Elden Ring , as a typical representative of souls-likes, gives the player complete freedom of movement. Of course, you cannot go to some areas according to the plot, or because of too strong opponents, but in already open locations you can go anywhere.
Some areas on the map seem large, but in reality you can complete them in an hour or two. For example, the Ansel River, which we will talk about in this article. Let’s look at how to get to the location, what key points there are and how to complete it.
Description
The Ansel River is an underground location that is somewhat reminiscent of the Siofra River. It occupies a fairly large area, but consists of a tunnel system with several large caves. In fact, exploring the location is quite simple, as the tunnels narrow down the possible options for finding items.
The Ansel River is connected to most of Rennie’s quest series, so you can get to the location according to the story. In addition, this way you can open Noxtella and the Lake of Rot.
How to get there
Through teleport
To unlock the Ansel River Mainstream area, you’ll need to follow Rennie the Sorceress’ quest line. Give her the Fingerslayer Blade and you’ll gain access to the teleporter in Rennie’s Tower. To find the key item, you’ll need to find a chest in the Sacred Land of Night in Nokron, the Eternal City. This one is also story-only, so don’t jump in too early.
Once the teleporter is open, you can immediately move to the main part of the Ansel River and gain access to the Pool of Rot. The second option is to lie down in the sarcophagus, which can be found on the waterfall in Deeproot Nether. This is an option for those who are too lazy to delve into Rennie’s line, but want to open the map as quickly as possible.
Via the lift
Another classic way to enter the location is a special lift in Lake Liurnia. It is also known as the Ansel River Spring, and is similar to the one you use to descend to the River Siofra. But we should note right away that this method only gives you access to a limited part of the location and you won’t be able to reach the northern part of the river or the Lake of Rot.
So, where can I find the lift? We’ve already indicated that it’s in Lake Liurnia. You need the Eastern Plateau or Oath Temple grace spots (they’re the easiest to get to). The lift itself will be located on a cliff to the east. Next to it, you’ll see the first grace spot in the location.
Walkthrough of the location
Depths of the river source
When you find yourself in the location, go left. There is a dead end on the right, so don’t pay any attention to this path. There are quite a few large ants in the location, but you can ignore them by simply running away.
Follow the tunnel until you reach a crossroad. Don’t forget to collect the False Grace from the corpse and switch to the right side, as the left side leads to a dead end. Move forward and you will reach the second crossroad. You can go anywhere here without fear.
Descending the western slope, you will find yourself in a room with the bodies of fallen warriors. Here you can pick up a Silver Firefly and a couple of Golden Runes. In another passage, you will find a Ghost Lily of the Valley and arrows, and you can also find a Forge Stone.
Go further and jump onto the platform, moving along the rocks. Eventually, you will come to an ant nest. You can ignore it, but for the battle with the ant queen, you will receive the Rune of the Golden-Eyed and the Runic Arc.
Ruins of the Ul Palace
First of all, don’t jump off the cliff, don’t make a mistake. Instead, go to the right and look for a path there to go around. Moving along it, you will find a place of grace.
We need to cross the stone bridge by the waterfall. Near it you will find another Forge Stone, several Golden Runes and a Ghostly Lily of the Valley. And going down a little lower, you will find a body from which you can take Heavenly Dew.
From here, you just need to go forward until another elevator appears. It will take you to a large cave with ruins. There are many faceless mobs here, the best tactic for fighting them is a 1:1 battle. They are quite aggressive, so do not let yourself be surrounded.
Moving on, you will encounter a mini-boss, Spawn of Stars. It is best to hit him with magic damage, then the battle will be simple and quick. After defeating him, activate another place of grace, and go along the Ansel Riverbed. You will come across another cave, in which there will be a Protective Horn Amulet.
Boss fight
The main boss of this stage is Noxtella’s Dragon Soldier. You can find him if you go up the slope to the southwest, then turn right at the fork. This will automatically trigger the battle.
The boss itself is not difficult, but it has wide attacks that can cause problems for players at lower levels. In the first phase, it mainly uses hand attacks and slaps, and can also quickly run at the player. The dash move can be recognized by the characteristic roar in front of it, so watch out for it and dodge.
In the second phase, the boss will start using ice lightning and will also strengthen his attacks with it. The dash here is double, so it will be more difficult to dodge.
You can defeat the boss with the help of rolls and attacks from behind. Noxtella’s dragon soldier is large, so his attacks cannot be parried, but he is clumsy. And lovers of bug-using can try to stand at the enemy’s left leg and pick at him that way. If you are lucky, this will work as a blind spot and damage will not pass through you.
As a reward for winning, you will receive an Ice Coffin Spear, and the chest will contain a Large Spectral Lily of the Valley. After this, you will also be able to open a new place of grace.
Main stream
You can only get to this and other areas of the location by completing Rennie’s quest. Teleport through Rennie’s tower or the sarcophagus in Deeproot Nether, and you will find yourself in the northeastern part of the river. Find the place of grace and don’t forget to grab Little Rennie’s Kula from the open coffin.
After that, at the place of grace, you will be able to talk to Rennie. She will ask you to defeat the Sinister Shadow. After the conversation, go along the path by the river and head to the ruins. You can run through the fights so as not to waste time on them. Go to the fork: the passage to the left leads you to the hermit merchant, near whom you can find a map of the location.
But we go to the right, because we need to get to Noxtella. Move along the right side and use the doorway. Eventually you will come out to the Eternal City,
Noxtella, the Eternal City
If you want to explore the location completely, go up the stairs. For speedrunners and those who want to quickly close Rennie’s timeline, there is another way – to the right along the river. We will skip a detailed walkthrough of the location.
If you go to the right, the path will eventually lead you to a lift, near which you will find a place of grace. Activate it and move on.
Waterfall Pool
Go forward along the tunnel and you will see an open space. The Ominous Shadow will be waiting for you. This is not the most difficult mini-boss, and it is also quite slow. The only downside is that it can heal itself for half of its health bar at once, so don’t be surprised.
After defeating the boss, go forward into the mission and take the lift down. You will find yourself near the Lake of Rot.
Lake of Rot
Take the area map from the body on the shore and go to the other side. The lake will constantly damage you with red rot, so you will need Warding Pills.
First, go to the right to the pillar. Each of these pillars has buttons that raise platforms on which you can move without taking damage. Once you are on the other side, look for a waterfall. There will be a large staircase near it, along which you can get to the next place of grace.
The Great Cloister
Drop down to the very bottom using the ledges and you will see a large building ahead. Pick up the Scorpion Sting dagger and move left along the river. Climb into the open coffin and you will find yourself in the southernmost part of the region.
Go north and you will reach the boss. Astel, the Voidborn is not the most difficult enemy. He is slow and rarely attacks, so you can dodge his attacks without any problems. After defeating him, you can activate the place of grace. If you have the Darkmoon Ring, then there will be a passage ahead to the elevator that leads to the Altar of Moonlight. If you do not have the ring, then the location will be limited by a fog wall.
And if you’ve read this far, then congratulations: you’re great and you’ve managed to complete the entire location!