Elden Ring Sage's Cave Walkthrough
Plus, how to beat Necromancer Garris and the cave's Black Knife Assassin.
The Sage's Cave in Elden Ring is full of Illusory Walls that can quickly be dealt with through attacking them plus lots of treasure chests for you to loot and gain riches from.
There are two bosses in this Elden Ring Cave, and you may think you can easily handle this but one of them is invisible. Don't worry though, we're here to help you find your way through the cave and deal with the boss duo.
Here's our Elden Ring Sage's Cave walkthrough, plus how to beat Necromancer Garris and defeat the cave's Black Knight Assassin.
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Elden Ring Sage's Cave Walkthrough
The Sage's Cave in Elden Ring is a location on the Altus Plateau on the border with Gelmir.
You will find the entrance to the cave north-west of the Lux Ruins or south-east of the Site of Grace 'Old Altus Tunnel' and south-west of the Wyndham Ruins.
Here is the location on the map:
In the cave, you have to smash several Illusory Walls to reveal the paths behind them. Follow the course of the cave to a small river that leads to a waterfall with an Undead.
The jump down from the waterfall is fatal, so save yourself this stunt. Also remember to destroy the Undead remains, otherwise the Skeletons will keep getting up. The adjoining corridor leads to two treasure chests containing 1x Lost Ash of War and 5x Rejuvenating Bolus.
Follow the passage southwards, drop down and collect 2x Golden Rune (5) from the corpses in the shallow water. The cave wall between the two fire bowls on the left can also be smashed.
Kill the skeletons behind it and enjoy four treasure chests. They contain 5x Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, a Black Hood, the Candletree Wooden Shield and 1x Nascent Butterfly.
Now follow the corridor further south and kill the two Skeletons next to the campfire before taking on the (strong) axe fighter. On the left you can open another Illusory Wall and discover a treasure chest with 1x Stonesword Key.
The only remaining corridor leads to three more treasure chests, which reward you with 10x Golden Great Arrow, 4x Dragonwound Grease and Raptor Talons.
The tunnel on the left leads behind the waterfall, where you take a running jump to the other side. Here you will find an Illusory Wall in the dead end with two treasure chests behind it. They contain Raptor's Black Feathers and the Skeletal Mask.
In this room there is another apparent wall, behind which a boss enemy lurks - Necromancer Garris. At the waterfall, you can explore an additional shaft, at the end of which a mist gate also awaits you. It leads to a Black Knife Assassin.
How to beat Necromancer Garris in Elden Ring
Necromancer Garris is not an overly tough boss. Depending on when you get here, the fight may even be ridiculously easy.
However, you shouldn't underestimate Garris completely. He has brought rolling skulls with him as reinforcements, animated by a snake, which tumble through the arena and keep getting in your way.
He can also summon Skeletons, but only for a single attack (recognisable by the fact that he sticks his staff up). You can easily dodge these.
If you take out a rolling Skeleton head, it will take about 15 seconds for a new one to appear. Use this break to give Garris a good beating.
His melee attacks are normal standard combos that he unleashes with his Flail, including a jump attack. He does not have a long range and can be interrupted at any time with a hit. Don't hold back.
The flying skulls can be a little uncomfortable (and very painful). Garris summons them with his staff and they chase you for about ten seconds. Keep moving and attack again when the coast is clear.
You don't get any Runes for defeating him but you do get the Family Heads Flail.
How to beat the Sage's Cave Black Knight Assassin in Elden Ring
This boss is already familiar from the Black Knife Catacombs in Liurnia.
The special thing about this particular assassin is that he is invisible. This makes the fight much more difficult than it needs to be, but is not a deal-breaker. There are ways to make the assassin visible.
On the one hand, you can recognise where he is by the tracks in the water. Use weapons that are swung in an arc in front of the body to cover as much area as possible per hit.
After a hit, he briefly becomes visible. Immediately aim at him and follow up with as many blows as possible. Keep him from becoming invisible again, at least as long as you can.
Otherwise, you can also equip the Steel-Wire Torch as a weapon as the off-hand to breathe fire in a small radius.
If the assassin steps inside, he is injured and you can see where he is standing. Even better: the Sentry's Torch from the nomadic merchant at Altus Plateau makes the enemy visible. Keep up the attacks and you'll get the guy eventually. Also use summons. The spirit's attack him reliably and keep him visible.
Your rewards for beating him are 9000 Runes and the Concealing Veil Talisman.
Need more help? Jump back to our list of Elden Ring bosses or our Elden Ring walkthrough.