Elden Ring: 10 Tactics To Help Defeat Malenia

Elden Ring: 10 Tactics To Help Defeat Malenia

Considered among the toughest bosses to defeat in the popular RPG Elden Ring is Malenia, Blade of Miqeulla, an optional end-level enemy that will give even the most expert Souls gamer fits. The reason Melania is so hard to defeat is her ability to self-heal and her relentless double-phased attack, which requires depleting two of her full health bars to succeed.

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Moreover, her expert melee attacks, defensive prowess, and weaponized Scarlet Rot make the deadly demigod nearly impossible to defeat on the first go around. Once finding Malenia at the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace, players ought to use an ideal combo of strategies to take her out.

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Be Judicious & Monitor Stamina

Malenia flies in Elden Ring

Since Malenia is such a punishing fighter, the first thing players ought to do when facing her in the 2022 western-themed RPG is remain patient, not overplay their hands and get too aggressive in battle. If too eager and greedy to inflict damage, Malenia will kill a player with a swift combo. Therefore, a well-timed bob-and-weave style of combat is absolutely necessary when fighting the foe.

Part of this tactic entails keeping a close eye on a player’s stamina. When health is low, be wise and retreat from Malenia and replenish the health meter before going back in for seconds. If Talismen are present to increase regen and stamina, use them to bolster escapability and increase the chances of survival.

Avert Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance

Malenia's Waterfowl Dance in Elden Ring

Players will quickly learn that Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance is her most lethal attack in the popular action RPG, so averting it at all costs is an absolute must to defeat her. To do so, players can run as far away from Malenia as possible to avoid direct hits at close range, but the attack covers a lot of ground so running away from her must begin as soon as Malenia jumps.

Another way to avoid the Waterfowl attack is to roll underneath Malenia as she makes her first lunge, which will avert a massive blow. Be wary of two more lunges, which can only be averted by rolling through them. Rolling away or across from Malenia during the dance spells doom.

Gang Fighting

Malenia looms large in Elden Ring

During the first phase of Malenia’s attack, she is quite vulnerable to becoming stun-locked upon direct hits. One way to simply overwhelm Malenia’s senses and reflexes is to gang up on her using three players at once and stun-lock her into unconsciousness.

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While stun-locking Malenia is only temporary, it will behoove players to wield the Sword of Night and Flame and its powerful beam attack to incur extra damage. A three-pronged jumping attack will also disorient Malenia and allow for easier critical strikes that stagger the deadly demigod substantially.

Anticipating Malenia’s Grab & Lunge

Malenia sprouts wings in Elden Ring

Players will quickly notice that shields do not block grab attacks in Elden Ring. While Malenia’s grab isn’t as deadly as her Waterfowl Dance, being able to anticipate her grab attack and sidestep will pay dividends in defeating the boss in the long run. Thankfully, her grab attack is pretty easy to identify and time up.

The first order of business is distinguishing Malenia’s lunge from her grab, both of which begin on the ground in a similar fighting stance. If Malenia turns right and unsheaths her sword, she’s preparing to lunge. If she turns left and drops a hand by her side, she’s ready to grab. Once players differentiate the two attacks and know when they’re coming, countering them becomes much easier.

Use Another To Trade Malenia’s Aggro

Malenia holds her arm in Elden Ring

While it takes a bit longer than a gang attack of three, trading Malenia’s aggression between two players using heavy weapons and jump attacks is another surefire way to take the boss down in the stellar modern fantasy RPG. This constantly distracts Malenia from focusing on one enemy at a time, allowing for well-timed counters that will stagger the boss significantly.

If players aren’t equipped with heavy weapons during the fight, simply use any weapon combo to get the job done. Even a single weapon and a Spellcaster will allow players to constantly toggle between Malenia’s AoE and enable them to mount a severely damaging counter.

Use Barricade Ash Shield During Melee Attacks

A warrior holds a barricade shield in Elden Ring

Another defensive manner of beating Malenia includes using shields and blockers to prevent damage. Remember, this is a risky move, as Malenia can heal herself with every hit to a player’s shield, but the tradeoff of keeping one’s own health meter full makes it a calculated risk and worthy tradeoff.

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While the shields in the game range in effectiveness, any shield at 100% can be used with the awesome Barricade Ash skill to completely neutralize Malenia’s most powerful Phase 2 attack.

Roll Underneath Malenia & Dodge Scarlet Rot Bloom During Phase 2

Malenia holds a sword in Elden Ring

While rolling directly at Malenia during her Waterfowl Dance as mentioned above, tumbling beneath the baleful boss is even more vital to surviving her second attack phase in the content-rich open-world game. This is because her new attack entails a vicious dive bomb from above that ends in a deadly Scarlet Rot release.

Rolling directly at and underneath Malenia as she dive-bombs will allow players to avert both of her strikes during this phase and provide ample time to retreat as the Scarlet Rot begins to flower. Once the Rot spreads, simply dodge the bloom and wait until it fades to mount a rapid sneak attack.

Employ The Most Ideal Weapon Skills

The Blasphemous Blade is carried in Elden Ring

Since Malenia is prone to staggering on impact, a great way to overpower her is to equip one’s arsenal with the optimal weaponry to launch and knock her down. By staggering Malenia, aggression points will be rewarded to players to a certain degree, so this method is a win-win.

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The most ideal weapon skills to use when fighting Malenia include Prelate’s Charge, a flame-bearing Ash of War skill, a Stamp Upward Cut, a defensive stance skill, and the almighty Blaspehmous Blade’s Taker’s Flame skill, a scalable fire-damage skill ideal for incurring massive damage on larger and more formidable foes.

Incorporate Blood Loss/Frostbite

Frostbite weapons used in Elden Ring

Due to her incessant healing, defeating Malenia can be a real chore. However, her biggest weakness is bleed damage. Therefore, the best way to counter her healing powers is to employ either Blood Loss or Frostbite skills. Blood Loss is particularly effective since it decreases Malenia’s health percentage and makes her vulnerable to hits. For ample results, use the Rivers of Blood and Bloody Helice swords, deadly katanas that will injure Malenia like no other.

If bleeding weapons aren’t an option, then using the Frostbite Status Effect is another efficient way to take Malenia out. It may deal less front-end damage, but Frostbite will lower Malenia’s target damage absorption by 20%. Once a player’s Frostbite meter is full, using the Chilling Mist and Hoarfrost Stomp skills will help players a great deal.

Summon A Mimic Tear Ash

A Mimic Tear Ash appears in Elden Ring

In Elden Ring, Spirit Ashes are ghostly entities that players can summon as companions to take on enemies. The absolute best Spirit Ash to summon when fighting Malenia is the Mimic Tear, a mini-boss that can consume up to 660 HP. Combining the Mimic Tear skill with heavy weapons will consistently keep Malenia off-balance and limit her aggression.

To find a Mimic Tear Ash, open the closed chest located behind the statue door in Night’s Sacred Ground. Spirit Ashes are incredibly helpful in battle, especially when using the Trick Mirror skills that make the tear ash resemble the player and confuse Malenia on the battlefield.

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