Elden Ring Fringefolk Hero's Grave Guide: How to Beat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit

There's dozens of dungeons across The Lands Between, and while the formula for tackling them is rather straight-forward, it's not unusual for dungeons to still cause you some trouble in Elden Ring.

Fringefolk Hero's Grave is a dungeon in Limgrave, and perhaps one of the first you came across. It requires a Stonesword Key to enter, and it isn't advisable that you head down here without having explored what Limgrave has to offer first.

We've put together a guide on everything you need to know about the dungeon, including how to enter and traverse it, how to deal with the dungeon boss, and what rewards you'll be reaping.

Fringefolk Hero's Grave Items

• Dragon Communion Seal
• Dragonwound Grease
• Lightning Grease
• Grave Glovewort
• Banished Knight Oleg Spirit Ashes
• Golden Seed

How to tackle Fringefolk Hero's Grave

First things first, you'll need to travel to the Stranded Graveyard Site of Grace. To your right, there is an Imp Seal. Use a Stonesword Key on the seal to open up the passage ahead.

You will now need to either jump down or descend the ladder. The floor below, however, is coated in poison. So, you'll need to sprint or roll across to the platform at the end before you're poisoned.

Now, here's the tricky bit. As soon as you begin to traverse down the corridor ahead, a seemingly-sentient mechanical chariot is going to be on your tail. As the chariot goes down the slope here, run after it. There are multiple alcoves along the edges of the corridor for you to seek safety in as the chariot passes you, but be wary of Spectral Soldiers hiding here.

Head down the corridor and keep right, when you are in the third lower-right alcoves, jump down below. There will be a chasm ahead, so sprint on down before the chariot catches up with you.

As you reach the end of this particular slope and turn left, you're presented with a choice. You can go left or right; head right.

Sprint for safety in a nearby alcove, and continue to do this - you do not want the chariot to even risk taking you out now that you've gotten this far.

Through the small tunnel at the top of this passage is another Spectral Soldier. This one poses a lot more of a challenge than the ones hiding away in the alcoves, however, so make sure you're prepared. If you're feeling risky, you can cheese this guy by coercing him into the corridor so he gets hit by the chariot. Just be careful to not get hit by the chariot yourself.

Defeat this guy and you'll get an important item for any Faith or Arcane build: the Dragon Communion Seal. You'll also acquire some Dragonwound Grease.

Now, go back to where you were presented with two paths, and you'll want to go left this time. As you run down, you can find Grave Glovewort (1) in an alcove to the left, but again, be wary of Spectral Soldiers lurking in the area.

As you get to the bottom, even more Spectral Soldiers appear, but we recommend simply running past these guys so that you can deal with the boss beyond the mist wall up ahead: the Ulcerated Tree Spirit.

How to beat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit

The Ulcerated Tree Spirit is a big boy not for the weak-spirited... or the under-levelled. So, if you came here at the beginning of your journey and can't seem to make a dent in the spirit's HP bar, come back when you've levelled up some more for an easier time.

When you're ready for the fight, it's important to note that while big and bulky, the spirit can move fast. In such a small arena, we recommend not locking onto the boss as a target, or else one move and suddenly it'll be the camera angle making things difficult for you, moreso than the boss itself.

As for the spirits attacks, be prepared to dodge a lot. The spirit will execute attacks swiftly, using not only its mouth and claws, but it's tail too. With this in mind, it's best to avoid the front and back of this enemy and stick to the sides, where it can't sweep you up with ease.

The spirit will also use fire, often breathing it across the arena or at you as it lunges for you. There's also an additional fire attack to be wary of, which is when the spirit begins to become engulfed in yellow light. When this happens, try to get as far away from the spirit as possible before it ultimately explodes.

With this boss, you'll need patience. Many attacks have swift, unexpected follow ups immediately after. For example, a swipe of its claws usually means that a tail swipe is about to follow, and if the spirit is trying to bite you, they'll typically attempt this three times in a row before they move onto another attack.

Ultimately, if you can stay out of the line of fire (literally), it's easy to learn and avoid the Ulcerated Tree Spirit's attacks. You might be taken aback by how fast and ferocious they can be, but rest assured, they're not so bad. They are, however, rather (but not completely) resistant to Poison, Bleed, Scarlet Rot, and Frostbite - so, you might need a back-up plan if you were hoping to rely on any of these.

If you're over-levelled however, this fight will be a piece of cake.

Once felled, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit will drop the Banished Knight Oleg Spirit Ashes, and a Golden Seed!

That's all there is ot Fringefolk Hero's Grave and the Ulcerated Tree Spirit. Have you tried taking on the Ulcerated Tree Spirit of Millicent's quest line yet?

For more on Elden Ring, check out our walkthrough of The Lands Between.