Strengthen yourself for the journey ahead.
You first meet Melina in Elden Ring shortly after you start your journey. Accepting her accord means you’ll be able to level up and grow stronger, which is vital if you want to take on some of the trickier bosses. If you’re a Souls veteran, the process to increase your stats in the Lands Between is pretty much the same as the other games. It might be a little confusing for newcomers, however, especially as you don’t get the option to spend your runes straight away.
There’s a lot more to Melina than meets the eye too. Not only does she allow you to level up, but she’s your only access to Roundtable Hold—and she can be summoned to help you with a particular boss fight later on. In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about Elden Ring Melina, including how to get her to show up for a specific ending. As such, beware of spoilers ahead.
Elden Ring Melina location
Melina is the mysterious NPC that uses the runes you’ve accumulated through killing enemies to grant you power. If you’re just starting out and she hasn’t appeared yet, don’t worry—you need to visit and rest at three Sites of Grace in the open world before she shows up. This doesn’t include those you discover in dungeons, so you’re likely to come across her at either Agheel Lake North or the Gatefront Sites of Grace.
After you meet her for the first time, you should pay attention whenever you rest at a Site of Grace as she has quite a bit of extra dialogue that can give more context to what’s going on in the Lands Between. Keep an eye out for the “Talk to Melina” option in the Site of Grace menu.
How to level up in Elden Ring
When she first appears, Melina will offer you the Spectral Steed Whistle, allowing you to summon Torrent, your Elden Ring mount. From this point, whenever you rest at a Site of Grace, you have the option of leveling up. It’s also worth noting that you will have the option to accept or refuse Melina’s offer during this first encounter. You might as well accept her bargain as refusing her just means you can change your mind at any future Site of Grace you visit.
Runes you’ve collected can be turned into attribute points, providing you have enough, and each time you do this, your character gains a level. Each subsequent level or attribute upgrade requires more runes to unlock.
Naturally you should spend runes in a way that works with your weapon and the overall build you have in mind. While it’s possible to respec in Elden Ring, this option won’t be available until a little later on.
(Image credit: From Software)
How to get access to Roundtable Hold
Melina will grant you access to Roundtable Hold once you get a little further into the game. I’ve always found she appears when resting at the Castleward Tunnel Site of Grace, immediately before Margit’s boss room, though she usually only appears once I’ve died to him once and respawned there.
She will also appear and offer access to Roundtable Hold if you rest at a Site of Grace outside of the Limgrave or Weeping Peninsula.
How to trigger Melina’s cutscene in the Frenzied Flame ending
There’s only one requirement to get the Frenzied Flame ending and you can even do this after you’ve fought and defeated the final boss. But if you want the cutscene where Melina shows up, you need to start planning for it a little earlier in the game.
Basically, you need to head through the Frenzied Flame doors, deep beneath Leyndell before you reach the Giant’s Forge in the Mountaintops of the Giants. You need to defeat Mogh, the Omen in the Subterranean Shunning Grounds then make your way down the deep shaft where you find all the merchants gathered. Once at the bottom, you can enter the gruesome-looking doors by removing all your armor. Once you’ve accepted the Frenzied Flame, you’ll be able to choose that option at the end of the game, instead of using a Mending Rune.
The only difference in whether or not Melina will show up is basically who ignites the Giant’s Flame once you’ve defeated the Fire Giant boss. If Melina has already fulfilled her role as the Kindling Maiden, she won’t show up in the final cutscene. But if you’ve already taken the Frenzied Flame by the time you reach the forge, you’ll be able to do it yourself.
One last thing to be aware of is that once you take the Frenzied Flame, Melina will leave you. You’ll still be able to level up, she just won’t show up at any Sites of Grace beyond that point.
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