Elden Ring almost immediately tries to target you with Margit. From the moment you step outside the tutorial cave, some guy will call you a virgin (rudely) and tell you to be in Stormvale Castle. Sounds like a good party. With a little fighting and a lot of running around the Torrent, you should be able to reach the castle gate without much resistance. Light peas, lemon juice. But after going through the main corridor to the castle, you will encounter the first main obstacle in the game – Margate. And you will probably be beaten.
I was lucky enough to leave Margate alone for a few hours before reaching him.
Although it was still difficult, it was doable. But for others, it proved to be a hindrance. You’re probably thinking, “The game told me to be here, why is there so much resistance?” But Elden Ring is about exploration. You really shouldn’t fight Margit immediately, unless you’re a speedrunner. Instead, you must complete other adventures first. So here are the seven bosses you need to defeat before you get to Margit the Fell Omen.
Beastman Farum Azula
Beastman is the first boss outside of the tutorial that you will face. If you missed it, it’s easy to find, so don’t worry. Teleport to Elle’s church and head into the woods north of the building. Coming out of there, you will see some soldiers, and at the foot of the cliff – a cave. This is Groveside Cave. Down this path, you’ll find a few wolves that you need to deal with before reaching the boss room.
He is aggressive and fast, but if you pay attention to learning his attacks, this guy will only take you a few tries. If he jumps, roll under him and attack him from behind. He has a few barrage attacks that you need to learn, so stand back, keep your distance, and wait to see how they all work. If you’ve been familiar with FromSoftware games for a long time, you should also keep in mind that Elden Ring’s enemy timing might not be what you’re used to.
Gravekeeper Duelist
In the Darkwater Catacombs, you’ll find a Duelist Gravekeeper. Armed with two hammers on a chain, this strong man is not at all as intimidating as it seems at first glance. To be honest, you’re going to see some crap in Interterrane. You’ll witness body horror, bizarrely gross character models, and goosebump-filled dialogue. The duelist, compared to him, is just some guy with two hammers.
If you fall for his attacks and keep an eye on his buff, you will quickly finish this guy off. Oh, and my advice with any catacombs is to go through this place. Honestly, just run and find the lever, you’ll be in much less pain, I promise.
Patches
Ah, our old friend Patch. This guy is not so much a boss as a funny NPC and an entertaining nuisance. If Elden Ring is your first FromSoftware adventure, then you may not know that Patches covers developer work in all sorts of forms. I won’t spoil where he appears in other games, but he’s always up for a little mischief. Elden Ring is different.
Descend into Murkwater Cave in the massive gorge that divides Limgrave in two. You will realize that it is close when you have an NPC invasion from which you will receive a very good dagger. In the cave, you will have to deal with the bandits, and this is the most difficult part of the whole dungeon. If you activate them and run back to the entrance, they won’t be able to jump and you can spam magic from afar or kill them one by one. Cheesy, but it works.
Once you deal with the bandits, you will find a large room with a chest. Open the chest and grab the items and patches will appear. He has a shield and spear but is easy to dodge and get behind for some hits. The best part about this fight is that you don’t actually need to finish him off. The bandit will ask for mercy as soon as you beat him well. You will then have the option to kill him permanently or let him go and remain “friends”. While he might give you a little trouble in the future, it’s worth keeping him around because he’s not half a bad trader when he’s not trying to kill you. He actually has an item called Margit’s Shackles, which becomes very useful in the upcoming difficult boss fight by stunning the Fell Omen.
Killer with black knife
Black Knife Assassin is another boss, “just a guy with a gun”. Travel to the Deathtouched Catacombs and you will find this elusive warrior. He’s cunning, making him hard to hit, but keep your aggression and you should be able to catch him with one or two hard hits. It helps that he’s already wounded when you enter combat. However, keep an eye on your stamina while attacking, as he can retaliate quickly, forcing you to dodge. He’s pretty easy to backstab if you can distract him with a challenge. Finish him off and you’ll be rewarded with the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger Talisman, which grants you the ability to regenerate health when landing critical hits on enemies.
Undertaker Eritrea
To the west of Elle Church, you should find your first guide statue. These stooped stone sculptures are scattered across the Intervening Lands and will literally point you in the right direction, or at least the direction where there is something of value. When interacting with them, they will direct you to the beginning of the catacombs or dungeons. In this case, he will point you to the Stormleg Catacombs, where a watchdog is hiding at the end.
Although Burial Watchdog is very close to the start of the game, he is a bit more difficult than Beastman, so you might want to go back to him. This sentient chess piece is far more bizarre in movement than most other bosses. Unnatural levitation and abrupt animatronic movements are really unnerving. Fair game for FromSoftware regarding this guy’s design. Learn to stay away from his rushing attacks and run away from his levitation moves to avoid devastating damage. Then be as aggressive as you can afford. As is the case with many bosses, insolence will lead to your downfall if you’re not careful.
Tibia Mariner
If you’ve played Bloodborne, this fight might remind you of the witch from Hemwick. To be honest, I couldn’t stop giggling at the absurdity of the Tibia Mariner when I first met him. It’s a skeleton in an ancient speedboat, what’s not to like? Head to Summonwater Village in northeast Limgrave. You will find him hanging out in the middle of a flooded settlement and a fight will begin. He is a skeleton in a very shallow pond, casting a few spells and summoning a few skeleton buddies. Fight him on Torrent-back and he won’t be too difficult.
There are some moves, like when the boat rises out of the water and drops sharply, which does quite a lot of damage, but these attacks can also kill the skeletons around it and give you a chance to get in and do some more damage. . He also teleports after being beaten, but he never gets too far. Luckily, Summonwater’s Tibia Mariner is a breeze. But don’t expect him to be this easy the next time you meet him.
Leonin the Illegitimate
While Stormvale is the first castle you encounter, it may not be the first one you should complete or even attempt. If you have all of these other bosses on the list, then you should be ready to take on Leonine the Misbegotten at Morne Castle.
Go south and find the Bridge of Sacrifice. Jump through it on the Torrent and find a blind lady sitting next to the road. She is the start of a quest chain in Morne Castle. Head south again and you won’t miss the castle, which is undergoing a violent revolution. Getting through the castle is a challenge in itself, but once you explore it thoroughly, you will find yourself at the back of the castle on the beach. A large, unmissable gate of golden mist will stand between you and Leonine the Misbegotten.
Not gonna lie, this guy can be a little cool if you’re not ready for him. Initially, I tried to defeat this beast without the help of a summoning spirit bell, which was a mistake. He is the most aggressive of the bosses on this list and will haunt you no matter how hard you try to get away from him. Use the Spirit Call Bell to give yourself a break to heal or refill your FP. You can also block most of his physical damage with a shield, but I would recommend learning his moves and rolls to avoid being staggered.
Upon victory, you will receive a large sword with a grafted blade, which is very similar to the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. This is a sword made from swords. However, it requires a hefty Strength of 40 to use effectively, so it may take a while before you can put it to good use.
With seven bosses defeated, tons of runes, tons of new items, and one castle behind you, Margit shouldn’t be much of a problem. And if he’s still bothering you, don’t forget to spend a few runes in the Patch shop, and don’t forget to bring along an NPC ally and one of your Ash summons.
