Malenia, Blade of Mequilla, stands as the toughest boss in Elden Ring. As such, many players have been wanting an audience with the Rot Goddess. However, reaching her can be tricky as she’s stationed at the very bottom of the Haligtree, which is cut off from the rest of the map. If you’ve been scratching your head trying to find the Malenia boss, this article is here to help.
Apart from tracking down both pieces of the Haligtree Secret Medallion, you’ll also need to solve a halfway puzzle in the Consecrated Snowfield to even reach the optional zone. After that, the only thing standing between you and Malenia is the toughest legacy dungeon in the game.
So, read on as I walk you through all these steps.
How to Get to Malenia Summary
Briefly, here are all the steps you should follow if you want to know how to get to Malenia in the Haligtree and to find out why she has never known defeat:
- Get the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right) from Albus in the Village of the Albinaurics.
- Reach the Altus Plateau and defeat Morgott, the Omen King in Lyndell, Royal Capital.
- Access the Mountain Top of the Giants using the Grand Lift of Rold in the Forbidden Lands.
- Make your way to Castle Sol and defeat Commander Niall to collect the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left).
- Return to Grand Lift of Rold, and hoist the Secret Medallion.
- Navigate through the Consecrated Snowfield to reach Ordina Liturgical Town.
- Solve the puzzle inside to access the portal to Mequilla’s Haligtree.
- Descend the area using the giant branches.
- Beat Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree and continue going down into Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
- Navigate to the other end of the area and cross the Drainage Channel to reach the bottom of the castle, where you’ll find Malenia.
Complete the Secret Medallion
In order to reach the Haligtree, where Malenia awaits an equal, you will need to have made it into the Consecrated Snowfield. Getting there requires both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion, that are tucked away into the corners of the map.
We’ve already explained the Haligtree Secret Medallion Locations, so I won’t be going into much detail here.
Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right)
The first piece you will find is the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Right) in the Village of the Albinaurics in Liurnia of the Lakes. You will need to look for Albus disguised as a pot near the village Site of Grace.
He is pretty easy to make out from all the other pots as he is isolated from the rest and bathes in light. However, be wary of the nearby High Page that can hit hard, so I suggest dispatching it first. That said, simply hit the pot, revealing and talking to him to get the relevant item.
Optional: You can meet with Latenna in the Slumbering Wolf’s Shack afterwards to obtain her Spirit Ashes and have her tag along.
Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left)
You’ll obtain the other half in the Mountain Tops of the Giants, specifically in Castle Sol. You can access this mid to late-game area by defeating Morgott in Lyndell and operating the Grand Lift of Rold using the Rold Medallion. That said, Castle Sol is nestled in the topmost corner of the map, and a nearby Walking Mausoleum roams the area.
Once inside, it’s pretty straightforward, but the only hoops you’ll need to jump through are the enemies, including a Lion Guardian.
I suggest cautiously navigating and activating every Site of Grace on the way to the mini dungeon’s boss Commander Niall. Doing so will make the task less daunting.
Once you’ve slain Commander Niall and his spectral ashes, the path to the Haligtree Secret Medallion (Left) is simple. Take the elevator beyond the boss room, and it’ll lead you to a kneeling ghost holding the required item. This will complete the Haligtree Secret Medallion.
Hoist the Secret Medallion
Return to the Grand Lift of Rold with the complete Medallion in hand. This time, however, instead of selecting Hoist Medallion, you can switch to Hoist Secret Medallion. The lift will then take you to the secret location known as the Hidden Path to the Haligtree.
Work your way through the stairs to reach the exit, or if you want, you can plunder the area for some worthwhile loot.
To your surprise, you won’t find the expected entrance to the Haligtree; instead, the area will lead to an entirely different region covered in snow called the Consecrated Snowfield.
However, the dense fog that results in poor visibility and the presence of tough enemies makes it a rather challenging zone to traverse.
However, you will have some peace of mind once you snag the Map Fragment, which is just a bit further north across the frozen river after emerging in the snowy expanse.
Consecrated Snowfield: Ordina Liturgical Town Puzzle
To press further towards Malenia’s domain, continue marching north from where you get the Map Fragment until you stumble upon Ordina Liturgical Town. Inside the ghostly settlement is a puzzle you’ll have to solve to unlock a waygate portal that sends you to Miquella’s Haligtree.
With that said, head to the town plaza and interact with the imp statue to start the puzzle. You’ll find yourself in an Evergaol copy of the town, but instead of a typical boss fight, you’ll have to light four figures.
How to Solve the Puzzle
While the puzzle is pretty simple, an invisible Black Knife Assassin and the Albinauric archers stationed on the rooftops make solving it anything from a taxing trial to frustration.
To quickly solve the puzzle and avoid dying, I’ve mentioned the location of all the candles in the table below.
| Figure | Where to Find |
|---|---|
| Figure No 1 | From where you start, head northwest and drop down the balcony. After that, work your way to the farthest building; behind it will be a ladder. Climb it, and you’ll come across another ladder leading to your first figure. |
| Figure No 2 | For the next figure, simply drop down the tower to the ground and head roughly east. Eventually, you’ll come across it. |
| Figure No 3 | From the last figure, turn east and head straight. Right after reaching the stairs, make a jump towards the building on your left. There should be a series of ladders that will take you to the third figure. |
| Figure No 4 | You can easily make out the final figure from your last location. It’s above a tower with an adjacent ladder guarded by Albinauric Archers. You’ll have to work your way across the rooftops to reach it while avoiding getting hit by the arrows. Once nearby, make quick work of the enemy to safely climb the tower and light the final candle. |
| Activate the Portal | Once you’ve solved the puzzle, a message will display saying, and you’ll return to the starting location. Turn east and head towards the long staircase with the once sealed door. Beyond it is now the active Waygate Portal, leading to the Haligtree. |
Descending Mequila’s Haligtree
Players will next arrive atop the canopy of a giant tree known as Mequila’s Haligtree. In order to get to Malenia, you’ll have to use the large branches to your advantage and carefully descend it.
Still, I can’t emphasise how wary you need to be of your surroundings here, as a slight misstep can lead to your impending doom. Above all, the next Site of Grace lies inside a pretty far gazebo. So, you’re best bet is to tread lightly over here.
The batch of enemies you’ll have to cut through on the treetops are packs of Oracle Envoys and Giant Ants. Having good Incantation spells or Sorcery Spells to snipe enemies from afar can help a lot here, and decent Holy armor will help you tank some of their attacks.
Mequila’s Haligtree Town
Once you get to the tree trunk, you’ll find a platform with a ladder. Taking it down will lead you to the aforesaid Gazebo with the Haligtree Town Site of Grace.
Exit the building while wary of the Misbegotten waiting to jump on you. After that, ignore the ladder ahead, and commit to the steps on the right.
Once at the bottom of the stairs, take a hard right and roll down to land on a platform. With that done, face west and drop down onto a tree branch with bunch of Giant Ants and some loot.
After that, instead of going straight, walk across the branch curving left and head into a building just ahead with some zombies, aka the Putrid Corpses.
Exit it to reach some rooftops with 3 Spirit-Caller Snails. Dispatch them quickly, and continue parkouring through the roofs until you can jump onto a platform with more Putrid Corpses.
Take the ladder down, and enter a hallway up ahead. Inside take the first exit that is guarded by a Misbegotten.
After that, you need to cross the wooden bridge that leads into a rotunda guarded by several Battlemages connecting a shortcut and the boss room of Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.
Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree
In order to continue your descent and find Malenia in Elden Ring, this mini-boss fight is mandatory. Players can make quick work of Loretta thanks to her telegraphed attacks that are easy to dodge.
Although a tad stronger than her spectral form found in Caria Manor, players that have fought Royal Knight Loretta and remember her moveset will beat this boss without breaking a sweat. In case she poses trouble, you can always resort to using some Spirit Ashes to back you up.
Once Loretta is defeated, activate the Site of Grace. After that, follow the stairs down, and take another ladder down to reach a structure with an elevator. Ride it, and you’ll advance to the final stretch before facing Malenia – Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
Navigating Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree
Elphael is an incredibly tough Legacy Dungeon; even so the others pale in comparison. Some hard-to-kill enemies that block your way include Revenants, Putrid Avatars, Cleanrot Knights and some Crystillians. I have laid out the simplest path for you to take, so you can bypass the enemies without having to fight them.
Elphael’s Outer Wall
First, cross the bridge and touch the Prayer Room Site of Grace. Head outside the door and follow the walkway until you eventually reach two staircases. Take the steps leading down.
From here, jump over the broken fence into the lowest floor. Up ahead will be a room with 2 Cleanrot Knights and some loot.
Leave the room and keep heading in that direction until you can take some stairs connected to a bridge to your right.
The bridge’s other end is fortified with enemies, so drop down to the floor below as shown in the image below. A Revenant should spawn here, but luckily you can avoid it by climbing a ladder back up.
Once at the top, you’ll come across a Putrid Avatar blocking a doorway into the Drainage Channel. For now, avoid it, as there’s a Site of Grace inside to the left you should grab first.
Elphael’s Inner Wall
Take the natural path forward from the Site of Grace until you see branching roots. Climb the one that leads into a broken wall.
Next, players will have to traverse a rotten waterfall (rotfall). While you’ll get inflicted with Rot, the next Drainage Channel Site of Grace isn’t very far to cure the malady.
You can drop down to a branch below on the opposite end of the waterfall. Continue walking southeast using these branches until you’re able to jump across to the elevated platform.
Afterwards, enter the doorway with a ladder to take you to the Site of Grace mentioned earlier. The rest of the path to reach Malenia is pretty straightforward.
From the Drainage Channel to Malenia
Taking the doorway will bring you outside, and using the only branch available, follow the path along until you can jump towards another platform known as a flying buttress.
From here, you simply need to work your way north towards a church. There should be another branch below the flying buttress you can walk on that leads to the church.
Once inside the church, drop down and head southwest to ride a lift. After descending further down, you’ll find Haligtree Roots Site of Grace just before a fog wall.
Beyond that fog wall lies Malenia, Goddess of Rot, answering your question of where is Malenia in Elden Ring, and after a perilous journey stretching from Liurnia of the Lakes to the Roots of the Haligtree, you’ve finally reached her.
Final Thoughts
The path leading to Malenia in Elden Ring is fraught with challenges, and it should be given her status as the hardest boss. This guide aimed at providing a clear path but keep in mind that the vast Haligtree offers many valuable goodies you might have missed while following this route. Now that you’ve reached Malenia, take the opportunity to backtrack and collect any items you might have overlooked.
