Elden Ring boss guide: How to beat Margit the Fell Omen

In most of FromSoftware's games, the first major boss you fight isn't much of a challenge and is generally meant to serve as a teaching tool for the basics of Dark Souls-style combat. This is not the case in Elden Ring, the developer's latest fantasy RPG. The first major boss you encounter in the game is Margit the Fell Omen, and unlike the Asylum Demons and Iudex Gundyrs of yesteryear, he will prove to be a big challenge for new players and Soulslike veterans alike.

Like any FromSoftware boss, however, you can take Margit down with enough practice, patience, and knowledge of his attack patterns. Here are some tips, tricks, and strategies that will help you defeat Margit the Fell Omen in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring Margit the Fell Omen general tips

These general tips will help you prepare for the fight and plan how you're going to take Margit down.

• It's possible to fall off the sides of the boss arena and die, so try and stay in the center of Margit's arena as much as possible. Note that while you can fall to your death, Margit cannot, so don't try and get him to do so.
• Margit uses several Holy elemental attacks that can still do damage to you even if you're blocking with a shield. For that reason, it's recommended to either not use a blocking shield and to wield your weapon two-handed for maximum damage.
• Using Spirit Ash Summons in this battle is effective, as they'll distract Margit and give you several opportunities to attack him safely.
• You can also summon the NPC Sorcerer Rogier for this battle, who distracts Margit and attacks him with various magic spells. You can find his summon sign on the floor just before the boss fight. Summoning Rogier will scale Margit's health up, but he's still worth taking along.
• Margit can be staggered if you hit him with heavy melee attacks, especially if you hold the heavy attack button down to charge them first. While he's staggered, you can then hit him from behind or in front to land critical damage. This is easier to accomplish with Strength-focused weapons like the Battle Axe.
• Many of Margit's attacks can be parried with a parry shield like the Buckler. This is an alternative way to stagger him and leave him open to a critical riposte.
• Margit is vulnerable to Bleed, which is a status you can build up by hitting him with weapons like the Spiked Club. Bleed will instantly take out a chunk of Margit's health each time you successfully manage to build it up.
• Patches, the NPC vendor in the Murkwater Cave dungeon in Limgrave, sells an item called Margit's Shackle that allows you to immobilize him during Phase 1 of the fight. Using this item is highly recommended, as it gives you a couple of free opportunities to either heal up or deal damage safely.

Elden Ring Margit the Fell Omen Phase 1

The first phase of Margit's boss fight is easier than the second, though it's not easy by any means. Here's everything you need to know about it, and how you can complete it without much trouble.

• Margit is a very aggressive boss, so don't get greedy with attacks. You won't be able to land more than two or three hits between Margit's attacks, so don't mash the attack button. Be patient and always make sure you've got a decent amount of stamina for dodging.
• In this phase, most of Margit's attacks are slow and delayed. Don't try and dodge on reaction, as you'll likely get hit by Margit's delayed swings. Wait until you see him commit his attack, then dodge.
• Whenever Margit jumps away from you, get ready to dodge incoming daggers. Margit will almost always throw a dagger or two your way after leaping away before closing the distance again. These don't do significant damage, but if you get hit several times, you'll be forced to heal.
• Throw projectiles at Margit when he jumps away. Once you've avoided his daggers, you can throw projectiles of your own at him to deal some valuable chip damage. Kukri and Throwing Daggers are both excellent for this. Magic characters can also take this opportunity to pelt him with spells.
• Parrying Margit's simple slashing attacks is viable, as since they're slow, timing the parry isn't too hard. Doing this two times will stagger him and allow you to land a critical hit.
• If you need to heal, get close to Margit. While it seems counterintuitive, it's better to be closer to Margit when healing because he'd likely interrupt your healing attempts with a thrown dagger from a distance. Dodge one of his melee attack combos and then heal immediately before he begins another one.

Once you get Margit to about 60% health, he will pull out an elemental Holy greathammer and Phase 2 of the battle will begin.

Elden Ring Margit the Fell Omen Phase 2

Margit gains the ability to wield two new weapons in Phase 2 — a sword and a greathammer, both of which deal Holy elemental damage. He also begins using several new attack combos instead of the ones from Phase 1. Here are some strategies for getting through Phase 2.

• In this phase, attacks with the sword are fast, while attacks with the hammer are slow and delayed. Dodge on reaction whenever you see Margit pull out his sword, and wait to time your dodge whenever he uses his hammer.
• Be ready to dodge daggers more frequently. Margit throws daggers at you more often and more aggressively in Phase 2, so pay close attention to him whenever you're not in melee range.
• When Margit performs a combo with both his cane and one of his other weapons, wait until the last possible second before you dodge the first attack. Margit always follows up his initial cane attack with a quick strike from his other weapon, which will hit you if you dodge the first attack a little early. Wait as long as you can to dodge so that you end up rolling through the second attack as well.
• If you roll through Margit's attack combos and land behind him, you can get two to three hits every time. Be ready to dodge Margit's tail swipe attack after this.
• Attack after avoiding Margit's hammer ground slam. Margit won't attack again for a few seconds after using this attack, giving you ample time to hit him several times. Remember not to get too greedy, though.
• You can also score a free hit every time Margit charges up a big attack with his hammer, as the wind up is very long. If you're not already close to him when he begins this attack, though, you're better off playing it safe and just focusing on dodging.

As long as you dodge Margit's attacks relatively well and hit him once or twice after every attack he does, you should be able to finish Margit off without a huge amount of trouble. He's tough, but once you learn his attack patterns and are consistently able to take advantage of windows of opportunity for damage, you'll come out on top.

Elden Ring is finally here, and it's available for $60 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC. It's one of the best Xbox games you can play right now if you're a fan of challenging RPGs, and we strongly recommend it.