Major spoilers for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree.
Radahn can hold back the stars. Malenia can turn a region into a scarlet-rot catastrophe. Yet Maliketh, the black-armored beast, is described as feared by every demigod. Then a Tarnished walks in and defeats him. At some point, the protagonist is the biggest problem in the mythology.
The late-game detour to a floating ruin has a concrete purpose: release Destined Death from Maliketh so the thorns barring the Erdtree can burn. Farum Azula isn't a random dragon-themed vacation.
The route from Morgott to the final boss
- Defeat Morgott. The Erdtree entrance is sealed by impenetrable thorns.
- Defeat the Fire Giant and reach the Forge of the Giants. Its flame can burn the Erdtree.
- Light the forge. On the normal path, Melina sacrifices herself as kindling; the Frenzied Flame path provides an alternative.
- Arrive at Crumbling Farum Azula. Fight Maliketh, who has sealed away the Rune of Death.
- Release Destined Death. The game states that the flames will also burn the thorns. Leyndell becomes the Ashen Capital.
- Return to the Erdtree. Gideon and Godfrey stand in your way before Radagon and the Elden Beast.
Finger Reader Enia explains the need for the Giant's flame, special kindling and the Rune of Death. Think of the forge as ignition and Maliketh as the lock on the final door. The security system is two-factor authentication, except both factors are boss fights.
Why was Maliketh feared by demigods?
When the Golden Order was formed, Marika removed Destined Death from its order and charged Maliketh, her loyal shadow, with guarding it. That removal relates to the demigods' protection from fated death. Maliketh's armor explicitly says every demigod feared him. It does not settle whether he would beat Radahn in a fair duel: wielding the fate of death is the terrifying part.
Maliketh defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen, whose Godskin followers wielded god-slaying black flame. Sealing the death rune deprived that flame of its original potency. Much later, Ranni stole a fragment of the rune; the Black Knife plot killed Godwyn in soul while Ranni's own body died. After that theft, Maliketh sealed his blade inside his own flesh.
The Beast Clergyman Gurranq is Maliketh. He eats Deathroot, which is connected to the stolen power of death. The Black Blade remembrance also says Marika betrayed him, without fully explaining how. His job description is extraordinary: guard the world's deadliest rule, get robbed once, and then be defeated by a determined visitor.
Why is Farum Azula full of dragons?
It is an ancient dragon capital predating the Erdtree's age. Dragonlord Placidusax is said to have been an Elden Lord before the Erdtree and waits for his departed god at the heart of a storm beyond time. The DLC adds his brutal clash with Bayle.
The main quest requires Maliketh, not Placidusax. Exactly how the forge transports the Tarnished here, and why Gurranq may still appear elsewhere after Maliketh's defeat, are not conclusively explained. Time anomalies offer a fan theory, not a confirmed answer.
Ten bosses with outrageous lore (not an official power ranking)
| Boss | The outrageous part |
|---|---|
| Maliketh | Wields and guards Destined Death, feared by demigods |
| Malenia | Unleashes Scarlet Rot that devastates Caelid |
| Radahn | Holds back the stars through gravity sorcery |
| Placidusax | An Elden Lord before the Erdtree, waiting beyond time |
| Miquella and Promised Consort Radahn (DLC) | Divine ambition, enchantment and a legendary general |
| Elden Beast | A being tied to the Elden Ring and the world's order |
| Metyr (DLC) | Mother of the Two Fingers, awaiting messages after abandonment |
| Midra (DLC) | Endures torment before manifesting as Lord of Frenzied Flame |
| Bayle (DLC) | Maims Placidusax and is grievously wounded in return |
| Astel | A cosmic creature said to have destroyed an Eternal City and stolen its sky |
Godfrey, Messmer and Rykard are also wildly dangerous. This table rates the strangeness of the lore, not guaranteed head-to-head victories.
Three quick answers
Does releasing death kill everyone instantly? No. It unbinds a principle excluded from the Golden Order; the story does not show every person dying at once.
Why is Gurranq still around? He and Maliketh are the same character. The persistence of the NPC and the exact role of Farum Azula's unusual time remain unsettled.
Did the Tarnished defeat every boss? A player can beat every available boss, but optional bosses are not mandatory for every ending.
And that's the ending's great joke: ancient gods struggle over the laws of reality, while the Tarnished arrives, breaks the lock and walks straight into the final room.
References (7)
- Enia's dialogue
- Maliketh and Gurranq
- Maliketh's armor description
- Rune of Death
- Black Blade remembrance
- Dragonlord Placidusax
- Metyr
Checked October 25, 2026. Item descriptions and dialogue are distinguished from interpretation.
