The tradition of playing FromSoftware games in ridiculous circumstances continues, with streamer Skumnut now beating Maliketh, the Black Blade boss in Elden Ring without so much as a piece of armor on his body. He just had his fists, a bit of willpower, and a whole lot of determination.
If you're familiar with the Elden Ring community, you probably won't be shocked to hear this is coming from Skumnut, the streamer and YouTuber best known for doing wacky challenges in the fantasy action-RPG. His current expedition is the "Elden Ring Nothing run," wherein he's attempting to beat the whole game with, he says on Twitter, "No shields. No armor. No talismans. No buffs. No spells. No physick. No torrent. No consumables. No equipment at ALL."
Simple, straightforward. No problem. His latest hurdle is the hulking mass known as Maliketh, the kind of battle that makes you feel daunted even if you're well-equipped. Skum's in this fight with bright green hair, something to cover his character's nether regions, and moxie.
Yesterday, the Elden Ring Nothing run climb returned and we came back fully locked in. WORLD FIRST MALIKETH KILL USING NOTHING. 2 deaths, 3+ hrs.BARE FIST ONLY. No shields. No armor. No talismans. No buffs. No spells. No physick. No torrent. No consumables. No equipment at ALL. pic.twitter.com/pcaPY8m5k7July 26, 2026
And it's hilarious to watch. The clip he posted on Twitter is a strong sample of how the encounter went overall: a lot of dodging, rolling, and running around while Skumnut occasionally takes potshots to whittle down the beast's health.
To call it a marathon feels like an understatement. It's absolutely absurd, but yet, it's undeniable, Skumnut gets results eventually.
"It only gets worse, boys," he says to his audience.
"Technically there's only two real bosses left," he adds. "So although it's going to get worse, it's almost over." This battle with Maliketh took him three hours, and only two deaths. Will the next opponent take more? We'll find out soon enough.
