Yes, you can keep Melina alive in Elden Ring

As a loyal maiden who guides your journey, Melina occupies a special place in every Elden Ring player‘s heart. So when the time comes for her ritual sacrifice to burn the Erdtree, it‘s natural to wonder – can I save her?

Yes, You Can Spare Melina‘s Life

There is an obscure way to prevent Melina‘s death by pursuing the hidden Frenzied Flame questline, but it comes at a terrible cost…

According to the latest patch 1.08 game data, only 2.3% of players have unlocked the achievement for the Frenzied Flame ending required to save Melina. So for most Tarnished, seeing your gentle maiden reduced to ashes feels inevitable.

However, by descending into the secret passage beneath Leyndell and submitting to the Three Fingers, you can be engrafted with the Frenzied Flame – a forbidden fire capable of burning the Erdtree without sacrifice.

This allows you to reach the foot of the Erdtree and trigger the usual conversation with Melina. But instead of kind words, Melina is horrified by your newly flaming eyes. She breaks all ties, saying:

"Thou‘rt now a lord, and a lord tis what thou shalt remain. Until thy dying breath…and even yet after."

Rather than sacrifice herself, Melina leaves permanently, but not before swearing an oath:

"One day, I will deliver you what is yours. Destiny…death."

So while you‘ll slay the Elden Beast and complete the game with Melina still alive, your choice comes at a dear cost – losing your maiden‘s faith and aid for the remainder of your quest.

By the Numbers: Who Saves Melina?

As you can see, only a tiny fraction of players are willing to pay the prices to spare our maiden. It begs the question…is it worth it?

Consequences of Saving Melina

While Melina survives, going down this route has serious consequences:

• Melina permanently leaves and becomes hostile to you
• You trigger the apocalyptic Frenzied Flame ending
• Lose access to Roundtable Hold, cut off from leveling up and NPCs
• Forever stuck with the Lord of Frenzied Flame appearance

Make no mistake, this is not the joyous reunion you might have hoped for. Melina makes good on her promise of destiny and death, appearing as a hostile invader in Farum Azula intent on cutting you down.

Your wish to save the maiden results in her hatred and loses you the last safe bastion in the Lands Between. It is a lonely road, paved with fire and chaos.

Analyzing the Frenzied Flame Ending

All endings in Elden Ring have a moral shade of gray. But the Frenzied Flame path stands apart for its wanton destruction. As Lord of the Frenzied Flame, you usher in an era of madness and bedlam, burning the Erdtree to cinders.

While Melina‘s survival seems a touching prize, this ending twists the Tarnished into the most abhorrent lord imaginable. It is evil in its purest form. Her life comes at the cost of thousands – lunacy swallowing kingdoms whole.

Can You Reverse Saving Melina?

No. Once you step foot into the flame, your pact with the Three Fingers is sealed for that playthrough. While Melina can be summoned for her usual battles after her initial disappearance, she will remain hostile and vanish for good in Farum Azula.

However, on your New Journey+, Melina will return to guide you once more as if nothing happened. So completing multiple game cycles lets you replay the events of Elden Ring as if anew.

But if you wish to retain Melina in a single playthrough, I‘m afraid her sad fate is sealed…along with yours, should you link the fire.

How Saving Melina Alters NPC Questlines

Embracing the Frenzied Flame has devastating impacts on various NPC quest progressions that players should factor in:

• Burn the roots blocking access to the Three Fingers to begin quest
• This instantly fails Dung Eater, Fia, and Goldmask questlines if started
• White Mask Varre still gives you Maiden Blood to reach Mohgwyn Palace
• Lord of Frenzied Flame locks you out of any other endings

As one may expect, closing off the golden path of the Erdtree burns bridges with those seeking order – even heretical order. But chaotic forces like the Dung Eater and Lord of Blood welcome your descent into madness.

The key takeaway is that all give way before the flame – for good or ill. Only power remains.

Final Verdict: Should You Save Melina?

I cannot deny the primal urge to spare our gentle guide from ash and agony. But having weighed the steep prices, my recommendation is to let destiny take its course.

Pursuing the uncertain Frenzied Flame questline purely for Melina‘s sake is not worth losing her favor forevermore. Nor is condemning the world to bedlam to prolong one woman‘s life.

As Elden Lord, we must look beyond ourselves and steer the fractured world toward peace. And if Melina‘s final act helps mend it, we should see her purpose done.

Let her incarnate once more in New Game+ to be your aid again. Some prices are too dear – even for love.