For the five people in the world who thought Malenia was too easy, a new mod turns Elden Ring's toughest boss into a 4-phase marathon ordeal including cut attacks and dialogue

GamesRPGElden RingFor the five people in the world who thought Malenia was too easy, a new mod turns Elden Ring’s toughest boss into a 4-phase marathon ordeal including cut attacks and dialogueWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

elden ring let her solo me

Elden Ring’s optional megaboss Malenia is one of those memetic videogame tests of skill now. Like the Emerald Weapon in Final Fantasy 7 or the White Palace in Hollow Knight she represents the ultimate challenge in her game, and might just be the boss design high-water mark inFromSoftware’s notoriously boss-centric body of work. So why not make this fight even more difficult?

That’s the proposition ofUnalloyed Maleniafrom modder MiquellaTheUnalloyed. The mod further breaks up the fight with two new phases including a moveset change in the first half and a full heal partway through the second, as well as a host of other tweaks. The fight’s also been injected with new additions to Malenia’s moveset, including thesecond, secret Waterfowl Dancethat never made it into the final game, plus some animations lifted from Sekiro and Bloodborne.

Honestly, it all seems a bit much to me, but even as a self-professed Elden Ring freak, I’m probably not the target audience. “Ihighly do not recommendthis mod if you have only successfully completed vanilla Malenia a few times,” writes mod author MiquellaTheUnalloyed. This thing is basically microtargeting those people whofight the same überhard Soulsborne bosseson a daily or weekly basis and post it to YouTube.

Indeed, I first came across the mod throughOngbal, a Souls YouTuber who specializes in no-hit boss videos⁠—though they actuallydidtake some damage in theirfirst Unalloyed Malenia video, such is the new fight’s difficulty. Watching someone who’s really, really good at the game take her on is probably the optimal way to enjoy Unalloyed Malenia.

And, really, this is a story we’re almost sure to revisit in the upcoming Shadows of the Erdtree expansion to Elden Ring, which seems to focus on Malenia’s mysterious brother, Miquella. I just hope there’s notyet anotherharder version of Malenia squirreled away in there as well⁠—I’ve joked about the existence of Blue Malenia (referencing aninfamous DLC boss palette swapin Dark Souls 2) enough times in the past two years I’m worried I’ve willed it into existence.

Elden Ring guide:Conquer the Lands BetweenElden Ring bosses:How to beat themElden Ring map fragments:Reveal the worldElden Ring weapons:Arm yourselfElden Ring armor:The best sets

Elden Ring guide:Elden Ring bosses:Elden Ring map fragments:Elden Ring weapons:Elden Ring armor:

Elden Ring guide:Conquer the Lands BetweenElden Ring bosses:How to beat themElden Ring map fragments:Reveal the worldElden Ring weapons:Arm yourselfElden Ring armor:The best sets

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

TOPICSFromSoftware

TOPICS

More about rpgCD Projekt Red boss says ‘around 100’ Witcher 3 designers still work at the company, while the Witcher 4’s story director is ‘the same person since Witcher 1’Watching an all-romances speedrun of the legendarily janky Fallout: New Vegas is a delightLatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

More about rpg

CD Projekt Red boss says ‘around 100’ Witcher 3 designers still work at the company, while the Witcher 4’s story director is ‘the same person since Witcher 1’Watching an all-romances speedrun of the legendarily janky Fallout: New Vegas is a delight

The Witcher 4 - Ciri

CD Projekt Red boss says ‘around 100’ Witcher 3 designers still work at the company, while the Witcher 4’s story director is ‘the same person since Witcher 1’

null

Watching an all-romances speedrun of the legendarily janky Fallout: New Vegas is a delight

LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

Latest

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

Cruel

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

See more latest►

Most Popular

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals