Elden Ring: Lake of Rot walkthrough

The Lake of Rot in Elden Ring is a hidden place in the underworld deep below Liurnia.

You'll need to venture to this area in Elden Ring as part of Ranni's quest. There's a specific way to safely cross it and a boss fight waiting for you at the Lake, so we highly advise making sure you're prepared with enough weapons and items before heading there.

This is rather large area to cover, so here's our Elden Ring Lake of Rot walkthrough.

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How to find the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring

You can reach the Lake of Rot after getting through Nokstella, the Eternal City. There, you have to find a lift that will take you down to the Site of Grace 'Nokstella Waterfall Basin'. At the bottom of that lift, defeat the Baleful Shadow as part of Ranni's quest, and go on to find another lift on the right. This will take you down to the Lake of Rot.

You will find the map for the Lake of Rot by a corpse just before the reddish water. This will help you navigate the area, but be warned: this water is incredibly dangerous and triggers Scarlet Rot when you touch it. We recommend having lots of Preserving Boluses to help remove the effect and keep yourself rot-free.

Likewise, having clothes with a high value in 'Immunity' (such as various robes) also provide better protection against the rot, but let's not kid ourselves: it still won't be an easy ride, even with all the protection in the world. Finally, watch out for basilisks that like to shoot out of the water.

Elden Ring Lake of Rot Five Switches explained

Looking across the lake, you will recognise some pillars in the distance, standing on small islands. Near them, there are floor switches that raise massive platforms out of the water and allow you to stand safely.

The first of these land masses is located south-west of your starting position. Run there quickly, climb up the platform and watch out for the basilisks.

Collect 1x Rot Grease from the corpse and continue in a south-westerly direction. Stand on the switch and more platforms will appear.

You will find the next pillar south-east of your position. On the way there, basilisks will annoy you on the small platform in front of it, so be careful. The item in the water is 1x Warming Stone. This switch moves a structure west out of the water.

Then orientate yourself to the east and after some running you will find the last switch to raise the platforms nearby.

Here are all five switches on the map, so you don't have to search for so long:

The symbol for spirit summoning will also appear at this point, which certainly does not bode well. And indeed, after the last platforms have been activated, a Dragonkin soldier rises in the centre of the lake.

How to beat the Lake of Rot Dragonkin Soldier in Elden Ring

This opponent is not new. We know him in an aggravated form as the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella from the Ainsel region at the end of the Uhl Palace Ruins.

In this fight, it's important that you don't let yourself get thrown off the platform. We don't need the rot harming our chances of victory here.

Otherwise, spirit summons are possible and definitely advisable. We don't have that much room to move and although the Dragonkin Soldier isn't a very tough opponent, the circumstances of your environment make the fight a lot more difficult.

Your reward for beating them is 58,000 runes and a Dragonscale Blade.

The corpse right next to the battle area also leaves 1x Golden Rune (10), the one a little further south 1x Lightningproof Dried Liver and the one to the east 1x Golden Rune (7).

Exploring the rest of the Lake of Rot in Elden Ring

You can now (more or less) explore the rest of the Lake of Rot and collect the items that are lying around everywhere.

Here is a map with the locations of the items, so you can see everything at a glance:

• 1x Somber Smithing Stone (8)
• 1x Aeonian butterfly
• 1x Somber Smithing Stone (7)
• 1x Golden Rune (9)
• 1x Somber Smithing Stone (8)
• 1x Mushroom crown (run up over the fallen pillar to the right of item #5 and drop onto the pillar in the area with several basilisks)
• 1x Somber Smithing Stone (6) by a scarab
• 1x Somber Smithing Stone (7)
• 1x Preserving Boluses
• 1x Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook (22)
• 10x Black-Key Bolts
• 1x Immunising Horn Charm +1

At the place where you find item #9, there is also a passage to the area behind it. Use this to continue to the Grand Cloister.

Before that though, you can travel upwards to the north-east of item #9 - at the southernmost of the five switches on the map above. On the structures you have raised from the lake, you will come across an Alabaster Lord. Defeat him, and he will drop the Alabaster Lord's Sword.

Explore the rest of the platform and you will find 1x Somber Smithing Stone (9).

That's everything you need to do in the Lake of Rot. Next, proceed to the Grand Cloister, where you'll come face to face with the fearsome (but optional) boss Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, which you'll need to defeat to end Ranni's quest.