Okay, you’ve been playing Elden Ring long enough now that it’s time to fight your first real boss. You likely already defeated many of the game’s bosses in dungeons, caves and even out in the open world.

But Margit, the Fell Omen is a different story. He's your first big test of skill. Taking him down also lets you access Stormveil Castle, the game’s first (and one of the best) Legacy Dungeons.

These are basically the intricate, intertwining Soulsborne levels of old; where you can’t use your horse, and you must employ platforming and combat skills to get through them.

Do you need to fight Margit, the Fell Omen in Elden Ring?

Although Margit is going to be your first major obstacle, you don’t actually have to fight him as soon as you reach him. You can continue exploring the game’s world, getting stronger, finding new items, and upgrading your weapon to put yourself in a better position against him.

You can also skirt Stormveil Castle entirely and reach the region that lies beyond it to the north: Liurnia. It goes without saying that the longer you delay, the stronger you’re likely to become, and the easier the Margit fight is going to be.

That said, the reward for defeating him is one that’s going to be universally useful, so don’t dally too long.

When should you fight Margit, the Fell Omen in Elden Ring?

Depending on how long it took you to reach Margit, you may arrive in an underpowered state and constantly die in one or two hits. While you can always boost your character attributes by levelling up, the thing that really matters here is your weapon upgrade level.

We recommend attempting this fight with a +3/+4 weapon level or higher. For your general character level, aim for 23-25.

How to make Margit, the Fell Omen boss fight easier in Elden Ring

Before we get into actual, honest-to-god boss fight tactics, there are a couple of points you should keep in mind. First, you can - and should - rely on the help of Spirit Ashes.

If you haven’t already, grab The Spirit Calling Bell and summon any one you have to aid you in the fight. Even if they do pitiful damage, they can still keep the boss occupied while you either deal damage, or back off to heal.

We recommend the Spirit Jellyfish which can be earned after exhausting all dialogue of the NPC at the Stormhill Shack, north-west of the first Site of Grace. The Spirit Jellyfish has weak melee attacks, but it’s decent at applying poison damage – and Margit is weak to poison. Failing that, see if you could bring a weapon that deals bleed damage.

Where to find Margit’s Shackle

There’s a secret item that lets you practically nullify the first phase of Margit’s boss fight. It’s called Margit’s Shackle, and it works similarly to The Music Box in Bloodborne, though it’s a bit easier to acquire.

Margit’s Shackle is an item sold only at one particular merchant, who can be found inside the Murkwater Cave, up the river north of Agheel Lake (where the dragon hangs out).

To get there (check our map above), start at the Church of Elleh Site of Grace and start heading east. Drop down to the river level and continue east past the dragon. On your left, you should spot a small inlet headed north, enter it. Keep going and you’ll see the entrance to the Murkwater Cave in the side of the mountain on your left.

Be warned, however, because there’s a forced NPC invasion in this area, so be prepared to fight them off before entering the cave. Inside, you’ll face a few smaller enemies until you reach a boss room on the right. Without spoiling too much, start the fight but do not kill the boss – they will surrender and turn into a vendor, who has what you need.

Margit’s Shackle is priced a whopping 5,000 Runes. It can only be used in the first phase, and no more than twice in the fight. You can slot it into your quick item belt or pouch. Once activated, it will incapacitate him for about three seconds each time, giving you a chance to land a hit or two risk-free.

How to beat Margit, the Fell Omen in Elden Ring

Margit boss fight phase one

The first phase of Margit, the Fell Omen’s boss fight is, as expected, the easiest of the two. Assuming you don’t have the Shackle, you need to roll late to avoid his attacks. Set your shield aside and two-hand your weapon, because Margit’s attacks are far-reaching and will overpower whatever shield you have at that point.

Dodging to your right will avoid most of his attacks, so long as you only do it just before they hit. Margit will hold his pre-attack windup to throw you off, so don’t roll early, otherwise you’ll eat the hit. If you must create some distance, run away and don’t deplete your stamina dodging backwards, because it won’t be enough to escape his reach.

You should always be working on chipping away at his super armour, which is mainly broken by jumping heavy attacks, and charged heavy attacks.

To prevent him from regenerating his super armour, throw a few darts at him, or bring a bow if you’re feeling confident. You don’t actually see boss super armour in Elden Ring, but it’s there, always a factor in the background. When it breaks, you’ll hear a big boom, and you’ll have a few seconds to perform a critical hit (either from the front or back).

Super armour can be broken again multiple times in the same fight, so long as you don’t back away for too long to let it recharge.

If you can bait him to perform his jump attack, it will give you a second or so to hit him after he lands – just be careful to dodge the slam so you don’t get caught in its aoe damage.

Margit boss fight phase two

Phase two is also very reliant on dodging. In this phase, Margit adds a hammer to his arsenal, which he won’t hesitate to use in a wide swipe attack on the ground, and in another, more damaging slam after he jumps.

The hammer is made of holy light, so you’ll have to watch out for when he summons it. He also gets a holy sword that he uses for a poking you, and in a long four-hit combo that can be hard to dodge if you’re not anticipating it.

You can dodge into him rather than outward. Doing so is more risky, but sets up nicely for a quick attack. Some of his phase one attacks will pop up every now and then, so dodge to your right to avoid them.

If you found this helpful, you probably should give our massive Elden Ring guide a look.