The Abandoned Cave in Caelid is a place with some great items that will prove very useful in your journey to claiming the Elden Ring. This article is a summary of the items that you must grab from there and some tips to help you traverse the cave itself. The final bosses of this cave are one of my favorite types, so I’ll also explain some lore about them (plus some tactics against them).
The location is a little tricky to get to. But with the map above, you’ll reach it with no trouble. Use Torrent to jump over to the cave’s entrance, because there’s no other way to reach it in conventional ways.
Golden Scarab Talisman and other important items
Before we discuss the items themselves, you must craft some Preserving Boluses. Craft about 20. They’ll come in handy at one point of the game if you don’t deplete the quantity at the cave. Put them in a quick item slot. Flame, Cleanse Me is also a useful incantation when traversing Rot/Poison infested areas.
The Scarlet Rot in this cave makes it very hard to traverse because your character cannot run on the muddy rot. There’s nothing else to do except try and alleviate the Rot’s effects by using the aforementioned incantation or Preserving Boluses. Do not dodge in the sluggish rot, because then the Tarnished will get the Rot all over his body and it will accumulate even after getting out. However, you can Backstep to get out of there faster.
The above talisman increases Rune acquisition by 20% when equipped. It also stacks with Gold-pickled Fowl Foot (increases Rune acquisition by 30%, making the total 50%). Use both of them at once when you farm Runes. Kill the bosses of the area to get the item as a reward.
After entering the cave, turn left. Reach the broken Abductor Virgin. Turn left again. You’ll see a pit where Scarlet Rot literally explodes. An item will be visible. Drop down when it’s safe and grab the Serpent Bow.
This bow may be worth your time if you’re doing a poison build. Be sure to buy Serpent Arrows from the Dragonbarrow’s Isolated Merchant. They cannot be crafted, unfortunately. It’s a good backup ranged weapon to keep. It would’ve been great if it was a Light bow, though.
After dropping down to grab the aforementioned bow, you’ll see a passage to your right. Run straight through until you reach a huge Poison Miranda flower. There’s a pile of broken Abductor Virgins there. You can’t miss it. You’ll see the item when you reach the top of the pile.
Cleanrot Knight Duo
One Cleanrot Knight uses spears and the other uses a sickle. Because there are two of them, they might get you quickly. Summon a formidable Spirit Ash to aid you in the fight. Their health will go down pretty quickly and you can stagger them with a heavy weapon. Dodging is the best form of defence here, as their attacks are somewhat predictable. A Spirit Ash like Banished Knight Oleg will make quick work of these two.
Lore
The Cleanrot Knights vowed to fight alongside Malenia, despite the inevitable, if gradual, putrefaction of their flesh. Their acceptance of their fate made these battles fiercest of all.
There’s some noteworthy Elden Ring lore here. These knights served Malenia not out of fear but out of love and respect. They accepted their fates as their bodies were slowly decaying away because of the Scarlet Rot. Another instance of the Cleanrot Knights’ faithfulness to Malenia can be seen when you find the legendary Spirit Ashes of Cleanrot Knight Finlay.
Finlay was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Aeonia, who in an unimaginable act of heroism carried the slumbering demigod Malenia all the way back to the Haligtree. She managed the feat alone, fending off all manner of foes along the way.
In the Battle of Aeonia, Malenia faced off against the brutish and formidable General Radahn. As you must’ve seen in the trailer or the introductory cutscene of the game, Radahn manages to destroy Malenia’s prosthetic hand. The Demi-goddess was smaller in comparison to Radahn and that’s why she had to unleash the Scarlet Rot in desperation. She managed to incapacitate the General, but she herself was debilitated. Cleanrot Knight Finlay carried Malenia from Caelid to the Haligtree, all by herself. As you must probably know, the distance from Caelid to the Haligtree is extremely long. The Knight and Malenia were one of the very few that survived the battle.
Radahn’s soldiers were also extremely faithful and respectful toward the general. While many players consider Radahn to be nobler than Malenia, the Cleanrot Knights’ love and respect for her proves that the Demi-goddess was in fact a noble leader herself.
