FromSoftware executives should be more Malenia, less Consort Radahn

FromSoftware has built a reputation for excruciatingly difficult games with Elden Ring to be one of them. Despite a number of accessibility aspects and design choices that ensure a smoother operation, Elden Ring it ends up having some of the hardest bosses FromSoftware has ever released into the gaming world, for better or for worse. Nowhere is this difficulty with the white bones more apparent than in the fight with the promised consort Rodan at the end of Shadow of Erdtree. DLC.

Since the expansion ends two years after the main game, this encounter essentially serves as the finale Elden Ring experience in general is the “final” final boss of the game. So one would naturally expect it to be a tough fight, but few could have predicted how relentless and merciless it would be. This sparked some heated opinions in the gaming community, with many arguing that Radahn was either poorly designed, unfair, or cruel for the sake of being cruel. While these criticisms may vary in validity, they point to a broader issue about complexity in FromSoftware's games.

Why Malenia will be a better blueprint for future software executives than Consort Radahn

Before Erdtree Malenia's Shadow, Michaela's Blade was almost universally considered Elden Ringthe toughest boss battle. Hidden in Michela's Haligtree, players must fight their way through a huge, complex, and completely skippable region to reach her. Since Haligtree isn't even available until players reach the peaks of Giant Mountain, Malenia is guaranteed to be at least a late-game boss fight, making her perfect for those looking for an extra challenge.

And an extra challenge is exactly what Malenia offers. She attacks the player with a graceful fury, with a moveset that FromSoftware is one of the most difficult to counter. Almost inevitable attacks like her Waterfowl Dance combo, combined with her Crimson Rot status effects and health regeneration, make her an encounter reserved for only the most experienced (or masochistic) players, and defeating her essentially seems , how to overcome the last challenge of the base game.

Malenia's optional nature makes up for its staggering difficulty

As is often the case with FromSoftware games, Elden RingThe optional bosses are usually the hardest, and Malenia is no exception to this trend. But this defines their place in the overall structure of the game, as players can fight them at their own pace, and defeating them will be an additional reward for mastering the game mechanics or strengthening their character. This is inherently different from the brutally difficult mandatory bosses like Radach's Promised Spouse, which are more likely to be seen as frustrating obstacles than worthwhile challenges.

In the case of Radahn, players will have to spend several hours working their way through DLC, powering themselves up with Scadutree fragments and the like before hitting a brick wall. And make no mistake, Consort Radahn can really be a brick wall, especially in a pre-nerf build, as his attacks are devastating, almost impossible to dodge most of the time, and often hard to even see thanks to the visual noise of his second phase faith effects. Reaching it at the end of Shadow of the Erdtree can feel like the momentum comes to an abrupt halt, reducing the overall experience for some players.

If Promised Consort Radahn was just as powerful, but was included as an optional boss battle, then it probably wouldn't be so reviled by the player base. Radan would be viewed in the same way as Malenia: a brutal fight that gives you bragging rights when it's over.