You’ve just stepped out into Limgrave. The music is swelling, the Tree Sentinel is patrolling nearby to ruin your day, and honestly, you're probably feeling a little lost. Most players follow the golden rays of grace toward Stormveil Castle, but there’s a damp, dark hole in the wall down by the beach that defines the early game experience better than any giant golden knight ever could.
The Coastal Cave Elden Ring experience is a rite of passage.
It isn't just another dungeon. It’s a bridge—literally and figuratively. Located just northwest of the First Step site of grace, tucked away under the cliffs where the land meets the Sea of Fog, this cave is your first real introduction to how FromSoftware handles darkness, group combat, and rewarding exploration. If you ignore it, you’re missing out on a massive piece of world-building and a shortcut to one of the most beautiful areas in the game.
Finding the Entrance Without Getting Crushed
Getting to the cave is simple, yet most people miss the path. You need to head down to the beach. Don't try to parkour down the cliffs unless you fancy a "You Died" screen before you've even started. Instead, find the sloped path near the Church of Elleh.
Once you hit the sand, look for the campfire. There’s a nomadic merchant nearby selling a broadsword and some crafting recipes. He’s a vibe. Just past him, tucked into the rock face, is the mouth of the Coastal Cave. It’s dark. Like, really dark. If you didn't buy a torch or a lantern yet, you're going to be squinting at your screen like a grandparent reading a text message.
The Demi-Human Problem
The cave is infested. Not with soldiers or knights, but with Demi-Humans. These guys are frantic. They scream. They jump. They hit harder than they look.
Inside, you’ll find a Site of Grace. Rest there. The layout is a bit of a choke point, which is actually a blessing if you’re playing a magic user or someone with a spear. You want to lure these creatures out one by one. If you charge into the main chamber, they will swarm you. It’s a mess. Honestly, the AI for Demi-Humans is designed to be chaotic, and in the cramped quarters of the Coastal Cave Elden Ring, that chaos is deadly.
The Boss Fight: Demi-Human Chiefs
This is where the game checks if you've been paying attention to your surroundings. You aren't fighting one boss. You're fighting two.
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The Demi-Human Chiefs are aggressive. They use large daggers and move with a jerky, unpredictable rhythm that can catch you off guard if you’re used to the slower animations of the hollowed soldiers outside.
Here is the trick everyone messes up: Do not run to the back of the room immediately.
The first Chief is near the entrance. The second is chilling in the back. If you stay near the fog gate, you can take out the first one without ever bothering the second. It turns a chaotic 2-v-1 (plus minions) into a manageable duel. If you summon Old Knight Istvan—whose gold sign is right there on the floor—he basically acts as a meat shield, allowing you to wail on the bosses from behind.
Rewards and the "Hidden" Exit
Killing these two uglies nets you some Tailoring Tools and a Sewing Needle. This is huge. It lets you alter your armor at any Site of Grace. Want to remove a cape? You can do that. It’s mostly cosmetic, but for many of us, Elden Bling is the real endgame.
But don't fast travel out yet.
Keep going. The cave doesn't end at the boss arena. There’s a tunnel leading further into the cliffside. You’ll emerge on the other side, blinking in the sunlight, on the shores of the Church of Communion island. This is the only way to get there early on.
The Church of Dragon Communion
This is the real prize. By clearing the Coastal Cave Elden Ring, you gain access to an altar where you can trade Dragon Hearts for Dragon Incantations.
If you managed to kill the dragon Agheel in the lake, or if you plan to later, this is where you go to get spells like Dragonfire or Dragonclaw. Even if you aren't a Faith build, seeing the ruined architecture against the backdrop of the ocean is one of those "Oh, this game is massive" moments that Elden Ring does so well.
It’s also home to some of the best early-game environmental storytelling. The way the cave connects the mainland to an isolated island suggests a history of hidden passages and forgotten rituals. The Demi-Humans aren't just there as filler; they are guarding something they clearly consider sacred or at least important enough to die for.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make in Coastal Cave
- Entering without a light source: Seriously, buy the torch from the merchant. It costs 200 runes. Just do it.
- Ignoring the summons: Even if you're a "purist," Istvan is a great way to see how NPC summons function.
- Panic rolling: The Chiefs have a long reach. Rolling backward usually gets you hit. Roll through their attacks.
- Missing the tunnel: Half the players I know beat the bosses and then teleported back to the entrance. They missed the island entirely.
The difficulty spike here is real but fair. It’s the game’s way of saying, "Hey, sometimes you need to manage multiple enemies at once." It’s a precursor to the much harder fights in Caelid or the underground cities.
Nuance in the Lore
There is a slight debate among the community regarding why the Demi-Humans are even there. Some lore hunters, like VaatiVidya, have pointed out the connection between Demi-Humans and their "Queens" found elsewhere. In this cave, they seem leaderless—or rather, the "Chiefs" are just the strongest bullies in the pack. They lack the regal (if grotesque) stature of the Queens you find later in the Weeping Peninsula. It’s a primitive, brutal ecosystem.
How to Prepare
If you're struggling, go to the Church of Elleh and upgrade your weapon to +1 or +2 using the anvil. It makes a world of difference. The Demi-Human Chiefs have relatively low poise, so a heavy jump attack from a claymore or even a well-timed guard counter with a shield will stagger them easily.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your inventory for a torch or the Lantern (sold by the merchant in Liurnia, but the torch is fine for now).
- Locate the beach path west of the First Step and find the merchant to stock up on any essentials.
- Enter the cave and stay crouched; stealth is actually very effective for thinning out the smaller mobs before the boss fog.
- Defeat the Chiefs one at a time by staying near the entrance of the arena.
- Follow the back tunnel to reach the Church of Dragon Communion and activate the Site of Grace there for future fast travel.
- Use the Sewing Needle at a grace point to see which of your armor sets can be lightened or aesthetically changed.