If you’ve so much as booted up a Souls game in the past, you’ll know that a large part of the game’s asynchronous multiplayer aspect is the ability to leave and see messages on the ground as you play. The latest FromSoftware title, Elden Ring, is no different.
If you’re unfamiliar with how this system works, you can basically choose from a selection of templates and pre-approved words to create notes that show up for other players as they explore.
It stands to reason that developer FromSoftware may have originally wanted you to let others know about perils and hazards ahead – perhaps warning of sudden boss fights, mimic chests, or sadistic traps – but instead, some players just use the function to come up with shitposts. Lovely.
The most common instance of these we’ve seen in Elden Ring to date are prompts that tempt players to jump to their deaths: ‘try jumping’ or ‘jump attack required’ messages mean (typically) that if you try and make a leap of faith where the message lies, you’ll invariably fall to your death. And say goodbye to your lovely Rune haul. Damn.
If you keep falling for these messages (no pun intended), check around the message for a bloodstain; if you find one, it means lots of other players have died there. So don’t fall for the ruse.
Here’s a quick gif of what it looks like when you see another player fall for one of these cheap tricks. RIP. And here’s an image link if that’s going to be easier for you to see.
Elsewhere, we’re seeing a lot of people mislabel donkeys as dogs. There’s no ill intent here, but it’s funny. Almost every donkey in the game has a message next to it that just says ‘dog’. Peak comedy, that.
Other players have been a little bit more creative with their take on the messaging system. One player we’ve seen on Reddit hid a message in a bush that reads “Snake, Try Stealth’ – a nod towards Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid franchise where the writer presumably couldn’t just type out ‘!’. The top commment in the replies – “Try to the remember the basics of CQC” – gets the point of this one.
Another good one, thanks again Reddit, is a raunchy little take on the Lands Between. I suppose this is what being Maidenless drives you to. Perhaps some of the Elden Ring playerbase needs to ‘touch grace’ every now and then, ey? There are a fair few raunchy messages out there. In fact, it’s a large portion of what we’re finding on Reddit.
If you’re jumping into the game and want to know how to not die immidiately – whether from the comfort of your own home or out in the wild via Steam Deck – check out our Elden Ring Beginner’s Guide. We also have dedicated pages on Elden Ring Tips, and plenty more handy hints linked within those pages, too.