FromSoftware bosses should be more Malenia, less Consort Radahn

FromSoftware has built a reputation on extremely difficult games Elden Ring being one of them. Despite a number of accessibility considerations and design choices that make the experience smoother, Elden Ring ultimately has some of the toughest bosses FromSoftware has ever unleashed on the gaming world, for better or worse. Nowhere is this spine-tingling difficulty more evident than in the fight with the Promised Consort Radahn at the end of The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

With the expansion dropping over two years after the base game, this encounter essentially serves as the finale Elden Ring Experience as a whole: The “final” final boss of the game. As such, one would naturally expect this to be a difficult encounter, but few could have predicted how merciless and relentless it would be. This sparked criticism within the game's community, with many claiming that Radahn was poorly designed, unfair, or tough for the sake of being tough. While these criticisms may vary in validity, they are indicative of a larger issue regarding difficulty in FromSoftware's games.

Because Malenia would be a better project for the software bosses' future than Consort Radahn

Before Shadow of the Erdtree, Malenia, Blade of Miquella was almost universally regarded Elden Ringthe toughest boss battle. Hidden in Miquella's Haligtree, players must fight through an immense, challenging, and totally unmissable region to reach it. Since the Haligtree isn't even accessible until players reach the Giants' Peaks, Malenia is guaranteed to be at least one late-game boss fight, making her perfect for those looking for an extra challenge.

And an extra challenge is precisely what Malenia offers. It attacks the player with graceful ferocity, with a moveset that is one of FromSoftware's hardest to counter. Nigh-inevitable attacks like her Waterfowl Dance combo, along with her Scarlet Rot status effects and health regeneration, mean her encounter is reserved for only the most experienced (or masochistic) players, and beating her essentially feels like beating the final challenge of the base game.

Malenia's optional nature makes up for its overwhelming difficulty

As often happens in FromSoftware games, Elden RingOptional bosses are usually the most difficult, and Malenia is no exception to this trend. But this informs their place in the game's overall structure as players can take them on at their own pace, beating them as an extra reward for mastering the game's mechanics or strengthening their character. This is inherently different from brutally challenging mandatory bosses like the Promised Consort Radahn, which are more likely to be seen as frustrating obstacles than worthwhile challenges.

In Radahn's case, players will have to spend several hours in the DLC, powering up through Scadutree Fragments and the like, before hitting a brick wall. And make no mistake, Consort Radahn can really be a brick wall, especially in the pre-nerf version of the game, as her attacks are devastating, nearly impossible to dodge most of the time, and often difficult to even see thanks to the graphics . noise of its effects Faith of the second phase. Once you reach the end of Shadow of the Erdtree, it can feel like an abrupt halt in momentum, diminishing the overall experience for some players.

If the Promised Consort Radahn had been equally powerful but included as an optional boss battle, then it's likely he wouldn't have been so maligned by players. Radahn would have been viewed the same way as Malenia: a tough fight that warrants bragging rights once completed.