Elden Ring Datamine Suggests Malenia Used to Be an Even Tougher Boss

Elden Ring is an open-world RPG with a vast number of weapons and play styles available. This means that each Elden Ring player’s experience with the game is likely to be unique to them. Players will have differing opinions on separate areas of the game’s map, which bosses should be done in which order, and even which ending is the best. But surprisingly, most Elden Ring players can agree on which of the game’s bosses is the most difficult, namely, Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

Malenia is one of the Elden Ring’s many optional world bosses, and she reaches the top spot on most boss difficulty lists due to being a deadly combination of fast, punishing, and extremely hard hitting. Malenia also has a unique life-stealing effect which causes her health bar to regenerate with every hit she lands on the player, and this coupled with her various combos means that all of a player's progress during the boss fight can quickly be undone in a matter of seconds.

It may be hard to believe, then, but this boss fight was once even tougher in the 1.0 version of Elden Ring, which is the version of the game that can be found on game discs before any patches or updates. A FromSoftware-focused Youtuber named Kotn3l has made a video showcasing all the differences between the 1.0 version of Malenia and the version that was seen in Elden Ring upon the game’s release.

The video reveals many subtle changes that were made to Malenia’s boss fight, such as timings for attack animations and an increased propensity for blocking the player’s attacks. This 1.0 version of Malenia seems to have had increased aggression towards the player as well. Kotn3l’s video also reveals that an attack similar to Malenia’s notorious Waterfowl Dance attack was cut from Elden Ring.

The Waterfowl Dance is Malenia’s most brutal attack and features a flurry of blades swiping around the rapidly moving boss. This combo secretly acts as an AOE attack, which is why it has caught so many Elden Ring players off guard when they try to dodge through it. What Kotn3l’s video reveals, however, is that this notorious attack may not be the original Waterfowl Dance. In the 1.0 build of Elden Ring, this attack is known as Malenia’s Blade. The Boss’ second AOE flurry attack is also far more suited to the name Waterfowl Dance.

As pointed out by a commenter under Kotn3l’s video, this removed second attack has Malenia perform a similar AOE flurry of blade swipes, but this time while hopping on one foot. This is visually similar to how cranes are often depicted standing on one foot and could be where the attack originally received the name Waterfowl Dance.

Elden Ring Fan Makes Impressive Art of the Merchant Kale

At launch, some gamers complained that Elden Ring was a graphically unimpressive game, citing games that looked more photorealistic to put down its art style. However, many more gamers came to the defense of Elden Ring, claiming that its art style is extremely unique and beautiful; the game is full of breathtaking landscapes and awe-inspiring views.

However, perhaps just as impressive as its landscapes are the game's NPCs, specifically the non-hostile ones. The diverse roster of characters one runs into on their journey through The Lands Between makes the journey all the more interesting and varied. For example, many players have made art of Elden Ring's Ranni, dedicating their works to one of their favorite characters from the game.

One of these memorable characters is the game's first merchant; found just past the daunting Elden Ring Tree Sentinel, Kale can be found in the ruins of a church that provides a safe haven from the Tree Sentinel and other nearby enemies. Along with his donkey and his campfire, the merchant is a warm, comforting presence when compared to the rampaging golden boss and the scathing sarcasm of Varre. Recently, an Elden Ring player decided to put their artistry to the test, creating an incredible art piece featuring Kale and his donkey.

Reddit user Groomgrim created the piece and posted it to the site. Besides the background, which features what looks to be Elden Ring's Stormveil Castle, the piece is dedicated almost entirely to Kale and his donkey. The level of detail in the piece is very high, showing off many small details that help to bring the piece together, such as Kale's wares laid out in front of him. The fire serves as a welcoming contrast to the dark background of the picture, as does Kale himself.

Many players took to calling Kale Santa due to his getup as well as his function; he is a cheery-looking fellow who seems entirely out of place with the surrounding dangerous wilderness, offering a reprieve from violence as well as gifts (for a price, of course). Apparently, the merchants of Elden Ring had a darker storyline originally, and were tied to the Frenzied Flame ending of the game; frankly, Kale fits better as Santa than as a potential Elden Lord.

However, it would be incredibly interesting to see what Kale could have been; while the madness questline seems quite out of place for the merchants, perhaps it would've also fleshed out their backstory. Conversely, it probably made Kale evil, and considering how loved of a character he is currently, perhaps it is best for the community that the storyline never reached the final game. Conversely, a Groomgrim piece with Kale as the Lord of Frenzied Flame would be nothing short of incredible; here's to hoping.

Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival is FromSoftware’s Most Rewarding NPC Experience

Elden Ring's Radahn Festival and Starscourge Radahn boss fight is easily FromSoftware's most unique and satisfying questline.

Many quests in FromSoftware games have players interacting with NPCs and following loose instructions that involve opaque guidelines. Indeed, FromSoftware is known for how little it holds the player’s hand, and while this is a concern for many players who are uninitiated with the developer’s niche gameplay formula, it can be a breath of fresh air to those who dislike how coddling traditional action-RPGs can be.

If players like to feel as though they must learn everything about a game’s world on their own and enjoy the struggle of finding one’s path organically, FromSoftware games such as Elden Ring may be a perfect fit. Elden Ring is more approachable than other FromSoftware titles due to how broad its scope is as an open-world game, which is new for the developer. But Elden Ring’s questlines, while as elaborate and dense as any, are also more rewarding as there are throughlines players can closely follow. One of these through lines results in Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival.

Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival is Optional, But Worth It

In Elden Ring, the Radahn Festival is a ceremonious event that comes before a battle against General Radahn. The festival is held at Redmane Castle on the southeastern corner of Caelid, where the red shores of the Wailing Dunes meet the water. This festival is a necessary prerequisite to being able to fight Starscourge Radahn, as the NPC companions who may be summoned need to be available. There are multiple ways to trigger the Radahn Festival, and it is entirely possible for players to have triggered it in a way unbeknownst to them in a first playthrough, such as not even having journeyed to Redmane Castle until the festivities had already begun. But when players arrive after it has started, they will see a number of spectral NPCs waiting for them there.

However, the Radahn Festival, as well as facing Radahn himself, is completely optional. In order to progress through the Lands Between and access the later areas, players only need to have killed two demigod bosses and activated one of their Great Runes. The choice is up to players, and as such Radahn could be avoided throughout the entire game if players choose instead to kill Godrick and Rennala, for example.

Likewise, players do not need to actually seek out and befriend the NPC summons that appear at the festival. These NPCs include Blaidd, Iron Fist Alexander, Bloody Finger Okina, Lionel the Lionhearted, Great Horned Tragoth, Castellan Jerren, Finger Maiden Therolina, and Patches. Many of these characters are not actually NPCs players can find to interact with anyway, while quests for some of them are long-winded and may span the entire game.