Summary
The fan-favorite bossMalenia, Blade of MiquellainElden Ringhas been hiding in theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC all along, despite never actually being showcased by developer FromSoftware. Released with the base game, the optional boss Malenia is considered one of the hardest in the company’s history, mainly due to the mix of her aggressive stance, two phases, the ability to regenerate life upon hitting players, and the application of the Scarlet Rot status on them, which takes chunks of life away from them if not dealt with. Because of this, she is also a favorite among players.
Often, tough bosses are the most beloved, and Malenia is the most notable one from the base game. Now, the anticipated DLC has been released, bringing forth a batch of new challenges to deal with. This includes difficult dungeons and some memorable new boss fights, such as the one against theDivine Beast Dancing Lion inElden Ring. With overlapping themes and events playing out at the same time as those of the main campaign, the connection betweenShadow of the Erdtreeand the base game is strong – so much so that Malenia is even present in the DLC.
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Malenia’s Theme Appears As A Leitmotif In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
The Boss’ Main Musical Theme Plays During A New Boss Fight In The DLC
While the character does not make an appearance via her character model or voice lines, there is a very straightforward reference to her in the DLC. As pointed out bySeeReaxon X (formerly Twitter),the theme song played during the Romina, Saint of the Bud boss fight is a leitmotif of the track played during the battle againstMalenia, Blade of Miquella. Even though there is a difference in the musical arrangement and how the song is played out, the soundtrack is the same across both boss encounters.
The character’s theme played as a leitmotif is more than a nod to the base game, but the confirmation of a connection between Malenia andRomina inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Malenia & Romina’s Connection In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, Explained
Both Characters Are Deeply Intertwined With Scarlet Rot
The most straightforward approach tothe connection between Malenia and Romina is that they both wield Scarlet Rot in battle. However, this connection is much deeper, even if still related to Scarlet Rot. Malenia is known to have been afflicted with the sickness since her birth. It is implied that the Scarlet Rot ate away her limbs, though she was able to partially control the disease from spreading with the help of her brother Miquella. Giving into the full power of the Scarlet Rot to faceStarscourge Radahnin Caelid, Malenia embraced the condition before the events ofElden Ring.
Malenia is known as the Goddess of Rot, due to her status as an Empyrean demigod who has been able to control and wield Scarlet Rot as a weapon. This occurred after Malenia met her master, a swordsman who sealed away the Outer God of Rot. During the base game, little was known about this entity aside from the fact thatthey had a scorpion’s tail as a relic, which was used to create theScorpion’s Stingerdagger. Now, however, more details seem to have been made available with the release of theElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeDLC.
This is because Romina herself is an arthropod-like creature who has a scorpion-shaped tail. The new boss also wields Scarlet Rot as a weapon and, beyond those eye-grabbing details, more lore implications are revealed once players defeat her. In theRemembrance of the Saint of the Buditem, acquired after beating Romina, it is revealed that after the Church of the Bud was incinerated,Romina discovered a “twisted divine element” therein, which she used to create Scarlet Rot. As such, Romina may very well be the source of the Scarlet Rot that players get to know inElden Ring.
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It is unspecified if Romina is the Outer God of Rot that was sealed away or simply the conduit to the creation of Scarlet Rot using the divine element left by the Outer God. However, there is reason to believe that she may actually be the Outer God of Rot. When players defeat Romina, the message “Legend Felled” appears on the screen –this message is often reserved for special beings that are not categorized as Demigods, including Astel, Maliketh, andElden Beast inElden Ring.
Combined with the fact that the sealed Outer God’s relic obtained by Malenia’s master resembles Romina’s own tail, the new boss may be the deity. In counterpoint, however,Romina was once an ordinary saint at the Church of the Bud and then became the creature she is seen asinShadow of the Erdtreewhen she came in touch with the aforementioned divine element that she weaved into Scarlet Rot.
Regardless of her true origins, Romina’s connection to Malenia is clearer than ever. Even if unintentionally,Romina may have been the one who cursed Malenia with Scarlet Rot by being the disease’s creator, and with both being masters of the affliction, they share a godly status of Scarlet Rot. As such, the overlapping musical theme for both Malenia and Romina is not surprising at all.
It can be argued that the leitmotif is actually a theme for the broader curse ofScarlet Rot inElden Ring.
Malenia Is Not The Only Main Game Boss To “Appear” In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
Leitmotifs Are Scattered Through The DLC, Hinting At Connections To The Base Game
Although the recurrence of Malenia’s theme in the DLC via Romina’s theme is the most noteworthy given the base game boss’ status among the communitythis is not the only leitmotif inShadow of the Erdtree. As highlighted by user comments to SeeReax’s post on X, Messmer’s theme is also a leitmotif of the theme played when fightingRadagon of the Golden Orderin the base game. Though unconfirmed, it is implied that Radagon is Messmer’s father. This seems to be backed by the fact that their theme songs are the same inElden Ring.
Of course, this could actually be a reference to Messmer’s connection to Marika, who shares the same body asRadagon of the Golden Order. Leitmotifs are quite common in games and in FromSoftware titles as a whole, but despite the lack of a surprise they may cause,they still help establish some connections between characters.
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This is very helpful given that a large portion of soulslike games’ lore is hidden within item descriptions rather than actual narrative moments. A lot of the story inElden Ringremains elusive and open to interpretation, but the release ofShadow of the Erdtreeis helping players connect some dots, even with some unexpected characters like Malenia.
