Quick Links
Maliketh, the Black Bladeis one of the last bosses you fight inElden 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 theboss battle against Malikethmight 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 asGurranq, Beast Clergyman.
Updated June 23, 2025, 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 Fingersto protect an Empyrean.
Since Elden Ring deals with many complex concepts, it’s worth remembering thatthe Two Fingers are vassals of the Greater Will, a cosmic force that wants to keep its grasp of the Lands Between.
To control The Lands Between,the Greater Will needs a God, a vessel capable of holding its cosmic powerand 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 Empyreanshould 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 thatonce 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.
There are further allusions to the Gloam-Eyed Queen in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but no definitive answers about her identity.
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 whyMarika is also known as the Eternal.
Maliketh’s Black Blade and the Black Blade Incantationare rewards for defeating Maliketh and exchanging his Remembrance with Enia. Both can inflict theDestined Death unique effectthat reduces the maximum HP of your foe and continues to drain their HP for a brief period.
However, Destined Death is no longer imbued into either the Incantation or the sword following Maliketh’s death, but their effects remain.
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 whenMaliketh 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 theNight of the Black Knives.
Ranni wanted the Rune of Death to eliminate her corporeal form. As an Empyrean, Ranni was destined to become a vessel for the Greater Will orother Outer Gods. Thanks to Destined Death,Ranni was able to kill her physical body while murdering Godwyn’s soulat the same time.
The Rune of Death claimed a whole life, body, and soul, butRanni kept her spirit roaming free while leaving Godwyn to rot as a soulless carcass.
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, hewent 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 areThose Who Live in Deathand are seen asa 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 findMaliketh disguised as Gurranq, the Beast Clergymanof 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 Gurranqasks in return is Deathroot.
Even if youkill Malikethbefore completing this task,Gurranq will remain alive in-game,although he is Maliketh in-lore.
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 thatGodwyn’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.
As a Beast Clergyman, Gurranq directly connects to the culture that preceded the Erdtree in a prehistoric age where stone dragons ruled the Lands Between. In the distant past,the Greater Will granted beasts intelligence so that they could evolve into beastpeople. Thesebeastpeople became devotees of the dragons, worshipping them and guarding their sacred places, such as Farum Azula.
SinceGurranq is a clergyman of high rank, which you’re able to tell by how he wields a Cinquedea dagger,he may have been alive at the fall of the Age of Dragonsbefore becoming a Shadow for Marika in the Age of the Erdtree.
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, hemeets 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, becauseMaliketh recognizes Marika’s betrayal before the bitter end.
To put all the puzzle pieces together by yourself, you should finish the main story of Elden Ring, complete Gurranq’s quest, and read the item description of crucial equipment.
Among the most essential item descriptions about Maliketh areDeathroot,Cinquedea,Stone of Gurranq,Godslayer’s Greatsword,Scouring Black Flame,Black Knife,Blasphemous Claw,Remembrance of the Black Blade,Maliketh’s Black Blade,Maliketh’s Helm, andMending Rune of the Death-Prince.
