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I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat. - Malenia, Blade of Miquella
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Malenia, Blade of Miquella is a boss in Elden Ring. She is a Demigod and a Shardbearer who is encountered in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
Overview[]
Early Life[]
Malenia was born the child of Queen Marika the Eternal and her second husband, the Elden Lord Radagon.[1] She had an elder twin brother by the name of Miquella.[2] Both Malenia and Miquella were Empyreans,[3] meaning they had the potential to one day replace their mother as a new god of a coming age. But since Radagon and Marika were in fact the same person, Malenia and Miquella were born afflicted. Malenia was afflicted with the Scarlet Rot, which ravaged her from within and would cost her several limbs, while Miquella was afflicted with eternal childhood, unable to ever grow into adulthood.
At some point, Malenia encountered a blind swordsman who had sealed away an Outer God of Rot.[4] The swordsman became her master, and trained her in the ways of the blade, allowing her to gain wings of unparalleled strength.[5] Malenia would eventually become a warrior without peer. She would attract loyal servants like her Cleanrot Knights (who vowed to fight next to her despite the inevitable gradual putrefaction of their flesh[6]), as well as worshippers, who believed her a goddess. Members of House Marais, who were all sickly born, were naturally drawn to the beautiful and fierce Malenia who became such a powerful warrior in spite of being born into rot,[7] and requiring prosthesis to fight.[8]
Malenia and Miquella were close, and Malenia would become her brother's sworn blade and protector, while Miquella worked tirelessly to try and undo the curses they had both been born into. While unable to find a cure for his sister, Miquella designed a needle of unalloyed gold that could keep the Scarlet Rot ravaging Malenia's body at bay.[9]
The Shattering[]
After the Elden Ring was shattered, Malenia and Miquella both claimed shards of the broken Elden Ring. During the wars between the demigods which followed the Shattering, Malenia led an army that marched south from the Haligtree. She won many battles, even humbling fellow demigod and shardbearer, Godrick the Grafted,[10] who groveled at her feet for mercy after first insulting her and then suffering defeat.
Malenia and Radahn in Caelid.
Malenia and her half-brother Radahn would eventually be the last two demigods left standing in the conflict. Their forces clashed in the Caelid Wilds, and the two fought a bitter duel for supremacy. In the midst of the combat with Radahn, the Scarlet Rot was unleashed by Malenia, resulting in her first bloom. The blooming of the Scarlet Rot devastated Caelid, leaving it a rotting wasteland, and caused Radahn to rapidly degenerate, losing his wits and cursing him to wander the battlefield as a mindless beast, feasting on the bodies of friend and foe alike.
Malenia herself was not unaffected. Unleashing the Scarlet Rot left her in a coma. She was rescued by one of her Cleanrot Knights, Finlay, and brought to the Haligtree to await her brother's rebirth, as he had encased himself within the Haligtree in an effort to reverse his curse. However, either during Malenia's absence, or during her slumber, Miquella was ripped from the womb of the tree and taken away by Mohg, Lord of Blood before he could emerge from his cocoon.
While Malenia slept, the Scarlet Rot seeped out from her and began infecting the Haligtree. When she had blossomed in Caelid, she had inadvertently birthed the Kindred of Rot, who worshipped her as a goddess[11] and hoped to cause her to bloom once again, believing that she would usher in a new age of rot. Malenia's slumber is eventually disturbed by a Tarnished, who found their way to the roots of the Haligtree. The two fight, and Malenia finally meets her match and suffers her first true defeat. However, in the end Malenia succumbs to the Scarlet Rot and blossoms yet again, reborn as a nascent goddess. She unleashes her full fury against the invader, but falls short yet again, her dying words an apology to her vanished brother.
Boss Fight[]
Malenia is fought at the end of Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, in a large chamber beyond the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace.
Malenia will regain lost HP with every successful attack, even if they are blocked.
Moveset[]
| Moveset List | |
| Slash | Phase 1 & 2 |
|---|---|
| Slashes horizontally with her sword. May chain together multiple slashes. She may close distance by lunging towards the player before attacking. | |
| Grab | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Steps back and pulls back her hand, before lunging forwards and grabbing at the player. If the grab lands, she throws the player into the air and impales them, before throwing them to the ground. Can be cancelled by dealing sufficient damage during the wind-up, or avoided by dodging to the side. | |
| Running Slash | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Strafes the player and slashes horizontally. | |
| Upwards Slash | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Holds back her blade and swings it forwards, leaping up into the air and then performing a downwards slash. | |
| Kick | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Performs a spin-kick. | |
| Rapid Slashes | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Retracts her blade and performs three quick slices, followed by a fourth after a short delay. | |
| Thrust | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Leaps into the air and thrusts forwards with her blade. | |
| Waterfowl Dance | Phase 1 & 2 |
| Leaps into the air and hovers for a period, before performing many rapid slashes that cover the area around her. Performs four bursts of slashes, homing in on the player with each burst. This attack is very difficult to dodge at close proximity, but it is possible to roll through the attacks or run away. | |
| Scarlet Aeonia | Phase 2 |
| Hovers in the air, surrounded by red tendrils. Dives towards the player and spawns a giant flower where she lands. The flower blooms and releases a cloud of Scarlet Rot around her. She will perform this attack immediately when phase 2 begins, and it can be avoided by immediately running towards the edge of the room. | |
| Scarlet Plunge | Phase 2 |
| Leaps into the air and falls back down, plunging her blade into the ground and creating an explosion of rot in front of her. | |
| Flying Slash | Phase 2 |
| Leaps into the air and performs a sweeping attack followed by a thrust. | |
| Scarlet Aeonia | Phase 2 |
| Hovers in the air, surrounded by red tendrils. Dives towards the player and spawns a giant flower where she lands. The flower blooms and releases a cloud of Scarlet Rot around her. She will perform this attack immediately when phase 2 begins, and it can be avoided by immediately running towards the edge of the room. | |
| Scarlet Phantoms | Phase 2 |
| Hovers in the air, creating a pool of Scarlet Rot directly beneath her. She releases several phantoms towards the player, which will perform slashes and thrusts before disappearing. After the last phantom vanishes she dives towards the player. | |
Phase 1 - Malenia, Blade of Miquella[]
In phase 1, Malenia will primarily make use of melee attacks using her sword. Her quick attacks, combined with her HP regeneration on hit, mean that she can rapidly recover from any damage dealt. However, she staggers easily, and her attacks can be cancelled by attacking during her wind-up animations. Frostbite and Blood Loss are especially good for staggering her.
Phase 2 - Malenia, Goddess of Rot[]
Once her health reaches 0, a cutscene will play, instigating phase 2. Malenia, now with large wings, gains a variety of Scarlet Rot-based attacks, and many of her regular attacks can now inflict the status effect. She will begin the phase with 80% of her maximum health, but can recover this using her HP regeneration. This phase will always begin with a Scarlet Aeonia attack, which can immediately end the fight if the player does not immediately get some distance. She can also create phantom projections of herself, which will attack and then disappear.
Environment[]
Malenia's arena is a wide cavern with a shallow pool of water in the middle. There are no obstacles, so there is plenty of space to gain distance during some of Malenia's more devastating attacks.
Notes[]
- Malenia has a prosthetic right arm, left leg, and right foot. It is unknown if these were amputated due to the scarlet rot festering in her body, or injuries obtained from battle. The rot has also visibly spread over her eyes, so she is presumably also blind. Neither seems to influence her battle prowess in the slightest, however.
- According to the Scarlet Aeonia Incantation description, Malenia will become a Goddess if her scarlet flower blooms three times.
- Malenia is among a group of few select enemies that need to be parried multiple times for a successful riposte. Another being Radagon.
- Once defeated, she will leave behind a large, solid Scarlet Aeonia in her arena. If the player has the Unalloyed Gold Needle after completing Millicent's questline, it can be given to the Aeonia to receive Miquella's Needle and an Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone
- Milicent and her four sisters are implied to be descended from Malenia in some way, but more as offshoots, or buds, of her Scarlet Bloom rather than actual daughters. They are also referred to as Scarlet Valkyries.
Dialogue[]
| English Dialogue |
| Intro cutscene |
|---|
| 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. |
| Phase 2 cutscene |
| Wait. |
| The scarlet bloom flowers once more. |
| You will witness true horror. |
| Now, rot! |
| If the player is killed (phase 1) |
| I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. |
| If the player is killed (phase 2) |
| Let your flesh be consumed. |
| By the scarlet rot. |
| Death |
| 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... |
| Japanese Dialogue |
| Intro cutscene |
|---|
| …長い、夢を見ていた |
| 体は貧金、血は腐れ |
| 幾万の屍を積み上げ |
| ただ一人を待つ |
| …貴公も、知るがよい |
| ミケラの刃、マレニアを |
| 敗れを知らぬ戦いを |
| Phase 2 cutscene |
| …待て |
| 朱い花は、また開く |
| 貴公は、おぞましいものを見るだろう |
| 腐れ！ |
| If the player is killed (phase 1) |
| 知り得たか？ミケラの刃、マレニアを |
| If the player is killed (phase 2) |
| …その体に刻むがよい |
| 朱い腐れを |
| Death |
| …貴公、その力… |
| 王の、器か… |
| …ああ、兄様 |
| …ああ、兄様、兄様 |
| すみません、マレニアは敗れました… |
Gallery[]
Concept Art[]
Gallery[]
Manga[]
References[]
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