How To Defeat Maliketh in Elden Ring (The Easy Way)

Maliketh, the Black Blade, is a mandatory boss in Elden Ring who serves as the last opponent in Crumbling Farum Azula. He’s easily among the top 5 or even top 3 bosses in the game, right alongside Malenia in terms of difficulty. So it’s understandable if you’re stuck and this old dog is giving you a hard time. We’re here to provide some tips on how to defeat Maliketh in Elden Ring. as easily as the game allows

Beating Malekith In Elden Ring

You can forget about cheesing Maliketh as the fight is a straightforward slugfest and an endurance battle that you need to see through to the end. In both phases, Gurranq/Maliketh is relentless and it’s hard to keep dodging or blocking his attacks without running out of Stamina.

Consider the following tips we have. You can combine all of them for better chances of winning. Even then, you might have to go through several tries.

Avoid Using Shields and Blocking

Regardless of the phase or whether you’re fighting Gurranq or Maliketh (aka Gurranq with rabies), you’ll want to ditch the shield. Gurranq’s near-endless attack chains and zero downtime will obliterate your Stamina.

Meanwhile, blocking Maliketh’s Black Blade and Destined Death attacks will still result in you losing a chunk of your HP with a debilitating HP debuff. This is a boss that punishes shields.

Use the Blasphemous Claw

It’s an item you can obtain after defeating Knight Bernahl in the Crumbling Farum Azula area near the Great Bridge Site of Grace. He’ll invade you while you’re crossing a narrow pathway.

You can equip the Blasphemous Claw in your quick slot and then use it while Maliketh is charging up one of his moves. It’s usually the one where he will stab the ground and charge up. If you time the Blasphemous Claw right, you can stagger Maliketh and get some free attacks in.

Make Sure You Have 50-60 Vigor Before the Fight

Maliketh is a late-game boss in Elden Ring. You’ll want to be ready for him and others of his level. To that end, having 50-60 Vigor is almost mandatory if you want to afford mistakes in these kinds of fights.

That’s even more important if you have damage charms equipped, particularly the ones that lower damage resistances. Even having extra HP can also mitigate the effects of his HP debuffs.

It’s Easy to Break his Poise

Turns out Maliketh isn’t as tanky as he seems. Certain Ashes of War such as Lion’s Claw, Glintstone Pebble, or even Sorceries like Greatblade Phalanx and Night Comet can Poise-break Maliketh.

Once he’s stunned, feel free to go in for a critical attack or heal and give yourself some breathing room.

Try to Stick Close

Maliketh’s ranged attacks can be even more devastating than his melee swings. You’ll want to avoid getting hit with his red ranged attacks or you’ll lose a percentage of your HP for a limited time.

So even if you have a ranged build, try to stick to him (preferably near the legs) to avoid triggering his ranged attacks. After that, all that’s left is to keep trying again and again with the same tactics in mind.

Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.