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Many playersin theElden Ringcommunity have expressed just how maddeningly difficult Malenia, Blade of Miquella’s boss fight is. She’s been compared to some of theall-time greats across the Soulsborne games, and that’s even before fans see whatever brutally challenging bosses are in the upcoming expansion for the game,Shadow of the Erdtree.
However, even getting to Malenia is no simple task, as she’s sequestered at the very bottom of Miquella’s Haligtree.To get to this optional area, players will be going through multiple Erdtree Avatars, a whole slew of Malenia’s loyalCleanrot Knights, and so much more. It’s not a very straight-forward path to Malenia, which to be fair, does make sense. So, let’s go over the exact route to get there inElden Ring, step by step.
Updated June 17th, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter:With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (at the time of writing this)quickly approachingits release date, plenty of peopleare revisiting Elden Ring.There are a lot of people who played all the way through the game more than a year ago now, so it can be difficult to remember all the content in the game, what their character is built around, and even how to play the game as a whole. So, a lot of Elden Ring fanatics are returning to do brand new playthroughs toget them all ‘up to speed’for both the story and difficulty of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. And what better mechanical practice is there than beating Malenia,arguably the most difficult boss in the game? Let’s go over exactly how you can get here in the shortest amount of time.
Step 1: Ride The Grant Lift Of Rold
Construct The Secret Medallion & Reach The Consecrated Snowfield
To even reach the area of the Lands Between that Melania is found in,Miquella’s Haligtree, the Tarnished will need to pass through a whole other zone called theConsecrated Snowfield Catacombs.
But, while it seems like the Snowfield should be accessible from some part of the Mountaintops of the Giants area, given its location on the map and snow-covered landscape, you will actually need to obtain both halves of theHaligtree Secret Medallionand thenride theGrand Lift of Roldthat’s typically accessed after defeating Morgott (not Mohg), the Omen King. Here are all the steps, explained in-depth, that you’ll need to follow to reach the Catacombs.
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Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right)
found in theVillage of the AlbinauricsinLiurnia of the Lakesnear the village Site of Grace. You will need to reach the eastern part of the village from here, just before the bridge leading toThe Omenkillerboss. Around this area, look for a singular pot that looks a bit ‘out of place’. Break the pot, and an Albinauric inside namedAlbuswill bestow the entrust the Right Half to the Tarnished and tell them to bring it to Latenna before fading away into dust.
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Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left)
Obtained inThe Mountaintop of the Giants.You’ll first need to findCastle Sol, which can be seen on the map at the far north end of the Mountaintop region. You’ll know you’ve reached the goal once you approach the Wandering Mausoleum that hangs about outside Castle Sol. From here, progress through this castle steadily and defeat the boss of it,Commander Niall, who is anexceptionally daunting and difficult boss, Continue past Commander Niall’s arena and follow the only path (which leads up an elevator) to see a ghost kneeling overlooking the landscape. Just underneath their ethereal feet is the Secret Medallion’s Left Half.
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Use the Secret Medallion at the Grand Lift of Rold
Return to theGrand Lift of Roldand follow the same procedure to use the Grand Lift typically. However, this time you should notice under the ‘Hoist Medallion’ prompt that there’s now a ‘Switch Action’ prompt. Switch the action and take the lift to theHidden Path to the Haligtree.
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Progress through the Hidden Path to the Haligtree
Carefully progress through theHidden Path to the Haligtree, as this is a small dungeon area full of deceptive paths and theVulgar Militantenemies. After reaching the end, you’ll be able to exit into the Consecrated Snowfield area.
Once you actually reach the Snowfield, it’s time to search for Ordina, the Liturgical Town. This initial patch of foggy landscape is one the most confusing areas ofElden Ringin terms of visibility, but thankfully it becomes less daunting once they find theMap Fragmentof the area, which can be found underneath the standard ‘monolith’ most of the Fragments are found under, just a bit north of the entrance leading out into the Snowfield.
Step 2: Solve The Puzzle Of The Liturgical Town
Enter Ordina’s Evergaol & Light the Candle Flames
Once you have the Map Fragment, travel to the northernmost area of the Snowfield. While wandering around in this area, you will eventually find a location by the name ofOrdina, the Liturgical Town.After reaching the Liturgical Town, it’s time to deal with one of the most frustrating ‘puzzles’ in all of Elden Ring, so here’s a step-by-step guide to make things less irritating:
Enter the Evergaol
Move through the town full of what seem to be specters untilyou reach the Evergaolnear the stairs/bridge leading upward into the mountains behind the town.
Survive & Find the Candle Flames
Once in the ‘Evergaol version’ ofOrdina(this isn’tan Evergaol boss fight like the rest) you’ll need to move quickly and quietly, as the specters that were seen while walking up to the Evergaol are now longer specters, and the place is crawling with invisibleBlack Knife AssassinsandAlbinauric Archerson mounts. Even if you outrun the assassins you won’t be safe as the Albinauric Archers on giant wolves will be constantly peppering you with high-damage arrows, so it can be really frustrating to complete this task.
Flame #1
From the Evergaol, head to the western side of the Town and follow the edge of it around the sides of the buildings. Look out for aGhostflame Torch(AKA a blue-ish torch) on a wall near a ladder leading up the side of one of these buildings. Take this ladder, and the next ladder directly in front to the top, and the first statue and candle are right there.
Flame #2
Head down the tower from Flame 1 and head southwest towards the center of town. Go up the stairs leading to the candle in the town square, but instead of walking up to it head to the right and follow the building all the way around until it leads back to those same stairs. There should be anotherGhostflame Torchand ladder, climb the two ladders again to light the second candle.
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Flame #3
Look down from Flame 2 to the east (AKA the town square), directly below should be some rooftops with a thin column connecting two roofs. Hop down and cross that column, jump up onto the roof, then head straight forward and jump up onto the slightly higher roof, following this same path of rooftops north where anotherGhostflame Torchshould be visible on the right. Just like the other two Flames, take the two ladders up to the statue and light the candle.
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Flame #4
From here you just need to head back to the town square where the last statue and candle are sitting right there in the open. However, there’s an invisible Black Knife Assassin watching over it. There are a multitude of methods to both defeat this enemy and make them visible (AKA using theSentry’s Torch), but either way, circumvent or beat this assassin and light the last candle.
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Travel Through the Waygate
After you’ve lit all the Candle Flames, a message appears saying ‘A seal was broken in town’. You will then be teleported out of the Evergaol and the barrier to the Waygate leading to the Haligtree should now be accessible.
Step 3: Reach The First ‘Real’ Site Of Grace In The Haligtree
Advance Through The Outer Haligtree & Reach Elphael
The Tarnished will arrive at the Haligtree, overlooking a town that’s close to in terms of distance Elphael but not ‘quite’ part of Elphael,the main city for those whom the world has forsaken. This is where Malenia currently resides (well, far below it, but still). To get through the Outer Haligtree, you will need to follow the branches down (being careful not to fall off), dealing withOracle EnvoysandGiant Antsas needed.
They’ll continue this way until they reach a long stretch of a wider tree branch with aLarge Oracle Envoywatching over it from abovewith their Colossal Envoy’s Greathorn. After making it past this gauntlet of golden bubbles, climb down the ladder and you should see the first Site of Grace in the town built upon Miquella’s Haligtree.
Step 4: The Path Through Miquella’s Haligtree ‘Town’
Explore The Town, Fight Loretta, & Enter Elpheal
From here, you just need to steadily progress through a number of interconnected pathways, buildings, and small drops to get further and further down Miquella’s Haligtree. Along the way, there will be plenty of sneakily-hiddenMisbegottento deal with as well as the rareSpiritcaller Snailor two, so it’s key that you draw them out and face them one at a time, if at all possible.
Keep naturally progressing onward, and you’ll eventually reach the ‘bottom’ of the city (make sure to activate the elevator leading back to the first Site of Grace). At the end of this area, past the Battlemages guarding those long precarious plank bridges,you’ll faceLoretta, Knight of the Haligtree, this is the real version of the specterRoyal Knight Lorettathey faced in Caria Manor.
For those of youwho don’t actively followElden Ring’sabsurdly deep lore, there’s a story-relevant reason Loretta is being ‘reused’ here.
Once Loretta has been dealt with, you can now ride a lift toElpheal, Brace of the Haligtree,which is the final hurdle standing between you and Malenia.
Final Step: The Most Direct Path To Malenia
From The Prayer Room To The Haligtree Roots Site Of Grace
Now, Elphael is a gigantic area with all sorts of obscenely dangerous enemies teaming through such asErdtree Avatars, Haligtree Soldiers, Haligtree Knights, Cleanrot Knights, Servants of Rot,and even a fewRevenants. But, let’s stay focused and go over the most direct path to reach Malenia as quickly as possible:
Prayer Room Site of Grace
Right after entering Elpheal, as soon as the name of the location pops up on-screen, head across the long pathway directly ahead of you, and be ready to either face or avoid theCleanrot Knightguarding the entrance to what seems like a cathedral. Head inside and activate the first Site of Grace.
From Prayer Room to Erdtree Avatar
From this Site of Grace, head out the door to the right and follow the path ahead. There will beHaligtree Soldiersto deal with, but keep going until there is a small set of stairs leading a bit down and a corpse lying on a broken guardrail.It’s time for a bit of parkouras you’ll need to jump over this guardrail/body and land on the descending steps below. The room ahead will have more enemies in it, including anotherCleanrot Knight, so deal with them and exit the chamber on the other side.
Directly ahead you should see two moreHaligtree Soldiers. Past them and following the stairs down, take the set of stairs heading to the right just before another Knight. Follow the stairs to reach the bridge guarded by Soldiers with Greatbows and anErdtree Avatar.
Elphael Inner Wall Site of Grace
Now, there is a multitude of different ways to get past this bridge and inside, but the fastest method is actually to hop off the bridge to the left and climb the ladder directly in front of where you landed before theRevenantfully spawns and kills them. Climb the ladder leading back up to theErdtree Avatarand get ready to run through it and the enemies behind it to get inside the building they’re guarding.
Once you make it past this gauntlet, the next Site of Grace should be just to the left.
From Elphael Inner Wall to Drainage Channel
From this Site of Grace, follow the path forward, take a right, and walk forward onto the branch curving up and to the left through a broken wall. Again, this is a whole other large area worth exploring, but not right now. Follow the branch until it leads you to solid ground and follow that solid ground forward until they have to cross a small body of Rot-infested liquid. Be ready to get infected while getting through here at least once.
On the other side of this body of water should be another branch you may walk on heading southwest. Follow this branch until it ends then drop off to the branch below. Climb up this second branch and head into the well-lit entryway directly ahead. Take the ladder down into the channel of water and follow it down until you reach the next Site of Grace on their right just before the exit out of this tunnel.
From Drainage Channel to Haligtree Roots
From the Drainage Channel SoG, head outside onto the thicker branch heading northward. Keep following this branch while looking down until you see a large diagonal stone column (known as a flying buttress) they can drop down onto. Go down this slightly and then onto the small branch leading from one flying buttress to the next. Drop down off of this branch onto the balcony of the chapel these branches stem from and head inside the chapel.
There are a bunch ofLesser Kindred of Rotin here, you can either ignore them or take them out, then head through the double-doored entryway to the west. Take the elevator in here heading even deeper, and the final Site of Grace before Malenia’s arena should be just ahead, AKA theHaligtree Roots Site of Grace.
And that’s it, that’s how you can quicklyreach the game’s hardest boss, Malenia. It might not seem all that quick in retrospect, but it’s a lot quicker than it would normally take to progress through this area without this guide.
However, keep in mind that following these steps exactly means missing out on exploring most of these gigantic areas in full such as theConsecrated Snowfield, Miquella’s Haligtree, Elphael,and even the chambers just before Malenia herself. So, after getting all the Site of Graces unlocked, it’s probably worth doubling back and exploring all these areas, as there are plenty of Runes to be gathered and items to be collected.
