Elden Ring: How To Beat Malenia, Blade of Miquella

Hands down, Malenia is the hardest boss of the Souls series. This completely absurd, nigh-impossible battle is baffling players — the unbeatable swordswoman is really living up to her reputation. This is a totally optional boss and isn’t required to reach the final boss. But we just can’t leave a boss behind. I have a compulsion to defeat everyone and everything in these games. Maybe you’re better off saving Malenia for last.

Malenia is located at the bottom of the Haligtree, an incredibly cool secret area you can access after leaving Leyndell, Royal Capitol. Learn how to find Malenia in our guide here. That guide only covers finding her. If you want a few tips on how to beat her, check out what we’ve got to say below.

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How To Beat Malenia, Blade of Miquella | Shardbearer Boss

Malenia is the hardest boss in Elden Ring. Even if you’ve prepared in every way, Malenia can kill you in a single combo. She has two forms, forcing you to fight her second form at a disadvantage.

There are two ways to fight her. If you’re using magic, you can fight her like any other boss. If you’re a melee player, you’ll need a very specific build. You don’t need all the gear mentioned below. But, if you’re truly struggling, you might want to track it down and give it a shot.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Imbue your weapon with Cold Damage and add +Poise Damage to your Flask of Wondrous Physick. She is weak to cold and increasing your poise will interrupt her rapidly, making her much, much easier to deal with.

REQUIREMENTS | Bring This Gear Into The Fight:
Strength Build: Lordsworn Heavy Greatsword +25 -or- Starscourge +10 & Golden Greatshield [Shield to block undodgeable attacks.]
Dexterity Build: Rivers of Blood Katana [Corpse Piler Skill deals crazy bleed.]
Claw Talisman [Bonus to jumping attack damage.]
Dragoncrest Shield Talisman [Boost physical resist.]
Winged Sword Insigna [Increases attack power with every hit in a chain.]
Mimic Tear Spirit Ash [Required. Fully upgraded, this is the best AI helper in the game.]
Ground Slam Art of War [Very good for breaking her poise. Jump attack to clear distance. Use Ground Slam to sail over her attacks and deal guaranteed damage.]

RECOMMENDED: You need to be Level 120 at the very least to survive her attacks. Get 50~ STR for melee builds.

When you’re ready, here’s a few tips for the fight itself. You just have to learn her moves, when you can dodge, and when you can attack. There is a trick you can use to cheese her. Check it out below.

This boss is unique in that she restores HP whenever she connects an attack. This makes outlasting her extremely difficult — if she catches you with a combo, she can almost fully restore her HP.
To effectively fight her, you need to be extremely aggressive. She has weak poise defense, so you can break her — or stagger her mid-attack.
Jumping attacks work very well here. You can sail right over her wide sweeps and deal direct damage. If you corner her, attack multiple times. Jump attack to clear distance.

CHEESE METHOD: Stay near a wall and wait for her to press into it. Move near the boss door and she’ll get stuck. Switch to two-handed and keep slashing. You’ll break her faster and she won’t be able to easily escape. Bring a Spirit Ash like the Mimic Tear, and you can absolutely destroy her with high poise damaging attacks.

Malenia, Queen of Rot | Phase 2 Tips
Defeat her first form, and Malenia will change forms with 75% health. She immediately attacks with a blooming Scarlet Rot blast. Immediately guard and back away. If you’re hit, you’ll die instantly. Don’t dodge. It’s too risky.
Her 1,000~ damage spinning slash has a first attack that is impossible to dodge. Guard against the first slash, dodge straight through her second attack, then dodge backwards (or stand still completely) to avoid her last attack. This attack can kill you instantly if you don’t block.

The first phase of Malenia is hard, but the Queen of Rot phase is almost impossible for most normal players. Even if you’re the best player in the world, if you’re unlucky with the RNG — if your Spirit Ash summon doesn’t step up, if she uses her best attacks too often, or if you just mistime a dodge or guard once, you can lose the fight instantly.

This is easily the most difficult fight I’ve ever encountered in any of the Souls games. It is possible to beat, but as of right now, you’ll need to hope and pray for the best. Overwhelming her with damage and poise-breaking seems like the most consistent strategy right now.

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