Elden Ring: How To Get Destined Death And What It Does

Destined Death is a name players of "Elden Ring" will hear throughout their journeys in the Lands Between: As the second name for the Rune of Death, it serves as the catalyst, centerpiece, and resolution to the enigmatic yet captivating story. Destined Death is what Marika removes from the titular Elden Ring to become immortal, it's what Ranni the Lunar Witch steals a fragment of to kill Godwyn in the Night of the Black Knives, and ultimately, it's what leads to the Shattering, the great war of demigods that sets the stage for the events of "Elden Ring."

Odd as it seems — not to mention somewhat antithetical to its all-encompassing significance — players can actually use Destined Death as an in-game ability. It's the unique weapon skill tied to Maliketh's Black Blade, a colossal sword acquired after defeating Maliketh in an extremely tough boss battle. With fast moves and debuffs that cut down your max HP, this non-optional story boss might keep you throwing all you've got at him to no avail for quite a while (unless you're using the easy way out to cheese his fight).

However, even after defeating him, acquiring his sword — and subsequently, its ability — won't be as simple as looting it off his body. Here's how to get the Destined Death unique ability and a breakdown of what it does.

Upon beating Maliketh, you'll be rewarded with the consumable item, Remembrance of the Black Blade. It can either be traded for a very large number of runes or taken to Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold for a choice between receiving Maliketh's Black Blade or the Black Blade spell. Opting for the sword will grant you its unique ability, Destined Death: a massive AOE combo that inflicts a 10% reduction to max HP for fifteen seconds on hit. 

One important thing to note, however, is that while only the sword's weapon art carries the distinguished title of Destined Death, the Black Blade incantation also inflicts an identical HP penalty. In fact, there are three abilities in the game that can deliver Maliketh's signature debuff: Destined Death, a 3-step aoe combo; Black Blade, two vertical waves that slash through enemies; and Blade of Death, a long-range projectile attack that serves as the weapon skill of the Black Knife dagger. 

You can loot the latter from the Black Knife Assassin guarding the Sainted Hero's Grave in the Atlus Plateau to complement your reward from Maliketh's Remembrance, allowing you to stack the unique debuff with two different sources for a very powerful 20% HP reduction. Do note that, while you're able to gain all three skills through NG+, two stacks is the maximum on any target. Otherwise, feel free to mix and match to suit your build and deliver Death with style.