One of Elden Ring’s most critiqued aspects, in an ocean of universal praise and adoration, is the late-game, which some believe to be less balanced than earlier regions. Damage that necessitates significant Vigor investment, an assortment of enemies that seemingly do not fit, and under-developed locations are all criticisms that have been levied at FromSoftware for how it built the open-world post Morgott’s death. Crumbling Farum Azula is one late game area that, for the most part, avoids these judgments, with many considering it to be the fulfilled potential of Dark Souls 3’s Archdragon Peak. Although, while the Legacy Dungeon itself is thoroughly commended, fans have differing thoughts for both bosses of the area.
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In a Reddit post uploaded by u/CleanLifeCleanLiving, an image of Maliketh, the Black Blade is presented with the caption, “this man deserved a full health bar, you can’t tell me otherwise.” Maliketh is the second phase of a boss fight that begins with the Beast Clergyman, who transforms halfway through the confrontation once his health is reduced to 50%. Phase transitions are by no means a novel concept to FromSoftware titles, nor Elden Ring, but what makes Beast Clergyman/Maliketh significant is just how different the two are. Typically, FromSoftware phases will follow a progression, where the second phase develops upon attacks and combos exhibited during the first. Maliketh utterly sweeps this unwritten rule aside, turning swift dagger slashes into delayed sweeps with his new colossal sword imbued with death.
Some players find the uniqueness jarring, as was highlighted in the comments by those who bemoaned surviving the Beast Clergyman, only to be immediately decimated by Maliketh’s unfamiliar moveset. There exists no checkpoint either, so those who die to Maliketh are forced to face both foes again. However, for players who learned how to take down the punishing fiend, many were left a little hollow, believing that Maliketh deserved an entire health bar for himself.
It is incredibly unlikely that FromSoftware implement any drastic change to an existing boss fight, but there exist a couple methods by which fans could be granted their wish. With an Elden Ring DLC somewhere on the horizon, the Tarnished could be up against a superior version of previously fought enemies. Or, as demonstrated in post-launch content for Sekiro, a means by which to face bosses repeatedly could be established, potentially making way for a full-health Maliketh.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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