Elden Ring is a great game, but it's also a very difficult game. That's part of its appeal and why more than 12 million people have played it. How far into The Lands Between and how many of Elden Ring's bosses some of those 12 million have found remains unclear, but some who have faced them all have been discussing who is the hardest boss to beat across the entire game.
Aiswyda has run a poll on ResetEra, and you'll get no prizes for guessing who is comfortably sitting at the top of it at the time of typing this. Yes, it's Malenia, and it's not even close. 719 votes have been cast so far, and a whopping 575 of them have been for Malenia. That's 80 percent of the Elden Ring boss pie with Elden Beast currently sitting in a very distant second place with just 74 votes, or a little more than 10 percent.
The OP created the poll after beating Elden Ring, reflecting on which of the game's bosses caused them the most hassle. Even though Malenia gets a lot of the love (or perhaps that should be hate), Radahn in his original state is also a contender. People who have been playing Elden Ring since launch shared stories in the replies detailing how difficult the boss was before getting nerfed. Aiswyda was lucky enough not to have clashed with Radahn until the update had been applied.
A poll in which 80 percent of recipients have confirmed Malenia was their toughest challenge in Elden Ring isn't the only evidence that she is the game's most formidable boss. Let Me Solo Her, a player wearing nothing but a cloth and a pot on their head, has helped no fewer than 1000 players defeat Malenia, becoming a legend of The Lands Between in the process. After 1000 wins, Let Me Solo Her received a gift from Bandai Namco and retired their character.
If you're reading this and perusing the thread, rolling your eyes at the Malenia stories because you didn't struggle against her at all, there's a mod for that. One YouTuber tweaked Elden Ring's enemy randomizer mod so that every boss, enemy, and wild animal is Malenia. That's right, Malenia, sometimes more than one, waiting for you around almost every corner. No thanks.