop down the ledges in the west, until you reach ground floor. You can take some time to defeat the enemies and loot this place, but then you must head west, towards the large doorway (there’s a treasure chest with a Scorpion’s Stinger weapon in there), and turn left to the waterfall.
Go west, turn left, and take a nap in a coffin. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
At the top of the waterfall, you will find a tomb. Interact with it to reach the Astel, Naturalborn of the Void area, where you’ll find theAstel boss. Defeating this boss will progressRanni’s quest.
And that concludes this Elden Ring Lake of Rot walkthrough. Take a look at our fullElden Ring walkthroughto find your next destination in The Lands Between. We can also point you to theElden Ring boss locations, but you might want to get thebest buildsandbest armor setsfirst.
