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Locationmajor

Cave of the Forlorn

Cave of the Forlorn is a small optional dungeon in Elden Ring’s Consecrated Snowfield, within the Mountaintops of the Giants.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The cave is in the Consecrated Snowfield, not the ordinary Mountaintops area, although the world map places both under the broader Mountaintops of the Giants region.
  • You need access to the Consecrated Snowfield through the Haligtree Secret Medallion route at the Grand Lift of Rold.
  • The entrance is sealed by an imp barrier requiring two Stonesword Keys A Giant Land Octopus normally stands directly outside it.
  • The cave contains a Site of Grace and a Summoning Pool, but no NPC, merchant, quest giver or shop.
  • The lower section is reached by jumping down a series of ledges from the upper cave. It contains Spirit Jellyfish, crafting materials and the route to the boss.
  • The Misbegotten Crusader drops the Golden Order Greatsword and approximately 93,000 runes.

About this guide

Base game location guide. Spoilers: This guide discusses the dungeon’s enemies, its boss, the Golden Order Greatsword, and nearby Consecrated Snowfield landmarks.

Overview

The Cave of the Forlorn is an optional late-game cave dungeon in the Consecrated Snowfield, the hidden western half of the Mountaintops of the Giants. It lies beside the frozen river in the eastern Snowfield, close to the field boss Great Wyrm Theodorix and the Minor Erdtree. The cave itself is separate from the surrounding frozen river, the Theodorix encounter and the nearby giant land octopuses, although those hazards influence how safely you can reach its entrance.

Inside, the dungeon combines a relatively straightforward upper cavern with a lower, jellyfish-filled passage separated by a sheet of ice. Its main reward is exceptionally important for completionists: defeating the Misbegotten Crusader awards the Golden Order Greatsword, one of the game’s Legendary Armaments.

Location boundaries and nearby areas

The Cave of the Forlorn is an enclosed dungeon entrance on the north bank of the frozen river in the eastern Consecrated Snowfield. The cave should not be treated as synonymous with the entire surrounding ravine. Several nearby locations are connected geographically but are not part of the dungeon:

Named locations within the guide’s scope

The wider Consecrated Snowfield also contains Ordina, Liturgical Town, the Apostate Derelict, Yelough Anix Tunnel, the Cave of the Forlorn and the route towards Miquella’s Haligtree. Those places are not subareas of the cave and are excluded from its dungeon directory.

Named locations within the guide’s scope

Access and recommended route

Reaching the Consecrated Snowfield

The Cave of the Forlorn is inaccessible during the ordinary early-game route. To reach it, you must obtain the two halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion and use the hidden option at the Grand Lift of Rold. The left and right halves are found in different parts of the Lands Between, after which the lift can take you to the Consecrated Snowfield rather than the ordinary Mountaintops route.

Reaching the cave entrance

The most practical approach is from Inner Consecrated Snowfield. Travel east along the frozen ravine. The cave entrance is close to the river and can be difficult to identify because a large Giant Land Octopus may be positioned directly in front of it. The octopus does not need to be killed to use the entrance, but clearing it makes the approach safer and gives you more room to recover if you die inside and return.

The entrance is blocked by an imp statue. Use two Stonesword Keys to dispel the fog wall. There is no alternative entrance or quest-based opening.

Practical preparation

The dungeon is balanced for characters who have already reached the Snowfield. Consider bringing:

The cave does not impose a special frostbite gimmick inside, but its icy geometry makes movement awkward and creates visual separation between the upper and lower levels.

Dungeon geography and subareas

The Cave of the Forlorn has no separately named internal wings. For navigation, it is best understood as four practical sections.

1. Entrance ledge and Site of Grace

The entrance opens onto an elevated shelf near a dragon corpse. Activate the Cave of the Forlorn Site of Grace immediately. The Summoning Pool is also nearby.

The upper entrance chamber contains the first consumables and the initial Misbegotten encounter. It is the safest place in the dungeon to pause, organise your inventory and decide whether to clear the upper route before descending.

2. Upper Misbegotten chambers

The main upper route leads through icy rooms occupied by several kinds of Misbegotten. Some are sleeping or positioned around corners, while others can attack from raised ground. One side room contains Misbegotten and Giant Rats together, making it more dangerous than its size suggests.

The upper route contains a useful cluster of early loot, including Freezing Grease, a Golden Rune and later Spiritflame Arrows and a Rune Arc. Do not rush straight towards the exit from the first chamber, because several items sit in side rooms or on ledges.

3. Ice-separated lower passage

The cave’s distinctive feature is the lower level visible through the ice. You cannot simply walk down from the entrance. Instead, find the side route in the western part of the upper section, climb onto the rocks and use the ledges to descend.

The lower passage is occupied mainly by Spirit Jellyfish. They are less individually threatening than the Misbegotten, but they are placed close together and can surround you if you drop into the wrong area. This section contains Crystal Darts, Thawfrost Boluses and Miquella’s Lilies.

4. Final ledges and boss descent

The lower passage eventually reaches a further group of jellyfish and a hole. Drop carefully down the platforms rather than jumping directly into the darkness. The final ledges contain more Freezing Grease before the fog gate to the Misbegotten Crusader.

Complete item directory

The following items are associated with the cave itself. Exact corpse positions can be easy to miss because several are placed on ice shelves or require short jumps.

Fixed loot

The dungeon’s item lists are consistently recorded as including the Golden Order Greatsword, the runes, Freezing Grease, Nascent Butterfly, Spiritflame Arrow, Crystal Dart, Thawfrost Boluses and Miquella’s Lily. Some walkthroughs give the quantities and route order in greater detail, including multiple groups of Freezing Grease, several Crystal Darts, several Spiritflame Arrows and multiple Miquella’s Lilies.

Approximate route order for collection

The exact grouping of some minor consumables varies between walkthrough presentations, so players aiming for absolute inventory verification should compare the cave against an item map rather than relying only on the order above.

Fixed loot

Approximate route order for collection

  1. 01
    Activate the Site of Grace and take the Golden Rune [7] near the entrance.
  2. 02
    Search the early ice chamber for Freezing Grease.
  3. 03
    Explore the upper side room containing Misbegotten and rats.
  4. 04
    Continue through the upper chambers for Spiritflame Arrows and a Rune Arc.
  5. 05
    Check the ice structures and raised ledges for the Golden Rune [10].
  6. 06
    Use the rocky side route to descend towards the lower passage.
  7. 07
    Collect Thawfrost Boluses, Crystal Darts and Miquella’s Lilies among the Spirit Jellyfish.
  8. 08
    Cross the final jellyfish section and carefully descend through the hole.
  9. 09
    Collect the remaining Freezing Grease before entering the boss arena.
  10. 10
    Defeat the Misbegotten Crusader for the Golden Order Greatsword.

Enemies and boss

Ordinary enemies

Misbegotten are the cave’s main humanoid threat. They appear with different weapons and attack patterns, including axe-wielding and winged variants. Their ambushes are more dangerous when combined with the confined rooms and uneven ice surfaces.

Giant Rats are concentrated in at least one upper side room. They are individually weak compared with the Misbegotten, but they can interrupt attacks and healing while the larger enemies close in.

Spirit Jellyfish occupy the lower passage. Their placement creates the main crowd-control challenge of the descent. Pull them back one at a time when possible instead of dropping into the centre of a group.

Boss: Misbegotten Crusader

The Misbegotten Crusader waits at the bottom of the cave. It is a stronger Misbegotten with a large greatsword and holy-themed attacks. Its most distinctive move is associated with Establish Order, producing a close-range area attack and a forward projectile or shockwave.

The arena is relatively small, which is the fight’s main environmental danger. Avoid being backed into a wall or corner, and do not spend the whole fight circling at maximum distance if that causes the boss to control the centre of the room.

General strategy

The boss awards approximately 93,000 runes and the Golden Order Greatsword.

General strategy

  1. 01
    Enter with your flask charges and healing supply intact.
  2. 02
    Stay near enough to punish the end of its sword combinations, but avoid trading blows.
  3. 03
    When the boss begins glowing or prepares Establish Order, create distance immediately.
  4. 04
    Use a ranged summon or ranged attacks if your build struggles in the confined arena.
  5. 05
    Melee summons can work, but they may be destroyed quickly by the area attack.
  6. 06
    Jump attacks, guard counters and stance-damaging Ashes of War are useful against this humanoid boss.
  7. 07
    After victory, collect the Golden Order Greatsword and the rune reward.

Walkthrough

Lower route

After the boss, the simplest exit is usually to fast travel from the Site of Grace once the game permits it. This avoids repeating the entrance approach and dealing with the field enemy outside.

Upper route

  1. 01
    Enter the cave and activate the Cave of the Forlorn Site of Grace.
  2. 02
    Touch the nearby Summoning Pool if you want access to cooperative or spirit-related multiplayer functions.
  3. 03
    Collect the Golden Rune [7] near the dragon corpse and entrance area.
  4. 04
    Move into the first ice chamber cautiously. A Misbegotten may be positioned close to the route.
  5. 05
    Search the side rooms before going deeper. One room contains Misbegotten and Giant Rats, so draw enemies out rather than fighting all of them in the centre.
  6. 06
    Continue through the upper chambers and collect the Spiritflame Arrows and Rune Arc.
  7. 07
    Search around the large ice structures and raised edges for the Golden Rune [10] and Hero’s Rune [2]. Some loot requires a running jump or careful positioning on the ice.
  8. 08
    Return towards the western side of the upper section and look for the rock route leading down.

Lower route

  1. 01
    Climb onto the rocks and jump across to the ledges. The lower passage is visible through the ice, but the game does not provide a conventional staircase.
  2. 02
    Descend one ledge at a time. Avoid committing to a drop until you can see the next landing.
  3. 03
    Pull Spirit Jellyfish away from groups and collect the first Thawfrost Boluses, Crystal Darts and Miquella’s Lilies.
  4. 04
    Continue towards the far end of the lower passage, collecting the remaining items.
  5. 05
    At the final jellyfish group, retreat if necessary and separate the enemies.
  6. 06
    Drop through the hole using the platforms rather than taking a blind leap.
  7. 07
    Collect the final Freezing Grease and enter the fog gate.
  8. 08
    Defeat the Misbegotten Crusader to receive the Golden Order Greatsword and the rune reward.

Checkpoints and services

There are no merchants, smithing tables, crafting vendors, NPC quest givers, purchasable properties or law-enforcement-style factions inside the cave. The Misbegotten and Spirit Jellyfish are hostile dungeon residents, not members of a named faction with dialogue or a local quest structure.

The cave’s functional facilities are limited

NameDetails
Cave of the Forlorn Site of GraceRest, refill flasks, change Ashes of War and fast travel.
Summoning PoolEnables the dungeon’s multiplayer summoning point.
Boss fog gateMarks the entrance to the Misbegotten Crusader arena.

Lore and thematic significance

The cave’s strongest lore connection is the Golden Order Greatsword. Its item description connects the weapon to the Golden Order and to Radagon, while the boss’s possession of it presents an unusual image: a Misbegotten wielding a weapon associated with the order that dominates the Lands Between. The game does not provide a direct dialogue explanation for why the Misbegotten Crusader has the sword, so any interpretation beyond the item description remains speculative.

The cave’s name, its isolated Snowfield position and its mixture of Misbegotten and spectral jellyfish reinforce themes found elsewhere in the game: abandoned or marginalised beings surviving outside the main order, and spirits lingering in places marked by death or exclusion. That is an interpretive reading rather than a confirmed in-game account.

Sources