Elden Ring: How to Get to Malenia (2023)

Many players in the Elden Ring community have expressed just how maddeningly difficult Malenia, Blade of Miquella's boss fight is. She's been compared to some of the hardest bosses in previous Soulsborne games, difficult bosses across games of different genres, and even the Valkyrie Queen in God of War: Ragnarok.

RELATED: Game Awards 2022: Every Game of The Year Nominee, Summarized

However, simply reaching the ultimate challenge in Elden Ring can be pretty difficult as well since it requires players to traverse multiple hidden areas teeming with extremely high-level enemies. Not to fear, as this guide shows exactly where Malenia is and how to reach her, taking the Tarnished through the three main areas the player needs to traverse to reach her.

Updated November 23rd, 2022 by Jacob Buchalter: The Haligtree, a location created by the Empyreans born of Marika and Radagon, is Miquella's attempt to build his own Erdtree without the Greater Will, as he believed this was the best possible way to cure his sister's (and by extension his own) birth defects. Malenia was born with a body infected with Scarlet Rot and Miquella would never age past childhood, so their Haligtree eventually became a haven for all those who weren't accepted into the Great Will's Grace such as the Misbegotten's, the Albinaurics, and many more outcasts. Sadly, because Elden Ring is a video game about fighting bosses (one that did exceptionally well at the Golden Joystick Awards), players do have to put an end to Malenia at the base of this Haligtree. But, how exactly do they get there, and what areas will they need to trek through in order to reach her fog gate?

How To Reach The Consecrated Snowfield

(Video) I Glued Myself to a Chair Until I Beat the Game. It was a mistake.

See Also

How Do You Get To Melania Elden Ring? - Game Guide Elden RingAnfahrt zum Melania-Elden-Ring – SamaGameMalenia, Blade of Miquella Location and Guide - Elden Ring Wiki Guide - IGN

To even reach the "zone" Melania is in, Miquella's Haligtree, the Tarnished will need to pass through the Consecrated Snowfield. But, while it seems like the Snowfield should be accessible from some part of the Mountaintops of the Giants area, players will actually need to get both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion and ride the Grand Lift of Rold.

• The Right Half of the Secret Medallion is found in the Village of the Albinaurics in Liurnia of the Lakes near the village Site of Grace. The Tarnished will need to the eastern part of the village from here and look for a singular pot all on its own. Break the pot, and an Albinauric inside named Albus will bestow the right half to the Tarnished and tell them to bring it to Latenna before fading away into dust.
• The Left Half of the Secret Medallion can be obtained in The Mountaintop of the Giants. The player will need to find Castle Sol, which can be seen on the map at the far north end of the Mountaintop with a Wandering Masoleum pacing nearby. The Tarnished will then need to progress through this castle and defeat the boss of it, Commander Niall, an exceptionally daunting and difficult boss, before progressing forward and finding the left half in front of a kneeling ghost.
• Once the Tarnished has both halves of the Medallion, they can return to the Grand Lift of Rold and use the switch dialog boxes input they'd usually use for when an item and a message are in the same overlapping spot to see that there's now a prompt for "Use Secret Medallion". Present the Medallion to the Lift and ride it to the Forbidden Lands (AKA the Consecrated Snowfield).
• Move through the Hidden Path to the Haligtree, a small dungeon area full of deceptive paths and the Vulgar Militant enemies before exiting into the main Consecrated Snowfield area.

This is one of the hardest areas of Elden Ring in terms of visibility, as a snowstorm will blind the Tarnished when they first enter the area, although it will become less daunting when you find the Map Fragment, which is a short distance north from the main entrance right underneath a towering monolith.

How to Reach Miquella's Haligtree

Once the Tarnished has the Map Fragment, travel to the northernmost area of the Snowfield, making sure to be wary of any high-level enemies lurking. The Tarnished will eventually find a place called Ordina Liturgical Town on the other side of the river (both can be seen easily on the in-game map). Completing the fun yet frustrating puzzle in this town is essential for accessing the Haligtree.

• Move through the town full of what seem to be specters until the player reaches the Evergaol near the stairs/bridge leading upward into the mountains behind the town.
• After interacting with the Evergaol, the player will see that the sky and town around them look a bit different. They'll need to light several candles scattered around the town. However, beware of invisible Black-Knife Assassins lurking around the town, especially the one in the center of the town near the ground-floor shrine candle, it's best to leave that one until last.
• Jump up onto one of the crumbling walls on the west side of the town and use that to get onto the rooftops (alternatively, there is a ladder that will also lead to one of the candles).
• Once the Tarnished is on the rooftops, they can light a number of candles at the top of each of the town's tall towers. That said, these are also guarded by Albinauric Archers that fire extremely fast, do incredible damage, and can knock the Tarnished off any ladder or roof with ease (just like old times, huh?). The Tarnished can either attempt to time it perfectly and avoid a fight with them entirely, or they can wait until after a volley and go in on the Archers in order to take them out.
• After the player has lit them all, they will be teleported out of the Evergaol and the barrier to the Haligtree at the top of the stairs behind the town should be gone.

Follow the path open after lowering the barrier and the Tarnished will finally find themselves en route to the Haligtree.

Exploring The Outer Haligtree & Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree To Reach Malenia

The Tarnished will arrive at the Haligtree in an area outside Elphael, the main city for those who the world has forsaken, and this is where Malenia resides. To get through this first area, the player will need to follow the branches down (being careful not to fall off) and reach a number of interconnected pathways and greenhouses. From here, there will be several Misbegotten and other nasty enemies that are challenging in close quarters, so it's key that the Tarnished draw them out and face them one at a time they can. Keep naturally progressing onward, and the Tarnished should keep heading down until they're eventually at the "bottom" of the city.

RELATED: Elden Ring: The Best Blood Weapons, Ranked

At the end of this area, the player will face Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree, the real version of the specter Royal Knight Loretta they faced in Caria Manor. And, once she is dispatched, the Tarnished can ride a lift to arrive at the final hurdle before fighting Malenia, getting through Elpheal, Brace of the Haligtree.

• When the player first arrives in Elpheal, Brace of the Haligtree, the player needs to travel along the outer wall of the Tree, which is full of Cleanrot Knights and multiple Erdtree Avatars.
• The Tarnished can either move along the upper section of the outer wall or descend to the lower area where there is more valuable loot (but it is populated with Revenants).
• The Tarnished will eventually reach a courtyard with an Erdtree Avatar and Haligtree Soldiers blocking the player's path; once they are killed, the player will be able to reach the inner wall of the Haligtree and the final descent to Malenia.
• The inside of the Haligtree is covered in a Lake of Rot, and here the player can also finish the NPC Millicent's questline if they managed to progress it this far. Follow the drainage channel on the opposite side of the isolated area of the Rot Lake, where Millicent's summon and the Ulcerated Tree Spirit resides, and traverse out of the Haligtree again.
• Around this area is a building with a lift near the southwestern entrance. Using this lift will take the Tarnished to the roots of the Haligtree where they will find a room with a large scarlet flower and the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace.
• Past this, the Tarnished will find the fog door that leads to the hardest boss (usually, at least) in Elden Ring, Malenia The Severed, one of the most memorable characters in the game and a character fans just can't seem to get enough of.

Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Elden Ring: Every Merchant, Ranked