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Gaol Cave is one of the more confusing dungeons ofElden Ringwith its twisting corridors and strange initial setup. However, it’s also home to some unique items that could be perfect for your new DEX build, so how are you supposed to get through this cave and get the loot within?
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While it may seem confusing at first, the layout of Gaol Cave is actually quite straightforward, and navigating this mess of cells and hallways will make much more sense once you’ve made it to the end. The dungeon revolves around the idea of a single lever that controls tons of side doors, and once clicked, you’ll have much more access to loot, shortcuts, and the secret boss of the cave. Here’s how you can find Gaol Cave in the first place, make your way to the lever, and find the hidden boss.
Finding Gaol Gave
Gaol Cave is located in West Caelid at the back of a large red lakejust above Fort Gael.The entrance to the cave is set at the bottom of a tall cliff,so you’ll have to approach from the south to catch sight of it from a distance.
The cave mouth itself is blocked by an Imp Statue, and to break the seal,you’ll have to sacrifice two Stonesword Keys.However, you’re able to loot one Stonesword Key inside of Gaol Cave, so opening this dungeon effectively only costs one key in total.
Getting To The Lever
When you enter the first proper room of Gaol Cave beyond the site of grace, the first thing you’ll notice is all the shut jail cells. These litter the entire cave, and most of the loot to be found is locked behind these iron bars. To open these cages,you’ll need to pull a lever located at the furthest room of the dungeon.Thankfully, the path there is relatively straightforward.
In the second room after the site of grace, there will be an open door on your right.Follow the dark tunnel beyond the door until the floor falls out from under you.Don’t worry; the drop isn’t too far, and there are no enemies waiting at the bottom. Head out of this cell and proceed through the opening on your left.
In this room, you’ll catch your first glimpse of the lever sitting on a platform above the solid iron door. Continue through the wide opening at the end of the room until you reach a small cliff with a Stake of Matrika on it. This marks the first set of difficult enemies in the cave.Waiting in ambush at the bottom of this cliff are two Vulgar Militiamen,which you might be familiar with if you’vespent time grinding levels in Dragonbarrow. They’ll swing at you with long saws and throw smoke to cloud your vision. One is just beneath the cliff, and the other is off to your right by the cell door.
Once you’ve dealt with the would-be ambushers,follow the path to the left of the cliff until you reach a wide room.At the left end of this room, there is a door with two militiamen standing guard; we’ll come back to that. Instead, head off to the right.
This passageway will lead to a tunnel full of rats. On the left side, there is a giant rat guarding a bit of loot, but the way forward is off to the right. Toward this right side, you’ll see a few rats at the bottom of a pile of rocks. Dealing with these rats is easy, butbe careful when you walk up the rocks.There are a few mines at the top that spray poison gas.
Just beyond these mines,the cave walls turn to a stone brick room guarded by two more Vulgar Militiamen.They’ll rush you as soon as you step through the doorway, so be prepared. Once you’ve beaten both of them, you’re able to find the long-awaited lever at the top of the stairs.
You’ll only have to flick this lever once, and after you do, all the closed cages will open, letting you access the loot within, but alsoflooding the dungeon with burning Putrid Corpses.These shambling enemies will slowly approach before launching themselves forward and exploding. They’re easy enough to deal with in small numbers, but don’t let yourself get surrounded by them, or you might get sent back to the site of grace.
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Fighting The Hidden Boss
Once you pull the lever, it can be easy to assume you’ve completed Gaol Cave. After all, you’ve exhausted every room that seems to move forward. You’d be wrong in that assumption, however, becausethere is a boss in this dungeon, but it can be extremely tricky to find.
Backtrack to the wide room with two militiamen standing guard outside a gate.Beat the guards and head through that now-open gate. At first glance, this room seems uninspiring, containing only a handful of mediocre loot. However, there’s more here than meets the eye.
Head to the right side of the room, and break the wood pallet wedged into the wall.This will reveal a series of drops that lead to the boss of Gaol Cave: the Frenzied Duelist. This boss might prove to be a tricky fight as it can easily switch between both heavy-hitting delayed swings and lighting-fast jabs.
Once you beat him, you’ll be rewarded with Putrid Corpse Ashes, anda passageway will open up at the back of the cave.The tunnel leads out to a ledge overlooking a beach where you’re able to find the Regalia of Eochaid, which is one of thebest arcane scaling weaponsin the game and comes with a great rare skill, Eochaid’s Dancing Blade.
