Streamer and YouTuber Skumnut has reached a new milestone in his self-imposed Elden Ring challenge, successfully defeating the boss Maliketh, the Black Blade, without using any equipment. The achievement marks a significant hurdle in what the streamer calls his "Nothing run."
As the name implies, the challenge prohibits the use of shields, armor, talismans, buffs, spells, the Wondrous Physick, Torrent, or any consumables. Skumnut is attempting to complete the entire game using only his character's base stats and bare fists. According to the streamer, the grueling encounter with Maliketh took over three hours to complete, with only two deaths recorded during the process.
The "Nothing Run" Constraints
The challenge requires playing the game with zero auxiliary assistance or stat-boosting equipment. The full list of restrictions confirmed by Skumnut includes:
- No shields or armor
- No talismans or buffs
- No spells or magical incantations
- No Wondrous Physick
- No Torrent (the in-game mount)
- No consumables
- No equipment of any kind
The fight, which requires careful dodging and rolling to avoid damage while slowly whittling down the boss's health with unarmed strikes, was documented in a clip shared on July 26, 2026. Despite the difficulty of the encounter, Skumnut noted that the challenge is nearing its conclusion, stating that only two major bosses remain in his run.
Elden Ring, developed by FromSoftware, remains a popular title for challenge runners due to its complex boss encounters and flexible combat systems. Originally released in 2022, the game is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox One.