You'll meet her early, but be wary of refusing her offer. There are game-breaking repercussions of refusing Melina in Elden Ring. Here is what's going to happen if you refuse the offer of Melina to act as your finger maiden.

Playing through the early parts of Elden Ring, you'd be referred to multiple times as being “maidenless.” There isn't a lot of explanation to this until Melina appears to you for the first time. There are also a lot of NPCs in the game, and most of them, you shouldn't harm. You can't really fight Melina in battle, as she only appears during cutscenes or while resting at a Site of Grace. Still, you can hurt her by not accepting her offer, and here's what's going to happen if you do that.

How to find Melina in Elden Ring

Melina appears to you the first time when you light your third bonfire – or rather – when you find your third Sites of Grace. It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you activate three Sites of Grace, a cutscene will be triggered and Melina will appear before you. She will walk towards the Site of Grace as the Tarnished rests, and she will offer “an accord” to the player. She introduces you to the concept of “Finger Maidens,” maidens who guide and aid the Tarnished. Being “maidenless,” Melina offers the player the opportunity to have her as his maiden. “I can play the role of maiden,” she says, “Turning rune fragments into strength. To aid you in your search for the Elden Ring. You need only take me with you. To the foot of the Erdtree.”

After her explanation, you will have the chance to respond.

What happens if you refuse Melina in Elden Ring

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Refusing Melina's offer in Elden Ring will block your progression in the game. Accepting her offer is the only way to level up in the game, and she's the one who will give you the key item Spectral Steed Whistle, which you can use to summon Elden Ring's horse Torrent. There are parts of the game that will require Torrent for you to reach, so refusing Melina's offer will not only prevent you from leveling up and scaling to your enemies, but it will also prevent you from continuing on at some points of the game.

As mentioned, accepting Melina's offer is the only way to get the Spectral Steed Whistle. To get the horse in Elden Ring, you only have to accept Melina's offer.

Thankfully, refusing her will not lock you out of the game permanently. She will re-appear the next time you rest in a Site of Grace, and she will re-iterate her offer. Thus, you can get around the game-breaking repercussions of refusing Melina, simply by accepting Melina's offer the next opportunity you have.