FromSoftware's bosses should be more Malenia, less Consort Radahn

FromSoftware has built a reputation on the back of excruciatingly difficult games Elden Ring to be one of them. Despite a number of accessibility aspects and designs that allow for a smoother experience, Elden Ring after all, it has some of the hardest bosses FromSoftware has ever unleashed on the gaming world, for better or for worse. Nowhere is this white knuckle difficulty more apparent than in the Promised Consort Radahn fight at the end of Shadow of the Erdtree. DLC.

Since the expansion drops within two years of the base game, this encounter essentially serves as the game's finale Elden Ring experience as a whole – the “ultimate” final boss of the game. One would naturally expect it to be a tough match, but few could have guessed how merciless and relentless it would be. This caused some heat in the gaming community, with many arguing that Radahn was either poorly designed, unfair, or tough because he was tough. While these criticisms may vary in validity, they are indicative of a broader problem of difficulty in FromSoftware's games.

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Messmer the Impaler, a demigod boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

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Why Malenia would be a better blueprint for future software bosses than Consort Radahn

Before Shadow of the Erdtree, Malenia, Blade of Miquella was almost universally considered to be Elden Ringthe hardest boss battle. Tucked away in Miquella's Haligtree, players must fight their way through a vast, challenging, and utterly sparse region to reach her. Since Haligtree isn't accessible until players reach Mountaintops of the Giants, Malenia is guaranteed to be at least a late-game boss fight, making it perfect for those looking for an extra challenge.

And another challenge is exactly what Malenia offers. He attacks players with graceful fury, with a moveset that is one of FromSoftware's toughest opponents. Near-inevitable attacks like her Waterfowl Dance combo, coupled with her Scarlet Rot status effects and health regeneration, make her an attack reserved for only the most skilled (or masochistic) players, and defeating her is essentially like beating the last base game challenges.

The optional nature of Malenia makes up for its overwhelming difficulty

As is often the case with FromSoftware games, Elden RingOptional bosses are usually the hardest, and Malenia is no exception to this trend. However, this informs their position in the overall structure of the game, as players can deal with them at their own pace, with defeating them as an additional reward for mastering game mechanics or powering up their character. This is inherently different from the brutally difficult mandatory bosses like Promised Consort Radahn, which will be seen as frustrating obstacles rather than useful challenges.

In the case of Radahn, players will have to spend several hours going through DLC, powering up with Scadutree Fragments and the like before hitting a brick wall. And make no mistake, Consort Radahn can be a real brick wall, especially in a pre-nerf build, as his attacks are devastating, almost impossible to dodge most of the time, and often even difficult to see due to the visual effect. the noise of his Faith effects in the second phase. When you get to it at the end of Shadow of the Erdtree, it can feel like a sudden stop in momentum, which detracts from the overall experience for some players.

If Promised Consort Radahn was just as powerful but included as an optional boss battle, chances are he wouldn't be so maligned by the player base. Radahn would be seen the same as Malenia: a tough fight that brings bragging rights when completed.