Elden Ring Abandoned Cave Guide: How to Beat the Cleanrot Knight duo

There are so many caves, catacombs and dungeons across Elden Ring that it's hard to know where to begin, and where they all end. That being said, you certainly shouldn't begin with the Abandoned Cave in Caelid.

This particular cave is tricky to find and get to, and it is also riddled with rivers of Scarlet Rot from start to finish. It's dark, treacherous, and simply not a good time. However, it has got some rather nice loot which is what swayed me to actually complete the dungeon rather than forget it exists altogether.

In this guide, we explain how to get to the Abandoned Cave in Elden Ring, how to grab all available loot, and how to beat the Cleanrot Knight dungeon bosses.

Abandoned Cave Items

• Aeonian Butterflies
• Dragonwound Grease
• Fire Grease
• Serpent Bow
• Venomous Fang
• Poisonbloom
• Miranda's Powder
• Golden Scarab

How to get through the Abandoned Cave

Actually making your way to the entrance of the Abandoned Cave is your first challenge.

First, start at the Smoldering Wall Site of Grace and navigate along the eastern cliff. Near to the caves location, shown on the map below, you'll find some tree branches that you'll need to platform your way across to reach the entrance to the Abandoned Cave. Yo should this platforming by foot, rather than atop Torrent, but be cautious of the nearby dino-dogs and Abductor.

Make sure you have plenty of Preserving Boluses to hand, and assign them to your pouch so you can access them easily. The Abandoned Cave's floors are full of Scarlet Rot, so you'll be using the boluses or your health flasks regularly.

Drop down to the ledge below and pick up the Aeonian Butterflies by the Abductor body. In the alcove to the right of the Abductor, you can also loot some Dragonwound Grease. Now, go along the tunnel that is to the left.

You'll soon need to drop down into a river of scarlet rot, with various explosions happening around you. First, clear out the mushroom mage to your right, then by the Abductor body ahead, you can loot the Serpent Bow.

Go along the passage to your right and you'll arrive at a small area with two rats. Clear them out and you'll be able to pick up the Fire Grease here.

Continue up ahead to another, larger room and be mindful of the Scarlet Rot flowers; there'll be one big one to clear, alongside some smaller ones. There will also be some mushroom mages to take on, too. You should prioritise these first as their attacks are more impactful and difficult to evade.

With them (and the toxic flowers) felled, you can pick up multiple Aeonian Butterflies, Poisonbloom, and Miranda's Powder.

From where the large toxic flower was and to the right, you'll see the remains of multiple Abductors stacked on top of each other. Climb up these, and you can loot the Venomous Fang.

Head straight back down, and go towards the passage directly ahead of you. You'll have to clamber up a small cliff first before taking the passage. Now, it's time for you to face off with the dungeon boss, two Cleanrot Knights.

How to beat the Cleanrot Knight duo of Abandoned Cave

During this boss fight, you're going to have to take on two Cleanrot Knights at a time. Before you traverse the yellow mist, it's worth noting that the knights are immune to Scarlet Rot, and relatively resistant to the likes of Bleed, Holy, Frost, and Poison damage. They are, however, weak to Fire damage.

Considering you're dealing with two knights at once, you'll want to find some trusty Spirit Ashes to summon for help. That is, unless, you're confident you can clear one knight out before the other spawns. Strong summons for this fight are the Mimic Tear and Black Knife Tiche, or if you simply want a summon to distract one enemy at a time, you can try something like the Wandering Noble Ashes or Skeletal Militiamen.

Additionally, there is even more Scarlet Rot across the boss room that you'll want to go about avoiding. If you walk into it, be sure to keep an eye on the HP bar and use those Preserving Boluses.

The first Cleanrot Knight will wield a spear, so take caution of their thrust attacks. You can dodge through these and then deal damage from behind. Meanwhile, the second Cleanrot Knight wields an axe, but seems to be a bigger fan of utilising their weapon skill, which can get rather annoying if you've two knights on your tail. The most notable move from the second knight features the Ash of War: Sacred Ring of Light.

This move allows the knight to fire a spinning ring of light from their weapon, and these projectiles can be sent out in rather quick succession. They can also be rather precarious to dodge as the ring of light will follow you if you dodge prematurely.

With this being said, you really want to prioritise getting the first knight felled as quickly as possible, then you can focus on the second knight and dodging their relentless attacks.

Additionally, most of the Cleanrot Knights' attacks can be blocked or parried. So, if all else fails, equip a strong shield, block away, and strike with charged attacks when you get the chance.

When you finally fell the Cleanrot Knights, they'll drop the Golden Scarab talisman which can increase how many Runes you acquire across The Lands Between.

If you're trying to stock up on Runes so you can level up, check out our guide to Rune farming. Alternatively, we've got our Elden Ring walkthrough to help!