Elden Ring: Who Is Maliketh, The Black Blade? (2024)

Maliketh, the Black Blade is one of the last bosses you fight in Elden Ring, and he leaves quite an impression. Wielding a sword infused with death itself, Maliketh’s attacks can drain your maximum HP, keeping you on your toes for the entire battle.

However, as mind-blowing as the boss battle against Maliketh might be, it pales in comparison to the beast warrior’s lore. That’s because Marika's Shadow helped to write the history of the Lands Between both as Maliketh, the Black Blade and as Gurranq, Beast Clergyman .

Updated August 3, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: We've updated this article with further information about Maliketh, his weapons, and the Rune of Death. If you're wondering "Is Gurranq Maliketh?" then we have the answer to that and more for you.

Who Is Maliketh, The Black Blade?

In Elden Ring, Maliketh is a Shadow, a beast warrior chosen by the Two Fingers to protect an Empyrean.

To control The Lands Between, the Greater Will needs a God, a vessel capable of holding its cosmic power and enforcing its ruling. In this context, Empyreans are powerful beings deemed worthy of becoming gods.

Shadows are bound to Empyreans to keep them safe before their ascension to godhood. However, Shadows are also programmed by the Two Fingers to turn against their Empyrean should they renounce the Greater Will.

As Marika’s Shadow, Maliketh helped to usher in the Age of the Erdtree, a historical period that began after the sealing of the Rune of Death.

Maliketh And The Rune Of Death

While some historical events in Elden Ring don’t have a definitive placement in the timeline, the game tells you straightforwardly that once there was an Empyrean called Gloam-Eyed Queen who wielded the power of the Rune of Death. The Gloam-Eyed Queen wanted to use the Rune of Death, also known as Destined Death, to hunt down Gods with her Godskin followers.

Since the Gloam-Eyed Queen threatened Marika, she sent her Shadow, Maliketh, after the Empyrean. It is unknown if Marika was already a God by then or if she was still an Empyrean competing with the Gloam-Eyed Queen for power.

Whatever the case, Maliketh defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen, sealing Destined Death inside his sword.

In the world of Elden Ring, Great Runes are more than symbols of power; they can control the universe's workings. So, by sealing away the Rune of Death, Marika rid the Lands Between of natural death. People don’t die of old age in the Lands Between, and those killed get absorbed by the roots of the Erdtree to be reborn eventually, or so it is said. That’s why Marika is also known as the Eternal.

Maliketh becomes the deadliest creature in the Lands Between by infusing his sword with the Rune of Death. Since Erdtree rebirth is the desired outcome of death, having a warrior capable of slaying even gods definitively ensured Marika remained unchallenged. It’s no wonder that the name “Maliketh” came to mean “Death of the Demigods,” a constant threat to those who dared defy the Golden Order.

Unfortunately, there came a moment when Maliketh failed his duty, and Ranni stole a fragment of the Rune of Death. In possession of this fragment, Ranni armed assassins who slayed Marika’s son, Godwyn, in the event known as the Night of the Black Knives.

The Night of the Black Knives would lead to the shattering of the Elden Ring and the devastating war that followed it, plunging the Lands Between into chaos.

As for Maliketh, he went into hiding using the name he had before becoming Marika’s shadow.

Who Is Gurranq, Beast Clergyman?

One of the main consequences of the Night of the Black Knives was the death of Godwyn’s soul. As a soulless body, Godwyn was buried in the roots of the Erdtree, where he began to fester and spread like a disease.

Due to Godwyn’s soulless state, Deathroot began to show up in the Lands Between. These traces of the Rune of Death can revive dead bodies, granting them a second life outside the process of Erdtree revival. These undead creatures are Those Who Live in Death and are seen as a plague to be exterminated by the Golden Order.

After the Night of the Black Knives, Maliketh took a drastic step to keep the Rune of Death safe. He sealed his sword inside himself, using his body to keep Destined Death safe. That way, as long as he's alive, no one can ever steal a fragment of the Rune of Death again.

During the events of Elden Ring, you find Maliketh disguised as Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman of the Bestial Sanctum. As D reveals to you, Gurranq equips warriors with powerful incantations and weapons, so they can hunt Those Who Live in Death.

All Gurranq asks in return is Deathroot.

Every time you deliver Deathroot to Gurranq, he’ll devour it, hoping to end Godwyn’s curse. As the vessel for the Rune of Death, Gurranq is always hungry for Deathroot, as if he longed for the fragment stolen so long ago.

The problem is that Godwyn’s Deathroot is continuously replicating itself, and Gurranq’s hunger can never be satiated. Finishing Gurranq’s questline by delivering him ten Deathroots makes him realize his mission is pointless and that he’ll never be able to rid the world of Destined Death.

What Leads To Maliketh’s Demise?

Maliketh’s inability to destroy Deathroot is not the only thing that makes him a tragic character. In the end, he meets his death at the hands of a Tarnished guided by Grace, which is the mark of Queen Marika.

To beat Elden Ring, you must kill Maliketh, retrieve the Rune of Death, and gain the power to slay a God. These actions are part of Queen Marika's plan to defy the Golden Order. So, in short, Marika leads you to kill Maliketh, her own Shadow, who dedicated his entire life to serving the Queen. It’s a heartbreaking ending for such an honorable character. Even more, because Maliketh recognizes Marika’s betrayal before the bitter end.