Few bosses in FromSoftware's games put up more of a challenge than Elden Ring’s Malenia, Blade of Miquella. As agile as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s Sword Saint Isshin, as erratic as Bloodborne’s Orphan of Kos, and as durable as Dark Souls 3’s Slave Knight Gael, she’s a formidable opponent who has doubtlessly caused thousands of Elden Ring players to surrender in frustration. However, one incredible player has become something of a celebrity among the game’s community thanks to their incredible ability to take down the game’s toughest boss without any outside help.
On April 12, a tired-out Tarnished took to Reddit to discuss their recent victory over Malenia. However, their story was far from typical. After hitting a stone wall during the boss’ second phase, they opted to summon another player and stumbled across a nearly-naked individual brandishing two katanas. After summoning them, the co-op compatriot by the name of “Let Me Solo Her” proceeded to face down both phases of the boss fight on their own without taking a single hit.
It’s the sort of feat only top-tier soulsborne players like The Happy Hob, who famously made it through every FromSoftware RPG from Demon’s Souls to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice without taking a hit, might be capable of, and it’s doubly impressive considering Malenia’s status as a totally optional boss who most no-hit runners are likely to ignore. The Reddit thread picked up quite a bit of traction, and it inspired user Asphodelophiliac to make fan art to commemorate the communal hero. It may not be quite as epic as the tattoo of Malenia one Redditor got ahead of Elden Ring’s release, but Let Me Solo Her makes for a great spectacle, as well.
On top of being a great way to celebrate the achievements of another Elden Ring player, the fan art highlights Let Me Solo Her’s template for defeating Malenia. She’s unbelievably quick, and it can be tough for strength builds to land hits. As a result, more agile weapons such as the Uchigatana may be preferable. Additionally, players hoping to hunt Malenia down may want to consider building their character around the Rivers of Blood weapon. It’s what the player character appears to be wielding in their left hand in the fan art, and it will allow players to trigger the hemorrhage status effect to which the boss is particularly weak.
Of course, Let Me Solo Her isn’t the only player to accomplish a feat such as this. One Redditor took things a step further by no-hitting Malenia as a level-one Wretch. For those currently struggling to tackle the monumental feat of felling Malenia in Elden Ring, stories such as these must be either incredibly encouraging or terribly disheartening.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
