FromSoftware's bosses should have more Malenia and Radahn's spouses should have fewer.

FromSoftware has built its reputation on extremely difficult games. Elden Ring To become one of them. Despite various accessibility considerations and design choices for a more seamless experience, Elden Ring Ultimately, these are some of the most difficult bosses FromSoftware has ever released in the gaming world, for better or worse. Nowhere is this difficulty more evident than in the fight with Radan, the Promised Consort, at the Shadow's Edge of Erdtri. DLC.

With the expansion released two years after the base game, this encounter is essentially Elden Ring Overall, you experience the “final” final boss of the game. So while one could naturally expect it to be a difficult match, few could have predicted just how unforgiving and harsh it would be. This sparked a number of heated reactions within the gaming community, with many claiming that Radahn was difficult because it was poorly designed, unfair, or difficult. These criticisms may vary in their validity, but they are indicative of broader issues with the difficulty of FromSoftware games.

Why Malenia Could Be a Blueprint for a Better Future from Software Companies Than Consort Radahn

Before Shadow of the Erdtree, Malenia, the Blade of Miquella was almost universally regarded. Elden RingThe hardest boss fight. Hidden in Miquella's Haligtree, players must traverse a huge, challenging, and completely missable area to reach Miquella. Since Haligtree is inaccessible until players reach the top of Giants Mountain, Malenia is guaranteed to be at least a late-game boss fight, making it perfect for those looking for an extra challenge.

And the extra challenge is exactly what Malenia provides. She attacks players with grace and ferocity, using FromSoftware's most difficult move set to counter. Near-avoidable attacks like her waterfowl dance combo, combined with the Scarlet Rot status effect and health regeneration, create encounters that only the most experienced (or masochistic) players can pull off, and defeating her is essentially a base game It feels like overcoming the final challenge of .

Malenia's selective nature offsets her crushing difficulty

As is often the case with FromSoftware games, Elden RingThe optional bosses in are generally the hardest, and Malenia is no exception to this trend. However, this tells you where the player is in the overall structure of the game, as he or she can process the game at his or her own pace. Because beating a player is like an additional reward for mastering game mechanics or strengthening your character. This is inherently different from brutally challenging mandatory bosses like Lathan the Promised Consort, who are more likely to be seen as a frustrating obstacle rather than a worthwhile challenge.

As for Radahn, players will have to spend hours getting through the DLC and strengthening his powers through Scadutree Fragments and the like before hitting a brick wall. And make no mistake. Spouse Radahn can really be a brick wall. Especially in pre-nerf builds of the game, because his attacks are devastating, nearly impossible to dodge most of the time, and hard to even see thanks to the visuals. The noise of his level 2 faith effect. Reaching him at the end of Shadow of the Erdtree may feel like the momentum comes to a sudden halt, diminishing the overall experience for some players.

Radan the Promised Consort was just as powerful, but if he had been included as an optional boss fight, he likely wouldn't have been so criticized by the playerbase. Radahn would have been viewed in the same way as Malenia. It's an intense fight that will earn you bragging rights upon completion.