As you explore the Lands Between in Elden Ring, you learn about the Shattering, a war that involved all demigods after the Elden Ring was destroyed and its runes scattered. While each demigod had their own reason to fight, their actions often led to destruction and bloodshed. That's the case with Radahn and Malenia, two powerhouses that faced each other in Caelid.

Radahn and Malenia's war in Caelid is the main conflict of the Shattering, as it deeply changed the lands and allowed the scarlet rot to spread on the Lands Between. Still, due to Elden Ring's fragmented storytelling, it's not so easy to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Here's everything we know about the battle between Radahn and Malenia, including who won the fight.

What Were Radahn's Motivations For Defending Caelid?

To understand why Radahn and Malenia fought in Caelid, you first need a clear picture of each character's motivations.

The son of Radagon and Rennala, Radahn became fascinated by Godfrey's prowess as the Lord of the Battlefield. That's why, since his childhood, Radahn trained to become a powerful warlord himself.

While Radahn prized strength above everything else, he was also a protector willing to go to great lengths to keep his loyal followers safe from harm. For starters, Radahn learned gravitational magic in the town of Sellia, in Caelid, so he could keep riding his scrawny horse, Leonard.

Thanks to that, Radahn could keep his loyal steed by his side without hurting the animal due to the general's massive physique.

Radahn also took his mastery of gravitational magic to a whole new level by learning how to put the stars on hold. It's said that Radahn conquered the stars to keep Sellia safe.

While there's no definitive answer to what cosmic force threatened Sellia, it's worth remembering that the town has a cultural connection to the underground Eternal Cities, and a nameless Eternal City has already been destroyed by an Astel, also known as a malformed star.

So, one possible reason for Radahn to hold the stars at bay in Caelid was to stop an impending invasion of dangerous creatures that get to the Lands Between as falling meteors.

Radahn's hold of the stars also helped the Golden Order, as it froze fate and prevented some Elden Ring characters from fulfilling their destiny.

For instance, Ranni can only usher forth the Age of Stars if you slay Radahn, unlocking the Lunar Princess's fate. Likewise, the sorceress Sellen has been granted eternal life thanks to Radahn holding the stars, which means she can only meet her death after the General is defeated.

No evidence in Elden Ring would explain Radahn's challenging the stars to defend the Golden Order. While Radahn worshiped Godfrey, his admiration seemed related to the warrior, not the faith of the Erdtree.

In fact, since Rykard still keeps a portrait of his brother Radahn at the Volcano Manor, it's most likely that the General was not too fond of the Golden Order.

That's because Rykard dedicated his life to fighting the Golden Order and everyone who dares defend it. So, while Radahn's conquest of the stars favored the Golden Order, that was probably not his primary goal.

Why Did Malenia Attack Caelid?

From Malenia's birth, the Outer God of Rot has been trying to use her body as a vessel. It's for that reason that Malenia is accursed with rot, a gruesome disease that slowly eats her flesh away.

By the time Malenia meets Radahn on the battlefield, she has already lost two legs, one arm, and her sight to the rot, which indicates she's getting closer to losing herself entirely to the disease.

The Golden Order tried to heal Malenia from her affliction, but no amount of faith could help her. That's why Malenia's twin brother, Miquella, turned his back on the Golden Order and decided to search for new ways to sever the influence of the Outer Gods.

Miquella's research led to the creation of unalloyed gold, a material capable of slowing Malenia's decaying.

Just as Miquella was dedicated to curing his sister's rot, Malenia shaped herself as her brother's protector.

It's no wonder that Malenia is also known as the Blade of Miquella, a sign of her dedication to her brother.

It's safe to assume, then, that Malenia marched to Caelid at Miquella's request.

It's hard to imagine why Miquella, who was beloved by all, would want to kill Radahn. However, Miquella also tried to save his brother Godwyn from his terrible fate.

Just as a quick reminder, in the Night of the Black Knives, Godwyn's soul was killed, leaving his corpse to putrefy and spread Deathroot in the Lands Between.

Miquella wanted to grant his brother a proper death, so he performed an eclipse ritual at Castle Sol. The ritual failed, and the eclipse never happened, maybe because Radahn held the night sky immobile.

If that's true, it would explain why Malenia went to Caelid. Furthermore, since Radahn is proud and loyal to his followers, the General would most likely refuse to dismiss his gravitational magic and put Sellia at risk to please Miquella, provoking Malenia's wrath.

In an interview for Famitsu (translated by theangryfurlong on Reddit) about Shadow of the Erdtree, Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed that you must kill Radahn to access the DLC. That means, for some reason, you need to restore the movement of the stars to enter the Lands of Shadow.

Since the DLC is mainly focused on Miquella, it seems Malenia was trying to end the General's gravitational magic when she attacked Caelid.

What Happened At The Battle Of Caelid?

After Malenia arrived in Caelid, her Cleanrot Knights classed against Radahn's soldiers in one of the bloodiest battles of the Shattering.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the battle would only end once Malenia and Radahn met on the battlefield. Being two of the mightiest demigods, Radahn and Malenia fought until a stalemate, and then the Scarlet Aeonia bloomed and changed Caelid forever.

To help Malenia subdue her rot, Miquella has gifted her an unalloyed gold needle. By sticking the needle into her body, Malenia could disrupt the influence of the Outer Gods and prevent the rot from advancing.

During the battle against Radahn, Malenia's needle was shattered, unleashing all the rot that had been festering inside the demigod.

It's uncertain if Malenia's needle broke due to the fight or if she shattered it itself in hopes of destroying Radahn with the Scarlet Aeonia.

Regardless of Malenia's intentions, her blooming ended the war in Caelid, changing the Lands Between forever.

Who Won The Fight Between Radahn And Malenia?

The explosion of rot coming out of Malenia turned the battleground where she fought Radahn into a festering swamp where rot bubbles up, forever consuming all the life it touches.

The place is now known as the Swamps of Aeonia, and the marks of a giant petrified flower can be seen at the exact location where Malenia bloomed for the first time.

Since the blooming, the rot has spread through Caelid, replacing the local flora and fauna with horrendous creatures. There's no telling how much land the rot may consume until it stops, but Radahn's soldiers are still wandering Caelid, using fire to stop the sickness from spreading.

Malenia's devastating attack didn't kill Radahn, whose Great Rune helps his body resist the rot. However, the mighty General lost his mind, wandering in the wastelands of Caelid as a shadow of his former self.

When you find Radahn, he has turned into a cannibal who moves only by instinct, attacking everyone approaching him while still holding the stars with his gravitational magic. It's a tragic fate for such a proud warrior.

While Malenia's blooming neutralized Radahn, she was not victorious. After her first blooming, Malenia reverted to her regular form and entered a deep coma-like slumber.

Malenia's most trusty soldier, Cleanrot Knight Finlay, had to carry Malenia's body back to the Halightree while fighting all sorts of enemies along the way. Once she arrived at the Halightree, Malenia kept slumbering until your character wakes her up and leads her to her second blooming.

The lore in Elden Ring says neither Radahn nor Malenia won the battle in Caelid because neither of them achieved their goals.

Radahn was turned into a husk, while his beloved Caelid was engulfed by the corrosive scarlet rot. In her turn, Malenia entered a deep slumber and failed to kill Radahn.

To make things worse for her, Mohg kidnapped Miquella from the Halightree while Malenia was not present to defend her brother. It's no wonder the Lands Between are crumbling apart when you get there, as the Shattering ended with every demigod on the losing side.

To piece together all the information above by yourself, it's essential to follow Gowry's and Millicent's sidequest and listen to all the optional dialogue. Jarren, Iji, and Sir Gideon Ofnir also have relevant dialogues about Radahn and Malenia.

In addition, several item descriptions describe the battle of Caelid, including the Cleanrot Armor set, Remembrance of the Rot Goddess, Scarlet Aeonia, Radahn's Great Rune, Remembrance of the Starscourge, Gravity Well, Collapsing Stars, Starscourge Heirloom, Radahn's Redmane Helm, and Radahn's Lion Armor.

Finally, Malenia and Radahn's final battle is depicted in the story trailer for Elden Ring.