ELDEN RING: TIPS AND TRICKS AGAINST MARGIT - HOW TO DEFEAT THE 1ST REAL BOSS EASIER

 The first boss of Elden Ring is quite a chunk. We explain in this guide how you can defeat him more easily.

As with most FromSoftware games, Elden Ring is a tough game and it often shows in the boss fights. Therefore, newcomers, in particular, can have problems at the start. That's why we're giving you a guide for the first boss fight here.

Basically, it's hard to say what the actual 1st boss in Elden Ring is. Because you can approach the game in a different order. But if you go chronologically, Margit, the Cruel Mark, should be considered the first boss of the Elden Ring.

What is this boss? He meets you in the first major legacy dungeon of Elden Ring, the Stormwing Castle.

• After getting through the main gate and fighting your way to the back of the castle, you will come across a bridge that leads over a chasm. Margit is waiting for you there.
• This is straight-up a difficult opponent. Margit is fast, tall, and uses powerful attacks that can cause you quite a bit of trouble.
• The boss is designed to test all the basic mechanics of the game on you. It is a real test, especially for newcomers.

But there are some useful tricks that you can use against him and make the fight so much easier. It's also easy to overlook. If you're sensitive to spoilers and revealing hidden things, you should skip straight to the combat tips.

Helpful items and ash spirits will help you in battle

Here's what you can do to make combat easier: There are several ways to prepare yourself for combat. Make sure you have enough potions for your health and FP.

If you don't play a class that has magic, you should first distribute your healing bottles at a rest point and only take those with you that regenerate life points.

Also, make sure to upgrade your weapon to +3 at the blacksmith in the church to increase your damage. But apart from such general tips, there are also two particularly useful tricks:

Margit's chain will help you in battle

What does this item do? You can tie up the boss with Margit's chain. If you use the item, you can fix it for a few seconds. Those are valuable windows of opportunity to damage him.

Those of you who played Bloodborne will surely remember the boss fight against Gascoigne. There was also such an item there to make the fight much easier.

How to find the item:

• Get the item "Margit's Necklace". For this, you have to find the Murky River Cave.
• This cave is almost due east as the crow flies from the boss, in the canyon. Enter it and turn right immediately. Be careful not to activate any traps.
• Keep going until you find a chest and open it. You will now be attacked by an NPC. Fight him and spare him when he reaches around 75% health. Leave the dungeon and come back, the NPC will now sell the chain for 5000 runes.

Summons ghosts and the NPC

Before the boss fight, you have the opportunity to summon the magician Rogier to support the fight. For this, you have to use crooked medicine in front of the boss area. The summon icon should now be lit on the ground there.

Additionally, you can summon Ash Spirits when in combat. These are spirits of enemies that you can now summon to support yourself. You need a summoning bell for this.

You can find them in the church, directly in the starting area, where you should have met the first trader.

You should have received your horse by this point and you should now find an NPC there:

From her you get the item to use the ashes of opponents to summon. You can find the first ashes of the wolf pack directly in the ruins in front of the gate, near which you also got your horse.

Boss Fight: Margit, the Cruel Mark

The actual fight takes place in two phases. In the first phase, Margit is still in "sleep mode" so to speak, and only attacks with a part of his attacks.

The second phase then becomes more difficult. That is why we are now giving tips for the respective phases:

Margit, the Cruel Mark - Stage 1

You have to pay attention to this in the first phase: Initially, Margit has few attacks, which makes him easier to calculate.

• If Margit launches his jump attack, roll under him and try to attack his back.
• There are also some lighter staff attacks that you should block or dodge.
• When he rears up for his devastating staff sweep, try to get behind him again and attack.
• Also, watch out for his dagger attack, which is difficult to predict. He's also pretty fast.

Most of his basic attacks can be parried with shields, but that takes good timing. It's worth it though, a critical attack does a lot of damage.

Don't try to keep your distance, because then Margit will throw daggers. If you have the chain with you, use it regularly as you get a window to attack each time. If you have any summons left, try to pick them up for phase 2.

It is also important: As soon as you see an opportunity to attack, use heavy attacks. Jump Heavy Attacks would be even better because if you hit enough, you can break through Margit's stance and land another critical hit.

If you have deducted 50% of his life points, phase 2 starts.

Margit, the Cruel Mark - Phase 2

You have to pay attention to this in the second phase: Now Margit becomes more aggressive and pulls out a hammer as another weapon.

• With this hammer, he now has a powerful area attack as soon as he jumps with the hammer. Avoid this one at all costs.
• Runaway or try to dodge at the right moment, which is a very high risk.
• If possible, summon your wolves, who can now provide a distraction while you heat up Margit.
• Otherwise, your tactics remain similar to phase 1. Dodge the attacks and roll behind Margit, then attack with heavy attacks.

You should charge them for as long as possible to increase the damage. This is very risky though, so be careful.