Finally beat Malenia for the first time!

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Current Events » Finally beat Malenia for the first time!
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Souls veteran since Dark Souls 1, but I started Elden Ring for the first time last July. This fight takes the cake as the hardest boss fight for me in any of the Soulsborne games, and l've beaten them all (except for Sekiro and obviously Elden Ring).

Took me around 3 total hours and 41-46 tries.

Very frustrating but rewarding boss. The healing she did with each hit was a bit unfair, it would be more fair if it was just certain moves. Also waterfowl dance is such a ridiculous move, I still dont really know how to dodge it well and just got by with luck whenever she did it.

There were a few tries where I was really close to beating her, but then I saw her jump up for a waterfowl dance, let out a big sigh and just put my controller down in defeat before she even attacked.

Phase 1 was harder just because most of the times I got to phase 2 I only had like 1-2 healing flasks left. Really had to perfect phase 1 to be prepared properly for phase 2.

Almost done with the game, just need to do Crumbling Farum Azula and the rest of the endgame. Havent touched the DLC but I own it and will be doing that after the main game.

Ranking my top 3 hardest bosses of the whole series: Malenia, Nameless King, and Lady Maria. Nameless King took me 2 hours and 20+ tries, and Lady Maria about 1.5 hours.

Post #2 was unavailable or deleted.
Impressive, very nice. Let's see you beat Shadow of the Erdtree.
ayy lmao ayy lmao || oaml oaml yya yya
ayy lmao ayy lmao || oaml oaml yya yya
What is your build?
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So? I deeded to some gay porn. It doesn't mean anything. - Patty_Fleur
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There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.
pegusus123456 posted...
What is your build?

Im a bit embarrassed to say since its a bit frowned upon by the community and definitely not one of the cool builds (which are unanimously strength bonk builds basically), but my build is DEX/ARC focused that uses bleed.

60 vigor, 30 endurance, 40 dex, 37 arc, 24 strength; dont have my game on me so I dont remember the rest, but those are the highest ones.

Used a +25 Occult Nagakiba (the super long katana) with Seppuku as the skill, turtle shield on my back. Talismans were Erdtree Favor +1, Lord of Blood Exultation, Great Dragoncrest shield, and Gold Scarab. White mask for even more bleed proc damage boost and the Scaled set for the rest.
Ayeeee congrats tc
She took pity on me, horizontally, but most likely because of my band
Solo? genuflect
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Tropicalwood posted...
Impressive, very nice. Let's see you beat Shadow of the Erdtree.
I beat the DLC before it got nerfed.

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Time is a funny thing, you know? I guess in the big picture of my life, you were only a blip. But oftentimes, those "blips" make the biggest impacts.
Such a rush. Did it once, no desire to do it again.
Trucking Legend Don Schneider!
Congrats. I hate WFD almost as much as Bed of Chaos, it ruins such an otherwise good boss.
Look, I can name a few instances in MY life where I tried to reach mutual understanding
and i can TELL you, always faster and easier to just kill em. Just is!
Anyways, on my first run I gave up after only a few tries and used Mimic Tear on her, felt kinda bad.

Next playthrough I intend to do it truly solo.
Time is a funny thing, you know? I guess in the big picture of my life, you were only a blip. But oftentimes, those "blips" make the biggest impacts.
Metal_Gear_Raxis posted...
Anyways, on my first run I gave up after only a few tries and used Mimic Tear on her, felt kinda bad.

Next playthrough I intend to do it truly solo.

So did I but it got killed in phase 1 and filled her hp up in the process so dont really count it.

Trucking Legend Don Schneider!
Nothing wrong with using game mechanics to beat bosses in the game. For me I do find that the mimic takes the fun out of her, but I also learned how to dodge WFD. It's a bit tight, but it can be done consistently and you feel like a boss for doing it.
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Nothing to feel bad about with your build, especially since you're not even using Rivers of Blood anyway.
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thanks for all the congrats everyone, havent felt this accomplished from a video game in a while. Possibly the hardest boss in any game Ive ever fought lol

CobraGT posted...
Solo? genuflect

Oh yeah for sure. Dont ever use summons or spirit ashes, never have and dont plan to in the future. Didnt use them in any last Soulsborne games too (unless they were for side quests, like Benhart of Jugo in Dark Souls 2 and stuff like that).

reincarnator07 posted...
Nothing wrong with using game mechanics to beat bosses in the game. For me I do find that the mimic takes the fun out of her, but I also learned how to dodge WFD. It's a bit tight, but it can be done consistently and you feel like a boss for doing it.
Agreed, wont knock on other people for using them, but I just cant use them myself. It feels so wrong, like Im not even the one playing the game.

Also how the hell are people dodging waterfowl dance?? I feel like there just isnt enough time to roll more than once between one flurry and the other.

To be completely honest I kind of just spammed the dodge button whenever it happened since I just couldnt figure out the timing. Still got hit a bunch of times but 60 vigor + golden vow + opaline hardtear + boiled crab made it so I could tank the hits (with significant loss of progress due to her healing though).
DavidZ2844 posted...
Also how the hell are people dodging waterfowl dance??
I think I would run away from the first flurry or two, dodge forward second to last, and then dodge back or to the side at the end. I had it pretty consistent at one point assuming she didn't start it while I was mid animation in her face.
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MJOLNRVII posted...
I think I would run away from the first flurry or two, dodge forward second to last, and then dodge back or to the side at the end. I had it pretty consistent at one point assuming she didn't start it while I was mid animation in her face.
Oh wow, I feel so stupid for not thinking of just to stop locking on and book it across the arena lol
DavidZ2844 posted...
Im a bit embarrassed to say since its a bit frowned upon by the community and definitely not one of the cool builds (which are unanimously strength bonk builds basically), but my build is DEX/ARC focused that uses bleed.
dont be embarrassed, if anything strength bonk is ez mode. and even if what u did was ez mode u still earned that win, fuck tha haters
My fate was the grandest, most brilliant of them all.
He/Him
DavidZ2844 posted...
Also how the hell are people dodging waterfowl dance?? I feel like there just isnt enough time to roll more than once between one flurry and the other.
If you're right underneath her, you've got to do some bullshit dodging that I never figured out. If you're any kind of distance from her, though, you can outrun the first flurry, then roll through the second and third.
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I'm still a long way from beating the game >__>

I barely even made it to atlus plateau, spent a lot of time wandering around calied, limgrave seeing if I could find anything I missed.

Well that and I like to pvp people at the coliseum.
Who needs google porn when there's porn on Google books!
My trick to Waterfowl was assuming it had an internal cooldown and just staying the fuck away from her if she hadn't used it in a while lol
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pegusus123456 posted...
My trick to Waterfowl was assuming it had an internal cooldown and just staying the fuck away from her if she hadn't used it in a while lol
It does and she specifcally waits for you to commit to an action before using it if it's been long enough. She'll straight up just walk at you until you're spooked and do something, which will trigger it.

I always bring bone knife throwables so I can just book it to the other side of the arena and throw a couple to force her to start it while she's nowhere near me.

DavidZ2844 posted...
Oh wow, I feel so stupid for not thinking of just to stop locking on and book it across the arena lol
It travels basically the entire area, but if you're far away when she starts it she can "miss" the first 1 or 2 parts.
Look, I can name a few instances in MY life where I tried to reach mutual understanding
and i can TELL you, always faster and easier to just kill em. Just is!
congrats tc!
wanna know my funny way to deal with waterfowl? use brass shield and block the first flurry, then dodge roll the second flurry, then lock off and walk forward under her for the last flurry
you can also block scarlet aeonia its hilarious
the healing she'll do off your blocks is minimal that you can make up for it with one interaction

wouldnt apply to you since you ran dex build but yeah

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The third flurry also deliberately targets behind you to trick you into rolling into it
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So? I deeded to some gay porn. It doesn't mean anything. - Patty_Fleur
DavidZ2844 posted...
Agreed, wont knock on other people for using them, but I just cant use them myself. It feels so wrong, like Im not even the one playing the game.
Oh same. I enjoy the challenge and with very few exceptions, summons take that challenge out.

Also how the hell are people dodging waterfowl dance?? I feel like there just isnt enough time to roll more than once between one flurry and the other.

To be completely honest I kind of just spammed the dodge button whenever it happened since I just couldnt figure out the timing. Still got hit a bunch of times but 60 vigor + golden vow + opaline hardtear + boiled crab made it so I could tank the hits (with significant loss of progress due to her healing though).
With great difficulty! It's difficult to describe with words, but at close range you basically need to rotate around her, sprint and then roll at the last second. She has crazy tracking, but that'll have her basically go straight over you. Second flurry you dodge to her right, with the right timing she once again flies over you. After that, you counterintuitively want to sprint ( NOT DODGE ) directly at her and once she's over you you just keep sprinting in that direction. If you do it right, you put enough distance between you that you take zero damage and can even punish afterwards.

If you know she's getting ready to boot it up, get some distance and try and get her to start at range, you can literally just run away from the first half of the attack and dodge the second half. If you have alright reflexes, throwing a frost pot at her will stun her out of it while she's booting it up. If all else fails, a good shield will stop you from dying at the cost of extending the fight a bit.
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Thanks for all the tips for dodging waterfowl dance everyone. Now I kind of want to replay the fight and see if I can do it. These games really need some kind of boss rush mode

Dungeater posted...
dont be embarrassed, if anything strength bonk is ez mode. and even if what u did was ez mode u still earned that win, fuck tha haters
I feel like for this fight specifically, strength bonk is probably super hard. Since you are slower and rely on tanking hits, and she heals. But what do I know, Ive only played all these games with Dex builds mostly.

Homeless_Waifu posted...
I'm still a long way from beating the game >__>

I barely even made it to atlus plateau, spent a lot of time wandering around calied, limgrave seeing if I could find anything I missed.

Well that and I like to pvp people at the coliseum.
Altus Baltus plateau is like around the half way point I think. Youre getting to the good stuff.
DavidZ2844 posted...
I feel like for this fight specifically, strength bonk is probably super hard. Since you are slower and rely on tanking hits, and she heals. But what do I know, Ive only played all these games with Dex builds mostly.
I've not played it as a strength build, but I feel like she might actually be easier with a strength build. Her biggest weakness is poise.
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DavidZ2844 posted...
I feel like for this fight specifically, strength bonk is probably super hard. Since you are slower and rely on tanking hits, and she heals. But what do I know, Ive only played all these games with Dex builds mostly.
Nah, unga bunga is the easiest way to fight her. As pegusus123456 said, she hasn't exactly got the greatest poise. With colossal weapons you can easily zone her and stagger the crap out of her. Also worth pointing out that jumping attacks are super quick and do tons of poise damage.
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DavidZ2844 posted...
I feel like for this fight specifically, strength bonk is probably super hard. Since you are slower and rely on tanking hits, and she heals. But what do I know, Ive only played all these games with Dex builds mostly.
i actually cant think of a fight that isnt easier by jump L1 with dual greatswords/colossals

honestly, every avenue has its easy modes anyway. most people arent doing that, theyre doing what they can to survive, which is badass
My fate was the grandest, most brilliant of them all.
He/Him
True, she did stagger surprisingly well when I used my jumping R2s every now and then. I can see it now.

Looks like I really gotta try an unga bunga build one of these days. I might do a whole series replay with unga bunga style only; for Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.

Closest I ever got was using the chaos Zweihander in Dark Souls 1 (as part of a Giant Dad build), flattening enemies with the R2 was indeed very fun.
Dungeater posted...
i actually cant think of a fight that isnt easier by jump L1 with dual greatswords/colossals
I've been watching AboutOliver play it and while he does main Sword of Night and Flame, he'll sometimes swap to the Golden Halberd and it just blows my mind how many enemies just stagger like a drunk with that thing. And it's not even a super heavy weapon.
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Current Events » Finally beat Malenia for the first time!