Lake of Rot is one of the nastiest secret areas in Elden Ring covered in Scarlet Rot. Getting across this area means you have to wade through the Scarlet Rot and hope you survive the journey.
If you are still interested in going there, this guide will tell you complete details about how you can get to the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring and how to survive it efficiently. As this area is full of unique loot and a part of important questline for an alternate ending, it is inevitable that you will visit it at least once in your journey through the Lands between.
How to reach the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring
To get to the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring, you can start from the Ainsel River Main site of Grace. You have to continue to head south from the Site of Grace there, and you will reach the Uhl Palace Ruins.
Remember that the recommended level to start this location is level 80 to 100.
Enter the doorway between two huge statues there and continue to head downstream through the cave. Just out of the cave, you will see a doorway that will take you to the Nokstella, Eternal City.
There, head west again, and you will reach the water again. Continue to move forward until you reach the lift on the left side, which has two big statues next to its doorway.
Once you get to the bottom, head straight through the cave right in front of the lift door. When you leave the cave, move forward in the southwest direction, and you will find an entrance at the corner next to a cliff.
Move forward through the hallway, and you will reach a lift at the end. Use that lift to head further to the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring.
Lake of Rot Walkthrough
When you leave the lift you will see red treacherous water that will inflict scarlet rot on you if you stay in this for a long time. There are no NPCs or Merchants in this area, but you can collect several collectibles here.
Our advice for getting through this area is to pack lots of Preserving Boluses with you to cure your rot buildup. You can also learn the Flame Cleanse Me Incantation to cure your rot.
You will encounter two bosses in this area. One of them will be Dragonkin Soldier, who is an optional boss. You will also fight Astel, Naturalborn of the Void here who will drop Remembrance of the Naturalborn upon defeat.
Apart from these bosses, you will also encounter 5 regular enemies here. The first one is the Alabaster Lord imprisoned within the Royal Grave Evergaol, who will give off a Meteorite sorcery spell when defeated.
In the Lake of Rot Shoreside Site of Grace, you will come across the Ancestral Follower,, another regular enemy. You can also choose to fight the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, an optional enemy in this region.
While traversing through the Lake of Rot, you need to watch for the Basilisks and Lesser Kindred of Rots that can pop up and attack you.
Lake of Rot Loot
You can also gather various items in the Lake of Rot, including
- Aeonian Butterfly
- Dewkissed Herba
- Faded Erdeaf Flower
- Golden Centipede
- Smoldering Butterfly
- Black-Key Bolt
- Golden Seed
- Smithing Stone (6)
- Smithing Stone (7)
- Somber Smithing Stone (6)
- Somber Smithing Stone (7)
- Somber Smithing Stone (8)
- Somber Smithing Stone (9).
Lake of Rot Map Fragment Location
The Lake of Rot map fragment is located just south of the Lake of Rot Shoreside Site of Grace in Elden Ring. You will first need to start Ranni’s questline to get complete access to the Ainsel River.
During your second trip to this area, you will need to take an elevator down to the lake. Make your way to the shoreline to find a corpse with the Lake of Rot map fragment in the Elden Ring.
