Elden Ring: 10 Memes That Sum Up Fan Reaction To Its Difficulty Level

Elden Ring has taken the center stage in the gaming world this past month. From the studio that brought the rage-inducing menaces of Dark Souls and Bloodborne comes another mind-bending, heartbreaking, time sink that has few users gloating over their success and many still in Limgrave in an eternal struggle for dominance with Tree Sentinel.

The game is not kind to its users, but that’s part of what makes it so great. Players are able to truly immerse themselves in an RPG world where they are scarcely told where to go and must rely on thorough searching, along with a bit of luck and Google, to find their paths. And many memes have been made to emblemize the player’s struggle.

You Must Be Really Good, Right?

Source: 9Gag

A player could adventure around Limgrave and its surrounding zones for 70 hours before even realizing that the game’s first mandatory boss, Margit, sits waiting in Stormveil Castle. Margit is considered, by some, to be one of the hardest bosses in the genre, so many players have spent hours of their time exploring and training in order to over-level, in preparation for the fight.

To have played 70 hours and accomplished close to nothing in terms of the scale of the game isn’t as unrealistic as it may seem. This meme hilariously points out the absurdity of the time investment.

You’re Not Obligated To Fight The Tree Sentinel!

Source: 9Gag

Speaking of the eternal struggle for domination with the Tree Sentinel … there’s no need for it. The giant, strolling, jouster is one of the first sights to see when a player ventures out to start their journey, so it’s no surprise that one might think he’s the first obstacle to conquer. The overworld elements, such as these mini-bosses, are one of Elden Ring‘s coolest mechanics.

Well, he isn’t. Tree Sentinel probably isn’t worth attempting until around level 18, and is considered by many to be far easier on horseback. Few shows are so engrained in the minds of pop culture fans as Breaking Bad, and it’s easy to imagine Walter delivering a desperate scream to the user, making this meme so funny.

Fall Damage

Fall damage in Elden Ring is difficult to judge, to say the least. The difference between a drop of life or death is minuscule, and being moderately damaged is even rarer.

The meme perfectly captures the stress level when making a jump, and trying to judge the damage taken, as extra inches could mean leaving hard-earned runes at the bottom of a pit, and relying on horse double jump is not the solution.

Margit Got Hands

Few bosses created by the studio have caused as much pain to their users as Margit. And he’s the FIRST mandatory boss in the game. Getting past him to fully enter Stormveil castle has taken some users dozens of hours of training and exploration, trying to find ways to over-level him rather than beat his mechanics.

Even hardcore fans of the RPG genre had difficulty with this one, as Margit constantly keeps users on their toes. With wide swings, close rang swipes, slow hits, fast hits, long-range throws, behind-the-back 360 no scopes, and whatever else he can come up with, “he’s really low!” is a meaningless statement. The meme summarizes his unexpected difficulty well.

But You Didn’t Give Me Directions

A player has made it to the church just past the Tree Sentinel and has been told they have no maidens. It seems as if a storyline is beginning when, actually, it will take some time and chance before anyone hears anything more of this.

The existence of a sentient life form that isn’t trying to kill the player is rare in Elden Ring, and the NPCs rarely give helpful guidance. The meme hilariously depicts a player’s hopeful encounter with one, as if they’ve just spent hours trekking around beforehand.

Putting The Pieces Together

Trying to figure out the proper course is one of the game’s greatest challenges. With barely any true direction, and absolutely nothing to guide you where best to go to improve your character or find new weapons, trying to put the pieces together is a true challenge for even hardcore gamers. It’s good to know where to find some of the important early Elden Ring game items.

Who better to encompass the madness of Elden Ring than Charlie Kelly from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Imagining him and the gang trying to work their way through the game is hilarious and made even funnier that he’s stuck on just the first zone.

Things To Do In Caelid:

Early in the game, when clearing hostile mob areas, players will occasionally stumble upon chests that contain great rewards. But sometimes, these chests are trapped with portals that teleport the user to different zones. One of these is Caelid.

The user will spawn inside a cave, with the only escape being to sprint their way out, avoiding the highly over-leveled enemies, and making it outside. The red sky and parched terrain are a tell-tale sign that there’s only one thing to do: Run away. This meme captures the zone’s environment perfectly.

Why Shouldn’t I Summon?

Some bosses in Elden Ring will allow the player a chance to summon a helper. They tend to be a character in the world who also has a conflict with the boss, and is willing to help you out. Some members of the community frown on this, as they believe it’s a cheap way of defeating the boss.

Attaching Lord of the Rings moments to any meme can make it funnier for fans of Tolkien, as Reddit has shown time and time again. Using this moment to express the difficulty of Elden Ring is a hilarious way to get some laughs and bridge communities.

Limgrave Vs Caelid

Limgrave is difficult enough, so finding out there’s an even more difficult zone can be overwhelming for some users, especially when randomly teleported there in the early game.

This meme is particularly funny, as it depicts the extremely grueling land of Limgrave to be a field of flowers and cute baby sheep. Players of the game know this is not the case, so those who are preparing themselves for Caelid best prepare for more.

Dying More Intelligently

Mastering the mechanics of most bosses in Elden Ring is a challenge and rarely can a player get by on gear and level alone. Some level of understanding must exist to get by, hence why many YouTube guides are made to assist players through boss fights.

This meme hilariously depicts the effort level of trying to understand a boss mechanic, displaying that even when a player figures out the mechanics, they are still not safe.

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