Elden Ring’s Malenia is arguably one of the toughest bosses in the game. Although the rotten valkyrie has a notorious reputation, she can be taken down. For those who have tackled Elden Ring’s Malenia already, they will know this isn’t going to be a usual roll and jump to avoid attacks.
Elden Ring FAQ: Every Guide You’ll Need
Moveset – Elden Ring’s Malenia
Whilst fighting Elden Ring’s Malenia players will be on the receiving end of a number of different attacks, but one, in particular, can easily one-shot most builds. Malenia jumps up and lunges at players with what can only be described as the personification of a demon blender. It’s a tough one to judge, even for the most seasoned Soulsbourne fans.
Elden Ring’s Malenia has a passive effect that allows her to heal every time she hits players, which includes blocking. This in itself makes this boss fight unbelievably difficult and forces players to down their flasks quicker than crunk juice.
The Haligtree Medallion – Elden Ring’s Malenia
Elden Ring’s Malenia is somewhat off the beaten track for those who haven’t strayed far from the main quest. Players will first need to find and use the Haligtree Medallion to unlock the specific area around the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace. The Medallion is an endgame item, so players will probably want to stick Malenia on ice until the main quest has been completed.
Click here to find our guide on finding the Haligtree Medallion. Players would be best to have some Spirit Ashes handy before setting out on the second part of the guide, however. Once attained, players will need to head off to the Haligtree next.
Where Is She?
Players will need to now locate the new region that is currently greyed out and burred. This is due to players needing the Haligtree Medalion to access the area. Go to the Grand Lift of Rold and show the Haligtree Medalion to gain access. From here, head north to the town of Ordina which will eventually lead players through a door and a barrier.
This is the challenge of Gaol in which players must light the four statue candles to continue. Players will soon encounter the invisible assassins that stalk the streets during this challenge. It’s best practice to sneak around then spirit and evade when spotted. Also, the ‘Assassin’s Approach’ incantation is a good shout for concealing footsteps if players have it. Once done, players should make their way through the Haligtree itself to find Elden Ring’s Malenia.
How To Beat Malenia
If players aren’t using a health and endurance-focused build, it might be an idea to go and see Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon to respec a player’s character build. Bar the obvious, high health will allow for faster equipment loads and better dodging. We would recommend tackling Malenia with at least one other player of NPC. The issue with adding more players is making Melania’s health pool bigger, which isn’t ideal when she heals with every hit she lands.
Two players ideally with heavy weapons can effectively trade Melania’s aggression with jump attacks. Don’t worry if this isn’t a possibility, the idea here is swapping aggression and dodging. She also has a high chance of staggering during the first attack phase which should help players whittle her down without her focusing attacks on one player for too long.
Even blocking will allow Malenia to heal, so we wouldn’t recommend depending on that tactic due to it dragging the fight on for far longer than necessary. We would also recommend anything that deals heavy long-range, bleed, and frost damage to help offset healing.
Another good reason to use this strategy is to not give Elden Ring’s Malenia a chance to use her fast aerial spin attack. Although it would be great to make sure constant attacking would ensure this attack never becomes a reality, it probably will.
Although she’ll regain health from it, equipping a great shield to absorb the impact might be a good option if dodging fails. Players will want to run away as Malenia jumps up to aim then dodge into the attack as she lands it to get away damage-free. The key here is making that gap between the player and Malenia to give a window of opportunity to block or dodge, although we’d go with dodging where possible to avoid health regeneration.
When it comes to the second phase, players must be ready to dodge like hell during attacks. There’s one attack where Malenia swoops down over players and explodes. Players should dodge as she swoops down then go in for the attack as the explosion fades.
The second attack is another aerial attack where Malenia sends Scarlet Spirits on a multi-angle attack on players, although they attack one by one. Players should dodge as the Scarlet Spirits set off and should also pay attention at the end of this attack which ends in a stray Spirit attacking out of nowhere followed by a swoop from Malenia.
For those who are struggling, there’s no harm in going away and levelling up, finding buffs, using smithing stones to upgrade weapons and searching for talismans that can increase damage output. We’re always adding to our great library of Elden Ring guides too for help with all of these tasks.
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