Venturing to the scarlet rot-infested lands of Caelid, located east of Limgrave, is no easy feat for new Elden Ring players. It’s tough to reach at low levels, and even if you do somehow find yourself there by mistake, you’ll definitely struggle to defeat Caelid’s large assortment of horrific monsters and bosses--and that’s if you don’t succumb to the unsightly scarlet rot disease that’s stricken the land and turned the sky bright red.
Caelid is an optional zone, meaning that you don’t need to explore it or defeat Starscourge Radahn at Redmane Castle if you don’t want to, though you do need to beat at least two shardbearers to progress to the end of Elden Ring. It’s best to fully explore Caelid after completing the Academy of Raya Lucaria and defeating Rennala.
Arriving in Caelid
Entering Caelid means you have to deal with scarlet rot-infested enemies, which drain your health over time.
Caelid is located directly east of Limgrave, but it’s reasonably cordoned off from the main path if you’ve been steadily heading north through the Stormveil Castle region toward Godrick the Grafted. Even though it’s nearby where you began Elden Ring, don’t feel like you absolutely need to clear your way through Caelid before you’re ready.
