The Margit boss battle in Elden Ring is your first major test. The staff-wielding guardian of Stormveil Castle might not be a demigod, but he poses a substantial threat–much more so than during the closed network test, when FromSoftware blessed the Tarnished with high health and abilities. It’s a challenging fight, but patience and some careful preparation go a long way in making it more manageable.
What to know before fighting Margit The Fell Omen
Elden Ring leads you to Margit almost as soon as you step foot in The Lands Between, but you’re not meant to fight him right away. You’ll want to level up your primary stats–the ones corresponding with your weapon or magic of choice–and work on enhancing your weapon several times. Ideally, your dominant weapon should be +3 or higher before challenging Margit, so plan on plundering some Smithing Stones from the Limgrave Tunnels and visiting the blacksmith.
Spirit Summons, while not essential, are a helpful tool if only to keep Margit distracted while you close in for an attack. Jellyfish, which you obtain by speaking to Roderika at Stormhill Shack several times, and Wolf Pack, the default summon, are the best choices for this fight. Make sure to summon Sorcerer Rogier outside the fog barrier as well. He doesn’t do much, but he occupies Margit’s attention.
Make sure to grab the Flask of Wondrous Physik from the Third Church of Marika (north of the Waypoint Ruins) as well. This special flask lets you mix items to create draughts that boost certain parameters, such as increasing the damage of your strong attacks or giving you more endurance. Just make sure to take a swig before stepping through the fog barrier to begin the fight
You may also want to take a detour to Murkwater Cave and fight Patches. If you spare him, he’ll sell you Margit’s Shackle for 5,000 Runes. It’s a unique item that lets you freeze Margit in place for a few seconds, with a couple of caveats. It only functions during the first half of the battle–before he starts using the hammer–and you can only use it twice. Still, it’s handy for opening a window of opportunity to attack that you wouldn’t get otherwise.
Finally, know that you don’t have to fight Margit. Elden Ring lets you skip Stormveil Castle entirely, including the fight against Margit, and move on to Liurnia of the Lakes. If you get frustrated or just want to move ahead, there’s no harm in taking the secret route. You can always come back later to try again.
How to beat Margit in Elden Ring
As with any Souls or Bloodborne boss, you’ll need to learn Margit’s attack patterns and understand both when to move and when it’s safe to attack. That likely means dying a few times as you memorize them, but here’s a brief overview of what to expect as well.
The Margit fight has two phases. These are his attacks in the first phase:
- A three-hit combo with his staff. You can block these, though the third strike usually breaks your Poise and leaves you momentarily stunned. It’s much better to dodge or parry, if you trust your timing
- A strong strike with his staff. Margit raises his arm for roughly two seconds and brings the staff down hard. It’s easy to avoid, but takes practice to parry
- A combo where Margit’s staff strikes segue into a strike from his holy blade
- A leaping attack where Margit jumps into the air and slams his staff down
- If you’re out of Margit’s range, he’ll throw two glowing blades at you that deal Holy damage
Your opportunities for attack are brief, and they stay that way. This isn’t a fight you can win with only a defensive strategy, but unless you’re skilled at parrying, you also can’t rush in and unleash multiple attacks at once. The Margit fight requires patience, careful dodging, and short bursts of attacks between his moves before you retreat and start again.
The second begins when he has roughly half his health left, and it’s unmistakable when the phase begins because he pulls out a massive glowing hammer. He’s slightly more aggressive in this phase and seems to use the staff-and-sword combo more often. Otherwise, the primary differences are with the hammer.
- The strong staff strike is replaced with a hammer attack that affects a broad half-circle area
- The leaping strike uses the hammer and has greater range
It may take a while, but you’ll eventually persevere, obtain 9,000 Runes, and unlock Stormveil castle. If it gets too frustrating and you’re determined not to leave for Liurnia yet, you can always ask a friend for help.
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