Elden Ring: How to Beat Maliketh, The Black Blade

Maliketh, The Black Blade is one of the Legend-type bosses in Elden Ring, and we have the best strategy to make this boss battle bearable!

Elden Ring has many challenges in store for its fans. This is true right from the very start of the game till the last minutes.

Even though the challenge is constant, Elden Ring does provide an arsenal of items and weapons to face even the hardest boss in the game.

For instance, you can craft perfumes that grant cool and useful abilities to turn into metal or help you poison enemies.

It is paramount to master these techniques and crafts to have the upper hand in the Lands Between.

Bosses like Maliketh, the Black Blade require you to have a true mastery of every resource available and the right strategy to leave the arena victorious!

Best Strategy to Defeat Maliketh, the Black Blade

Where to Find Maliketh, the Black Blade in Elden Ring

You can find Maliketh, the Black Blade in Crumbling Farum Azula, near the “Beside the Great Bridge” Site of Grace.

From this Site of Grace, take the stairs up and the road up to where you encounter a Tree Sentinel.

After defeating this enemy, keep going until you reach the entrance to the arena where you fight Maliketh.

If you need some help getting to this location, here is everything you need to do to get to Crumbling Farum Azula.

After defeating this boss, certain events will occur in Leyndell, The Capital City.

At this point, you will not be able to get certain items in this location, so make sure you explore it thoroughly before the boss fight!

Tips to Defeat Maliketh, the Black Blade

The key to making Maliketh an accessible boss fight is getting the Blasphemous Claw item to parry it. Make sure to have this item with you before entering the arena!

Getting the Blasphemous Claw in Elden Ring

From the “Beside the Great Bridge” Site of Grace, take the stairs up and the road downwards to the left.
Continue this path until you get out through a door with two torches. From here, take the ladder to the right.
Following this path, you will find a chest; as soon as you get close to the chest invader Recusant Bernahl will appear.
If you want an easy way to defeat this invader, quickly un and climb the ladder, it will follow you, and you can use a heavy attack to throw it back down.
The invader will not receive any fall damage, but you can do this several times to defeat it easily.
Once defeated, Recusant Bernahl drops the Blasphemous Claw.

This boss has two different stages, the Beast Clergyman and Maliketh, the Black Blade.

Even though this is the same boss fight, the strategy for each segment of this boss is entirely different from one another.

Maliketh is not the most demanding boss in the game, but it is fast and deals considerable damage.

If you need to up your defense and get a few more levels in, here is an excellent place to farm runes by the end-game of Elden Ring.

Beast Clergyman Strategy

You can summon Spirit Ashes and co-op help for this boss battle.
Beast Clergyman attacks with consecutive rapid swipes. These swipes are pretty challenging to dodge cleanly. If you have the possibility and enough Stamina, blocking many of these strikes is a valid strategy.
A flurry of strong attacks can break this boss’ posture, leaving it open for a riposte. If you manage to achieve this, charge a heavy attack as soon as the recovery animation begins!
Pay close attention to the left hand of the Beast Clergyman! An attack is undoubtedly coming whenever this boss dips its hand in the ground. This includes a variety of short and long-ranged Beast Claw attacks.
If the boss stops and raises both hands in the air, it will follow with an area attack. This area attack creates an earthquake launching rocks up in the air and causing them to crash back into the arena seconds later. If you can avoid this attack by rolling or running, that is the best option. Otherwise, watch where the rocks come out and fall to prevent damage.
Beast Clergyman constantly throws rocks at you if you create distance. Blocking these rocks takes a big chunk of your Stamina, so it is good to dodge them if possible.
The key to getting damage in for this boss is staying close, although it is excellent at creating distance. Make sure you get as close as possible while focusing on both its arms to anticipate all incoming attacks.

Maliketh, the Black Blade Strategy

Blasphemous Claw Maliketh Strategy

Maliketh’s boss fight can be a lot simpler if you have the Blasphemous Claw item with you. We have added the instructions on how to get this item above.
This boss makes a big sword slash attack. Right before it hits, its sword has a distinctive golden glow. An instant after this glow appears, Maliketh will do a fast dash and tries to strike you. Right before it hits you, activate the Blasphemous Claw to parry this attack.
Parrying Maliketh is one of the most effective ways to get damage in. Depending on your build, 2 or 3 parries should suffice to get enough damage to guarantee a win in this boss battle.

After Maliketh, you will near end-game content in Elden Ring. Here are some quests and collectibles you might want to get before reaching the end:

Maliketh Attacks to Avoid

Maliketh can get airborne and plunge its sword into the arena. It is necessary to roll away to avoid area damage from this attack.
Lock your target into this boss. Maliketh attacks reduce your HP bar and cause Blood Flame damage, so keeping this boss in front of you is essential at all times to observe its movements and anticipate attacks.
While Maliketh is airborne in Elden Ring, it might stall mid-air and shoot horizontal or vertical beams at you. These beams can be dodged, but make sure to identify if it is a vertical or horizontal attack to determine which way to roll.
In summary, the best way to defeat Maliketh is to keep it on target, stay close to deal damage whenever there is an opening, and parry when possible.
After defeating Maliketh in Elden Ring, you will be transported back to Leyndell and begin almost end-game content.

You will soon face a few of the most challenging bosses. Here are some helpful guides to getting the best equipment before these boss fights: