Best Caves in Elden Ring

The Lands Between in Elden Ring offers plenty of detours in case players don't want to delve into those brutal Legacy Dungeons yet. Caves, while short and dank, hold plenty of interesting enemies, items, and even shortcuts for the players. There are many of them scattered all throughout the Lands Between, but a few stand out for their unique mechanics and special function in the game world.

Some of them bridge separate and seemingly unrelated areas, while others are staging spots for some rather memorable side quests. In any case, caves, along with the catacombs and ruins, make up the bulk of Elden Ring's exploration opportunities, and it's easy to get overwhelmed by their numbers.

Updated August 7, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Elden Ring's staunch stance against anything resembling player guidance remains the key ingredient in the winning recipe that is FromSoftware's open-world exploration. Having players find things out on their own instead of guiding them with markers, quest objectives, and journal entries is what makes ER unique, and that remains true in the Shadow of the Erdtree. While the Land of Shadow might not be as expansive as the base game map, it has more than enough content for players to sink dozens of hours into and still be thirsting for more.

17 Limgrave Tunnels (Limgrave Region)

Early Cave With Useful Loot

Limgrave Tunnels is one of the earliest accessible caves in the Lands Between, located to the north after approaching the Agheel’s Lake surface. Limgrave Tunnel has a roundabout road with many hidden walls that require players' intuition.

The cave has a ton of lootable smithing stones, which makes it the earliest and best accessible cave by far. The only thing to be on guard for is the field boss of the cave itself. The boss has tough physical resistance and has the form of a stone giant.

16 Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel (Liurnia Of The Lakes)

Specialist Cave For Smithing Materials

Raya Lucaria Tunnel is carefully hidden by the woods in the Liurnia of the Lake. The tunnel has an elevated space downwards consisting of narrow paths. Raya Lucaria Tunnel has many enemies compared to other caves; spending healing items conservatively and players’ wits are required to reach the end of the tunnel.

The cave has a very rewarding loot known as Smithing-Stone Miner's Bell Bearing [2], an item that allows materials to upgrade weapons to +12, making it a must-visit.

15 Tombsward Cave (Weeping Peninsula)

Dangerous Pool Of Death

Somewhere on the Weeping Peninsula, just south of the Weeping Evergaol to the western part of the landmass, is a poisonous pool of death called Tombsward Cave. The place might look repulsive to a lot of players because of the poison enemies, but it's actually a genius way to showcase Elden Ring's poison mechanics.

More than that, it forces players to think on their toes when dealing with these enemies. The rewards of the cave itself aren't too incredible, but the experience and the fulfillment of overcoming this curveball in Elden Ring can be just as rewarding as finishing a boss fight, albeit an easy one.

14 Highroad Cave (Limgrave)

Challenging To Navigate But Rewarding

The Highroad Cave is located in Stormhill, just north of Limgrave near the big bridge. As for why players will want to check this place out, it's one of the good thematic caves in Elden Ring where players will want torches or a lantern. This cave is dimly lit, and that adds to the challenge of traversal.

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The enemies are all mostly animals, making the cave look more natural than others. Of course, there's also the question of the reward. That would be the Smithing Stones and the Blue Dancer Charm, which is important for some lightweight builds. Overall, it is a good place to visit if only for collecting all the talismans.

13 Sage's Cave (Altus Plateau)

A Place For Great Equips

The Sage's Cave is tucked away to the west of the Wyndham Ruins, under the cliffs, and is a good spot for those looking to test their brains. The cave rewards curiosity and lateral thinking, as is evident by the numerous detours, hidden paths, and illusory walls.

Players will have to leave no stone unturned if they want to get everything they can out of this rewarding cave. As it is, it offers tons of great rewards, ranging from build-defining armor to a Stonesword Key. The enemies can be annoying, but none of them can pose too much of a challenge for anyone who has already reached the Altus Plateau.

12 Dragonbarrow Cave (Caelid)

Place For Great Talismans

Players can find the Dragonbarrow Cave in the Dragonbarrow region of Caelid along the cliff face near the Minor Erdtree. It has an entrance that almost makes it look like a dungeon, but it's still a cave. The site has one of the more rewarding talismans in the game: the Bull-Goat's Talisman.

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This talisman increases the wearer's poise, which is important for certain builds. Apart from that, there's also a Flamedrake Talisman +2 to be found. The area isn't really special apart from those two rewards. The boss is also just a duo copy-paste of the regular Crumbling Farum Azula enemies, but unlocking its location can be rewarding, too.

11 Murkwater Cave (Limgrave)

Infamous Home For A Certain NPC

Murkwater Cave is located along the northward river that spills into Agheel Lake. It's the spot where Bloody Finger Nerijus invades the players, so even before entering, something eventful has already happened near this location. Inside the cave, however, is a one-of-a-kind boss fight where the boss gives up and surrenders as he's nearly defeated.

Turns out it was just Patches (NPC) cowering behind a great shield. He's a staple scoundrel of the Dark Souls games who somehow wiggled his way into Elden Ring. Nevertheless, this is a welcome face for FromSoftware veterans. It's like meeting an old scummy friend who owed someone money and nonchalantly decided not to pay.

10 Coastal Cave (Limgrave)

A Secretive Cave With Amazing Depths

Coastal Cave is an area hinted at by two characters. It's a quest area where players can advance Boc the Seamster's journey to becoming a royal seamster for the players. The whole place is teeming with mangy Demi-Humans, and the final boss is of questionable quality, but the amazing part about this place is that it's not a dead end.

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After the boss fight, players will be pleasantly surprised that the cave will continue on until they find an exit. The whole boss area is then revealed to be an underwater tunnel that connects to the island housing the Dragon Communion Church. It sets a precedent of how caves or catacombs in Elden Ring can hide secrets, thus incentivizing player exploration.

9 Academy Crystal Cave (Liurnia Of The Lake)

Entrance To A Wonderful Sight

Moving on to Liurnia of the Lakes, there's also another cave there that holds an additional reward after players defeat the area boss. The two Crystalians are not exactly fun or fair to fight, but once players have defeated them, they can unlock an elevator that goes up to the rooftops of Raya Lucaria Academy. It's a lovely sight, and there are even more rewards in the chest nearby.

Granted, the whole place is not friendly to magic-based classes since the enemies have high magic resistance. But that's to be expected. When one thinks about it, the whole cave's existence is also impressive considering how it's connected to a whole academy.

8 Lakeside Crystal Cave (Liurnia Of The Lake)

A Narratively Rewarding Cave

Lakeside Crystal Cave is much more than what meets the eye. It seems just like any other normal cave, except for the fact that it has a heavy story connected to it. It's most likely Gideon Ofnir's improvised prison where he keeps Latenna shackled until she hopefully reveals the location of the other half of the Haligtree Medallion.

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There's also the fact that Lakeside Crystal Cave also connects to an outer area, making it another cave that doesn't have a dead end, and it also contains an actual narrative reward. The only problem is that it's difficult to find since Gideon seems to purposely mislead players, saying it can be found west from a certain location, but it's actually closer to the southwest.