Here’s how you can save Melina from dying in Elden Ring
Melina meets a sad fate in Elden Ring, but is there any way to save her?
The Tarnished’s impromptu finger maiden’s story has a sad ending. After making it to the Mountaintops of the Giants, she’s sacrificed to light the Erdtree on fire and ultimately isn’t able to see the player’s journey through to its end. This stands out as quite unusual for FromSoftware games where characters like the Fire Keeper, Plain Doll, and Emma are one of the few constants.
So is there any way to get around this? Can Melina be saved or do Elden Ring players just need to accept her death? Something can be done, but players might not like it.
How to save Melina in Elden Ring
Melina can be saved in Elden Ring, but only if the player makes an enemy of her. Melina cannot be resurrected after she dies.
The player winds up at odds with Melina if they are embraced by the Three Fingers. These are the chaotic foil to the Two Fingers that players encounter throughout the game, including the ones at Roundtable Hold. Players can find the Three Fingers in the depths beneath Leyndell, Royal Capital.
To head to the depths beneath Leyndell, Royal Capital, the player needs to drop onto the rooftops near the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace. On the ground is a well that leads to a new area called the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. This is a difficult, labyrinthian area with tight quarters full of big enemies.
The big boss of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds is Mohg, the Omen. Though they share the same name, the battle with this Mohg is quite different from Mohg, Lord of Blood. The lore implications of two different Mohgs are uncertain but either way, beating Mohg, the Omen offers access to an altar that can be moved to reveal another underground area.
What follows is a platforming area where the player needs to drop down between platforms. The bottom has a breakable floor that reveals another area with a Site of Grace. There are two doors here. One is behind an illusory wall while the other is very obvious, but doesn’t open. The trick to getting through is to take off all armor. The Three Fingers will then greet the player.
The player inherits the Frenzied Flame by meeting the Three Fingers. After speaking to Melina again, she will express her frustration to the player and leave for good. The player can then sacrifice themselves to set the Erdtree aflame, sparing Melina.
Is there a Melina boss fight?
There is no Melina boss fight in Elden Ring, and no evidence to suggest that she was meant to be one.
Melina is a summonable NPC for the boss fight against Morgott, the Omen King. Because of this, she has a full moveset in the game. While FromSoftware games are often packed with interesting cut content, no evidence has been uncovered to suggest Melina had any combat purpose beyond this. FromSoftware data miner and modder Zullie the Witch hacked a Melina boss fight into the game using the summonable Melina, but this was entirely created by Zullie and is not cut content.
It’s a bit surprising that Melina isn’t a boss or even a part of cut content. Melina explicitly threatens to kill the player if they commit to the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending. While this would hint that she’s a sort of secret end-game boss, that’s not the case.
Melina will seemingly survive the events of the game if she leaves the player. The Frenzied Flame can also be purged from the player by using Miquella’s Needle, which is obtained after defeating optional boss Malenia and completing the side quest of Millicent. This will allow the player to get other endings while also sparing Melina.
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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