Malenia, Blade of Miquella |
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| Location | Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree |
| Drops |  480,000Malenia's Great Rune Remembrance of the Rot Goddess |
| HP | 33,251 |
| Stronger VS | Weaker to |
FireMalenia, Blade of Miquella and Malenia, Goddess of Rot is a two-phase Demigod Boss in Elden Ring. She is the Empyrean twin sister of Miquella and gained renown for her legendary battle against Starscourge Radahn during the Shattering, in which she unleashed the power of the Scarlet Rot and reduced Caelid to ruins. This is an optional boss, as players do not need to defeat her in order to advance in Elden Ring.
See Malenia, Blade of Miquella Lore
...Heed my words. I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat.
Elden Ring Malenia, Blade of Miquella Table of Content
Elden Ring Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss
- This is an optional boss
- After depleting Malenia's first health bar, she will heal 80% and enter phase 2
- Phase 2 of this boss is called Malenia, Goddess of Rot
- Closest Site of Grace: Haligtree Roots
- Multiplayer is allowed for this boss
- Players can summon Spirit Ashes for this boss
Elden Ring Malenia, Blade of Miquella Location
Malenia is located at the bottom of Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. Her arena is immediately down the stairs from the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace. [Map Link]
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Combat information
- Health: 33,251 HP (Phase 1: 18,473, Phase 2: 14,778)
- Defense: 123
- Stance : 80
- Parryable: Yes, but 3 parries are required per stance break
- Is vulnerable to a critical hit after being stance broken or parried
- Damage:
Standard, 
Slash, 
Pierce
(Phase 1),Standard, Slash, Pierce
,
Holy (Phase 2) - Inflicts:
Scarlet Rot (Phase 2) - Drops 480,000, Malenia's Great Rune, Remembrance of the Rot Goddess
Negations (or Absorptions)
Strike
Magic
LightningThe negation numbers are the % of your damage that gets blocked. For example, if a negation is 60, 40% of that damage by that type will go through and 60% will be negated. Bigger number = less damage. A negation of 100 means no damage goes through, and a negation of -100 mean the enemy takes 2x damage from that source. 0 means damage goes pretty much as is.
Resistances
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Poison: 1481 / 1938 - Scarlet Rot: 1481 / 1938
-
Hemorrhage: 421 / 519 / 809 / 1266 -
Frostbite: 306 / 348 / 446 / 736 / 1193
The resistance numbers are the buildup amount to trigger it. For example, if a resistance is 100 you must deal 100 points of the given buildup to trigger it. Note that these go down over time, and increase each time the effect procs. The values after the "/"s indicate the increased resistances after each successive proc.
New Game (NG) + and Beyond (click to reveal)
| NG | NG+ | NG+2 | NG+3 | NG+4 | NG+5 | NG+6 | NG+7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP | 33,250 | 33,749 | 37,124 | 38,811 | 40,499 | 43,874 | 45,561 | 47,249 |
| Defense | 123 | 147 | 151 | 155 | 162 | 170 | 177 | 192 |
| Runes |
480,000 | 960,000 | 1,056,000 | 1,080,000 | 1,152,000 | 1,176,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,224,000 |
Resistances |
||||||||
| Poison |
1481 / 1938 | 1481 / 1938 | 1504 / 1961 | 1526 / 1983 | 1548 / 2005 | 1570 / 2027 | 1592 / 2049 | 1615 / 2072 |
| Scarlet Rot |
1481 / 1938 | 1481 / 1938 | 1504 / 1961 | 1526 / 1983 | 1548 / 2005 | 1570 / 2027 | 1592 / 2049 | 1615 / 2072 |
| Hemorrhage |
421 / 519 / 809 / 1266 | 421 / 519 / 809 / 1266 | 427 / 525 / 815 / 1272 | 434 / 532 / 822 / 1279 | 440 / 538 / 828 / 1285 | 446 / 544 / 834 / 1291 | 452 / 550 / 840 / 1297 | 459 / 557 / 847 / 1304 |
| Frostbite |
306 / 348 / 446 / 736 / 1193 | 306 / 348 / 446 / 736 / 1193 | 311 / 353 / 451 / 741 / 1198 | 315 / 357 / 455 / 745 / 1202 | 320 / 362 / 460 / 750 / 1207 | 324 / 366 / 464 / 754 / 1211 | 329 / 371 / 469 / 759 / 1216 | 334 / 376 / 474 / 764 / 1221 |
 Sleep |
689 / 979 / 1436 | 689 / 979 / 1436 | 699 / 989 / 1446 | 709 / 999 / 1456 | 720 / 1010 / 1467 | 730 / 1020 / 1477 | 740 / 1030 / 1487 | 751 / 1041 / 1498 |
 Madness |
Immune | |||||||
Elden Ring Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Guide
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Video Guide
[video coming soon]
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Fight Strategy
The Best Tips for Malenia, Blade of Miquella:
- Malenia damage is physical only, so stack reduction against it such as the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, the consumable Boiled Crab, the Opaline Hardtear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick, or the incantations Black Flame's Protection or Golden Vow.
- 50-60% damage reduction should make this fight slightly easier
- Malenia has low Poise so it doesn't take much to break her stance and leave her open to a critical attack, so builds with good physical damage may want to use Stonebarb Cracked Tear. Additionally, she is vulnerable to knockdown attacks in her first phase, so using a weapon or Spirit Ash that abuses this can be helpful.
- Malenia heals herself on every hit even if her attacks are blocked. The amount she heals is a fixed percentage of her maximum HP depending on the attack. This means that co-op summons as well as NG+ cycles increase the amount she heals proportional to the increase to her max HP from scaling. Albinauric Pot does not stop her from healing.
- Inflict status effects. Malenia is weak to Frost and neutral to Fire. You can Frostbite Malenia, which deals 7% of her maximum health on its own and lowers her damage negation. Malenia also has relatively low resistance to Hemorrhage, inflicting bleed on her can allow players to outpace her self-healing, this makes the Rivers of Blood's unique skill Corpse Piler a good option against her as it deals Physical and Fire damage and inflicts Bleed buildup.
- Frost or hemorrhage can be used to stun her from Waterfowl Dance
- Frost can be also used for minor damage buff when non-fire weapons/spells are used
- Players can use summons such as Redmane Knight Ogha Ashes, whose great arrows will often stagger Malenia and can even interrupt her during the Phantom Spirits attack. Additionally, he will stay in the back, and she will focus on you as long as you keep her attention. Black Knife Tiche is also a good option, as she can dodge Malenia's attacks and limit her self-healing. Latenna The Albinauric is also a good option as she can be summoned by the door while the player keeps Malenia away from her. Summons that are more focused on tanking are not recommended, as Malenia will just heal herself off of them. Dragon Knight Kristoff can stagger Malenia reliably, especially when chain casting Thunderbolt. He is also very tanky and can usually stay alive for the fight.
- Malenia is able to dodge spells, what makes most of spells useless
- Incantation users should consider Flame of the Fell God. Because it triggers Malenia's dodge on cast, she is then incapable of dodging the explosion, which also knocks her down during her first phase if she isn't attacking with super armor.
- Sorceries users should consider spells that get around her input reading such as Night Comet.
- When buffed with Bloody Slash, items that can stagger her and consistently hit her are
- Lion's Claw and Gravity Bolt, once fully prepared respectively completing Phase One and Phase Two
Fight Breakdown
Malenia, Blade of Miquella is a two-phase fight, with the second phase beginning once her health is reduced to zero for the first time.
Phase one: Malenia is slightly less aggressive and will mostly only attack if the player tries to attack her. Additionally, if the player does not target lock the camera on her, she is likely to stay away from the player just walking left and right. Use this to your advantage when you need some breathing room - for example, to drink a healing flask. If attacked with projectiles, she will attempt to dodge them and then rush at the player to attack them. Malenia has a few attacks that she can use to quickly close the gap, the most notable of these is her grab attack, which deals obscene amounts of damage, thus healing her for a big amount. If Malenia takes too much damage, she will attempt to disengage by jumping backwards 2 times, distancing herself from the player.
Once Malenia goes below 75% HP, she unlocks her Waterfowl Dance attack: she leaps into the air with her sword ready and, after a brief pause, lunges at the player four times with a flurry of cuts. The third leap has more range than the two before it. The fourth leap has massive range, and Malenia will attempt to get behind the player with it. After this final fourth flurry, a final cut strikes around her. All steps of this attack deal massive damage, getting hit by it all will very likely kill the player even at full health. Read the attacks & counter section for tips on how to avoid this attack.
After getting Malenia to 0 health, a cutscene plays and phase 2 starts with Malenia at 80% health. Note that critical attacks will not trigger phase 2, and Malenia will survive them even if she has 0 health. Only a non-critical attack will work.
Phase two: Malenia, floating in the air, rapidly crashes on the player using Scarlet Aeonia dealing massive damage, then blooms into an orange flower which deals massive damage and inflicts massive amounts of Scarlet Rot. To dodge it, simply run towards Malenia and get behind her, she will miss because she cannot steer that much while charging the attack. Malenia will repeat this attack every 3 minutes.
Each of Malenia's attacks in this phase inflicts Scarlet Rot, the player should ensure they have Preserving Boluses to cleanse this condition should they be afflicted.
In addition to all her previous attacks and the aforementioned Scarlet Aeonia, Malenia gains a few new attacks in this phase. Most notably, as a follow-up to other sword attacks, Malenia can jump and then slam her sword into the ground to create a delayed explosion. Finally, Malenia can leap very high into the air, leaving behind her a small vortex of rot that deals massive damage, she will then summon phantoms of herself to lunge at the player one after the other, before finally lunging herself.
Advanced Notes
While standing on the shallow water puddle in the middle of the arena, Malenia (and the player) gain 10% damage reduction to Fire Damage and lose 10% damage reduction to Lightning Damage.
When you use ranged attacks, perfumes, or throwables, Malenia will dodge to the side and then charge at you. It’s best to use spells or incantations that can follow her movements. When her health drops to 75%, she starts using Waterfowl Dance. She will still dodge ranged attacks but might follow up with this powerful move. You can also use summons to distract Malenia — this allows you to use ranged attacks safely off of distance. Also, Night Sorceries will not trigger her evasion, as they are invisible to NPCs.
After dodging Malenia’s Scarlet Aeonia attack by moving behind her, you’ll have about 5-7 seconds to attack her. This is a good time to use strong ranged attacks or spells with DoT area effects. If you have enough FP (Focus Points), using Comet Azur can take a big chunk of her health before she becomes active again. You can repeat this strategy each time she uses Scarlet Aeonia for heavy damage.
If Malenia is running at you at the start of the fight, she will proceed to rush you with a horizontal spinning attack once you are in range. This attack is telegraphed and easily parried. If you're not good at parrying, then dodge toward Malenia's left side (the player's right). If she slows down or starts moving left or right, she will not do the spin attack.
In order to avoid her Waterfowl Dance combo you must start running away from her while maintaining lock-on as soon as she leaps, which will let you avoid the first two spin attacks entirely if done soon enough (if not you will have to roll the second one). The third spin attack has to be rolled through, and make sure to stay away from her until the final AoE triggers. If you are caught by the attack, it is better to roll towards her than away; the extreme edges of the attack seem to have more hitboxes.
Ash of War: Bloodhound's Step makes dodging Waterfowl Dance significantly easier. Using that ability, you can completely avoid the combo, even if you're close to Malenia when she starts its windup. Dash away from her, out of range of the first and second flurries (possibly multiple times depending on how far away she is), and toward her (once) to avoid the third flurry. (During the third flurry she jumps to you regardless of the distance, but the first and second flurries have a fixed jump range.)
In Phase 2, make sure you are constantly topped up to full HP. Many of her basic combo attacks are strong enough to deal well over 1000 damage to heavy armor users very quickly, so sitting at 80% HP or below to save on flasks is liable to get you killed.
A weapon with the Ash of War: Wild Strikes and the blood affinity can trivialize the first phase of the fight.
Ash of War: Golden Parry is useful for easily parrying most of her attacks. The increased parry range and window can be of tremendous help to players with less experience in parrying her attacks.
Melee Strategy
The main trick here is to attack her when she's not in an attack animation in order to stagger her, typically after she is done with a combo. Once you hit her and it staggers her, keep attacking to keep the stagger going while paying attention to when she side hops as this interrupts the stagger. When she does so, roll out of the way, keep some distance, and dodge her attacks until you get another opening, while keeping a keen eye on the startup for her waterfowl dance, to which you should run away from the first two volleys and dodge through the final volley. Be mindful of your positioning at all times, you do not want your back to a wall when she does her waterfowl dance. Stay calm, do not panic, watch some videos of her attacks, and you'll realize her flashy moves just seemed intimidating/impossible at first. Do not rely on a shield to do the work for you due to her healing ability, at most you should only use it to block the stray hit. Talisman suggestions would be Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (or your best one), Ritual Shield Talisman, and Green Turtle Talisman to help mitigate damage and improve stamina regeneration. The Prelate's Charge skill can be used to stagger her by driving her into a corner as long as you have enough FP.
In her second phase her attacks start to flow together more, but good ones to punish are her slamming attacks as she takes some time to create a rot burst in front of her.
Rivers of Blood and Blasphemous Blade are great options for weapons. If focusing on bleed damage, Curved Swords are a good choice as their dual-wielded jumping attack hits four times allowing quick Bleed build-up. This can be paired with the Raptor's Black Feathers, Claw Talisman, Beastman's Curved Sword, and Rotten Winged Sword Insignia for high DPS. The Scavenger's Curved Sword dual wielded with a curved sword with bleed affinity is a good choice for such a build. For Strength Arcane builds, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear can be used for inflicting bleed from a distance rapidly by using the Bloodboon Ritual weapon skill.
Magic and Ranged Strategy
For Incantation users, Swarm of Flies is a good option when summoning, especially Black Knife Tiche Ashes. Once Malenia focuses on Tiche, start casting Swarm of Flies. A slight delay between casts is a little more effective than constant spam, as it seems to catch her fully in each swarm rather than clipping her as she dodges out. If she leaps, just keep your distance and get ready to dodge Waterfowl Dance. With luck, one of your swarms will cause blood loss and she'll be staggered, but because you're keeping range, you should be able to dodge much, if not all, of the Waterfowl Dance. On phase 2, the recovery of Scarlet Aeonia is the perfect time to spam Swarm of Flies.
Other good incantations are Borealis's Mist to inflict Frostbite, Giantsflame Take Thee for its massive damage and high chance to knock Malenia down, Aspect of the Crucible: Tail and Aspect of the Crucible: Horns to knock down Malenia, or Dragonmaw which deals good damage and knocks her down. Protect yourself with both Golden Vow and Black Flame's Protection as they stack. Don't use offensive Holy incantations because Malenia has 40% damage reduction against Holy damage. Rotten Breath or Ekzyke's Decay are not terrible, but Malenia does have very high resistance to Scarlet Rot and Poison. For INT+FTH builds, Ancient Death Rancor is also a very good option, as it deals good damage, has good poise damage, and good tracking.
For Sorcery users, starting the fight with Ranni's Dark Moon can be helpful as it lowers her magic resistance and deals frostbite damage.
Do not use projectile attacks such as Great Glintstone Shard because she will just dodge them. Instead, use sorceries with good tracking capabilities such as the aforementioned moon or Stars of Ruin. Malenia, as all other NPCs, cannot see Night Sorceries so she will not dodge them, making Night Comet a fantastic option especially when paired with a Staff of Loss on the other hand to buff its damage (or, even better, with two Staves of Loss if you can get a second one from another player or a new game + playthrough).
Other good sorceries against her are Greatblade Phalanx for its high stance damage, which can be good if playing with a weapon that can inflict critical attacks once you stagger her, but this is not as good for pure mages that only use staves. Carian Piercer and Cannon of Haima are also good for knocking her down. For INT+FTH builds, Ancient Death Rancor is also a very good option, as it deals good damage, has good stance damage, and good tracking.
If using summons, Malenia might dodge fewer projectiles as she's busy focusing on the summon. This opens the door for spells such as Comet or Shard Spiral. Alternatively, spamming Ranni's Dark Moon while Malenia focuses on the summons is also a valid strategy, though this requires a lot of FP. If not spamming Dark Moon, Glinstone Icecrag can help trigger Frostbite. Finally, Comet Azur can be considered for phase 2 to punish Malenia after dodging her Scarlet Aeonia.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Attacks & Counters
| Attack | Description | Counter |
| Malenia's Dance (1.00 only) | Malenia raises her sword to her left and makes 4 long steps - after each step, she attacks with a flurry of attacks. After that, she jumps towards the Tarnished with an attack and performs a final whirl strike, knocking down the target. | Attack not used in current version of the game. However, if player wants to face her in 1.00 version of the game, it is best to simply run away |
| Waterfowl Dance | Malenia leaps into the air. After a short pause, she dives onto the player and slashes around her in an AoE. She then slashes two more times, closing the gap with a smaller dash each time. Her final slash is then followed with a short AoE that she doesn't move for. This attack also builds up scarlet rot very quickly in phase two. This attack can be blocked, but it is not recommended as she will recover a large amount of HP if the attacks connect. | There are several methods in dodging the attack, the method depends on the distance between you and her: 1) If you are distanced about four or more meters out of her sword's reach, immediately start running back the moment she leaps in the air. The first two slashes will miss as long as you keep running. Immediately stop running after she finishes her second slash and roll towards her, the third slash will miss since it's programmed to send her behind you. If you've timed this right the fourth slash will miss as well without requiring any additional inputs from you. 2) If she jumps up while you're within her sword's reach, immediately start running back. The timing is precise and requires some training. The moment her foot touches the ground to begin the first slash, jump or roll away from her, this move will dodge the first slash. She'll now wind up her second slash, move towards her while keeping your eyes on her sword arm, then roll towards her left arm (right side from your POV) the moment her sword arm starts to move for a second slash. If timed right this will dodge her second slash. For the third slash, simply roll towards her again and then roll away from her to avoid the fourth slash. 3) If you have a weapon with high bleed build-up (such as dual curved swords with Ash of War: Seppuku), the bleed effect will stagger her out of the Waterfowl Dance attack. 4) Ash of War: Bloodhound Step can also be used to easily dodge through this attack. You can apply the Ash of War to an off-hand dagger and quickly switch to it whenever she begins the Waterfowl Dance animation. 5) Ash of War: Vow of the Indomitable can be used to partially dodge the first volley with the right timing. The I-frames don't last long enough to completely dodge the first volley, but you can dodge afterwards and still take no damage. Another way to dodge this attack when you're at close range (albeit a lot more difficult), is to circle her (without locking-on) when she's in the air, double roll away from her for the first dash, lock-on to her again and do the same thing as above for the other three dashes. Alternatively, block with a shield that has relatively high stability. She will recover her health, but it is more preferable than dying. At this point in the game you should deal enough damage to make up for health regained. Note: She tends to use this attack more often, if she is engaged with range weaponry/spells (needs further testing). Note: The healing values on waterfowl dance requires more testing as it is very difficult to ensure the entire attack connects and be able to tell which attacks are healing her. Datamining indicates that there is an internal 0.3 second cooldown on each of Malenia's healing effects which would explain why she only heals from some of the hits. Testing with her animation speed slowed 50x suggests that waterfowl dance dance hits up to 18 times, healing her for either 1.6% or 0.4% each hit. The internal cooldown only affects attacks using the same healing effect (so after she heals for 1.6%, she cannot trigger another 1.6% heal for 0.3 seconds, but there is no delay between triggering heals for different amounts). |
| Kick | Malenia will rush the player before she swipes at the player with her leg (unparryable), which can then be followed up by one of four attacks. A slightly delayed stabbing dash attack, a sword swipe followed up by an overhead slam on the ground, or two quick slices followed by another slice. It can also be followed up with a grab attack (see below). |
The kick is fairly easy to avoid. Creating distance can keep you safe from the latter two follow ups. The stabbing dash attack is telegraphed by a small flash on her sword, helping you time a roll. The kick can also be blocked, but consumes high amounts of stamina. Heals Malenia for 1.6% max HP |
| Thrust | Malenia will slightly jump into the air, followed by a very quick thrusting attack, dealing a huge amount of pierce damage. This attack usually catches player off-guard. Can be parried at melee. |
Malenia usually does this attack when the player is healing at mid-range. So if you want to heal, make sure to run far away from her first before healing, or wait for the thrust before healing. To avoid the thrust, simply roll left or right (backwards works as well but it's a bit risky). Because of pierce damage, this attack deals increased damage if the player is in counterattack frames. If the player is far enough away from her, it's possible to jump over the thrust. If the player is close enough, they can parry it. Heals Malenia for 6.4% max HP |
| Rapid Prosthesis Slices | Malenia will shorten her blade (indicated by a ping sound) then rush the player, do three quick attacks in succession, followed by a final horizontal attack that can be delayed. This attack can end up quickly healing her along with devastating the player's health. This attack can also occur on its own, in the middle of a combo, or to end a combo (usually indicated by her delaying the final sweep). Can be parried. |
Malenia uses this attack only if her blade is to her right (the player's left if they are looking at her) which means you can be better prepared for it. Listen for the ping sound to indicate the weapon change, then roll towards her (into the attack) to her right. Back up and if needed roll away from her once you are clear to avoid the final sweep. Do not rush in for an attack unless the final sweep is delayed, which would indicate the end of a combo and an opening for the player. Avoid dodging backwards, as the third hit will clip you. She may sometimes follow it up with the same attack - this can happen multiple times in a row. Heals Malenia for 1.6% max HP per swing |
| Uppercut + Slam OR Charge + Spin | Malenia will hold her sword back, then do one of the two damaging attacks depending on the player's location: (i) If the player is at close range, she will do an uppercut, then leap upwards and slams down. (ii) If the player is at long range, she will charge towards the player at fast speed, then spin her sword, followed by a slam. |
The two attacks are very delayed and extremely damaging, so make sure you recognize the starting animation (indicated by her holding her sword back) immediately and be prepared for the attacks. For Uppercut + Slam: Roll backwards to avoid the uppercut, then wait for her to slam down and roll forward left or forward right. If you are brave enough, you can get a few hits in before her uppercut, then dodge at the very last second. For Charge + Spin: Roll twice as soon as you see her charging towards you to dodge both the spin and the slam altogether. Malenia will be wide open for attacks after performing these two attacks. You can either do a charged strong attack or even a weapon's skills such as Lion's Claw or Spinning Slash. Heals Malenia for 1.6% max HP per swing, Overhead slam heals for 3.2% max HP
|
| Lunging Grab | Malenia will raise her hand in preparation for a grab attack, then lunge in a straight line towards the player very quickly. If the grab connects she will toss the player into the air and impale them, dealing 2225 base thrusting damage, before tossing their body onto the ground. During Phase two, this attack can be immediately followed by a flying sweep + thrust attack. This attack cannot be blocked or parried. |
Dodge roll when Malenia lunges, preferablyto the sides (backwards works too if you time it right). During Phase two, be prepared for the flying sweep + thrust attack (See below) as it may catch the player off-guard. While this attack can be interrupted by most player attacks while she winds up the grab, it's not suggested to do so because of the risks. Heals Malenia for 10.6% max HP |
| Scarlet Aeonia | Phase two only. Malenia will dive onto the player and summon a giant flower that explodes around her. This leaves a lingering mist that applies scarlet rot and a DoT effect in the area. This attack is always used as her first attack in phase two. | Roll as soon as you see her sword is lifted, then sprint away for her for a little bit (around half a second), then roll away from her again. Remember to not attack her right away after the explosion as the rot will linger for quite a bit (around 4 - 5 seconds), use this time window to heal, recover FP, reapply buffs, or even cast some spells if you're a ranged user. After the scarlet rot is gone (indicated by the flower disappearing), she will be unable to move for a while, and is wide open for attacks, use this time window to use your skill (or a charged strong attack) on her to deal massive damage in a single hit. The initial impact heals Malenia for 4.8% max HP |
| Scarlet Explosion | Phase two only. Malenia will retain its original moves from Phase one, however there is a chance that she will do a follow-up on most attacks, where she flies up into the air briefly, then slams down her sword, dealing a huge amount of damage and creating on the ground a small vortex of rot, which then explodes after a brief delay and builds up scarlet rot. The explosion can also occur from the slamming attacks from Phase one, which she can follow up and result in a double Scarlet Explosion. | This attack usually occur when she is done with her regular Phase one combo. Roll in any direction to avoid the slam, roll again if you're unsure whether exploson will hit you. This attack can be heavily punished if you roll into her and get to her back, as she will be wide open for attacks after the slam. To differentiate between this attack and the Waterfowl Dance (as these two attacks have similar starting animation), if she twirls before flying up, it's the Waterfowl Dance; if she flies upwards without twirling, she's doing the Scarlet Explosion attack. The slam heals Malenia for 3.2% max HP |
| Flying Sweep + Thrust | Phase two only. Malenia will fly up into the air, and glides down onto the player from the left, followed by a very quick thrust attack. This attack can be followed up with the Scarlet Explosion attack. | She will usually do this attack when you're at long range. Roll left to avoid the first sweep, then roll left or right to avoid the thrust. Or, roll the sweep, then jump the thrust. See above to learn how to dodge the Scarlet Explosion follow-up. Because of pierce damage, the follow up thrust attack deals increased damage if the player is in counterattack frames. |
| Counter Kick | Phase two only. Sometimes, when the player hit Malenia, she will follow-up by countering the player with a kick (different from a regular kick). Although this kick doesn't do a lot of damage, it'll usually catch the player off guard and stagger them greatly. | Never attack twice in a row when she's in a walking/running animation and always be prepared for the counter kick, roll backwards when she begins to lift her leg to avoid the attack. Unlike the regular kick, Malenia will not follow this up with another attack and will stand still for a solid second. You can exploit this weakness by doing an attack after dodging the counter kick (either doing a running attack, quick weapon's skills, or just a simple attack if you have a long weapon). |
| Phantom Spirits | Phase two only. Malenia will fly into the air, creating a pool of scarlet rot on the ground below her, and consecutively fire out four phantom versions of herself that will do two horizontal sweeps, a vertical slam, a third horizontal sweep followed by a quick thrust, one final thrust, before Malenia herself comes down with a high speed flying thrust to player, dealing high damage. The first and last phantom will stay longer in order to do a single thrust attack each, occurring after the fourth's sweep attack. | Roll in the directions as the following order: Backwards twice (delay a bit between these two rolls), followed by two forward rolls (immediately after one another), then roll to the left twice (immediately after one another). The timing for the third and fourth roll might be a bit difficult to get a grasp on (and will usually result in death as you'll get hit by two phantoms), but once you get those two rolls right, you'll never get hit by the phantoms. Note: This attack can target more than 1 player. The final dive attack heals Malenia for 10.6% max HP The spirits do not heal Malenia on hit |
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Notes & Trivia
- "In the first year after launch, From Software reported that Malenia had killed players 329 million times" - How Many Times Players Attempted Malenia
- In version 1.04 of Elden Ring, there was a bug related to the healing mechanic, which was present only when players fought Malenia in co-op - each attack would result in heal, even if the attack missed due to i-frames. This has since been fixed as of update 1.04.1
- In the Elden Ring trailer shown at E3 2021, Malenia's arena is slightly different, with a much darker appearance and fewer roots in the background. However, the clip from her pre-battle cutscene has the final arena design.
- First phase can't be finished with a critical strike or damage caused by inflicting status effect - Malenia will remain with 1 HP left, even with poison or rot damage. In a very earlier version of the game, if the player managed to finish that phase with critical strike, 2nd phase Malenia would spawn with 1 HP.
- After the player parries her three times and she enters the animation that allows for a critical hit, she can be staggered by any attack (including things like throwing knives), knocking her out of the critical animation.
- Malenia is featured in the game's Collector's Edition, which includes a statue of her and a replica of her helmet.
- Bug: If player depletes her poise while she performs attack with hyper-armor, she will not be put in a state that allows to perform a riposte.
- Bug (possible only in co-op or with Spirit Ash): If player manage to end first phase with a riposte while Malenia's HP is 0, she will spawn with 1HP in 2nd phase.
- This can cause some odd situation in her attacks, as her first one will not be Scarlet Aeonia.
- Voice Actress: Pippa Bennett-Warner.
Dialogue
Introduction:
I dreamt for so long.
My flesh was dull gold...and my blood, rotted.
Corpse after corpse, left in my wake...
As I awaited... his return.
... Heed my words.
I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella.
And I have never known defeat.
During Fight
Defeating player in phase 1 (1.00): Now do you understand? I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella...
Defeating player in phase 1 (after 1.00): I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella...
Defeating player in phase 2: Let your flesh be consumed. By the scarlet rot.
Intermission
Wait.
The scarlet bloom flowers once more
You will witness true horror.
Now, rot!
After Fight
Your strength, extraordinary...
The mark...of a true Lord...
O, dear Miquella...
O, dearest Miquella, my brother...
I'm sorry. I finally met my match...
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Lore
Lore Items Related to Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Remembrance of the Rot Goddess
Remembrance of Malenia, Goddess of Rot, hewn into the Erdtree.
The power of its namesake can be unlocked by the Finger Reader. Alternatively, it can be used to gain a great bounty of runes.
Miquella and Malenia are both the children of a single god. As such they are both Empyreans, but suffered afflictions from birth. One was cursed with eternal childhood, and the other harbored rot within.
Malenia's Great Rune
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Malenia. The blessing of this half-rotted rune reduces the healing power of Flask of Crimson Tears.
And yet, due to the infusion of Malenia's spirit of resistance. attacks made immediately after receiving damage will partially recover HP.
Malenia is daughter to Queen Marika and Radagon, and her Great Rune should have been the most sacred of all.
Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom
A talisman engraved with a scene from a heroic tale. Raises dexterity.
Though born into the accursed rot, when the young girl encountered her mentor and his flowing blade, she gained wings of unparalleled strength.
Valkyrie's Prosthesis
Golden prosthesis once used by the one-armed valkyrie. A masterwork of craftsmanship, with practice and skill it can be used as proficiently as a real arm.
When Maleigh Marais, Lord of the Shaded Castle, embraced this prosthesis, he claimed to feel the presence of his personal goddess.
Marais Robe
Robe with a black mantle across the shoulders. Customarily worn by the head of House Marais.
The sons of House Marais are all sickly born. Little wonder that Maleigh Marais would be so beguiled by the beautiful and fierce goddess who was born into rot.
Radagon's Rings of Light
One of the incantations of the Golden Order fundamentalists. A gift of gratitude to the young Miquella from his father, Radagon.
Produces a golden ring of light and fires it across a wide area. Charging enhances range.
And yet, the young Miquella abandoned fundamentalism, for it could do nothing to treat Malenia's accursed rot. This was the beginning of unalloyed gold.
Hand of Malenia
Blade built into Malenia's prosthetic arm. Through consecration it is resistant to rot.
Malenia's war prosthesis symbolized her victories. Some claim to have seen wings when the weapon was raised aloft; wings of fierce determination that have never known defeat.
Winged Sword Insignia
A talisman depicting a raised prosthetic blade. An honor bestowed upon the knights who fought alongside Malenia the Severed.
Raises attack power with successive attacks.
The wings symbolize Malenia and her undefeated prowess. Though she never knew relief from the accursed rot she was born into, her blade was forever beautiful - and relentless.
Cleanrot Armor
Armor of the Cleanrot Knights, celebrated for their undefeated campaign in the Shattering.
The Cleanrot Knights vowed to fight alongside Malenia, despite the inevitable, if gradual, putrefaction of their flesh. Their acceptance of their fate made these battles fiercest of all.
Scarlet Aeonia
Technique of Malenia, the Goddess of Rot.
Creates a gigantic flower that blooms into an explosion of scarlet rot.
Each time the scarlet flower blooms, Malenia's rot advances. It has bloomed twice already. With the third bloom, she will become a true goddess.
Aeonian Butterfly
A butterfly with withered, scarlet wings found in the swamp of Aeonia. Material used for crafting items.
According to myth, these butterflies were once the wings of the Goddess of Rot herself.
Cleanrot Knight Finlay Ashes
Legendary ashen remains. Use to summon the spirit of the Cleanrot Knight Finlay.
Finlay was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Aeonia, who in an unimaginable act of heroism carried the slumbering demigod Malenia all the way back to the Haligtree. She managed the feat alone, fending off all manner of foes along the way.
Malenia's Winged Helm
Winged helm made of unalloyed gold. Worn by Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
Malenia awaited Miquella at the foot of the husk.
“My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the allure, of a god – he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all.”
Unalloyed Gold Needle
An intricately crafted needle of unalloyed gold. Removed by Millicent from her flesh.
Bears no trace of befouled blood, but is faintly moist with dew.
"There is something I must return to Malenia. The dignity, the sense of self, that allowed her to resist the call of the scarlet rot."
Young Lion's Armor
The golden armor worn by Radahn in his younger years. Proudly adorned with heroic red accents, it is fitting attire for a lion.
When Malenia, Blade of Miquella, let the rotflower blossom in Aeonia, Radahn heard a murmur in his ear— "Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort."
Dialogue Related to Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Sage Gowry
Do you have an interest in rot incantations? Then you might like to learn something of the history... of Malenia, goddess of scarlet rot. Queen Marika and her King Consort Radagon were blessed with twin demigods, and Malenia was one of them.
She was born an Empyrean, carrying the scarlet rot. An Empyrean...is no mere demigod. In the age of the Elden Ring, and Queen Marika, the precious Empyrean was born. A new god to forge a new Order.
Since Malenia fought Radahn, and the great scarlet flower blossomed in Aeonia, I have dedicated myself to her. And to the resplendence of the Order of Rot. The cycle of decay and rebirth.
Sever that trust. Nurtured by betrayal, her bud will flower most vividly. When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a scarlet valkyrie.
Would you disown us too? As your Mother did? We children of the scarlet rot? Millicent... Malenia... Do you detest us, so utterly?
Millicent
Now, I'm tracing the path Malenia took, after unleashing the power of the scarlet rot, during her battle with General Radahn,in the Caelid Wilds. I should like to meet her, this vanished woman. I think she's in the north. In the lands that lie beyond the Erdtree.
I'm searching for a fort to the north of the ruins. I heard the master of the fort was given a medallion that allowed him to visit the Haligtree. Indeed, I believe that is where Malenia will be found. The Haligtree is hidden somewhere in these Northern lands.
I am of Malenia's blood. But in what capacity I know not. I could be sister, daughter, or an offshoot... Whatever the case though, I am certain of a kinship between us.
There is something I must return to Malenia. The will that was once her own. The dignity, the sense of self, that allowed her to resist the call of the scarlet rot. The pride she abandoned, to meet Radahn's measure.
Gideon Ofnir
There are four more demigods yet to be located. Miquella of the Haligtree, the Unalloyed. His twin, Malenia, the undefeated swordswoman.
Ahh, so the secret medallion led you to the land of the Haligtree? I'd expect to find Malenia there. She who fought Radahn to a standstill.
Well, if the scarlet rot hasn't eaten her away completely. But...with the Haligtree as it is... I suppose Miquella must already be...
Ah, my apologies. Lost myself, for a moment there. The information you've shared is of great value. As promised, your reward:
A secret rite known only to me. You are a true fellow. All I ask is that you remain constant.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella Image Gallery
Anonymous4 years passed and this is still the most dogshit boss in the game, idc what sweaty neckbeards and her simps on twitter say. if you think waterfowl is anything other than egregious and her design anything other than bloated you are simply wrong and defending a billion dollar company that couldn't care less about making quality bosses, os their fans. i just hope whatever else they make won't have such bullshjit ever again but alas dlc has proven they don't care to make improvements regarding bosses. peace.
- Anonymous
Just beat her with a torch, 10 and a half minutes of pure
"Where the hell is that waterfowl and clone move" is finally over. Holy moly that was hard.
- Anonymous
Literally spent 20 hours slamming my head against this wall on a colossal weapon heavy armor roar build, no ashes or help. It played slow and it always came down to if the started water fowl in melee range or not. I got decent at surviving them but could never get the 3-4 in a row needed to beat her. I swapped to a light rolling bear claw build next day and dropped her inside of 5 attempts. Bleed can stagger her out of waterfowl if you're lucky and the animations on lights can sometimes naturally dodge her counter and evade follow up. Stack that with semi-consistent flinches on her start ups and it's a totally different fight. I think she just hard counters slower, tanky, hard hitting builds and the skill ask is at least above me. You can do it honest, just maybe not with your load out.
- Anonymous
For anyone who might be interested: If you use Night Comet, take care to ALWAYS cast it fully charged and be not too close to her. If you do, she will almost never do waterfowl dance in her first phase. Discovered this by chance, no idea why it’s the case…
- Anonymous
Why the hell is she able to be rotted? Is their an obscure item description that explains why?
- Anonymous
Who Would Win
Malenia or Crelly the Moldy Cow?
My money's on Crelly
- Anonymous
Can't do it. Even with Blasphemous Blade +9 and Swarm of Flies and mimic we still die 2nd phase.
- Anonymous
it’s crazy how she’s a hard but engaging boss overall, but then she does the stupid waterfowl or whatever and instantly becomes the source of all cancer
- Anonymous
When I first came across Malenia when I was playing Elden Ring for the first time, I knew about how people talked her being the hardest at the time, so I had like no faith in myself beating her by myself so I summoned for coop over the months of me playing Elden Ring in NG+ runs but then one day I was like **** it, Imma do it by myself and to my surprise I did it first try, granted I was using a magic build at the time, but then when I did other runs that were melee focused, I surprisingly became good at the boss, First trying her everytime....usually...Don't give up, it takes practice
- Anonymous
This boss isnt hard as advertised on videos. Its harf for the players who uses 1 handers. Shes a glasscannon with very low poise. Great and collosal weapons will stance break her in a couple attacks, so does aspect of crucible: tail. Easy kill.
- Anonymous
blackguard deserves the title of the elden lord's advisor for his indirect help in this fight
- Anonymous
Malenia's truly one of the most fun bosses in the game once you understand how she operates and recognize how to dodge each of her attacks. It's really a constant back and forth between avoiding her and retaliating if you have enough stamina to spare. It's a very fast-paced battle and very similar to Lady Maria minus abusing parrying.
- Anonymous
I could care less about the grab or the clones or waterfowl dance, I just wished she didn't heal through my shield. Would make the boss so much better to play against
- Anonymous
It was short-lived, but before PCR existed this was the best boss Fromsoft had ever made. Still one of the all-time greats
- Anonymous
For those of you running a bleed build, go with Morgott CGS. Bait her into doing any of her long recovery attacks like that forward stab, jumping double slash, or her grab, then use the weapon art. Hit her 3-4 more times and she should be staggered. Rinse and repeat. Same thing in phase 2, spam your weapon art, hit her another 3-4 times just after she landed her scarlet aeonia. If you've ever fought Friede before, you would know that their designs are very similar: staggering is the name of the game.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Was fighting her for many tries in my faith character with dual magma blades. Bullshit random hyperarmor and heavily punishes dual wield setups since she can randomly parry an attack and stun you. Said f it, grabbed blacksteel hammer with prayerful strike. First tried this trash boss. God, messmer, Rellana, Midra etc. So many way better bosses than this overrated fan service slop
- Anonymous
if you are str build, try using great stars with fire infusion, both fire and bleed is effective. I got her after like hundred tries or couple hundred... Took my whole day. Annoying part is not waterfowl or regen, it's her health amount, if it was half of current, fight would be fair and valid.
- Anonymous
Deflect tear really makes soloing her less of a pain. And actually makes her fight fun.
You can just sekiro waterfowl dance and guard counter stance break her to death.
- Anonymous
If you beat her, and you set voice volume to zero, no you didn't
- Anonymous
First time ever playing a souls-like... Beat her Second try! Almost bear her First try... but was a loss because I screwed up a couple times
- Anonymous
I remember approaching her with my dad watching expecting a fair fight, and genuinely yelling in fear as she crossed the whole arena in one move as I was still summoning Mimic Tear
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I played all 3 dark souls games, bloodborne, sekiro and elden ring, each title more than once. There has been bosses that were really hard for me, like Orphan of Kos, Sister Friede, Isshin etc. This one is just on whole another level. I killed her 2 times, and both times were pure luck. I could play this fight for 1000 times and I'd still need a good luck to beat her. Every other hard boss in souls games, I can see myself getting better and better with each try. That is not the case for Malenia at all, I could kill her and then the next time I fight her, I can die with her hp full on the first phase. Might not be the case for everyone, I mean "let me solo her" exists, but for me she is the only boss I cannot improve against, no matter how much I practice.
- Anonymous
I've played this game a lot, gotten really close to no hitting PCR, yet somehow this b*tch still makes me seethe so hard when I fight her that I just give up. I only beat her once and honestly I refuse to do it again. Sometimes a man gotta pick his fights.
This was really cool, especially with that compliment after the fight closes for her. That's the coolest boss I have fought in a while that is. She is decently hard and she's got a regeneration ability which means you really do need to beat it while trying not to get hit at all. Some of her attacks also have really cool dodge techniques that can be applied to them.
- Anonymous
I was prepared to meet a difficult boss. I brought my mimic tear with extremely beefy armor and erdtree heal. Then I sniped her with Selurias Tree. I know holy damage is her strongest damage reduction, but she still got fried. Must have been the low maximum health that brought her down so fast. I think this is the case because she has lifesteal. I was about level 160 and I needed less than ten tries.
- Anonymous
Tore her apart in NG+1 using a the Darkmoon Greatsword and sorceries. Glintstone Phalanx works well against her, and using any minor sorcery causes her to close the distance, letting you punish any of her combos with a Darkmoon Greatsword R2.
The second phase gives you ample time to throw your bigger spells against her, particularily after the Scarlet Rot divebomb and any of her leaping attacks. She's really easy to inflict frost on and the greatsword will stagger her with every hit. Very fun way to fight her.
- Anonymous
I truly don't mind waterfowl. I truly don't mind the lifesteal. I truly don't mind that she takes three parries to riposte.
I can forgive the fact that she gets hyperarmor on demand with zero warning, at pretty much any time, and then do it again, and again for as long as the game randomly decides she should. I can forgive the fact that she has total control over whether she gets stance broken or not. I can forgive the way that despite beig so difficult and finnicky to dodge, her recovery after doing waterfowl is so incredibly short that your reward for successfully dodging it is, at best, a demure little rolling attack from a small weapon. I can forgive the fact that even if you have seem to have earned a clean hit, she can just block or dodge it because she says so.
I can even forgive the fact that the most interesting thing they could think for her to say on player death was to just read out the name on top of the boss healthbar with zero intonation.
The one thing about this boss that I truly cannot forgive, that ****s me to absolute gamer rage, is when I'm fighting her on a fire build and she chooses to spend the first twenty seconds of every fight edgewalking through the pool of water and I have to either start off the fight with a 10% damage debuff or take a nap by the fog until she decides the bossfight can start.
- Anonymous
first rule of Elden Ring is that Malenia is a special little birthday girl and mama said she can have hyperarmour and stance break immunity whenever she wants
- Anonymous
I use Bloodhound Step with light weight on her Waterfoal.
Just dodge towards her and she will go through your body, and since light weight helps you to step more ahead, you will be out of reach from her wind blades.
Repeat this for 4 TIMES, as the last wind blades that happens when she finishes her moves tends to spread a bit more than when she was moving.
Not getting hit is the point of this plan, as you will literally go through all the blades without letting her heal at all
- Anonymous
I initially hated this boss, but after retrying her a lot I changed my opinion. I think, even despite all the gold tinged excrement she throws at you, she's actually a fairly well designed fight in the context she exists in. It's natural that this is the logical result of the secret gamer boss when From has been boiling a pot frogs in this formula for 2 decades. Compared to the DLC bosses, I would say that she's actually very fair. Right up to her second phase, it's a severe but livable amount of CBT. Damn that second phase is ass though. Can't say I would miss it if it was gone.
For her prosthesis slices, I don't block or try to dodge to completion. I roll backwards and then light attack to interrupt, use a weapon with some reach. If your build has some freedom for the ash of war, bloodhound step is okay at dodging it I'm told.
For those struggling with waterfowl, I highly recommend getting and upgrading a greatshield. Yes she will heal, it's fine. Yes, she might cut you in the back because of the fucked tracking. That's okay too. Run in and hit her with a charged R2 when she's done. For all those times a boss erased a flask of yours from existence, moments after it hit your lips, why don't you show her how it feels? ;-)
Keep at it, champ. You'll get her eventually. If you ever feel like she's unfair, remember they could have made her soul drain you too!
- Anonymous
i found a glitch where she gets staggered right before the phase change, and if youre fighting her with multiple people and the other person finishes off the phase at the exact same time you start riposting her, youll start out the second phase by riposting air and she starts out with like 1 hp. i dont know if its an old thing tho
Idk if it's like this for any of yall, but as someone whove been playing for a long time and fought this boss so many times- fighting her with bleed or frost is so satisfying, especially in co-op. It's mostly due to the random hyperarmor she has, the lifesteal and point blank waterfowls/spirits. For instance, she shares the same weaknesses with messmer and midra, but for those two I go back to something without status as they dont have bs mechanics so they'd be shredded by the status. Also backhand blades and great stars with prelate's charge are possibly the most fun ways to fight her
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
take away waterfowl and that one move where she creates clones and she becomes a perfect boss
- Anonymous
I've heard people speculating that she originally was a scrapped Sekiro boss which they cannibalized for ER, and if that's actually true, than it explain a lot of what went wrong here, with that combat system she feels right at home, with Demon's Souls's on the other hand, not so much, and when I say "not so much" I mean not at all.
- Anonymous
I just beat her in sub twenty attempts on my first playthrough. WOOHOO
- Anonymous
All the people in these comments complaining about Waterfowl Dance as a dumb attack and 'The only attack that makes her hard' are simply bad at the game. It took a long time for me to learn how to dodge Waterfowl, and when I did for the first time, I felt on top of the world, while that victory was slightly ruined by the head rush I got afterwards leading to my death, I still felt great and felt like I was actually learning how to fight Malenia properly. So if you think that Malenia's Waterfowl Dance is a bad attack, than simply just cry about it, and actually get gud at the game. Not every fight can be handed to you on a silver platter, king.
- Anonymous
I usually prefer to not use status effects even in co-op, but I love shredding this bih with some frost or bleed. Waterfowl and life steal? Alright alright alright! Time for blood loss!
- Anonymous
so... why does she heal when she hits you even through a shield? does that even make sense lore wise? nothing about her design tells me she should be able to do that. it just makes the boss fight feel contrived and dumb, like the devs were scrambling for ways to make the fight harder with the least amount of effort possible.
why though? this is such a great game, but sometimes it truly baffles me and not in a good way.
- Anonymous
Just needed a whole weekend (obv with breaks) to finish her off for good. And after that, I was done, mentally and physically. 9% luck 1% skill 15% build/setup change and 75% time for beating her in my very first Elden Ring run and my first Soulslike game. It felt damn good finishing her.
PS: I didnt used ashes. Only Rivers of Blood, Uchigatana, Eleonora's Poleblade, a random shield and maybe Nagakiba.
PPS: I like Katanas
- Anonymous
le me, a fromsoft dev, le me go to see birth of venus on le google images lul, le me take big inspiration, le me put it in game lol, me le npc.
- Anonymous
Hugely overrated boss with one stand out attack and an annoying as shlt gimmick, pretty emblematic of the entirety of this game tbh.
- Anonymous
I was helping a random who summoned me. it was the person's first fight since cutscene played. I kept slamming her to the ground with RKR and Charged heavies from Giant crusher. At the end of phase 1, i reposte'd her and the host also attacked her. due to lag, both our hits got registered. Due to some glitch, I was still in animation of reposte and she started Phase 2 with 1 health. The host died as he was unable to dodge scarlet aeonia but i hit her with a kukri
- Anonymous
Just finished replaying Dark Souls 1,2,3 and Elden Ring and I still think this is their best boss. Literally forcing players to adapt and change their playstyle. To overcome a challenge. Some people seem to get very angry of this.
Just finished another run against her at LV125 with blood infused Godskin Sticher with Impaling Thrusts, fight took 4 minutes (practising took 2 evenings). Blocked the first part of Waterfowl Dance with Golden Greatshield (took zero dmg from it) and dodge rolled last parts. Why are people still salty about that move? Observe what the boss is doing, ask why you died and adapt your playstyle to fit what is needed.
- Anonymous
I just block the first flurry with a shield, roll underneath her for the second, and hold back on the left stick to walk backwards and avoid the rest
- Anonymous
Every time you ask a Malenia defender how to dodge waterfowl or rot clones they will give you the SpongeBob bubble blowing instructions and expect you to do it whenever she randomly decides to do it.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
try beast claws from dlc, keep spamming r1 and she cant escape the constant attacking
- Anonymous
Did I cheese accidentally? I only had to drink one flask through both phases using ghiza wheel build with mimic tear, she could barely get a strike in
- Anonymous
Not the worst major fight, but definitely among the least balanced imo. Malenia has a singular threatening attack which just happens to hard counter the particular build that core fans most like to use. Even if you want to argue that the first flurry is intentionally dodgeable from point blank (like melee has to be in), it can't be denied that any ranged or shield build has an exponentially easier time dodging just this one move. If you're pure melee and don't want to watch a yt tutorial, the fight is pretty much a roulette for her not to use WF when you're too close to dodge the first flurry. To be fair, the odds are in your favor if you're cautious, and getting hit by just the first flurry probably won't kill you. If you're a caster though, I recommend shooting while strafing near the perimeter of the arena. The entire objective is not to get cornered, in which case she could actually kill you with WF. Especially if you're light rolling, I don't think any of the other moves can pose a significant threat to an experienced caster. This fight is fun, but I just feel like it should have been designed differently
- Anonymous
Probably the worst, most useless and abstract information you will ever hear but before playing the game and hearing her name I always assumed Miquella was a city or a place. It made more sense back then for her to have such a name if she was the protector of a landmark
- Anonymous
The only thing harder than this fight is me during the second phase
- Anonymous
literally such a nothing burger boss without waterfowl. radahn won btw cope
- Anonymous
I'm able to dodge waterfowl 99% of the time by just watching for the pause between her spins, looking towards her, unlocking camera, and then double/triple rolling, and then relocking camera to do it again. Once I realized that worked, the move didn't seem as OP to me anymore. But when she does it directly on top of me, I always get hit by the first one. It's still frustrating.
- Anonymous
It boggles my mind that to this day people are still throwing temper tantrums that the secret optional boss specifically designed to be extremely difficult is... extremely difficult. Waterfowl and clone attack are consistently able to be dodged if you actually learn the movements instead of trying to rollspam through them. Artificial difficulty isn't real by the way.
- Anonymous
her being able to heal just seems a bit unnecessary, prolongs the fight and punishes you for not being able to perfectly dodge some attacks, even if you were doing pretty well up to that point
- Anonymous
Amazing boss hindered by atrocious move. She's very fun, feels like a proper duel -- you actually can take initiative and strike first, but she can counter it. Without Waterfowl, she would be a good boss, just not an outstanding one. With Waterfowl, yes, she has her reputation as "super hard boss", but at what cost? And problem is her first undodgable attack, other slashes are fun to dodge.
Whatever, here are some tips for her:
- generally, stay just outside the range of her sword. You can run in when she stops swinging, experiment when tho;
- in the first phase, try to stay aggresive. As stated above, you can be proactive at hitting her, but be careful of her kick and sweeping slash, they have hyper armor (DON'T TRY TO PUNISH THE KICK, SHE HAS A FOLLOWUP);
- in the second phase, I would say you should be less proactive, she will run into you herself and you can interupt a lot of her attacks. She gains a counter-kick, similar to her normal one, except she doesn't have any followups (at least I'm not aware of any), so punish it.
Waterfowl, 2 strategies (I tried a lot of them, these ones worked):
1. If you midrange, run backwards, jump as she's about to hit you, dodge through her 2 and 3 slash and dodge backwards from 4 (sometimes, she tracks me after 3rd slash tho).
2. If you close range, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE USE FREEZING POT, IT WILL STOP HER.
Practice the 1st strategy, once you familiar with it, start using 2nd.
Clones: how to dodge, per clone -- left, backwards, forward, ignore (move forward), forwards, ignore (move forward). Don't forget to dodge her thrust at the end.
And take some incants or magic to throw at her while she's in blooming.
- Anonymous
Her standard physical attacks with a sword nullified by blocks from a 100 physical damage-negating shield STILL SHOULDN'T RECOVER HER HEALTH. Maybe my one gripe with this entire game until I get to the DLC.
- Anonymous
I THINK I found something out. I´m pretty sure, that when stacking blade of death with black blade incantation (or anything else that deals destined death, note that black blade stacks with the weapons, the weapons don´t) so she has the grey health and thus less max health, she will heal less HP when going into phase two (need some more testing, it´s just a theory)
- Anonymous
i have no horse in this race. couldn't give less of a sht about the lore. i only played this game to fight bosses.
that being said, this fight sucks. i had way more fun fighting and learning consort radahn.
- Anonymous
In theory, if she/millicent were to pass gas, would it be a cloud of scarlet rot?
- Anonymous
tl;dr this boss is artificial difficulty garbage made real, the only real difficulty is in 2 moves and the sudden hyper armor (and they're at their worst at point blank range), miyazaki and his team are talentless hacks for designing and thinking this and putting this out into the world in the first place and you all as a community are all the poorer for accepting/praising it like you did because this and dlc radahn are absolutely going to be the norm from now on
- Anonymous
Of course the disabled woman is the most powerful boss in the game
- Anonymous
For my low poise int build (no light roll, just fashion reasons) what worked for this one was star shower, waves of darkness, gavel of haima and moonveil.
Star shower for long range, waves for trading and knockdown when she comes in, followed by gavel when she’s getting up, and moonveil L2-R2 for after dodging waterfowl. (Maybe bring comet to punish her aeonia attacks.)
The good news is because of star shower waterfowl will usually start far away so you only need to run and then dodge the last two parts. You can swap to moonveil the moment she starts it to land a free hit after dodging the last part. The bad news is you’re gonna be seeing a LOT of waterfowl. Like 5 in a row o_O
- Anonymous
FINALLY beat her in NG without summoning ashes. Melee strength build using rusted anchor (2H). I guess this is no the best build for beating her, but I couldn't be bothered to respec just for one boss. Dragoncrest greatshield/claw/viridian amber+2/green turtle talismans. Phase 1 I used a lot of jump attacks to punish her when she was idle/at the end of her combos to get critical hits and baited out the waterfowl dance (you get a feel for when it is coming in phase 1 - phase 2 is another story I guess) and just ran away from it/rolled into the final hit. Could not learn how to dodge this perfectly at close range. In phase 2, I kept up the pressure with jump attacks and criticals, it seemed to put off waterfowl dance and the clone attacks (these attacks are the only ones that make the fight a little BS in my opinion) and make her focus on scarlet aeonia (maybe this was sheer luck/rng). Hope this is helpful - I guess this post is more for letting off steam and less for giving tips, ngl.. but hope some of it helps
- Anonymous
I don't know who needs to hear this, but summoning phantoms before you know how to dodge even a little bit of waterfowl is not going to stop you from getting killed by waterfowl.
- Anonymous
The fact that the main strategy for melee users focusses on bleed damage says enough about the fairness of this boss. Whoever decided she would heal when she attacks you knows what they did.
- Anonymous
If you're struggling with this boss, I highly recommend to just block the first hit of waterfowl dance and take chip damage. The rest of the hits are easy to dodge from there. Phase 2 is actually easier than phase 1 because she has a longer list of moves and a lot of them are not so threatening, also it sucks when she nukes you with clones.
- Anonymous
Goddess of rot? More like Goddess of Crotch Rot. The Scarlet whore had 5 daughters with no father that we know of and it's a mystery who da babby's daddy be. She could've been a guest on Jerry Springer. Took me long enough to kill this *****. I was so glad it was over. **** waterfowl dance.
- Anonymous
If it wasn't for the inconsistent hyper armor. That combo extender that makes her swipe you while moving up and down. Her random waterfaul dance. And scarlet clones. I would hve genuinely loved this fight but those 4 things ruin for me the rythme/dance of the fight and make it (be always carfull becease she could do this suddenly) but only for me.
- Anonymous
If you're in melee range and in the middle of an animation and she does the clone summoning attack, you just die? That's really just it?
- Anonymous
Waterfowl dance is the only thing about this fight that's ridiculous. Otherwise, her poise is so low, you can stagger her out of most of her attacks
- Anonymous
If u have a bad day remmeber me. Used Bloodhound for 95% of game till now, had 5 fights with Malenia while in 3 from for she was in second phase, and used my last larval to swap to a long time wished Giant Crusher , not lion's claw btw. Now dead like 15-20 times not makin past phase 1. Wish me good luck.
- Anonymous
Is it just me or are crits in her first phase when she's low on health kinda buggy?
- Anonymous
Hand to hand arts work pretty good, they stun lock her out of most of her normal attacks.
I think I finished her off with a roundhouse kick right as she tried to kick me.
- Anonymous
"Please Finlay I need this! I couldn't one-shot Radahn with my s*icide nuke now I'm gonna ripped apart!"
- Anonymous
What worked for me, much more consistently than any other method I tried, was just accepting that I would take a bit of chip damage and blocking the first flurry with my greatsword. If you do that, it makes it easier to see the timing of the second one (roll towards her and she'll go past you), and then the third can be easily avoided by just backing away from her. She'll heal a little bit, but if your damage is good it shouldn't be a big deal. The Viridian Amber Talisman can help you avoid a guard break.
Hope this helps someone
- Anonymous
she just did a combo in phase 2 that lasted 35 seconds (clipped and timed). towards the end of it, I was taking what I will refer to as "gambler's fallacy damage" because I couldn't imagine the combo actually continuing even further at that point. may RNG have mercy on our dark souls
- Anonymous
I hit this boss repeatedly with my sword cuz i want her dead
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I am not kidding I struggled more with evergaol crucible knight that malenia
- Anonymous
She won't even try to dodge frenzied burst. It might even aggro her, and she'll come for you. Keep enough of a distance when you do this and you have time to charge a Burn, O Flame, which will floor her. Time a charged heavy to hit her when she recovers and you've taken a sizable chunk out of her health with that three-piece.
- Anonymous
If they wanted to make a Bloodborne/Sekiro sequel, then they should have gone with that, Malenia is clearly not a boss that was made with ER combat system in mind.
- Anonymous
It's common, very, to find yourself stuck in a boss stage, or maybe less occasionally, an area with difficult enemies.
You approach the stage over and over, sometimes swapping out your equipment and, or strategy. Hoping for results, or if fortunate, until something clicks.
Problem solving.
The insanity of retrying a hundred times in a row, so much so that it leads you straight into a trance-like state. The same boss, the same moves, the same results. Over and over. In that state of euphoria, I saw the parallel between Elden Ring and life. Until you breakthrough, you're always going to be stuck in the same place.
It's really not so dire, please. Most times, really, you breeze by. Your vigor is at 40, your weapon is at +25, you worked for the Tree Sentinel armor set, your evasion and reactions are just good enough that most things don't really get a chance to stand in your way. You cruise, often boringly. Each day passes, uneventfully. You hold a little grin, thankful for the lingering quietude, a kind of peace. Yet, in that silence is also a kind of lingering hunger, a little bad taste in your mouth that you know very very well, that there is a lack of challenge.
"Until you breakthrough, you're always going to be stuck in the same place." So we could conclude that sometimes, that place is a place of comfort, other times, that place is a place of madness. And where we go from there, if, we are truly going somewhere else, is for our choosing. To subsume the breakthrough, is to take life into your own hands.
- Anonymous
God I wish you couldn't parry her... I need her to be harder... I wish for the masses to suffer more
- Anonymous
Phase 2 is a lot easier because she kinda just... Walks into your attacks. If your weapon stuns her it's just free hits. I was using Black Blade and she would always walk into my r2 and get stunned
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
You cannot convince me that she wasn't just a blatently airlifted cut Sekiro boss (likely for a DLC that never came). She moves, acts and fights like a sekiro boss would. Waterfoul is literally just a variation of an already existing attack that is in Sekrio, which is probably why it's so awful and unintuitive to dodge. Because it was never designed to be dodged, it was always meant to be parried. When you see footage of Malenia being modded into Sekiro it so very clearly flows way better and also highlights how they changed her to make her playable outside of Sekiro. In all honesty if we lived in a timeline where Malenia was in Sekiro and Demon of Hatred was in Elden ring we'd be in a much better world. On a similar note, it amazes me how they couldn't be assed to make a DLC for their GOTY game which was the ONLY time they ever skimped on making a DLC for these games.
- Anonymous
Ordovi's hair reporting. A bit overleveled (RL150, but I have garbage stuff, like min 27, arcane, a bit of other stuff), Ordovis +10
Malenia fell. ~30 minutes of trying. Ofc solo, no ashes.
Wasn't my first attempt, I killed her 3 years ago, but I had like 5 hours of trying. With bleed and such.
Ordovi's legacy is legendary.
- Anonymous
Is it crazy to say her phase 1 is harder than phase 2. Personally, I don't think its crazy to say that.
- Anonymous
You know a boss is stupid OP when they can beat every otber boss in the entire game (barring one or two) just due to the healing alone which no other boss has.
Honestly real stupid design to have a boss heal on hit when there is literally no reason for them to.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Strong contender to one of the most unfinished and unpolished boss in the game (phase transition bug, Waterfowl being canceled due to arena jank in some specific parts, can parry the wind after getting staggered by small weapons, Waterfowl can't be interrupted by colossal but a freeze pot can, annoying wings in Second phase causing visual clusters, absurdly annoying camera angle when she flies despite being the easiest punishable attack, etc)
But the sheep mentality simps will deny It because one or two of his streamers worships this boss and the sheeps don't have their own opinions, they just copypaste from others.
- Anonymous
Delete waterfowl, completely unfair and unavoidable, the guy who designed it got cheated on and released his frustration on this bs boss
- Anonymous
I beg you, fromsoft increase the speed of the player character. Imagine how much more enjoyable this fight would have been if we had bloodborne's quickstep, let alone the ability to parry.
- Anonymous
You can just block waterfowl dance btw. It doesn't drain that much stamina on the first flurry even if you're using a medium shield, as long as it's upgraded. I'm almost sure you weren't actually meant to dodge it at all, definitely not up close. You CAN learn how, if you want, and watch a bunch of videos and practice for it like it's an exam. But unless you're doing some sort of self imposed challenge where you can't use shields, why would you do that? Blocking waterfowl is trivial. She gains some health back, but whatever, you basically get to almost nullify this stupid attack without sacrificing your sanity. Just get a 100% shield and press L1 when she jumps. It's literally that easy and a lot of people struggle because they ignore shields and think it's better to just roll through everything.
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