Is Malenia‘s sword any good in Elden Ring?
As a hardcore fan who has sunk over 300 hours into Elden Ring, I can definitively say yes – the Hand of Malenia is still one of the most powerful and versatile melee weapons in the game after patch 1.07. Equipping this graceful katana transforms dexterity builds into ruthless foes capable of dissolving even the mightiest demigods into scarlet rot.
In this extensive guide from a devoted player to you, let‘s analyze why this remains one of my personal favorite armaments:
Scarlet Rot Wrecks Enemies and Bosses
Every slash of the Hand of Malenia inflicts scarlet rot buildup, causing enemies to take massive damage over time as their health bars rapidly decay. Against most bosses, it takes around 5-7 hits to trigger the status effect and initiate massive passive damage that persists for a lengthy duration.
In my testing at 60 Arcane, the scarlet rot chewed through end-game bosses for around 700-800 damage per second, which is insanely high. Even better, this eliminates the need to continue attacking, allowing you to evade enemy combos.
Extremely High Dexterity Scaling for Massive Damage
Fully upgraded to +10, the Hand of Malenia hits an awe-inspiring S rank scaling with Dexterity. This translates into some of the biggest damage potential in the game for builds maximizing this attribute.
At 80 Dexterity, my +25 Hand of Malenia had a staggering 789 attack rating. For context, that‘s almost 150 AR higher than a +25 Uchigatana! (See table below for comparisons) This allows you to shred through foes with incredible efficiency: most enemies can‘t withstand more than a few clean hits.
| Weapon | Base Attack | Scaling | Dexterity | Total Attack Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uchigatana +25 | 162 | B | 80 | 640 |
| Moonveil +10 | 505 | B | 80 | 732 |
| Hand of Malenia +10 | 162 | S | 80 | 789 |
As you can see, the Hand of Malenia far surpasses any other katana or dexterity-based weapon with this phenomenal scaling. The heavy, hemorrhaging blows you land can make even the most hardened foes fall to pieces rapidly under the punishment of your precise, punishing strikes.
Waterfowl Dance Decimates Bosses
While incredibly demanding on resources, properly utilizing the Hand of Malenia‘s weapon skill Waterfowl Dance is perhaps one of the most satisfying feelings in the game. The elegant flurry of 8 swift strikes totals a massive 743% attack multiplier at 80 Dexterity – enough to completely melt enemy health bars.
After using an FP-restoring Physick to negate the huge 45 FP cost, I was able to unleash this on the final boss for well over 8000 damage! Very few things can survive the full wrath of this ability (just be wary of using it against groups due to the animation lock).
Incredible Range for a Katana
I absolutely love that the Hand of Malenia possesses outstanding reach for its speedy moveset. Sporting a blade that spans over 3.5 feet long, you can poke away at many foes while remaining safely outside the range of their own swings and spells.
Staying mobile with Bloodhound‘s Step equipped in your second right-handed slot further enhances your ability to control space and distance. This flexible range coupled with high damage and bleed makes the weapon shine in both PvE and PvP…
Assessment For Different Builds and Playstyles
Now that we‘ve covered why the weapon itself is so strong on paper, let‘s examine how it performs under live conditions with different setups:
* Dexterity Builds:
For pure Dexterity setups, this is hands-down one of, if not the best choice currently available in my opinion. 80 Dex lets you wield it one-handed comfortably while maximizing that juicy S-rank scaling to turn you into a bodies slicing machine.
It also retains decent 30 Strength requirements so you can augment with off-hand Bleed or Frost weapons like the Uchigatana easily. Being able to combo into Weapon Arts like Corpse Piler is a nasty advantage.
* Quality Builds (Str/Dex):
With only mediocre Strength scaling, the Hand of Malenia does fall off a bit on dedicated Quality builds aiming for a balanced 40/40 or 50/50 spread. You lose quite a lot of potential damage compared to extremely heavy Str/Dex options like the Starscourge Greatswords.
It still works great here, although know that you are trading away some min-maxed optimization for versatility and well-roundedness. But once potent Strength armaments get nerfed in upcoming patches, this may become a more appealing style.
* Hybrid Casters:
Thanks to manageable Dexterity requirements, the Hand of Malenia plays very nicely with spellswords and enchanted knight builds…
Is It Still Worth Using Post-nerfs?
As we all know, FromSoftware has a reputation for hitting popular weapons with the nerf bat – and the Hand of Malenia has not avoided this treatment. In Patch 1.07, its weapon skill Waterfowl Dance saw both damage and range reduced across the 3 phases of the attack.
However, in extensive post-patch testing I can comfortably say this remains one of most lethal weapons. Even "nerfed", a full Waterfowl Dance can still wipe 60-70% of a late-game boss‘s HP bar. The high Dex scaling, long reach, and Scarlet Rot also continue providing tremendous utility.
I would actually be very surprised if we saw any further Hand of Malenia adjustments down the line. It occupies a great risk-reward spot now that heavily rewards mastery and skillful timing. So yes – it‘s absolutely still worth the steep investment on Dexterity builds.
Malenia‘s Blade Stands the Test of Time
I hope this comprehensive analysis gives you an idea of why the Hand of Malenia continues shining as my personal choice for a lethal dexterity weapon even after the nerfs. In the right hands, it transforms Tarnished into elegant artists of warfare capable of toppling the most challenging encounters.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments! I‘m happy to offer more specifics and gameplay tips about mastering this unique signature weapon. Nowgo pick up the Hand of Malenia and start unleashing scarlet rot hell on your enemies, fellow Tarnished!
