“The Relentless Saxophonist: An Epic 45-Second Duel Against Malenia in Elden Ring”

“Elden Ring on saxophone by Dr. Doot” was undoubtedly a feature of the Awesome Games Played Quick 2025 speedrun tournament, but I wasn’t entirely prepared to witness Malenia, long seen as the toughest adversary in the game, be defeated quicker than Christmas decorations are taken down on January 1.

Dr. Doot is widely recognized on Twitch for completing difficult runs across a variety of games, ranging from the FromSoftware catalogue to Zelda and Resident Evil, all while using an electric saxophone (a Roland AE-10 Aerophone). The notes are assigned to buttons on the controller, and a pitch knob located on the back of the device functions as the left analog stick. His performances are consistently impressive, and his AGDQ Elden Ring session was certainly among his finest.

This attempt aimed to conquer a selection of bosses utilizing a pre-arranged build. The challenge included Rykard, Starscourge Radahn, Fire Giant, Maliketh, Gideon, Godfrey, Radagon, Elden Beast, and ultimately Malenia. Stream host Xenadir opened the segment with a promise: “For every boss you defeat without taking a hit, I’ll contribute $10. If you clear the entire lineup, I’ll donate $100.”

Dr. Doot struggled with Godfrey on a few occasions, but the run was otherwise smooth until Malenia. Except for Rykard, he wielded the impressive Star Fist, making swift work of these formidable foes. These fist weapons deliver solid physical and bleed damage, massive poise damage, and can also be enhanced with frost for increased area damage and defense reduction. The efficacy of these weapons is most evident in the confrontation with Malenia, which took a mere 40 seconds from the moment the opening cutscene finished.

Malenia is a swift and formidable adversary, yet she has notably low poise and can be easily staggered, making her very susceptible to a weapon like the Star Fists. It took several attempts, but on the final try, Dr. Doot hardly gave her a chance to react, with the Royal Knight’s Resolve weapon skill amplifying the impact of his blows and quickly staggering Malenia for a critical hit. The second phase, which typically commences with a widespread Rot AoE attack, is by some means even simpler. Malenia falls in just three hits. I acknowledge we’re all aware of the Consort Radahn fights now, but Malenia is classic, and it is incredibly rewarding to see a notorious Souls boss get dismantled like abstract art.

AGDQ 2025’s musical segment continued as a live band performed in sync with a frenetic 19-minute Crazy Taxi speedrun.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, contributing to publications such as PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, and Sports Illustrated while completing his journalism degree. He has been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They have yet to feature his position as a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he has maintained the ruse with various reports and the occasional feature, all while indulging in as many roguelikes as possible.