Finding Maliketh the Black Blade in Elden Ring
You’ve conquered the Royal Capital, faced down Morgott the Omen King, and now the path to the Erdtree seems blocked by impenetrable thorns. The guidance of grace points you toward the forbidden mountaintops, and whispers speak of a hidden city and a destined death. Your journey to become Elden Lord has led you to a formidable gatekeeper: Maliketh, the Black Blade.
Reaching this legendary boss is one of Elden Ring’s most intricate late-game sequences. It involves navigating two massive legacy dungeons, solving a pivotal puzzle, and defeating another major shardbearer. If you find yourself staring at a map, wondering how to progress from the Mountaintops of the Giants to the isolated Crumbling Farum Azula where Maliketh awaits, this guide will provide the clear, step-by-step path.
Prerequisites: What You Need Before the Journey
You cannot simply walk to Maliketh. Your journey is gated behind specific story milestones. Before you begin plotting the route, ensure you have accomplished the following.
First, you must have defeated Morgott, the Omen King, in Leyndell, Royal Capital. This battle occurs after you have acquired two Great Runes. Upon his defeat, you will speak with Melina at the Site of Grace atop the giant Erdtree roots. She will give you the Rold Medallion, the key to the Grand Lift of Rold.
Second, you must have accessed and progressed through the Mountaintops of the Giants. Use the Grand Lift of Rold with the medallion to reach this frigid, high-level region. Your ultimate goal here is to defeat the Fire Giant, the area’s legacy dungeon boss located in the Flame Peak.
Finally, and most crucially, you must make a significant choice after the Fire Giant. This decision will trigger the point of no return for the capital and set you on the direct path to Maliketh. Be sure you have completed any quests or collected any items in Leyndell before proceeding.
The Critical Choice at the Forge of the Giants
After a grueling battle, you will defeat the Fire Giant. Rest at the “Forge of the Giants” Site of Grace that appears. Here, you will have a conversation with Melina.
She will ask you to undertake a monumental act: to burn the Erdtree and its thorns using the flame of the forge. This is the only way to progress the main story. You have two narrative paths, but both lead to the same destination for reaching Maliketh.
If you accept Melina’s offer, she will sacrifice herself to kindle the flame. If you have followed the specific path of the Frenzied Flame by allowing Hyetta to complete her quest and touching the Three Fingers beneath the capital, you will have a third option to “listen to the flame” and become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, sparing Melina.
Regardless of your choice, the outcome is identical for travel: the forge will be ignited. A breathtaking cutscene will play, and you will awaken in a new location.
Awakening in Crumbling Farum Azula
After the flame takes hold, you will not wake up in the Mountaintops. Instead, you will find yourself at the “Crumbling Beast Grave” Site of Grace. You have been transported to Crumbling Farum Azula, a storm-wracked, floating ruins of an ancient civilization. This is Maliketh’s domain.
This area is a massive, non-linear legacy dungeon filled with dangerous beastmen, lightning-wielding dragons, and spectral banished knights. Your goal is to navigate from this starting point to the dragon temple at the area’s heart, where Maliketh resides.
The path is treacherous but straightforward in objective. From the Crumbling Beast Grave, you must work your way downward and outward through the ruins, eventually crossing great stone bridges and defeating the area’s other major boss to unlock the final arena.
Navigating the Stormy Ruins
From the first Site of Grace, head out into the storm. Your immediate task is to descend. You will encounter beastmen and a dragon. You can run past most enemies if you wish. Follow the path until you find a way down, often involving jumping onto lower architectural pieces.
You will eventually reach a large open area with a summoning pool and a boss fog gate. This is the “Dragon Temple” Site of Grace. However, the fog gate here does not lead to Maliketh. It bars the path to the Godskin Duo, a mandatory boss fight you must win to proceed.
Prepare thoroughly for the Godskin Duo. This is a notoriously difficult fight against two enemies who share a health bar. Using sleep pots or spells can make this battle significantly more manageable. Defeating them is the key that unlocks the rest of Farum Azula.
Unlocking Maliketh’s Arena
Upon defeating the Godskin Duo, rest at the “Dragon Temple Transept” Site of Grace that appears beyond their chamber. You are now in the inner sanctum of the temple. From here, the path to Maliketh is a linear sprint.
Leave the Transept grace and head down the long, wide hallway. You will pass a large, stationary dragon and several beastmen. At the end of this hall, instead of going through the main archway, look for a set of stairs on your right leading upward.
Take these stairs. You will emerge on a series of crumbling outdoor walkways with a fierce wind threatening to blow you off. Carefully follow this path. It will lead you across gaps and eventually to a large, circular plaza with a Site of Grace named “Beside the Great Bridge.”
Activate this grace. It is your final checkpoint before the two-stage boss fight that awaits. To your left is a summoning pool and a massive set of doors. To your right, across the great bridge, is a fog gate. Do not go to the fog gate yet.
The Secret of the Blade of Death
Before you challenge Maliketh, you have one optional but highly impactful task. Turn away from the bridge and re-enter the temple from the Beside the Great Bridge grace. Immediately take a right down some stairs into a lower, church-like area.
Here, you will find a boss: the Bell Bearing Hunter known as the “Beast Clergyman.” This is, in fact, Maliketh in his lesser form, guarding his chamber. Defeating him here is not required to progress, but it yields a valuable item.
More importantly, if you have been giving Deathroot to Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, in Caelid, this is where his questline concludes. After giving him the ninth Deathroot, he will become aggressive. Whether you fight him now or he attacked you earlier, defeating this manifestation will grant you an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone and complete his quest.
This fight is separate from the main Maliketh encounter. Beating him here does not skip the later, far more difficult battle.
Confronting Maliketh the Black Blade
Return to the “Beside the Great Bridge” Site of Grace. Now, face the great bridge. A Draconic Tree Sentinel guards the approach. You can run past him on horseback if you summoned Torrent, or fight him to clear the path.
Once past the sentinel, approach the large fog gate at the end of the bridge. This is the entrance to the boss arena for Maliketh, the Black Blade, and his first phase, the Beast Clergyman.
This is a two-phase fight. In the first phase, you face the Beast Clergyman, a fast, aggressive enemy who uses stone-slinging incantations and a dagger. His moveset is similar to the optional fight but more powerful. When you reduce his health to about 60%, a cutscene will play.
Maliketh will reveal his true form, drawing the rune of Death from his blade. The second phase begins. Maliketh the Black Blade is incredibly fast, deals damage that reduces your maximum health, and has wide, sweeping attacks. This is one of the game’s most challenging and spectacular battles.
Strategies for the Final Battle
Success requires adapting to his speed. In the first phase, stay close to the Beast Clergyman to avoid his ranged rock attacks. Punish his slower dagger combos.
For Maliketh’s second phase, the key is to stay mobile and learn his patterns. He often finishes combos by plunging his sword into the ground, creating a small explosion. This is a prime opening for attack.
There is a special tool to help you. The item “Blasphemous Claw,” obtained by defeating Recusant Bernahl as an invader earlier in Farum Azula, can be used to parry the golden slashes from Maliketh’s attacks, creating a significant stagger window. It does not work on all his moves, only those with a golden glow.
High holy damage negation is also recommended, as much of his damage is holy-based. Do not get greedy with your attacks. One or two hits at a time is the safe strategy.
What Happens After You Defeat Maliketh
Victory over Maliketh, Marika’s shadowbound beast and keeper of the Rune of Death, is a watershed moment. You will be rewarded with his Remembrance, which can be exchanged for his Black Blade incantation or the Maliketh’s Black Blade colossal sword.
More importantly, his death releases the Rune of Death back into the world. This act has immediate consequences. A cutscene will show the burning of the Erdtree reaching its climax.
You will then automatically be transported back to Leyndell, but it is no longer the Royal Capital. It has been transformed into the “Leyndell, Capital of Ash.” The city is now a smoldering battlefield covered in blackened debris, setting the stage for the final acts of your journey to become Elden Lord.
If You Get Lost or Stuck
The journey from the Mountaintops to Maliketh is long. If you find yourself unable to progress, double-check these common sticking points.
Ensure you have actually defeated the Fire Giant and activated the “Forge of the Giants” grace. Simply reaching the mountaintops is not enough.
If you are in Farum Azula but cannot find the Godskin Duo, you likely need to explore more thoroughly from the “Dragon Temple” grace. The path is downward and through side chambers, not immediately obvious from the main temple floor.
If the fog gate to Maliketh is not appearing at the end of the great bridge, you have not defeated the Godskin Duo. That fight is the absolute trigger for unlocking his arena.
Finally, if the Beast Clergyman in the hidden room is not there, you may need to exhaust Gurranq’s Deathroot dialogue in Caelid first, or you may have already defeated him earlier in your playthrough.
Your Path to Destined Death
Reaching Maliketh the Black Blade is the culmination of a long narrative arc, transforming you from a Tarnished seeking Great Runes into a force challenging the very foundations of the Golden Order. The path is deliberately obscure, weaving through fire, choice, and a crumbling sky temple.
By following these steps—defeating the Fire Giant, making your choice at the forge, conquering the Godskin Duo in Farum Azula, and braving the great bridge—you will stand before the legendary guardian of Destined Death. Prepare your weapons, fortify your spirit, and claim the rune that will finally allow you to burn the thorns away and claim your throne.
The final challenges of the Lands Between await in the ashen capital. With Maliketh defeated, your destiny as Elden Lord is now within reach.
