Wow, it's 2026 and we're still talking about Elden Ring, huh? The game's lore is just that deep. Recently, I dove back into the classic debate that's been popping up online for years: which of the Demigods in The Lands Between truly got the rawest deal with their curse? Man, FromSoftware really didn't hold back when handing out cosmic punishments, did they? Let's break down the top contenders and see whose fate makes you say, 'Nah, I'm good.'

🩸 Malenia, Blade of Miquella & The Scarlet Rot

Alright, first up, the poster child for suffering: Malenia. Her curse isn't just a cosmetic issue. C'mon, folks... she was literally born rotting from the inside out.

Let me paint you a picture. Imagine your very existence is a disease. Your body is slowly consuming itself. She lost limbs, her eyesight—everything. And the absolute kicker? The Scarlet Rot isn't picky. It harms everyone around her. Her grand plan with her brother Miquella, the Haligtree—a sanctuary for the unwanted—utterly failed because of her. Her own followers, the Cleanrot Knights, are rotting just by being near her. Talk about being unable to catch a break. On top of that, in the player community, she's eternally hunted by that legend, 'Let Me Solo Her'. Girl can't even have a peaceful existence as a world boss!

• The Suffering Scale: Physical decay, constant pain, isolation, and being a walking ecological disaster.

• The Irony: She's one of the most powerful warriors ever, yet her own body is her greatest enemy.

👑 Morgott, The Omen King & The Curse of Rejection

Now, this one hits different. It's less about physical gore and more about... soul-crushing sadness. Morgott and his twin Mohg were born as Omens. That meant horns, a 'cursed bloodline', and being treated as literal monsters.

His childhood home? The freaking sewers. He spent most of his life down there, shunned by the very Golden Order his family upheld. And here's the tragic twist: Morgott might be the only genuinely 'good' demigod. He loved Leyndell, the Erdtree, and its people. So what does he do? He secretly protects the city, ruling as the mysterious 'Grace-Given' Margit and later the Omen King... all while knowing he can never be accepted. He hid his true form. He hated what he was. He died alone, his love and sacrifice completely unacknowledged by the very kingdom he gave everything for. Oof. My heart.

• The Suffering Scale: Lifelong imprisonment, self-loathing, unrequited loyalty, and existential despair.

• The Tragedy: He fought for a world that would never make a place for him. His entire life's purpose was a paradox.

🐍 Messmer the Impaler & The Serpent of Isolation

With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC now a few years old, Messmer has firmly joined the 'Top Curses' club. His problem? He was born with a giant, evil serpent coiled inside him. Not a metaphor. An actual serpent.

His mother, Queen Marika, didn't send him to his room—she sent him and his entire conquered lands to a pocket dimension, the Land of Shadow. He was deemed too dangerous, too other, for the main world. So, he's just... there. Alone. Forever. While other demigods are fighting for thrones or great trees or love, by the time we meet Messmer, he's just... a broken man in an empty kingdom. His curse robbed him of any purpose or future. The serpent might not be visibly chewing on his organs every second, but the psychological toll of eternal, pointless exile? Brutal.

• The Suffering Scale: Cosmic-scale banishment, profound loneliness, and the complete erosion of purpose.

• The Twist: His curse exiled his entire reality. He's not just suffering; his suffering has no audience, no context, no endgame.

So... Who Wins? (Spoiler: No One)

Trying to pick a 'winner' in this misery contest feels wrong, but let's compare notes:

Demigod	Curse	Physical Pain	Emotional Pain	Scale of Impact
Malenia	Scarlet Rot	💀💀💀💀💀	💀💀💀	Kingdom (Destroys all life)
Morgott	Omen Blood / Rejection	💀💀	💀💀💀💀💀	Personal (His entire identity)
Messmer	Inner Serpent / Exile	💀💀💀	💀💀💀💀	Reality (Banished to a shadow realm)

Honestly? It's a tie for last place. Malenia's pain is visceral and constant. Morgott's is a deep, quiet tragedy of the soul. Messmer's is a profound, existential void.

FromSoftware's genius is making us empathize with these 'bosses' not as villains, but as victims of a cruel, uncaring universe. Their curses define them, destroy them, and in some twisted way, are them. So next time you fight one, maybe throw in a little 'sorry about your curse, bro' before you deliver the final blow. Just a thought.

What do you think, fellow Tarnished? Two years after the DLC, whose fate still haunts you the most? Sometimes, the real Elden Ring was the curses we met along the way... or something like that. 🤷‍♂️