Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree's area boss is Malenia, Blade of Miquella. She is, according to the majority of players, the most difficult fight in Elden Ring and could be the most difficult enemy in any SoulsBorne game. Her ferocious assaults, never-ending combinations, and unique boss mechanic make her a formidable adversary that you should not face until you have conquered all of Elden Ring's other obstacles.
Location of Malenia
Malenia is the last monster of Miquella's Haligtree, a Legacy Dungeon that conceals Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. This dungeon is only accessible from the final zone in the north, known as the Consecrated Snowfield.
To access the snowfield area via the Grand Lift of Rold, a secret Medallion is required. The two parts are provided by an Albinauric named Albus who is disguised as a barrel and resides in the Albinauric settlement in western Liurnia, beneath the large mountain. The other part is located on the far northwest side of the Mountaintops of the Giants, after you have eliminated the large and terrifying Castle Sol.
Malenia's Adolescence
Malenia was the daughter of Queen Marika the Eternal and her second husband, Lord Elden Radagon. She had an elder twin brother whose name was Miquella. Malenia and Miquella were both Empyreans, which allowed them to succeed their mother as the following age's deity.
Because Radagon and Marika were the same person, Malenia and Miquella were cursed from birth. Malenia was afflicted with the Scarlet Rot, which consumed her from the inside out and led her to lose multiple limbs. Miquella, however, was cursed with eternal childhood and would never mature.
Malenia came into a blind swordsman who had once imprisoned an Outer God of Rot. The swordsman became her master and taught her the art of swordsmanship. This provided her with stronger wings than any other in the planet. Malenia would mature into an unrivaled warrior.
She would receive devotees who believed she was a goddess and dedicated slaves such as the Cleanrot Knights, who promised to battle beside her despite the fact that their flesh would inevitably rot. All of the members of House Marais were born ill, thus they were naturally drawn to Malenia, who became such a great warrior despite being born ill and requiring prosthetics to fight.
Malenia and Miquella had a strong bond, and Malenia would eventually take up the role of her brother's sworn blade and protector while Miquella worked relentlessly to free them both from the curses they had been born with. Miquella was unable to find a remedy for his sister's illness, so he created a pure gold needle that could prevent the Scarlet Rot from killing Malenia.
Elden Ring: Malenia's Downfall
I've witnessed a variety of Malenia-using strategies and effective weapon combinations. In brief, they are:
- You should attack her in groups of three and immobilize her so that she cannot move.
- Utilize one additional participant and take turns becoming upset with her.
Since Malenia's first phase is easy to stunlock, it can be effective to assault her with three individuals and maintain continual contact. However, you must have a lot of health, as you cannot keep her shocked forever. This is considerably more effective if someone wields the Sword of Night and Flame and occasionally uses its beam to knock her down, or if Radahn's swords or virtually any other weapon or ability that knocks her down.
Malenia is simple to take down, therefore critical hits and jumping attacks are both effective. However, I cannot advocate dragon breath spells because they make it difficult to see her. As with many previous Elden Ring bosses, bleed, frost, and shields are advantageous because they prevent her from healing for a minimum of one hit.
Bringing a third person to Malenia has a number of potential drawbacks, the most significant of which is that it increases the amount of damage you need to deal, gives her an additional health pool to deplete, and makes her more difficult to predict, which in turn makes you more susceptible to assault.
The same holds true for Spirit Calling Bell summons, which are typically ineffective in this fight due to their inability to defend themselves. Even though it is conceivable, they often just defend her and cure her wounds. This is one reason why it's difficult to be aggressive in this fight: the damage you take doesn't matter much if you get hit.
I've discovered that the most effective strategy for defeating Malenia is for two players with heavy weapons to trade her aggressive strikes with leap attacks. It takes a bit longer than banding together, but it prevents her from being overly focused on one character. Because she stumbles, you can frequently halt an opponent's assault before it begins.
Even though strength weapons are optimal, this can be accomplished with any weapon combination, or even with a single strength weapon plus a spellcaster. The key is to take turns getting upset, so she doesn't focus excessively on one of you. This conflict also involves avoiding. You may employ a shield, but be aware that the fight will take much longer, if not last forever, as she will heal herself as she strikes your shield. This negates the majority of the damage you deal due to her rapid attack speed.
You can respec if necessary, but health and endurance are the strongest stats to have for this fight. Having greater health also allows you to wear lighter equipment, which makes your dodging more effective. Nevertheless, the true question is, "What's the point if she always kills you with her leap attack?" There are a number of approaches one might take to manage this situation or anticipate the results of it.
Waterfowl Dance Allows you to Evade Malenia's Quick Assault
The advantage of this three-person stun-lock fest is that Malenia will not always be able to use her lethal assault. Nonetheless, it's preferable to have a plan B, and I've discovered two that work the majority of the time:
- Put a greatshield on your off-hand and immediately switch it when she leaps into the air to avoid her blows. Continue to retreat and ensure that you are not directly beneath her. This will require a considerable bit of perseverance, and it will restore part of her health.
- When she launches herself into the air, you should run away as quickly as you can and hide until her first two attacks are through. Then, when she attacks for the third time, weave through her. This is conceivable because of their location. If you are directly beneath her or switch sides during her jump, you are likely to perish.
Smart Elden Ring gamers, however, have discovered a foolproof strategy to stop her Waterfowl Dance if you confront her alone. If you toss a Freezing Pot at her while she is charging the attack in the air, it will fully stop the strike and leaving her vulnerable to a follow-up attack. This will succeed twice, after which she will no longer be impacted by Freezing Pots. You can still stun her after that, but you'll need to toss two pots instead of one.
Consider how to maximize the destructive potential of your talismans. If you have few items equipped, the Blue Dancer Charm will boost your damage. The Ritual Sword Talisman and the Claw Talisman will also function identically for jumping attacks.
How to Navigate the Second Phase of Malenia
If you were able to finish the first step without any problems, you should be able to move on to the second step. The only significant change is that some of her blind spots are disappeared, since several of her hits now cause red rot to rise from the ground. There are two new developments to consider:
- She leaps into the air and launches multiple crimson ghosts in your direction. These are not instant, so dodging with a slight delay should suffice. Be warned, though, that she will try to get in touch with you. Be cautious, as the swoop's aggression appears to be proportional to your proximity to it, and she will occasionally alter aggression right at the finish. When the attack is getting close to its conclusion, a spirit will appear from the left side of the screen.
- In her initial attack in this phase, she swoops down and transforms into an exploding flower. Damage is caused by both the hit and the explosion. She is able to do this at any point during the fight, and she can rapidly change her mind on who to strike. Simply be prepared to avoid, wait for the flower to wilt and collapse, and then rush in and assault her before she can rise. Put your spellcasting skills to work and cast some on her if you have them.
Overall, it's a difficult battle, and sometimes you'll simply perish due to a random jumping strike or being in the incorrect spot when it arrives. I've seen that the optimal tactic in both phases is for two players to pass aggression back and forth. In the 10 hours I've spent summoning, I've witnessed this effect the most.
From my observations, I can deduce that this is not a primary boss. If you don't believe you're doing enough damage or if you hurried to the Haligtree region, level up somewhere else for a moment. Elden bosses are difficult even when you're at the appropriate level, therefore one of the greatest ways to make them easier is to find Elden Ring Smithing Stones(opens in new tab) that you can use to upgrade your weapons and level up. However, foes in the Haligtree region drop an absurd number of runes.
