Elden Ring: How to beat Malenia, Blade of Miquella? Elden Ring guide, walkthrough
On this page of the Elden Ring guide you will learn how to defeat the boss in Elphael, the Brace of the Haligtree, Malenia, the Blade of Miquella, which will give away Malenia's Great Rune for defeat.
Last update: 05 March 2024
This page of the Elden Ring game guide contains tips on how to defeat the boss located in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. We're talking about Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella is found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. The fastest way to reach the boss is from the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace.
Reward for defeating
For defeating Malenia, Blade of Miquella, you will receive Runes (480,000), the Remembrance of the Rot Goddess and Malenia's Great Rune.
General tips
- Malenia is one of the few bosses who can heal herself whenever she lands a hit on someone, including players and ashes.
- To fight, you can enlist the support of other players or ashes. Without a question, the best choice in this case is Black Knife Tiche, because she can deal significant damage over time and avoid many of Malenia's strikes, preventing her from being healed.
- As the rot goddess, Malenia is very resistant to scarlet rot. It's not worth wasting your mana and time trying to apply this effect.
- Bleeding and frostbite, on the other hand, are not only easy to apply but can cause tons of damage. Consider equipping weapons or spells/incantations capable of inflicting both of these status effects.
- Stay on the lookout for her attack when she jumps into the air and slashes at you repeatedly. You should run in the opposite direction of Malenia to avoid it. Only dodge towards Malenia between the second and third cuts, and after evading for the first time, dodge once again, this time backwards. In most cases, this will prevent you from taking a hit that can instantly kill many players.
- If you're still having difficulties evading these slashes, it's a good idea to equip a shield that protects you from physical harm. The disadvantage of this strategy is that every time she strikes the shield, she will heal.
- Physical damage protection and scarlet rot resistance are both highly recommended. Malenia deals a considerable amount of damage, and her attacks in the second stage apply lots of scarlet rot.
- Drink a Flask of Wondrous Physick after the cut-scene if you're having trouble dodging the first mid-air attack in the second stage, which she always performs. You should be able to perform a perfect dodge at the end of the potion drinking animation. You'll end up emptying its contents, which isn't always a good idea, but it's a great tool for learning when to dodge.
- Once she lands, move away from her since scarlet rot will start affecting your character if you stand too close to the bloom.
- Most of Malenia's attacks can be parried. Feel free to try to deflect her attacks if you're used to parrying. You can only counterattack after two successful parries in a row.
- Malenia will charge forward if she is at medium range and her sword gleams. The attack is quick, but linear. Dodge to the side after the gleam to avoid the attack.
- Because Malenia recovers health even when you block her attacks, it's recommended to avoid using your shield and instead switching to the two-handed weapon grip. This way, you'll increase your chances of breaking her poise. You'll also deal more damage.
Mage build - how to fight?
Before fighting Malenia, while playing as a mage, you'll find the Night Shard and Ambush Shardspells to be especially helpful. Malenia is a humanoid boss that is notorious for evading attacks. Since you'll miss her with most spells, equipping the aforementioned sorceries is your best option. Malenia won't be able to see them, thus she will be unable to avoid them (she will only do it once, after taking damage).
A good strategy is to hold down the spell charging button when using the Night Shard sorcery. As a result, once the first projectile lands, the second one will hit as well, dealing extra damage. For this reason, it's a good idea to equip the Radagon Icon talisman before the fight. This will increase the damage dealt when charging up your sorceries/incantations.
It's critical to control your position on the arena. Despite the arena being huge, you need to run in the opposite direction when Malenia slashes at you. Only your shield can save you if she uses this strike when you're close to the wall, which is why it's recommended to equip it even as a mage.
Fighting in the middle of the arena is a smart choice, because it lowers your chances of being pinned against the wall.
After defeating Malenia for the first time, the fight will proceed to the second stage. She will always start off this stage with an aerial attack. As a mage, it's best to drink a Flask of Wondrous Physick with a Cerulean hidden tear after the cut-scene is over.
Drinking the flask immediately after the cut-scene will ensure a perfect dodge after the end of the drinking animation, which will guarantee that you'll avoid Malenia's attack.
Retreat to a safe distance after dodging the mid-air attack, then cast Comet Azur. Malenia will remain stationary for 6-7 seconds, rendering her vulnerable to the Comet. She will take a lot of damage. However, don't stand too close since you'll end up taking damage from scarlet rot. The Comet will also start flying in different directions.
The fight will be much the same as in the first stage, except her attacks will apply scarlet rot. You should also keep an eye out for one additional move. Malenia will hover up slightly before creating clones of herself. When this happens, keep dodging to the left and right to put more distance between your character and her.
While keeping an eye out for Malenia's strikes, weave in some quick spells. During this stage, she is much more aggressive than before. Keep your distance while trying to stay in the center of the arena.
Melee build - how to fight?
You will be attacked almost immediately after entering the arena. Malenia will most likely quickly dash towards you and deliver a series of horizontal blows. Be ready to dodge - ideally when your opponent starts swinging her weapon. Dodging is critical during this fight, because even if you deflect her attacks with a shield, the opponent will heal herself with each hit. This can both prolong the fight and make it more challenging.
Watch out for Malenia's attack with her left hand. This indicates that she will attempt to grab you. If she succeeds, she will throw your character into the air and then stab you with her sword. This move is extremely damaging and, like all other attacks, restores the opponent's HP. The only way to avoid this move is to dodge it at the right moment - when she throws her elbow back.
When you start attacking your opponent, you will find that your hits will interrupt most of her attack chains. As a result, it's best to keep attacking her for as long as possible to prevent her from retaliating. The one exception is when she uses a move that resembles a tornado of blows. You'll have to resort to dodging a few times. Malenia indicates this move by briefly hovering in the air and preparing to attack. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that Malenia makes pauses between subsequent attacks - in that moment, you should dodge once again.
Once you have reduced Malenia's HP to zero, the fight will proceed to the second stage. Your opponent will start by launching herself into the air and making a devastating ground strike, which also inflicts the scarlet rot status effect. To avoid dying, sprint towards her; she will end up striking the location where you were just standing. She will pause for a while after landing, but attacking at this time may be to your detriment, because the enemy will then apply the scarlet rot status effect in the area around her. However, she will pause after a while, giving you the chance to land a few hits before she resumes attacking.
In the second stage, Malenia behaves much like in the first, although she is much faster and additionally she can inflict the devastating scarlet rot status effect. She will also attack with a flurry of blows during this stage, which is launched in the same way, i.e. by hovering in mid-air and preparing to attack. You can dodge it in the same way as before - first when she is about to land, then when her attacks cease for a moment.
Malenia can also lift itself up and create duplicates, which will disappear after attacking. When they're all gone, Malenia will launch an aerial attack, but thankfully this won't be an area of effect move, so you may easily dodge it when the sword is about to connect with your character.
Fast and relatively long range weapons will prove invaluable throughout the fight. The Moonveil katana and its special ability Transient Moonlight will allow you to attack from a distance and break the opponent's poise. In turn, Rivers of Blood and the Corpse Piler skill will significantly speed up the fight, because Malenia is weak to bleeding.
If you prefer a heavier weapon, the Blasphemous Blade is an excellent choice. Heavier weapons can bring Malenia to her knees much faster, leaving her vulnerable to critical hits - although you must be careful because she becomes immune to staggering whenever she dodges sideways. The Blasphemous Blade's special ability, Taker's Flames, will let you take a short break on impact, dealing high damage, healing you, and knocking Malenia flat on her back. Learn good timing - using Taker's Flames again at the right moment when Malenia starts to get up from the ground will allow you to hit her again before she can react.