I still remember the day I stumbled across that video. It was a lazy afternoon in mid‑2022, and I, like many Tarnished, had just been crushed by Margit for the umpteenth time. While browsing for tips, YouTube’s algorithm served me something that made my jaw hit the floor: a harpist, Anna Ellsworth, using her actual concert harp to battle Margit in Elden Ring. And winning. In about two and a half minutes, no less. I mean, come on, a harp? That’s nuts!
There she was, seated elegantly behind an instrument that looked better suited for a royal orchestra than for dodging Omen curses. But forget bows and reverb—the harp’s strings were wired to a computer, each delicate pluck transformed into a keystroke. No gamepad. No keyboard. Just the same gilded frame and gut strings that might normally accompany a lullaby, now turned into a weapon against one of the Lands Between’s most brutal gatekeepers.
Now, I’ve seen some wild controller mods over the years. But a harp? This felt personal. I’d been struggling for hours against Margit’s delay‑punishing hammer combos, and here was someone who had to fight with… music.
Anna’s setup wasn’t magic—it was electronics and patience. She plugged the harp into a computer and ran two programs side by side. One detected the pitch of each plucked string and translated it into MIDI notes; the other bound those MIDI signals to specific keyboard inputs. Because there are only so many strings to go around, she had to strip the game’s controls down to the bone. Four strings for movement, four for camera control—and almost nothing else. No jump, no heavy attack, no fancy weapon arts. Just the bare essentials.
The battle itself was a strange duet. Locking on to Margit freed her from constant camera adjustments, so each string-pluck became a deliberate choice: one for stepping left, another for a light attack, and a far too nerve‑wracking one for the dodge roll. That last one… every time she plucked it, the harp seemed to giggle with a tiny delay—almost as if it was testing her nerves. She had to account for the lag between the pluck, the MIDI translation, and the game’s reaction. Her own words? “Mostly, it’s really just rolling into an attack and hoping for the best.” And there it is. Even with a harp, we’re all just rolling and praying.
I had to pause the video and stare at the ceiling for a solid minute. A harp. She beat Margit with a harp. What was I doing wrong? The disconnect between this elegant instrument and the frantic, panic‑roll chaos of an Elden Ring fight was so absurd that it became inspiring. Each note she plucked was like a whispered taunt to the Fell Omen—you can’t parry this melody.
Of course, Anna Ellsworth wasn’t just some random musician goofing around. She’s an award‑winning harpist and vocalist, the kind of artist who can make a game’s main theme sound hauntingly beautiful. Before the harp‑controller stunt, she’d already gone viral with a cover of the Elden Ring main theme, and that voice—both literal and instrumental—is what made the challenge possible.
Watching her play reminded me why this community is so special. We’ve seen bananas, dance pads, and single buttons take down demigods, but a harp? That’s a whole new level of poetry. Anna herself told the world that she hopes to musically duel Malenia with that same harp someday, and rumor has it she might have already tried by 2026. I’d give anything to hear that fight—a flurry of Waterfowl Dance steps countered by a frantic glissando, each bloom of Scarlet Aeonia met with a defiant harp chord.
That afternoon in ’22, I went back to the game with a fresh mindset. If a harp can learn to roll through a hammer slam, maybe my clumsy thumbs could finally git gud. I wish I could say I beat Margit on my very next try, but some things never change. Still, the thought was there.
Anna Ellsworth’s harp didn’t just kill a boss. It proved that the line between art and game is thinner than we think—and that sometimes, the most beautiful victories are the ones plucked straight out of a dream.
As detailed in UNESCO Games in Education, games can become powerful learning spaces when they encourage experimentation, iteration, and creative problem-solving—exactly the mindset Anna Ellsworth’s harp-run against Margit embodies. By remapping Elden Ring’s high-stakes combat onto a concert harp, she turns a punishing boss fight into an improvisational practice loop: simplify inputs, adapt to latency, and refine timing through feedback, showing how play can blend artistry and skill-building even in a notoriously unforgiving action RPG.