Elden Ring Guide
How To Defeat Maliketh The Black Blade In Elden Ring
To defeat Maliketh The Black Blade in Elden Ring, stay close to his legs or directly behind him, dodge into attacks instead of backward, and...
Quick Answer
To defeat Maliketh The Black Blade in Elden Ring, stay close to his legs or directly behind him, dodge into attacks instead of backward, and use the arena pillars to block ranged projectiles and safely heal. Spirit Ashes like the Mimic Tear help by constantly pulling his aggro away from you.
During Phase 1, focus on avoiding the Beast Clergyman dagger combos and punish his longer recovery animations. In Phase 2, stay underneath Maliketh whenever possible to avoid many of his sweeping attacks, and use the Blasphemous Claw to parry his glowing yellow sword attacks for massive openings.
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Full Guide
Maliketh The Black Blade Boss Guide
Maliketh The Black Blade is one of the final major bosses in Elden Ring and the guardian of Crumbling Farum Azula. This fight is split into two extremely aggressive phases that heavily test your reflexes, positioning, and patience.
The key to defeating Maliketh is staying close to him instead of constantly retreating. Many of his attacks become far easier to avoid when you remain underneath him or behind his legs.
Recommended Preparation
Before fighting Maliketh, it is recommended that you:
- Reach around level 120
- Use strong physical damage weapons
- Bring Bleed weapons or Blood Grease
- Equip fast dodge mobility
- Summon Spirit Ashes
- Obtain the Blasphemous Claw
Heavy physical weapons and Bleed damage are highly effective during this fight.
The Blasphemous Claw is especially valuable during Phase 2 because it allows you to parry certain glowing sword attacks and temporarily stun Maliketh.
You obtain the Blasphemous Claw by defeating Knight Bernahl in Crumbling Farum Azula after defeating Rykard Lord Of Blasphemy.
Arena Tips
The boss arena itself is important during this fight.
Keep in mind:
- You can fall off the arena
- The large pillars block projectiles
- Pillars create safe healing opportunities
Whenever Maliketh begins ranged attacks or aggressive movement chains, use the crumbling pillars to briefly break line of sight and recover.
Phase 1 Beast Clergyman Strategy
The first phase features the Beast Clergyman, who fights with extremely fast dagger attacks, rocks, and area attacks.
As soon as the fight begins:
- Move away from the narrow bridge
- Stay away from arena edges
- Roll sideways or into attacks
Dodging backward is dangerous because many of his combos move forward aggressively and can continue pressuring you.
Dagger Combo Attacks
The Beast Clergyman frequently chains together:
- Fast swipes
- Delayed stabs
- Multi-hit sweep attacks
Many attacks have several variations, so avoid attacking too early after dodging.
Whenever he performs slower top-down slams or long recovery attacks, move in for one or two quick punish hits before backing away again.
Rock Throw Attacks
Several attacks involve the Beast Clergyman scraping the ground and throwing rocks toward you.
You can:
- Roll sideways
- Roll toward him
- Use pillars as cover
Do not remain directly in front of him for long periods because many rock attacks chain directly into melee pressure.
Area Of Effect Attacks
The Beast Clergyman also uses several dangerous AoE attacks.
When he:
- Plunges his hands into the ground
- Charges energy briefly
- Creates blade shockwaves
either roll through the attack or create distance immediately.
One large ground explosion attack causes debris to rain down afterward, so keep moving until the entire attack sequence ends.
Phase 2 Maliketh The Black Blade
At half health, the fight transitions into Maliketh The Black Blade.
This phase is significantly more dangerous because many attacks:
- Reduce your maximum HP temporarily
- Apply damage over time
- Cover huge portions of the arena
However, many of Maliketh’s large sweeping attacks completely miss players standing directly underneath him.
Stay Underneath Maliketh
The safest positioning during Phase 2 is:
- Directly beneath him
- Behind his back legs
- Close to his landing spots
His giant sweeping attacks look overwhelming, but many swings pass harmlessly overhead if you stay tight underneath him.
Rolling backward usually causes more problems because it places you directly into ranged sword projectiles or delayed explosions.
Black Blade Explosion Attack
One of Maliketh’s most dangerous attacks happens when he drives his sword into the ground.
After a short delay:
- A large explosion triggers
- Black flame spreads outward
- Additional damage-over-time effects apply
As soon as he stabs the blade downward, immediately back away until the explosion finishes before re-engaging.
Blasphemous Claw Parry
If Maliketh’s sword begins glowing yellow or gold, you can use the Blasphemous Claw to parry the attack.
Successfully timing the parry:
- Stuns Maliketh
- Creates a long punish window
- Gives massive damage opportunities
This is one of the safest ways to create openings during the second phase.
Recommended Builds And Spells
Strong physical weapons work best during this fight.
Popular choices include:
- Blasphemous Blade
- Bleed weapons
- Heavy stagger weapons
Casters should prioritize fast spells with low recovery such as:
- Lightning Spear
- Rock Sling
Slow casting animations are extremely risky because Maliketh closes distance almost instantly.
Video
Step-by-Step
- Enter the arena and move away from the narrow bridge area.
- Use pillars for cover against ranged attacks.
- Dodge sideways or into the Beast Clergyman attacks.
- Punish slower slam attacks and recovery windows.
- Avoid standing directly in front of rock throw attacks.
- Summon Spirit Ashes during the fight.
- Stay underneath Maliketh during Phase 2 whenever possible.
- Back away immediately when he stabs the sword into the ground.
- Use the Blasphemous Claw when his blade glows yellow.
- Punish long recovery animations carefully without overcommitting.
What You Need
- Strong physical damage weapon
- Optional Bleed weapon or Blood Grease
- Spirit Ashes
- Fast dodge mobility
- Blasphemous Claw
- High healing flask count
Best Strategy
The safest strategy is to stay close underneath Maliketh instead of retreating constantly. Most of his sweeping attacks become much easier to avoid at close range.
Use pillars for temporary safety, let Spirit Ashes pull aggro when possible, and punish only after his largest recovery animations.
Rewards
- Remembrance Of The Black Blade
- Progression to Leyndell Ashen Capital
Tips
If Maliketh feels impossible at first, focus entirely on learning positioning instead of damage.
Simply surviving longer and staying underneath him consistently makes the fight dramatically easier over time.
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