Elden Ring has its first celebrity: a naked dude who loves to solo Malenia

Elden Ring can be a deeply lonely game. The player Tarnished works their way through castles, forts, poison swamps, and other lethal locales, accompanied only by the brief ghosts of other players and the occasional message left behind. There are a few in-game allies you meet, like Sorcerer Rogier and Blaidd, as you progress through the story. But players can also call in help, in the form of summoning other players who can assist in battle. And in this sea of friendly summons, one figure has established himself as a legend of the Lands Between.

His name is Let Me Solo Her, and he’s not quite what you would expect a legend to look like, mostly because he’s naked except for a pair of sweet katanas and a pot on his head. The “Her” in question is Malenia, Blade of Miquella, the Goddess of Rot, and one of the hardest boss fights in the game. If you were a fool, you might look at this weird little guy and think “there’s no way he can actually solo her.”

But he can — and he has, dozens of times, to help Tarnished on their own journeys overcome this tough-but-optional boss. His deeds have become the stuff of Reddit legend.

My first experience defeating Malenia was very tough and took me nearly 170 times, so I decided to help other players fight her so they could feel relieved,” Let Me Solo Her told Polygon over Reddit DMs. Players can summon helpful allies by consuming the appropriate elixir, which allows them to see glowing summoning runes in the world; sometimes, these are NPC companions. Sometimes, it’s a guy like Let Me Solo Her, who was inspired by content creator Fighter.PL.

It certainly is a relief to kill Malenia, since she has a barrage of elaborate attacks using her massive blade. She uses her weapon and augmented limbs to spin in fast, fluid attacks that heal her and cause massive damage. She’s also the source of the scarlet rot, which adds another dimension of danger to her encounter. For some people, this kind of fight is a nightmare. For Let Me Solo Her, it’s a blast. “I really love her design and her attack animations,” he writes.

Other players have come to love Let Me Solo Her for his unexpected appearance and subsequent victories. They have taken to the Elden Ring subreddit to create fan art and tributes to his work.

Despite fighting Malenia so often, Let Me Solo Her admits the boss still keeps him on his toes. “The most memorable one is actually pretty recent in which Malenia had some weird RNG and I had to dodge up to 7 waterfowl attacks in close range without being hit,” he writes, and humbly adds: “One of my best moments.”

While Elden Ring is full of tragedy and loss, it’s also full of surprising moments like this where Tarnished connect with one another. This is why fans are connecting with Let Me Solo Her; it’s a unique experience that makes the world feel much deeper, and he appreciates the connection in return. “Honestly I did not expect to become a legend within the Elden Ring community, “ he said, “so seeing this much support over my journey is a blessing and I love it.”