How To Defeat Maliketh The Black Blade In Elden Ring?

Maliketh in Elden Ring is a relentless foe whose two phases demand drastically different approaches. Luckily, if you know what to look out for–and go into the fight equipped with a few important items–you’ll come out victorious in no time.

Maliketh: The Black Blade In Elden Ring

This is one of the final bosses that you’re going to fight so it should go without saying that this is going to be a very, very tough battle. You’ll find Malekith on top of Crumbling Farum Azula, and there are some hefty spoilers for the game in here, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know some key story beats.

There are few enemies more punishing than Malekith, the Black Blade in Elden Ring. While players thought they might get a break after Malenia, Blade of Miquella, that’s anything but true. Malekith is arguably more difficult to defeat than Malenia, mostly thanks to the speed at which Malekith moves around the map.

As with most of the bosses in Elden Ring, melee characters will struggle slightly more with Malekith than magic characters. While that’s not to say magic characters won’t still have their problems, melee characters are up against a whole other monster. Here are our best strategies to take down Malekith, the Black Blade in Elden Ring.

EASY Strategy: How to defeat Maliketh: The Black Blade (Boss fight guide) | Elden Ring Walkthrough

In this video, we’re going to share with you the potato strategy that worked for us so you can have a better time defeating Malekith, The Black Blade, at the Crumbling Farum Azula in Elden Ring.

Maliketh is relentlessly aggressive in both phases, giving you very little time or space to recover. When you need to heal or refill FP, get behind one of the broken pillars in to protect you from his attacks. Just be ready to quickly re-lock on when he comes back into view.

Maliketh is highly resistant to all status effects and elemental damage. For melee builds, your best bet is to equip whatever weapon is capable of dealing the highest Physical Damage possible. High-Faith builds can use Lightning Spear to good effect. For Sorcerers, Rock Sling is a solid option, as always. Also consider using a sword spell, such a Carian Slicer, to punish him up close. Comet Azur is a viable option as well, though timing and positioning can be tricky. Make sure you bring a Spirit Summon along so you can safely set up your cast from a distance.

The boss starts the fight in the form of Beast Clergyman. As soon as you enter the arena, he will charge toward you. Run forward and get off the narrow bridge to avoid falling off.

Throughout the first phase, the Beast Clergyman will attack you with a dagger in various combinations of slashes and swipes. While this can be dodged, his combos are fast and unpredictable. The easiest strategy is to block these attacks with a good shield. By doing so, you can stay close and ready to counterattack.

Elden Ring Maliketh, the Black Blade boss fight walkthrough

The fight is split into two phases. In the first, you’ll battle Maliketh’s Beast Clergyman form. If you did Gurranq’s Deathroot quest, much of this phase will be familiar to you. The Clergyman is quick, but he also takes a lot of damage. At around half his health bar, the Clergyman will turn into Maliketh, the Black Blade.

Maliketh is even faster in this phase and can leap across the arena in the blink of an eye. Many of his attacks also fire red-and-black projectiles or create bursts of deathly energy around him. Any hit from this fell magic reduces your maximum health and causes you to take damage over time for a few seconds.

1. Stay Behind the Beast Clergyman
The Beast Clergyman fights fast and aggressive, with quick projectiles and diving melee attacks. He will charge you earlier than most bosses, making it tricky to even get Spirit Ashes off. However, many of the Beast Clergyman’s attacks have long animations that keep him swinging in a single direction.

2. Watch for ground effects in the Clergyman phase
When the Beast Clergyman rears back for a big wind-up, you need to run away from him. He will soon slam down, breaking the ground around him in a manner similar to Godrick’s “Kneel!” attack.

3. Roll through attacks, not away from them
In both phases of this fight, your best bet is often to roll through attacks rather than away from them. We’ve already covered the merits of getting behind the Beast Clergyman, but Maliketh’s attacks really encourage this. He has several quick combos that can easily catch you coming out of a roll unless you go straight through the attack to slide behind him.

Carian Retaliation And Mimic Tear trivialize Maliketh

First, players will want to master the Carian Retaliation Ash of War. Carian Retaliation can be purchased from Pidia, Carian Servant and applied to small and medium shields. If a magic projectile is parried while using the Ash of War, players will summon three glintblade sword projectiles that automatically seek out nearby foes (like the Glintblade Phalanx sorcery). What makes this so deadly is the fact that damage scales off of a player’s shield, meaning even those who aren’t magically minded can do massive damage after spending some resources upgrading their chosen shield. Additionally, Carian Retaliation interacts with the projectile created by the Spirit Calling Bell item (obtainable early in-game), meaning players can summon glintblade projectiles that deal massive damage on a whim for a meager FP cost.

The second tip that’ll surely help players against Maliketh is using the Mimic Tear Ashes Spirit Summon. Players without the summon can follow Gaming with Abyss’ handy guide to locate the powerful option. Unlike other Spirit Ashes, Mimic Tear costs easily regained HP instead of FP to call forth a summoned ally. The Mimic Tear copies the exact loadout a player has equipped when summoned, so it’s easy to ensure the Mimic Tear hits the battlefield outfitted with sturdy armor and maybe even a status effect-inducing weapon.

What is Maliketh weak to in Elden Ring?

Maliketh is susceptible to bleed so using a weapon that causes it or the Bloody Slash Ash of War will let you deal heavy damage once you stack bleed hits. If you don’t have either of the two, you can coat your weapon in Blood Grease instead.

Is Maliketh weak to anything?

Maliketh, The Black Blade is a Boss in Elden Ring. Maliketh is found in Crumbling Farum Azula. This is NOT an optional boss as players MUST defeat it to advance to reach Leyndell, Ashen Capital. O, death… become my blade once more.

How to defeat Maliketh Black Blade?

When Malekith is on the ground, melee characters need to charge. They need to take every chance they can to attack the boss. While the boss is on the ground, they will use some sword and body attacks that players can dodge. Learning the timings of these attacks is what melee characters need to focus on.

How hard is malekith the black blade?

Before the fight, make sure you’re at a level of around 100; yep, this one is a really tough battle. Putting Malekith down will earn you 220,000 runes and the Remembrance of the Black Blade.