As all games do, Elden Ring has a copious amount of cut content. From the merchants’ relationship with the Three Fingers to a cut Godfrey intro, there are more than a few interesting topics that didn’t make it into the final product. One of these includes some new elements regarding Elden Ring’s hardest boss fight, Malenia.
Players will proceed through Elden Ring, guided to the Haligtree, where they will eventually find and face Malenia. She’s a beloved character with a ton of lore, but in terms of story, there’s very little. However, cut content shows Malenia could have once been more than just another boss fight.
Elden Ring – Cut Malenia Content
It seems Malenia and Miquella originally had much bigger roles, with the latter having his own expansive quest and having some role in a cut Elden Ring ending. Malenia may have played some role in this, or at the very least, players would not have randomly walked up on her and woke her up. She was originally some level of an ally, as she calls the player “sweet Tarnished” and “dearest companion.” In fact, she’d even question why they were fighting her, making the fight more sympathetic.
Given the purpose of the Haligtree, it’s likely players could have embraced Malenia and Miquella’s view of the world, leading to another ending where the Golden Order falls apart. Nonetheless, this cut content would have also introduced a new set of weapons related to Malenia and Miquella’s storyline. The first weapon was known as the Abundance Twinblade and the second was known as the Twinblade of Abundance and Decay, with the latter fusing the former with a weapon from Malenia.
It seems Miquella, who is cursed to always be youthful, is related to Abundance—perhaps meaning an abundance of life—as Malenia is obviously the Decay. It could have been some interesting ying-yang element, and it sounds like it could have made for a powerful build. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely players will even see this in full, unless some form of Elden Ring’s Director Cut ever releases or someone is able to restore everything through mods.
It wouldn’t be surprising for Elden Ring DLC to explore new content about Miquella, but given that Malenia is felled by the Tarnished, her return is unlikely. Still, the DLC could take the story in new directions and reveal more about the character’s lore. This content would have been interesting to see nonetheless, as it could take Malenia from the game’s strongest boss to one of its most compelling characters.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.