Is Melina a boss in Elden Ring, or could she become one in DLC?

Melina is one of the most popular characters in Elden Ring and all signs point to her being a boss fight. But is that actually the case?

Melina is the Tarnished’s primary ally in Elden Ring, taking on the role of characters like the Fire Keeper in Dark Souls 3 and Plain Doll in Bloodborne. Unlike the Fire Keeper and Plain Doll, Melina is seen in combat during Elden Ring.

Given that fact and how the player can actually be threatened by her, it certainly seems like Melina should be a boss fight in Elden Ring. But is she? And if so, what would it be like? Here’s what’s known.

There is no Melina boss fight in Elden Ring

Melina is not an enemy in Elden Ring and there is no way to fight her without using hacks.

Despite that, the character does appear as a summonable ally for the fight against Morgott, the Omen King. This means that she has features like a unique move set, AI for combat, and death animation. There’s no way to actually get into a fight with her but modders such as Zullie the Witch have repurposed this version of Melina from the Morgott boss fight to create a Melina boss fight to show what might have been.

Worth noting is that it does seem as though a Melina boss fight was meant to be a part of Elden Ring at some point. Either that or it might still be in the works.

Will Melina be a boss in Elden Ring DLC?

There is a good chance that Melina will be a boss in any upcoming Elden Ring DLC. Alongside the fact that there’s a fully functional Melina boss fight built into the game already, it was explicitly stated that Melina isn’t unconditionally loyal to the Tarnished. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Elden Ring’s endings

If the player commits to the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending and saved Melina, the cutscene ends with a cliffhanger. Melina appears inside the Erdtree and picks up Torrent’s Spectral Steed Whistle, which burns to ash in her hand. She then states she will track the Tarnished down and deliver them Destined Death. This comes with the twist reveal that Melina’s left eye is intact and is now icy blue, similar to Ranni the Witch.

This suggests that Melina may have been planned as an optional final boss fight, similar to the Moon Presence in Bloodborne. Though this doesn’t exist in the game anymore, it’s possible that this will change with Elden Ring DLC.