What’s the best level to fight Margit in Elden Ring?

Elden Ring has plenty of difficult bosses, and the first one you’ll likely face is Margit the Fell Omen. Polygon’s guide for beating Margit includes tons of helpful combat tips, but our guide — and many other Elden Ring guides — lacks one key piece of information. How high are you expected to go to win Margit?

It is about level 25. You can play as a melee combatant or a patient player, but that all depends upon your style of play. The higher level you are, the more powerful you’ll be; if you play as a melee combatant and add points to Strength, for example, you’ll deal more damage and the fight will be over faster.

Margit can be fought almost instantly if you wish. Elden Ring’s massive, sprawling open world lets you explore just about anywhere right out of the gate. You can run straight to Margit while still wearing your very first armor set, facing off against him before you’ve scarcely leveled up at all.

That’s what I did. I did not love it, and I don’t recommend it.

Photo: FromSoftware via Polygon

I’m playing as a Hero class, so I started out with an ax and shield. Melina, my friend, was there before Margit. I also got to ride my horse. On my way to Margit I passed most of the enemies, and I think I reached him before I had even doubled my level. I didn’t have the Spirit Calling Bell or any summons. Heck, I didn’t even have a Crafting Kit, let alone a Remedy to summon an NPC to help me.

But I do have a lot of playing experience. Dark SoulsIt takes patience, and a lot. I spent my time watching Margit’s attack patterns, rolling and back-stepping, and going in for the hit only when his back was turned. The problem was, every time I managed to hit Margit, I’d deal barely any damage at all. It was like throwing pieces of straw at a tough camel. I knew it would be tough to get its back.

Like I said, I’m patient — but I could also tell I wasn’t supposed to be there, and the game would only get harder from here. The thought that it was my responsibility to get better at the game made me give up. I didn’t think it would take me long. But then I asked other people how long they’d waited before fighting Margit, and I was shocked to learn that many of my friends and colleagues didn’t beat him until they’d explored Way More of this game.

I decided to go exploring. I beat Evergaols and cleared all the Weeping Peninsula. My Battle Axe reached +5 level and Roderika, my pet jellyfish was at +1 level. I made it all the way to level 30, before hitting Margit. To make it even more difficult, I summoned NPC Rogier to help me face Margit once again. It was good to feel strong. There is enough However, I am stronger than what was necessary.

It made me wonder: Elden RingPlayers with a completely different style of play, loadout, and character class. Which level would they suggest for Margit defeat? My coworkers were asked to share their stories about beating Margit. Although our characters and weapons loadouts differ, all of us agreed it was important to reach level 20 to make full use of summons.

Image via Polygon: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

“I was a melee-skewed Confessor, level 26-ish, weapon at a +8. Without regrets I summoned Rogier, Aurelia and the Jellyfish. The battle was a fierce one. Rogier, Aurelia and I were playing aggressively for the first half. They both die not long after the second phase pretty consistently, so I would switch to rolling through damage, staying close enough to tap him with my sword after long attack strings, and occasionally distancing myself to heal and pick at him with magic.”

— Jenna Stoeber

“I beat Margit pretty early on, probably about level 20-25. I’m playing as the Samurai and have the starting loadout with my sword up to either +2 oder +3. It was my second attempt that I won it.
1.) 1.) I used the wolves summons as well as the ally summon right before fighting.
2.) Austen Goslin was a colleague of mine and he viewed Discord with me, giving tips.
I just let Margit wail on the summons while I opportunistically did damage until he died.”

— Pete Volk

“I beat Margit at level 26 with a Bandit build, dual-wielding the Demi-Human Queen’s Staff in the left hand and the Reduvia Blood Dagger (both were acquired by defeating separate enemies). Based on the attack pattern or FP left, I switch between my staff and dagger with my left hand. My points go into Dexterity, Arcane, Intelligence and Vigor. Mind is my next category.
Margit was defeated by me using Lone Wolf Ashes as a distraction. I alternated between blitzing and Glintstone pebble magic, dodging, and following Margit’s attack pattern until he pauses. This allowed for a few more hits and increased blood loss. This helped him to fall about three-fourths the way. After running out of FP, I switched to dual blades and did a mix of kiting, dodging, and slashing for the final fourth — which was more challenging (and more fun, to be honest).
I tried 15 times. On my first tries, I wasn’t really using magic, and I was level 21. After dying 10ish times, I rune-farmed five levels (adding 3 to Intelligence, 2 to Mind), and it was much easier.”

— Nicole Clark