Maliketh, the Black Blade boss fight, is incredibly overwhelming since the boss is insanely aggressive. He won’t give you time to breathe and panicking here will lead to your demise. Go through this article to understand the boss’s moves and come up with the right strategy to defeat him. There are a few weaknesses in this boss guide that you can exploit too if you like.
The boss fight begins with you facing Beast Clergyman. He is aggressive but nothing compared to Maliketh in the second phase. In both phases, the boss is extremely confrontational. You will have to rely on cat-like reflexes and slowly chip away at his health. We won’t judge you if you resort to summoning your Spirit Ash during this fight but try to do it in the second phase.
Let’s look at the best strategies and builds in this boss guide that can help us easily defeat Maliketh, the Black Blade in Elden Ring.
Is Maliketh, the Black Blade Optional?
Maliketh, the Black Blade is not an optional boss in Elden Ring. He has to be defeated to gain access to the ending section of the game.
Strategies for Defeating Maliketh, the Black Blade
Below are some strategies for defeating Maliketh, the Black Blade boss in Elden Ring. The build you selected will determine the approach you should go for. We will cover the basic melee/magic caster strategies here:
Melee Strategy
You must have a lot of stamina for this fight since the boss’s belligerent meter is turned up to eleven. Either invest in stamina or equip Rykard’s Great Rune and use a Rune Arc before the fight for extra stamina.
Also, bring in the Blasphemous Claw item. This will allow you to parry some of Maliketh’s attacks, giving you an opening to get in some free hits.
The fight starts off with you facing the Beast Clergyman. His attacks are incredibly difficult to successfully dodge so it is best to block them and since they drain a ton of stamina, having a bigger green bar will be beneficial.
This phase has many melee and Beastial incantations combos. When he shoves his left hand into the ground and pulls it out, a ring of beast claws is going to come out.
If you are far away from him when he buries his left hand, he can chase you down and drag his hand through the floor and then throw the beast claws at you. When he drags it back in he’s going to pick up a rock and chuck it at you.
If he drags it on the ground in a forehand arc that means that he’s going to throw a bunch of small stones at you. This attack deals a ton of stamina damage if you block. You have to be very careful and try your best to roll through them.
If you get too close, he will dash away with a shiv attack. He has a one-two swipe that he will always follow up with a very quick or delayed hit. If you’re super close to him he can end up chucking a rock at you while he falls back.
When he dugs both hands into the ground a huge earthquake is going to happen he’s going to rip stones out of the ground, and then a couple of seconds later they’re going to fall down.
It’s not a full AOE instead it’s in very specific spots so if you do not see rocks coming out of the ground where you’re standing you are safe for the most part.
However, when they fall down you have to be smack dab in that safe zone otherwise it can end up hitting you. Run away if it seems harder to spot this zone.
Once the boss reaches about 60 HP Maliketh, the Black Blade is revealed. This boss is crazy but he’s actually kind of easy to punish, you just have to know what to look out for.
You must have the Blasphemous Claw in your quick-use slot at this point. Whenever the boss’s sword glows distinctly gold that’s when you want to use the item.
If you’re successful with the parry, the boss will be stunned for a long time giving you a generous window to really lay into him. You can use this tactic infinitely throughout the fight.
When the boss does big sweeping strikes while on his hind legs, do not roll into him to dodge this attack as the follow-up will devastate you. His attacks will deal blood flame damage which lingers for a bit. His projectile attacks will lower your maximum HP for a little while so try to avoid them as best as you can.
Whenever he buries his blade in the ground it’s going to explode and deal blood flame damage. You have to be very careful to avoid its AOE. If you are struck by the black flame and your health withers away, try to move in behind a pillar and heal up. This boss takes away health like it’s no big deal.
From time to time, the boss will start to essentially fly around and start shooting projectiles at you. These come in both vertical and horizontal fashions.
Typically he will do two vertical ones, you just roll to the left or right, and then for the horizontal ones you just roll forward through those, and then you may be able to chase him down for a little bit of damage.
The key is to stay close to him unless he is burying the sword in the ground for the eminent explosion. Blocking doesn’t work in this phase since his blood flame goes through the shield. Rolling right is the right strategy and finding little openings to deal damage.
Magic/Faith Strategy
Before entering this fight, remove any spell which has a longer coating time. Both the phases of this boss won’t allow you to cast such spells. Stick to high-speed spells like Comet, Night Comet, and Lightning Spear.
The Beast Clergyman’s attacks are generally close range so if you are able to run away from him, you can cast away your spells easily. Just be aware this guy moves fast so he can quickly cover the distance.
Another strategy is when you notice the boss slowly walking toward you when the fight begins, you can fire off a full burst of Comet Azur or Ekzykes’s Decay to apply the Scarlet Rot to swiftly transition into phase two. However, if he starts off running then you have to employ the regular kiting technique.
As for the Maliketh phase, avoid casting when he is jumping around. Utilize the pillars to block his projectiles and only attack once he has stopped his combo. Keep your casting to a minimum and try to employ a similar strategy as melee albeit use your fast spells instead of melee.
Stamina management is crucial, especially for casters. Use any item, talismans, or Great Runes that will significantly boost your stamina.
What is Maliketh, the Black Blade Weak To?
Maliketh, the Black Blade is weak to the following damage types:
- Standard Damage
- Strike Damage
- Slash Damage
- Pierce Damage
- Magic
- Fire
- Lightning
- Poison
- Scarlet Rot
What is Maliketh, the Black Blade Strong Against?
Maliketh, the Black Blade is strong or resistant to the following damage types:
- Strong
- Holy
- Sleep
- Hemorrhage
- Frostbite
- Immune
- Madness
Can You Parry Maliketh, the Black Blade?
Maliketh, the Black Blade can not be parried by regular means. Only a few of his gold-glowing attacks can be parried with a special item called Blasphemous Claw. He can be stance broken with enough hits which will open him up for a critical strike.
Can You Cheese Maliketh, the Black Blade?
There is no cheese available for this boss. However, what you can do is equip the Shabriri’s Woe talisman as you walk into the arena, summon the Mimic Tear and quickly switch to another talisman.
The talisman will ensure that the boss only attacks the spirit ash and ignore you. Use this time to deal damage however you see fit, preferably ranged attacks.
Maliketh, the Black Blade is no slouch. Get ready to run, dodge, and then run some more. Luckily, both the phases share a single health bar so you can find some peace in that knowledge. Fight, die, learn, retry, die, and rinse and repeat. Just be careful not to chuck your controller at the screen!