Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is unable to move to the second phase of the Elden Ring battle due to a glitch that occurs during the first phase.
Even after a year since its release, Elden Ring continues to surprise players with new discoveries every time they log in to play. In the Lands Between, bugs and glitches are all too common, especially as players experiment with the countless ways to interact with the game's world. During a fight against Malenia, one player discovered a glitch that allows her to survive with zero health, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the game's mechanics.
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Malenia is Miquella's twin sister and the offspring of Marika and Radagon. Many believe Radahn, who battled her to a standstill, is the only other Demi-God in Elden Ring who can match her skill on the battlefield. Malenia, Blade of Miquella, has two phases that she can use in combat, with the second phase having its own health bar. Given the difficulty of the battle, getting Malenia to her second phase is a victory in and of itself. Her Waterfowl Dance is nearly impossible to avoid if one is too close when the animation is triggered, and she has the power to regenerate health after each hit.
One Elden Ring player found a bug that prevents Malenia from entering the cutscene for her second phase and posted a video of it on Reddit. The video shows the Reddit user Spoodz23 battling Malenia with a Halberd until they finally reduce her health to zero. The player now anticipates that the fight will move to its second phase, but Malenia continues to attack despite having no health left. To the player's dismay, the fight continued despite landing several attacks on Malenia. Spoodz23 eventually surrendered to the Empyrean before realizing what was occurring.
Elden Ring's bugs can occasionally add to the game's charm, but they can also make the whole experience the most frustrating. Fans of Elden Ring have put Spoodz23 out of their misery in the comments section by pointing out that it might be an unintended result of a unique mechanic that is actually in place to guard against bugs. It seems that if Malenia's first phase ends in a critical hit, the player could kill her in one hit during the second phase. After the initial attack, Malenia gains some kind of temporary invincibility to guard against this, keeping her in her first phase.
Elden Ring is known for its difficult gameplay and intricate mechanics, so it's not surprising that players are still learning new things even a year after the game's release. It's amazing to observe how a minor distinction can significantly alter how a boss fight turns out.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Benjamin Miller