An Elden Ring player player has knocked out the game's most difficult boss on its highest difficulty, New Game+7, in a mere 15 seconds. The speed kill was completed by RS_Lionheart, and takes down Malenia by just... walking in and beating the absolute crap out of her.
Using an extensive suite of damage-boosting effects in a buff-up routine that takes about 45 seconds of the entire video, something like three times as long as the fight itself, RS_Lionheart knocks out Malenia in an impressive 15.7 seconds. In the words of Malenia herself: "Your strength, extraordinary..."
RS_Lionheart's 15-second kill got a lot of attention when posted over on Reddit, where it inspired a lot of commentary. Such gems as "I would have died and retried 3 times in the amount of time it took you to apply the buffs" and "Ok, so I'm halfway there: I actually manage to end the fight after 15 seconds consistently. Now how do I win?"
Another player, jdyhrberg, was then inspired to take down Malenia in 10 seconds using a build based on RS_Lionheart's—though that takedown was at NG+1, so it's not a candidate to break Lionheart's time.
RS_Lionheart's Malenia-killing build made use of a lot—a whole lot—of buffs synergized together into big piles. You can find a full list in a Reddit comment, but the short version is... Frenzyflame Stone, Black Dumpling helm, Golden Vow, Cerulean Flask, Cragblade on the left hand, Bloodboil Aromatic, Mushroom Crown, another Cerulean Flask, Physick of Thorny Cracked Tear and Stonebarb Cracked Tear, self-inflicted poison via Roped Fetid Pots, Kindred of Rot's Exultation, White Mask, then a nice Seppuku with Lord of Blood's Exultation, then Red-Feathered Branchsword and Claw Talisman, then Cragblade again but on the other weapon this time. That's on top of the things RS_Lionheart says the real damage comes from: Millicent's Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, and Thorny Cracked Tear, which all stack together "to boost successive attack damage."
I didn't need to list all of that out, but honestly wanted to just because of how hysterically in-depth and well-researched it is, and all timed down to the second so that it's still in effect as the fight starts.
Malenia in 15 Seconds | NG+7 World Record from r/Eldenring
Watching the video, however, the best tip for us mere mortals is that you can knock Malenia out of her flying just before Waterfowl Dance with a tossed frost pot. Very useful trick if you've never tried it.
I do love a good self-imposed challenge run video. What's next though? Somebody going to beat Elden Ring using nothing but the electromagnetic signals in their brain?
