The Fringefolk Hero’s Grave is literally the first genuine dungeon you will encounter in Elden Ring (no, the tutorial section doesn’t count). You walk right past its entrance at the very beginning, just before you enter into the world. The fact that it is initially locked away only serves to make it all the more tantalizing.The Fringefolk Hero’s Grave delivers on being a pretty interesting little dungeon. Here, the primary obstacle is not the type of enemies you will have to contend with, but the (nearly) invincible chariot that will stalk you throughout. Ultimately, successfully completing this dungeon will play out like a thrilling game of cat and mouse.
Fringefolk Hero's Grave Overview
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Fringefolk Hero's Grave Overview |
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Boss |
Ulcerated Tree Spirit |
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Enemies |
Spirits (sword, bow, halberd, and greatsword), Imp, Grafted Scion |
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Notable Loot |
Stonesword Key Dragon Communion Seal Erdtree Greatbow Erdtree's Favor Golden Seed Banished Knight Oleg Ashes. |
It is easy enough to get to The Fringefolk Hero’s Grave. Just teleport to the Stranded Graveyard site of grace. It will be one of the first sites of grace you unlocked. However, you will need two Stonesword Keys. The quickest ones to acquire are located in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins and the Stormhill Shack, both found on corpses. You can also buy one at the Table Of Lost Grace for 4,000 runes.
While you can pretty quickly get the keys needed to enter into this dungeon, it is not beginner-friendly. That being said, while certain enemies will almost certainly be too much for a low-leveled player to handle, almost none of the treasures contained within the Fringefolk Hero's Grave require killing anything (outside the rewards for killing the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, that is). As a result, it is viable to loot the dungeon and just run from everything (though that Erdtree Greatbow will be hard to get without killing the halberd-wielding spirit).
Dungeon Walkthrough
The very first obstacle you will encounter is a pool of poisonous water. While there is no way for you to avoid the murky water entirely, there is just enough time to run through it before you become poisoned. Just make sure you are sprinting from the first second your feet get wet. Also, there are a few obstacles bobbing in the water; make sure to weave around them.
Once you get back to dry ground, don’t charge forward or you will run headfirst into the dreaded chariot. This giant chariot is going to be your primary obstacle throughout your run through the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave: if you touch it, you die. The Fringefolk Hero’s Grave is composed of one giant, winding path that has alcoves throughout. You will use these alcoves to hide away from the aforementioned chariot. Some of these will also contain spirits that will fight you.
First Section
This first stretch has three sets of alcoves (six in total). The first two you encounter are safe. The second set will hold an archer to your left and is clear on your right. Finally, the last set of alcoves will contain a swordsman on your left and an archer on your right.
The spirits are just as vulnerable to the chariot as you are. Use this to your advantage and lure them into its path.
You could now theoretically continue down the hall and turn the corner, leading you into the next section. But that would make things more difficult for yourself. Instead, you should jump down from the final alcove on the right while the chariot passes you to go back up to the beginning of the pathway.
Second Section
In the second section, all the alcoves bar the last one on the left will be clear. You are mainly contending with the chariot here. That being said, there will be a single swordsman waiting for you in the third alcove on the left of this section.
If you jumped down into this section from the last alcove in the previous area, then you will have enough time to run straight down the primary stretch, crossing the bridge, and ducking into the alcove that follows it.
If you did round the corner, and the chariot is now on your butt, you won’t be able to get over the bridge without being crushed. However, you will have time to make it to the secret platform under the bridge. From there, you can hop down to another platform which will lead you to the third section of the dungeon.
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Hidden Area Under The Bridge |
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Under the bridge, there is a secret platform. Hug the wall leading to the bridge and drop down on the left side, you will land on a ledge. Here you will fight two imps. Up ahead, you will find one of those flame pillars and an alcove to the right. This is a trap! You can’t run to the alcove in time. Instead, you want to shoot the flame pillar from a distance to deactivate it. Be warned, there is a sneaky imp waiting to ambush you in the aforementioned alcove on the right.
In the room with the pillar, there is a hallway to the left and straight ahead. If you go to the left, there are two imps in the room. One is acting as a decoy and the other is waiting for you above the entrance. Once you take these two out, you can find some Lightning Grease in the back corner.
Back into the room with the pillar, go the other direction. You will see a bridge leading to an underground chapel. There is also a platform below the bridge that you can drop down to. However, first, you should cross the bridge. On the altar, there is the Erdtree's Favor amulet.
Unfortunately, getting close to it will trigger the drop of two extraordinarily tough opponents on your head. Remember the Grafted Scion from the beginning of the game? You will be confronted by two of them. It is totally acceptable to just grab the item and run (though one of them will block the other side of the bridge, so that may be a little tough).
Now, Drop down to the platform under the bridge (the end closest to where you entered the room). Drop down one more level, and you will be in a flooded room. From there, follow the stairway up to a lift. It will take you to a platform where you will get a Stonesword Key and fight a tough spirit wielding a halberd.
If you have a bow, this area will provide you with the opportunity to kill the chariot. There are three giant urns being suspended from the ceiling. If you shoot the rope holding one of these giant urns at the right time, they are able to drop on the chariot and destroy it. There are three bowls, so you have three chances. If you successfully kill the chariot, you will be rewarded with the Erdtree Greatbow. The chariot will also be permanently destroyed.
From there, jump down, and you will be back on the main path.
Third Section
Now, after clearing the second area, you have an opportunity to go to the left or to the right. The main path, that leads to the boss of the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave, is to the left. If you head to the right, the first alcove will be empty.
However, once you round the corner, both of the alcoves on the right and on the left contain a pair of swordsmen and archers. Once you dispatch these four apparitions, there will be no more regular spirits left to deal with here. This path ends with a tough fight against a greatsword-wielding spirit. This room contains the Dragon Communion Seal.
Back On The Main Path
The first alcove on the right contains a swordsman and an archer. Now, as you run down the path, four spirits will spawn in the middle of the road. If you did not kill the chariot in the hidden area, just duck into the alcove a little past them and let the chariot take them out. If you did kill the chariot, you can just run right past these guys, as the Fog Door for the boss is in the final alcove on the right.
Ulcerated Tree Boss Guide
This is a classic Dark Souls-style boss. The rule here is that you are going to need to be stuck to its butt. Never be in front of this creature, as it has a ton of attacks that are extremely damaging. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit is absolutely beatable early in the game, but only for the most masochistic players, as this thing has absurd range and, at an earlier stage in the game, will probably one-shot you with most of its big attacks.
When fighting the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, you should start the battle by sprinting to the right of it. Prepare to dodge, as it has a lunging attack which is as fast as its range is long (and it reaches you from the other end of the room). Get to the hip of the Ulcerated Tree Spirit and stay there. Every time it repositions your primary job is to get back to that hip. If you are in the vicinity of its front legs, you are still too far forward, as it will be able to stomp you and swipe at you. When you attack, do a jumping heavy slash. You want to jump toward its backside, as the Tree Spirit is constantly shifting.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit is extremely mobile, so you will need to keep tracking it down every time it skitters away. It likes to run to the opposing end of the room and then lunge right back at you. However, this attack is very telegraphed. Similarly, it has a few spinning attacks, but they are all able to be rolled predictably. If it starts breathing fire, sprint past it and get a bunch of heavy attacks in (this is your best opportunity for dealing damage).
Around halfway through the fight, it will start to glow. Get some distance, and make sure you aren’t standing on a glowing spot, as the Tree Spirit is about to erupt in flames. This is a tough fight where death will come very quickly. However, as long as you make sure to stay close to its backside at all times, you will be able to fell this foul tree. You will be rewarded with a very nice Golden Seed to upgrade your flask with as well as the ashes of the Banished Knight Oleg.
Boss Tips
- Always be locked on. This boss is too mobile to not be locked on at all times.
- Always be behind it. If you are in front of the Ulcerated Tree Spirit your number one priority should be getting behind it as quickly as possible.
- You can summon spirits and heal when you stagger the Ulcerated Tree Spirit (while still getting your critical blow in). If you are using jumping heavy attacks, you can stagger it multiple times.
- Make sure to get some distance when it is glowing, as it is about to explode.
- Fire resistance will help you quite a bit in this fight.