Despite Elden Rings infamous difficulty, people are always looking for new challenges in the Middle Ages. Malenia, a notoriously difficult boss for late play, has become a particular fixation on society as a whole, especially after an almost naked player became a celebrity by killing her skillfully. But now fans are raising even more by adding unique restrictions to the fight against the famous red-haired demigod. And while it has been impressive to watch, the recent impressive Malenia challenge has also forced the player at the center of it all to speak out against what he called an “elitist stance.”
Next to that star-jerk RadahnMalenia is probably the second most infamous Elden Ring boss for good reasons. She has this long katana that gives her lots of reach. She is fast and unpredictable, making it difficult for her to fight. She also does a hell of a job and can press you if you are not careful. Oh, and in the game’s latest patch, FromSoftware accidentally broke her, so now she heals herself anytime she wants.
Although Malenia’s tough, Reddit user Brian passing by borkyborkd on the forum page or mrBorkD on YouTube, would make things harder. So to increase the level of difficulty for himself, he limited his battle with the demigod to a level a Spotted that can only use a single light attack. No combinations. No spells. No blocking or dodging or jumping or rolling or anything else – except running. It was allowed, but any other action – including healing – was out of the question. It was an almost repetition of the fight that would occur if you followed the rules a recent meme it suggests that you can do nothing while fighting Malenia, even breathe if you want to consider the victory ‘legitimate.’
One would think that borkyborkd would be part of a beating with that kind of restriction. In fact, he went out on top and, most shockingly, he was not hit a single time.
Armed with the great Commander’s Standard hellebarda dexterity and strength scaling weapon thrown by Commander O’Neil and what appears to be the lightweight Aristocrat Hat helmet and literally nothing else, borkyborkd’s level 1 Wretch stabbed Malenia to death like the 2000s Facebook. When she performed the deadly Waterfowl Dance weapon skill, he got a quick plug in. Even though she tried to dodge him, he still managed to get some health away. And borkyborkd did this for both phases of Malenia. He really made her look like a slut.
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Because borkybork’s Malenia match was so impressive, it quickly spread over r /EldenRing, subreddit dedicated to FromSoft’s new hotness. ONE popular but now locked posts shared with the video mocked players who said things like “Malenia and other playoff bosses have few or no openings.” In essence, the post and video were used as a hug to slip over the idea of hitting Elden Ring‘s boss fights are unfair and require little luck. In particular, Malenia’s fight is considered by some not to have many “openings”, which means small windows where she does not attack, and on top of that she is quite aggressive. Malenia has several traits that attack multiple times for tons of damage.
This means that for many players, it feels like they do not have a chance against her. Therefore, for the poster and several commentators, borkyborkd’s fight – which made Malenia briefly without any flourishing – was the epitome of “git god”, the feeling that you need skill to get through Souls game. After all, if borkyborkd can effortlessly break down Malenia with one type of attack, then you can either, or you have to suck. At least that’s the mindset here.
It is true that borkyborkd is trained. Beating Malenia is an achievement in itself, but doing so under such constraints is just mind-boggling. I’m jealous. But while he agreed with the general impression that he was skilled enough to beat Malenia under these self-imposed conditions, he was not about the “elitist attitude” expressed in various posts fills in Reddit.
The term “gid gud”Is a meme across different gaming communities, but is referred to with particular frequency among fans of Souls game. There is some merit behind the mood. Becoming good – that is, learning the mechanics and studying a boss’s patterns – is crucial to progression and completion. While some Souls fans argue that the phrase started as a genuine encouragement to those struggling with a challenging franchise, the more regular use of the phrase is used as a method of harassing people struggling with any game in a particular way. This “elitist attitude” is exactly what borkyborkd did not want his video to evoke.
“For a casual or average player, it is a perfectly understandable perspective to find it difficult to find / create the openings to attack Malenia, as most people do not dig deep into the boss’s AI and patterns, only possible by spending countless hours dissect it through the trial version. and error, “wrote borkyborkd in response to the” git gud “discourse. It may be outrageous to say, but from my perspective with as much experience on the boss as I have, knowing all the shit she has to offer, neither those nor people who say “git god” in response or “you’re just bad ‘know what they’re actually talking about.”
In direct messages with KotakuBorkyborkd explained his opinion and said harassing someone over the way the play is no way to enjoy games.
“I often see people put down fighting players, or call the things they’re struggling with, easy,” borkyborkd said. “Everyone’s experience is different, and even if someone says something wrong or does not understand a boss, there is no reason to harass them. I’m not saying that all criticism of the game or its bosses is valid, nor that they are all invalid (I myself have lots of complaints). Since my killing was used to justify a bad mentality, I feel the need to say it again. Just because it is possible to beat these bosses with high restrictions does not automatically mean that they are perfectly designed and that all complaints are invalid. Conversely, just because you’re struggling with something does not mean it’s bad or that you can not overcome it. “
Borkyborkd said a big reason he was able to beat Malenia so easily was that he had “well over 100 hours of experience” fighting her before trying this and then “another two days in figuring out a good strategy. ” He also had several force talismans who helped him, among others the blue dancer charm, the red-feathered border swordand Starscourge heirloom. Despite this extra assistance, the biggest advantage was the chosen weapon.
“While I was experimenting, I tried many weapons, but none of them were viable,” said borkyborkd. “Right after hitting Malenia, she will often make a quick melee that has quite a range. Because of this, most weapons cannot escape it after attack without jumping or rolling. That said, if you hit her from behind, you can avoid it closer, but that means you forgo many chances of interrupting her and getting too close to Waterfowl Dance. Hellebarder hits a fantastic sweet spot with range, speed and displacement on Malenia. “
In the end, borkyborkd just wants people to play games the way they play them. Whether you equip the heaviest equipment possible, cheese managers for the win or run around Lands Between with only a jar on your head, borkyborkd’s hope is that everyone finds the right challenge for themselves.
“Blaming the game brings you nowhere, but neither does it by trashing others who do it. Encourage instead of harassment,” concluded borkyborkd.
Kotaku has approached the legendary hero Klein “Let Me Solo Here” Tsuboi for a comment on the latest Malenia discourse.