Ancient Ruins of Rauh is a massive area in Elden Ring found in the northwest region of the Shadow Lands. Despite having a main story implication and one of the compulsory bosses, this area is not considered a dungeon due to its open area exploration.
Ancient Ruins of Rauh offers a massive challenge, and there is a spike in difficulty level when compared to the rest of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Enemies here have more HP, they hit like trucks, move faster, and use spells that can incapacitate you in an instant. Entering this area without proper preparation is a death sentence.
Before proceeding to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, we recommend that you be at least level 180+ with 12-15 Scadutree Blessings. This area is better to explore on horseback, so carry a good Glintstone Staff with some Glintstone Sorceries to defeat enemies from afar.
Once you are ready, follow our lead to find every single item, enemy, shortcut, and boss inside the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and come out victorious to reach Enir-Ilim.
How to reach the Ancient Ruins of Rauh
To reach the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, start from the First Floor, Specimen Storehouse site of grace in the Shadow Keep. We have an extensive guide on how you can fully explore the Shadow Keep dungeon.
From the site of grace, turn left and go through the first door to the left. Defeat the sorcerer enemies and enter the next room to find an elevator. Use it to reach the Infirmary area of the Shadow Keep.
Proceed through the infirmary until you reach the treatment room. Leave it through the back door, and it will take you to a site of grace called West Rampart. Open the small door to the right of the massive gate to reach the bridge.
Cross the bridge, but beware of the Fire Knight casting fire sorceries from afar. Use Torrent to run across the bridge.
Defeat the Fire Knight enemy and go right to find another elevator that will take you out of Shadow Keep. Go outside the area to finally enter the Ancient Ruins of Rauh in Elden Ring.
Explore the Caves to the West
As soon as you come out of Shadow Keep, go right and hug the right wall. Interact with the object to obtain the 1x Golden Horn Tender.
Go back and all the way to the left of the entrance. Follow this path until you reach a hole in the ground with a lever. It is past a small pond with some pigs roaming the area.
Collect 1x Spirit Calculus from another corpse near the lift.
Pull the lever to call up the lift. Use the lever to down to meet the large demi-human enemy to the right. Kill the enemy and go to the room to the right.
This enemy has four large dem-human enemies. Make sure to defeat their Shaman first. Take down all the enemies and collect 1x Smithing Stone 8.
Go back to the room where you fought the first enemy, and you will notice a small tunnel opening. Cross the tunnel to go into another open area.
Explore the Area Outside of the Caves
Turn right to find two more large demi-human enemies. Kill the enemies and go to the ledge to the right to collect 8x Thin Beast Bones. Go back to where you entered the area and use the stairs to the left to enter a pool with a giant Hippopotamus.
This Hippopotamus has the same attack pattern as the Golden Hippopotamus Boss, but it lacks its golden powers. Defeat this powerful foe to collect 1x Scadutree Fragment.
Go back to the Viaduct Minor Tower site of grace and restart your journey to collect the previously missing items.
Explore the East Tunnels
Go outside and this time travel to the right. Use Torrent to run underneath the tree arches until you reach a cave entrance with a couple of torches illuminating the way.
As soon as you enter the caves, turn right and climb the tree roots to the right. Follow the tree trunk to collect 1x Somber Smithing Stone 9.
Drop down and defeat the Scorched enemies in the area. Turn left to find more scorched enemies. You will notice two enemies with pots on their heads. As soon as you approach them, you will be ambushed by a Curseblade enemy.
They are extremely difficult enemies to deal with. Kill them and then take down the pot enemies to collect 1x Revered Spirit Ash.
Go back from this location to find a locked door. Turn left and follow the path to reach a massive drop. Collect 1x Fire Spritestone from the ledge.
Don’t drop down yet. Instead, go back and open the door. Go down and defeat the scorpion enemies. Turn left and defeat 3 more scorpions guarding 1x Shadow Realm Rune 5.
There is a statue between two well-lit braziers with a scorched enemy in front of it. Defeat the enemy and hit the statue to make the illusory wall disappear. Interact with the items in front of a statue to collect 1x Bondstone and 1x Antiquity Scholar’s Cookbook 2.
Turn back and go to the right. Travel down the stairs and turn left to face more scorched enemies. Collect 1x Broken Rune from between them.
Go through the small tunnel opening to the right, and you will come upon another scorpion enemy. A couple more scorpions will drop from the roof. Defeat them and climb the rubble to collect 1x Somber Smithing Stone 6.
Go back and turn right to see an exit through massive windows. Don’t go outside and turn right to defeat more scorched enemies. Kill the one with the pot to obtain 1x Scadutree Fragment.
Go back to locate another Curseblade enemy hiding on top of a pillar. Take it down before proceeding further.
Go back and kill the remaining scorched enemies. Collect 5x Throwing Daggers from the altar. Go through the corridor with a lot of pots and take down the rest of the enemies.
Turn left and take a quick right. Two scorpions will ambush you from above. Kill them and collect 1x Golden Rune 1.
Follow the path and turn right. You will notice a lot of items on the floor with a massive scorpion hanging from the ceiling. Kill it and collect 2x Sliver of Meat, 1x Spider Scorpion Ashes, and 3x Scorpion Liver.
Go back and take a right to find a couple more scorpion enemies. Take them down and enter a garden full of Dewgem flowers. Interact with the object to collect 2x Dewgem.
Go all the way back to the room with large windows. There is a small tunnel opening leading to a room with a lot of scorched enemies. Follow the path to come upon another locked metal door.
Open the door and 5x Rauh Burrow from the right. Go ahead and turn right to find a lot of snail enemies. These enemies deal poison damage, so make sure that you don’t get hit.
To the Lower Levels
You will notice an air current inside a hole. Use Torrent to make the Spiritspring jump drop. This will allow you to land safely without taking any damage.
Turn back and go through the door guarded by two man-flies. Go to the very end of the tunnel, past the spiritspring, to collect 1x Shadow Realm Rune 6.
Turn back and now run to the opposite side. At the end of the area, turn right to go up the ramp. Jump on the tree trunks to collect 1x Fine Crucible Feather Talisman.
Drop down, go back, and this time take the path to the right. Travel beneath the arches to reach an area with some man-flies and a pond. Use the tree trunk near the second arch to climb up and collect 1x Shadow Realm Rune 7.
Keep going until you reach outside with Devonia standing on a rock. Ignore her for the time being and keep going to the right to reach the Ancient Ruins Cross site of grace. Interact with the items to collect 1x Scadutree Fragment and 1x Ancient Ruins Cross Letter.
Rest at the site of grace and go back to the right ledge to collect Ash of War: Dryleaf Whirlwind.
Defeat the Crucible Knight Devonia
The next fight is really difficult as Devonia is not only the last but also the strongest Crucible Knight the game has to offer.
She is harder than most bosses, and the best way to tackle her is from a distance. She uses a massive Warhammer and crucible spells to deal massive damage.
Greatblade Phalanx, Terra Magica, and Great Glintstone Shard are a lifesaver during this fight. Use the Academy Glintstone Staff to further enhance your spell’s attack power.
Devonia transforms into a small Hippo that deals extra damage when it jumps on you. Make sure to keep your distance and take her down while chipping away at her massive health.
When defeated, Crucible Knight Devonia will drop the following items.
- Devonia’s Hammer
- Crucible Hammer-Helm
Explore the Outside Gardens of Rauh
Go down the small bridge right next to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh site of grace. Collect 1x Dewgem and 2x Flight Pinion from the left side of the bridge. You will notice a Furnace Golem enemy in the distance that will attack you with a massive shockwave.
Drop down to the bridge to the right to avoid the attack. Climb the stairs and go left to face the Fire Golem up close.
We have an extensive guide on how to defeat Fire Golems. Hit its legs until it is stunned and falls down to the floor. Throw a Hefty Furnace Pot inside its head to kill it instantly. It will drop the following items.
- Crimson Sapping Cracked Tear
- 1x Furnace Visage
Go through the forest to the right to find the Ancient Ruins of Ruah, the West site of grace.
Explore the West Ruins of Rauh
From the site of grace, go straight and kill all the scorched enemies in front of the stairs. Climb the stairs and take down the remaining enemies.
Collect 6x Kukuri from a corpse and go up. Turn right to go further up and kill a pot enemy to collect 1x Spirit Calculus. Killing the remaining enemies in the area before engaging with the Curseblade.
Kill the enemy and collect another Scadutree Fragment from the altar. Turn around and follow the path to the right.
Collect 2x Spiritgrave Stone from a corpse on the floor. Use the lift to go to the top floor. It will lead you to a garden.
Turn left immediately and drop down on the pillars below to collect 1x Four-Toed Fowl Foot. Follow the broken pillars all the way to the left end to find a small ledge with some sorcerers.
Go left to find a small tunnel leading to a hidden area of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. Open the treasure chest here to collect the Talisman of All Crucibles.
Go through the opposite tunnel and use the lift to the right to go back up. It will take you to the Ancient Ruins, the Grand Stairway site of grace.
Go down the stairs and turn right until you reach the ledge. Interact with the corpse to collect 1x Spirit Calculus.
Go back until you notice a Golem Archer in the distance. Avoid its arrows and go down to collect 2x Smithing Stone 7. Go left and up to reach the Golem’s location.
Take down the enemy and follow the path by using Torrent. Collect 1x Shadow Realm Rune 7 from the end of the bridge and turn right.
Defeat the Divine Beast, Dancing Lion Boss
Prepare beforehand to take down a field boss called Divine Beast, Dancing Lion. It is the exact copy of the boss in Belurat Tower, with way more HP.
We have a detailed guide on how you can defeat the Divine Beast, Dancing Lion, easily.
Use a fully upgraded Backhand Blade with Keen Affinity. Use Frost to exploit the weakness of the boss. It has two phases. During the first phase, it mostly deals with physical damage that can easily be avoided.
During the second phase, this boss uses three different elemental attacks. Lightning, Wind, and Frost. Lightning Attacks are extremely difficult to dodge and leave no room for attack.
You will get a minor chance of attacking the boss during its Frost phase. However, the Wind phase leaves the Divine Beast, Dancing Lion, wide open to attacks if you somehow manage to dodge the initial onslaught.
This boss has a unique attack called the Death Blight. It also summons Basilisks during the second phase that can kill the players instantly with death blight. Once you defeat this boss, you will get the Divine Beast Tornado incantation.
Explore the rest of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh
Go back and drop down to the ledge with two waterfalls. Run all the way to the back wall to collect 2x Beast Horn.
Keep going to the right until you notice an altar behind a waterfall. Interact with the item to collect the Verdigris Discus talisman in Elden Ring.
Explore the area to the left to collect 1x Redflesh Mushroom from a corpse near a pillar. Turn right and go through a small pool to find a Divine Beast Warrior standing inside it.
This is an extremely difficult enemy to take down. The best way is to fight it from afar with spells.
Once the enemy is defeated, return to the Rauh Ancient Ruins West site of grace.
Explore the rest of the West Ruins of Rauh
Once again, enter the west section of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and climb the stairs. Turn right to enter the big hall and keep to the right.
Leave the area through the massive door to the right. There is a small altar in the middle guarded by two horn warriors.
Defeat the enemies and collect 1x Revered Spirit Ash. This item is required to enhance your spells and spirit summons.
Go up and turn right near the entrance of another cave. Climb the stairs down and defeat some dogs in this area. You will notice another corpse holding a Golden Horn Tender.
This area has a massive Demi-Human enemy, which is extremely difficult to take down. Kill this enemy to collect 5x Sacred Bloody Flesh.
Go back and kill the remaining Demi-Human enemies and Scarlet Rot dogs in the area. Drop all the way down to find another lift. This lift will take you to some more Scorched enemies. Kill the one with the pot to collect 1x Revered Spirit Ash.
Go back through the elevator and kill the flying Mosquito-Scorpion enemies. Collect 1x Somber Smithing Stone 1 from a corpse.
Go inside a closed structure and collect the Aspect of the Crucible: Bloom incantation from near a giant Miranda Flower.
Turn back and hug the wall until you come across another lift. Use it to cross to and drop down to the other side. Keep to the left ledge and collect 3x Knot Resin from a corpse near a ledge.
Climb a couple of stairs to reach a cave with Scarlet Rot.
Path to Romina, Saint of the Bud
This cave is full of Scarlet Rot and Kindred of Rot enemies. We recommend that you follow our guide on how to survive the deadly Scarlet Rot in Elden Ring.
The best way to survive this location is by using spells while on horseback. Use a fully upgraded Academy Glintstone Staff with the Great Glintstone Shard spell.
This will allow you to avoid Scarlet Rot and kill enemies really fast.
Follow the path to the right to collect 2x Dappled White Cured Meat from the end of the tunnel.
Turn back and go left to enter a hall. This area has 6 Kindred of Rot enemies that are impossible to kill if you aggro them all.
Kite the enemies one by one from far and kill them with spells. Once all the enemies are dead, collect 3x Immunizing Cured Meat, 4x Fly Mold, and 8x Smithing Stone 2 from the center of the room.
Go outside and turn back to locate Greater Potentate’s Cookbook 9 from another corpse. Turn back and run across the chasm in a straight line. There is an invisible bridge here leading to the tower in front.
Interact with the item on the chair to collect the Stone-Sheathed Sword in Elden Ring. Go back and enter the great hall. Leave it, and this time take the path to the left from the entrance of the cave.
Use the elevator to go up and kill the Kindred of Rot enemy. Leave this area towards a pool with a small structure in the center.
Go around the building towards the left to collect the Divine Bird Feathers incantation. Go back and climb the ledge to reach the top. You will notice a spiritspring seal at the corner. Break it with your sword to unlock the Spiritspring Jump.
Drop down on the Spiritspring with the help of Torrent and jump once more to reach the other side. Instead of going up the stairs, drop down to the right and jump on the pillars.
Circle on the pillars to find 2x Beast Horn. Climb the stairs all the way to the top and open the treasure chest to collect Mottled Necklace +2 in Elden Ring.
Go back to the area where you unlocked the Spiritspring. Hug the right wall and go up until you enter the cave with Scarlet Rot. Go to the left side and kill the Kindred of Rot enemies.
Collect the Pest Thread Spears incantation from a corpse near the wall. Go back and climb the stairs, and you will be invaded by the Hornsent.
Defeat this NPC invader to obtain the following items.
- Falx
- Caterpillar Mask
- Braided Cord Robe
- Braided Arm Wraps
- Soiled Lioncloth
Turn left and rest at the Church of the Bud site of grace before the next big fight.
Beat Romina, Saint of the Bud Boss
The next step is to fight and defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud. She is a very difficult boss who uses Scarlet Rot as her main elemental attack. Her main weapon, Poleblade of the Blade, inflicts passive Scarlet Rot on the players.
This boss has two phases. During the first phase, Romina mostly uses her scorpion and centipede hybrid body to physically attack players. Her attacks can be learned easily in this phase and are easy to dodge.
She occasionally uses her weapon and swings it to deal massive damage. The worst attack of the first phase is the Thrust attack, which has an impossible range across the arena.
Once her HP is reduced to half, she sprouts wings and starts the next phase. In this phase, she uses Scarlet Butterflies that explode, dealing both physical and Scarlet Rot damage.
She also starts moving frantically and does a slam roll attack, which is almost impossible to dodge. This phase has a lot of explosion attacks that mostly render the whole arena immovable.
Make sure to keep your distance and attack her from a distance to avoid getting afflicted by Scarlet Rot. Once Romina is killed, she drops the Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud, which can be exchanged with Enia at the Roundtable Hold for boss weapons.
Rest at the Church of the Bud site of grace before going out the door to find the Sealing Tree. If you have already obtained Messmer’s Kindling by defeating Messmer, the Impaler, you can now burn the tree to enter Enir-Ilim.
This marks the end of a long and arduous journey through the Ancient Ruins of Rauh in Elden Ring.
