Elden Ring: Lake Of Rot Complete Walkthrough (2024)

Lake of Rot is part of a secret underground river system, hidden beneath the Lands Between in Elden Ring. Walking through the Scarlet Rot lake means imminent death and the bosses and enemies don't help, either. It can be frustrating trying to figure out where to go when the very ground you have to walk on kills you.

This guide will explain how to survive the Scarlet Rot and get out of the lakes to proceed to the next area's boss. The last portion of the article will showcase all worthy loot and enemies in this area. Lake of Rot is related to Ranni The Witch's sidequest and can be accessed through the underground Ainsel River, which you can be teleported to via a portal atop Renna's Rise or by using the Ainsel River Well elevator in East Liurnia of The Lakes.

Updated June 16, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: Figuring out how to get to the Lake of Rot is almost as difficult as surviving the painful red goo. We've added more information about the loot you can get in the Lake of Rot, with further location details and item information to help you survive. Use these tips to traverse the Lake of Rot before entering the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

How To Survive Walking Through The Lake Of Rot

In Lake of Rot, you have to run through a sea of Scarlet Rot to get to your final destination. This means the status effect Scarlet Rot will build up quickly and start chopping away at your health before you even reach the finish line.

There are multiple ways to combat this so that you're not constantly dying.

One of the best ways is to just allocate every flask to HP instead of FP, and constantly chug health potions as you run through the lake.

You can also grind for precious materials to craft multiple Preserving Boluses. These are consumables that cure the Scarlet Rot status effect.

You will need a lot of resources to consistently consume as you progress through the lake.

You can either spam HP flasks or spam Preserving Boluses (or both).

Where To Find Ingredients For Preserving Boluses:

How To Leave The Lake Of Rot

You can run through Lake of Rot to the end, but it would be much easier if you activated the stone pathways available.

There are multiple platform buttons, noticeable by the pillars above them, that will activate pathways for you.

1. The first platform is easy to find. From the Site of Grace, head down to the shoreline and take a right. You'll see a pillar in the near distance. Step on the pressure plate to activate a stone walkway.
2. Walk down the walkway and to your right will be the second platform and pressure plate. From here, you can run to the other platforms and make your way to the third pillar with a pressure plate, as shown in the photos above.
3. From platform four, you should be able to see platforms four and five from a distance. South-West is platform four and across to the East is platform five. Run to platform four. From here, you can see a large entryway. This will lead you to the next Site of Grace, Grand Cloister. There is also a small church-like building far West. Inside is a treasure chest with the Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook (22).

Regarding boss fights and the platforms, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• When activating the pressure plate on platform four, the platform will rise, elevating you to a boss arena above the lake. If you die, you can't use platform four anymore. Along the South wall where the platform was, you can find a natural ramp upwards to reach the boss again.
• Platform five is next to the Lake of Rot boss fight, which is optional. This pressure plate makes it so fighting the boss without Scarlet Rot is viable, by creating platforms around the boss.

How To Exit The Grand Cloister And Find The Next Boss

From the Grand Cloister Site of Grace, you'll need to parkour your way down to the first floor of the Grand Cloister.

This area is just as difficult, only due to the enemies. There is a small river of Scarlet Rot that can easily be avoided here.

However, the real problem is the Kindred of Rot enemies that one to two hit you with a special attack if you let them. To get down to the ground floor from the Site of Grace, follow the photo series above.

After reaching the bottom, you may want to wait until the patrolling Kindred of Rot are out of eyesight, so you can sneak your way out of the Grand Cloister.

The enemies that seem to be praying at the end will not aggro onto you unless you attack them or get too close. So the patrolling enemies are the ones you have to worry about.

You can easily walk down the aisle of the Grand Cloister and make a swift left, where there will be a waterfall and empty coffins.

To reach the final boss of this area, you must enter the lonely coffin at the end of the river. To keep retrying this boss, you'll want to sneak and make a run for the coffin instead of worrying about the enemies.

What Loot Can You Get In The Lake Of Rot?

Follow the paths to find these excellent weapons and other rewards in the Lake of Rot.

What Bosses Are In The Lake Of Rot?