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How to find the Ainsel River Merchant in Elden Ring

Struggling with the Ainsel River Merchant? We can help.

Updated: Feb 27, 2022 9:07 am
How to find the Ainsel River Merchant in Elden Ring

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While it can be a bit tough to keep track of all the Nomadic Merchants in Elden Ring, they’re not usually too much of a struggle to find. However, those that dwell in the underground rivers are a different beast entirely. If you’re looking for some of the rarest items in the game, then you’ll need to get into these deep underground areas and seek out these elusive merchants. This guide will teach you how to find the Ainsel River merchant in Elden Ring.

How to get to Ainsel River

Ainsel River Merchant Break in Cliffs

To actually get to Ainsel River, you’re going to have to be well-prepared. The underground area is chock-full of dangerous ant monsters who spit blood at you that can knock off a ton of health. To actually get in there, you need to start at the Academy Gate Town point of grace and head straight northeast. You should see a break in the cliff ahead of you. Head right between the two cliffs and hand left. You’ll ride past several enemies who you can safely ignore until you see a stone giant in the distance.

He’s standing guard over a room that leads you into the Ainsel River Well Depths, but with the door closed, it’s a bit tough to ignore him. You shouldn’t have too much trouble taking him out unless you’re severely under-leveled for this trip. Just focus on attacking his legs and dodge quickly backward whenever he starts swinging his stick around. Another option is to get him to run around to the other side of the building, then run back around to the door and open it. Travel down the lift and activate the point of grace to get started on the real journey.

How to get to the Solitary Merchant

As with his twin, the Siofra River Merchant, this is the fun part. Ahead of you from the point of grace, you’ll see several giant ants clinging to the wall above a cave. These guys are seriously deadly and come in pretty large groups. The best strategy here is to just ignore them completely. Walk towards the ants and as soon as they start dropping, run. Follow the tunnel forward, always taking the right path when it comes to a turn, but watch out for tiny divets that aren’t really turns. We’ve provided a map with a guide to which way to go in case you get stuck.

Ainsel River Marchent Tough Path Map

When you come out in a big chamber at the end (not the one with the bodies) you should see a rise to your right leading up to a bridge. Run up there and ignore everything else for now. Cross the bridge and activate the point of glory to ensure your safety. Now you can go back out and open up the doors nearby, and jump on the lift to start the next part of the journey.

Dealing with the Giant Magic Bug

Now comes the fun part. At the bottom of the lift, ignore the big obvious door ahead of you. Instead, head to the right of the door, running past the claymen, and jump over the rocks to find a little hole in the wall with water running through it. Follow it all the way through but don’t exit the other end yet. In this room, there is a giant bug thing that will keep blasting you until you leave, or it’s dead. Get a good look at the area ahead of you, and make sure you can see the fallen pillar before you run in.

AInsel River Merchant Fallen Pillar

Sprint forward onto the fallen pillar ahead and make sure that the nearby standing tower is between you and the enemy to avoid taking lethal damage. You can outrun some, but not all, of the projectiles. Once the enemy is finished assaulting you, start running again. Run up onto the ledge at the top of the pillar, and onto the cave wall perch. Move about halfway up this ledge, as this is another safe space from those magic attacks. Wait for another safe moment, then run straight forward and off the ledge.

Don’t immediately attack the bug, instead run into the room on your right, and hide behind the wall. From here, you can either run out and melee him while he charges his attack, then duck back in again, or use ranged attacks in much the same way. Once he goes down, this thing doesn’t come back, making visiting the merchant much, much easier. After you’re done, drop down from the ledge on the right side, then enter the room underneath the one you were just hiding in before to find the merchant you’ve been seeking.

What does the Ainsel River merchant in Elden Ring sell?

Ainsel River Merchant Ledge

As with the other underground merchant, this one sells some insanely useful items, especially if you’ve been a sinful player. They’re carrying the Celestial Dew which can be used at the Church of Vows to perform the right of absolution, which stops NPCs from being aggressive with you if you attacked them at some point. Obviously, there are also some decent cookbooks here, and the prisoner set if you started out as another class but love the aesthetic.

Item NameAmountCost
Gravity Stone Fan20200
Gravity Stone Chunk10300
Lost Ashes of War13000
Celestial Dew17500
Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [16]12500
Perfumer’s Cookbook [4]13000
Prisoner Iron Mask11000
Prisoner Clothing11500
Prisoner Trousers11000

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