Elden Ring Groveside Cave Walkthrough: Beastman of Farum Azula

The Groveside Cave is the first dungeon most players find in Limgrave: a short, dark cave a little north of the Church of Elleh with wolves in its tunnels and the Beastman of Farum Azula camped behind a fog gate at the end. Our boss page rates him for level 9, which makes this the earliest real boss fight in the game, and he pays 1,000 Runes and the Flamedrake Talisman, the base fire-negation talisman with 13 percent.

Where the Groveside Cave is

From the Church of Elleh Site of Grace head north. Soldiers patrol the ground outside, and the cave mouth is marked by lit torches. There is a lost Site of Grace just inside, and it is one of the graces the Torrent page tells you to rest at if Melina has not yet offered you the Spectral Steed Whistle. The Stormfoot Catacombs sit to the west of the cave on the way to Stormveil, according to the catacombs guide, and the crafting guide counts the cave among the dark caves where Cave Moss grows.

Groveside Cave walkthrough

Follow the tunnels from the grace. Wolves attack in packs along the way; the Flamedrake Talisman page says to make quick work of them and keep moving, because the route is a straight line with nothing to solve. At the end a wall of mist separates the cave from a second chamber, and the Beastman is inside it, sitting by his tent.

How to beat the Beastman of Farum Azula

He is a greatsword-wielding beast, agile, weak to fire, and every one of his attacks can be parried. The boss page breaks his moveset into three. The swing has two forms, a fast two-handed one with short reach and a one-handed pair of swings that covers a lot of ground, and rolling away clears both. The six-hit combo is four horizontal cuts, a fifth vertical cut that launches you, and an overhead finisher; keep your distance while it runs, then roll in on the sixth swing and hit him in the recovery. The two-hand slam is a leap and a ground strike so slow that you can dodge it and land several hits before he stands up. When he howls after an attack, a charged heavy on his back staggers him; when he roars instead, his poise and defence rise and it is time to back off.

Strength characters with large weapons can simply stun-lock him, since staggering him is easy. Dexterity players should read the combos and punish after the forward dash, dodging to the side. Ranged builds must keep their distance and watch him, because he closes gaps fast, and greed is what kills low-level characters here. The cheese is a shield and a sword: guard, circle him and backstab whenever his back is turned, and a few backstabs end the fight. The bosses guide lists him at level 9 in its early Limgrave table.

The Flamedrake Talisman

The base Flamedrake Talisman negates 13 percent of fire damage. Its +1, at 17 percent, is in Leyndell past a gate that only opens after the final boss, and its +2, at 20 percent, comes from the two Beastmen of Farum Azula at the end of the Dragonbarrow Cave in Caelid, which is the same fight twice over. The talismans guide lists all three.

Groveside Cave loot checklist

Groveside Cave FAQ

Should I do the Groveside Cave before Margit?

Yes. The boss is tuned for level 9 and the talisman helps against every fire user afterward. The dungeons guide lists it with the other Limgrave caves worth clearing before Stormveil.