Quagg's Mire

Quagg's Mire - Elden Ring
Quagg's Mire is a location in Elden Ring.

''And the pagans made their sacrifices to the great bogs of the north, throwing in both the living and the dead into the muck hopes to calm the Swamp God Quagg's watery wrath. ''

- From the Wrath of Quagg's item description

Description
Quagg's Mire is one of the many poisonous swamp regions available to the player in Elden Ring. It is characterized by the blue/brown color of the mud,

Location
One of Elden Ring's many poisonous swamp areas, Quagg's Mire can be found just north beyond the Frozen Forest. There is no area boss for this area, but there are several hidden minibosses to be found.

Upon arriving at Quagg's Mire, the player will have the freedom to explore the area, but will require 'sacrifices' to progress further into the level. Sacrifices can be made by killing the various enemies in the area and dropping their corpses into the darker areas of the swamp (indicating locations where the player or enemies can fall in and drown/die), which will cause the water level to recede in some areas and allow for progression.

Upon initiating Patches the Punished's questline, Patches can be summoned at the Heretic's Camp at Quagg's Mire, and will guide the player to a previously unreachable spot on the map by picking the player up and carrying them on his wings. The location is on top of a very tall tree, and Patches will instruct the player to look at the branches. Once approaching the branches of the tree, a cutscene will play, in which Patches kicks the player off of the tree. The player then falls into and through the swampy depths, ending up in a secret area located in The Deepest Dark.

Lore
Quagg's Mire is said to have been a sacrificial ground for the worshipers of Quagg, who painted their skins green with dye produced from crushed chamomile leaves and bathed in the swamp mud as part of a worshiping ritual. They believed that the ancient Swamp God Quagg's rage could be sated through periodic sacrifices, and proceeded to drown people in the swamp as part of the ritual. Over the years, an internal conflict drove the pagan followers of Quagg apart. Now, only a few remain, hoping to capture unaware travelers and sacrifice them to the swamp.

Trivia
- "Quagmire ahead" is a common phrase that can be seen in multiple Souls games in the past; this is seen to be foreshadowing the release of Elden Ring and its many, many poison swamp areas.

- The Swamp God Quagg is never referenced in any other item descriptions, so he is thought to be a creation of the pagan cult's own twisted desires.

- Shrek from the popular animated series "Shrek" is said to be a follower of the pagan god Quagg, as he is seen to be living in a swamp and has green skin.