Software owners should be more Malenia, less Friend Radahan

FromSoftware has built a reputation behind excruciatingly difficult games Alden Ring Being one of them. Despite the many accessibility considerations and design options that make for a comfortable experience, Alden Ring Finally, there are some tough bosses that software has released in the gaming world, for better and for worse. Nowhere is this white-knuckle difficulty more evident than in the fight with the promised consort Radan at the end of Shadow of Erdtree. DLC.

With the expansion winding down after two years of the base game, this encounter essentially serves as the finale. Alden Ring The experience as a whole – the “ultimate” final boss of the game. As such, one might naturally expect it to be a tough crown, but few could have guessed how unforgiving and relentless it would be. This sparked several heated takes within the game's community, with many arguing that Radan was either poorly designed, unfair, or tough for the sake of being tough. While these criticisms may vary in validity, they are indicative of a broader issue about difficulty in FromSoftware's games.

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Mesmer the Impaler, the demigod boss in Alden Ring: Shadow of Erdtree

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Why Melania Consort would be a better blueprint for the future from software owners than Radan

Before the shadow of the Erdtree, Malenia, Miquela's blade was considered almost universal. Alden RingThe hardest boss battle. Tucked away in Miquella's Haligtree, players must fight their way through a vast, challenging, completely missable area to reach her. Since Halligtree isn't even accessible until players reach Mountaintops of the Giants, it's guaranteed that Malenia will at least be a late-game boss fight, making her perfect for those looking for more of a challenge.

And an additional challenge is exactly what Malenia offers. She attacks the player with a captivating ferocity, with a moveset that is one of From Software's most difficult to counter. Near-invulnerable attacks like his Waterfowl Dance combo, combined with his Scarlet Rot status effects and health regeneration, make him an encounter reserved for only the most experienced (or masochistic) players, and beating him essentially feels like overcoming the final challenge of the base game.

Malenia's alternative nature offsets her crushing difficulty

As is often the case with FromSoftware games, Alden RingAlternate bosses are usually the hardest, and Malenia is no exception to this trend. But it informs their position in the overall structure of the game as players can tackle them at their own pace, beating them like an extra reward for mastering a game mechanic or strengthening their character. This is naturally different from ruthlessly challenging mandatory bosses like the Promised Consort Radan, who can be seen as frustrating obstacles rather than worthwhile challenges.

In Radahn's case, players will have to spend several hours making their way through the DLC, empowering themselves through Scadutree Fragments and the like, before hitting a brick wall. And make no mistake, Consort Radahn can actually be a brick wall, especially in a pre-nerf build of the game, as her attacks are devastating, almost impossible to dodge most of the time, and even harder to see thanks to the visual. The sound of his second stage faith effect. When reaching the end of Erdtree's shadow, it can feel like a sudden stop in the pace, reducing the overall experience for some players.

If the Promised Consort was as powerful as Radan but was included as an optional boss fight, it's possible she wouldn't be so reviled by the playerbase. Radahn was seen as Malenia: a tough-as-nails fighter who nets bragging rights to perfection.