History Memes / EldenRing

* "The ''great'' Kenneth Haight!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Kenneth Haight is found in Limgrave, yelling for help reclaiming his ruined castle, and promises to knight the player as a reward, but ultimately never gets the chance to do so. His LargeHam tendencies and SmallNameBigEgo mentality, when combined with his rather pitiful state in-game as a solitary figure who's unable to offer you much in the way of reward for helping him (despite going on about his incredible generosity), have led to jokes about how Kenneth Haight truly ''is'' great...a great [[MemeticBadass warrior]], that is, who could [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass easily take the throne of Elden Lord if he so desired,]] and whose generosity is both sincere ''and'' always [[NeverLiveItDown demonstrated promptly.]][[/labelnote]]

** SIR GIDEON OFNIR, THE ALLLLLLLLLL KNOWING! [[labelnote:explanation]]From the same intro, the narrator ''really'' hams up when reading Gideon’s title, leading to a tradition of typing out Gideons full title in screaming AllCaps when discussing him.[[/labelnote]]

* Hollowing[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the two-year gap between the reveal and the release date being confirmed, fans of the soulsborne series started making jokes about turning Hollow, a state from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' that results from the lack of hope or drive.[[/labelnote]]

* THE LOOOOOOOOATHSOME DUNG EATER!! [[labelnote:Explanation]]At the end of the opening cinematic, the narrator calls out the names of several of the major Tarnished who have arisen in the wake of the Shattering. One of them is the Loathsome Dung Eater, and the narrator's particularly grandoise and bombastic way of reciting his name, one that is seen as [[AtrociousAlias hilariously lame]] and [[TomTheDarkLord underwhelming]] after a series of very awesome ones, quickly became beloved by the fanbase. A [[https://youtu.be/NTf2QsvOMUA fandub]] adds multiple AddedAlliterativeAppeal examples.[[/labelnote]]

* I am Melania/Milenia/Melanie, Blade of Michael.[[labelnote:Explanation]]For some reason, a good portion of the playerbase tends to misspell Malenia's name. Given how she says her name every time you die to her, one would think they'd be able to correctly spell her name at this point...[[/labelnote]]
** IT'S SPELLED '''MALIKETH!'''[[labelnote:Explanation]]Just like Malenia, a huge portion of the fanbase tends to misspell Maliketh's name as "Malekith".[[/labelnote]]

* Reformed Orthodox Rabbi UsefulNotes/BillClinton.[[labelnote:Explanation]]At the end of the Game Awards 2022, in which ''Elden Ring'' won Game of the Year, a random audience member used the BavarianFireDrill tactic to hide himself amongst the developers who went on stage to accept the award, remaining unnoticed until after Miyazaki finished his speech, at which point he took the mic in order to "nominate this award to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext my reformed orthodox rabbi Bill Clinton]]", getting the very last word of the entire show in the process. Naturally, the internet reacted with a massive outpour of memes due to the sheer bizarreness of the whole thing.[[/labelnote]]

* Maidenless[[labelnote:Explanation]]Before meeting Melina, the Tarnished is mocked for being "Maidenless," not having a MysteriousWaif to level up at. This was immediately taken to mean that the [[VirginShaming Tarnished has no girlfriend]].[[/labelnote]]

* Do ''not'' hurt Kalé and the Turtle Pope, OR ELSE.[[labelnote:Explanation]]As Kalé and Miriam are two of the kindest and friendliest [=NPCs=] that you will encounter in the game, killing them is seen as an unforgivable crime among the fanbase. This is true especially in the case of Miriam, whose immense health pool means you'd actively have to ''try'' to kill him, making it all the more despicable.[[/labelnote]]

* “Find the Albinauric woman” [[labelnote:Explanation]]An [[https://youtu.be/0oLfN55KU88 infamous line of dialogue]] from Gideon. Players frequently note the [[GuideDangIt difficulty of actually finding her]] despite Gideon’s directions, and the fact that he’ll ''still'' repeat the dialogue even after you’ve found her.[[/labelnote]]

* "Find the Albinauric woman. She hides in a cave to the west of the Laskyar Ruins which jut from the mist-shrouded lake of Liurnia. She knows the location of the medallion's counterpart, I am sure."[[labelnote:Explanation]]After finding the first half of the Haligtree Medallion, Gideon will repeat that line after every conversation you have with him, even after you find said Albinauric woman. The quote also became a meme because it's one of the very few informative quest directions in the entire game...that's still misleading.[[/labelnote]]

** ''[[AsskickingEqualsAuthority A crown is warranted with strength!]]''[[labelnote:Explanation]]Uttered by Godfrey, The First Elden Lord in his second phase: Hoarah Loux. A powered-up hyper-aggressive version of him where he ditches his weapon and armor in favor of FightingGame-style ground slams and grab moves. While he is definitely a tough fight (not surprising, given he is the penultimate boss (at least if you consider [[spoiler:Radagon and [[FinalBoss the Elden Beast]]]] [[SequentialBoss a single boss fight]]; if not, Godfrey[=/=]Hoarah Loux is the third-to-last boss)), he is also considered by many to be [[Awesome/EldenRing one of the game's best]].[[/labelnote]]

* Elden Ring Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Elden Ring'' won the 2020 game awards for Most Anticipated game. At that point, the reveal trailer was nearly two years old and there hadn't been any news about the game since then.[[/labelnote]]

** If the Tarnished could talk [[labelnote:Explanation]]Given that Mohg has kidnapped Miquella, the twin brother of Malenia, who is Miquella's protector who has no idea where he currently is, a number of [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/tt6ieg/melania_the_alternate_ending/ amusing]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2378625-malenia-blade-of-miquella imagined]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2361852-malenia-blade-of-miquella scenarios]] have been depicted where the Tarnished just ''tells'' Malenia that Mohg has her brother, enabling her to travel to Mohgwyn Palace to exact revenge and rescue Miquella.[[/labelnote]]

* Soldier of Godrick. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The boss at the end of the tutorial is a standard Godrick soldier armed with a greatsword, who is naturally rather easy to beat. This has led to a slew of jokes about Soldier of Godrick's fabled difficulty, making him out to be one of the most dangerous bosses in the game and getting such titles as "Soldier of God, [[TomTheDarkLord Rick]]."[[/labelnote]]

** "[[WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}} NO MAIDENS?]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A crossover-meme of "NO BITCHES?" taken from ''Megamind''. With comments from characters over the Tarnished being "Maidenless", there has been art [[https://twitter.com/monotone_ink/status/1496271083040763906 replacing Megamind]] with [[https://twitter.com/guiltygremlin/status/1497431546386530304 Melina]] or Varre, and later, [[https://twitter.com/DatGeistra/status/1497172782752358401 recreations]] of [[https://twitter.com/charborgg/status/1497256496802979854 a frowning Megamind]] using the customization options to make the reference.[[/labelnote]]

* Reformed Orthodox Rabbi UsefulNotes/BillClinton.[[labelnote:Explanation]]At the very end of The Game Awards 2022, the ''Elden Ring'' developers stepped up to receive their GOTY Award and give their speeches and were followed by an audience member who abused the BavarianFireDrill to remain unnoticed, stay with them through their speeches and receive the microphone at the end so he could "nominate this award to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext my reformed orthodox rabbi Bill Clinton]]", getting the very last word of the show in the process. Naturally, the internet reacted with a massive outpour of memes thanks to the sheer bizarreness of the whole thing.[[/labelnote]]

* "I offer you an [[NamesTheSame accord]]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote from the cutscene where Melina gives you the Spectral Whistle to summon Torrent with. Jokingly compared to the Honda automobile model of the same name. A popular [=FromSoft=] game hacker, Zullie the Witch, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQsp7ozg24c even had a mod made replacing Torrent with the car for April Fool's Day.]][[/labelnote]]

* Reformed Orthodox Rabbi Bill Clinton. [[labelnote:Explanation]]At the very end of the 2022 Game Of The Year Awards show, the ''Elden Ring'' developers stepped up to receive their GOTY Award and give their speeches and were followed by an audience member who abused the BavarianFireDrill to remain unnoticed, stay with them through their speeches and receive the microphone at the end so he could "nominate this award to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext my reformed orthodox rabbi Bill Clinton]]", getting the very last word of the show in the process. Naturally, the internet reacted with a massive outpour of memes thanks to the sheer bizarreness of the whole thing.[[/labelnote]]

* Reformed Orthodox Rabbi Bill Clinton. [[labelnote:Explanation]]At the very end of the 2022 Game Of The Year Awards show, the Elden Ring developers stepped up to receieve their GOTY Award and give their speeches, and were followed by an audience member who abused the BavarianFireDrill to remain unnoticed, stay with them through their speeches and receive the microphone at the end so he could "nominate this award to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext my reformed orthodox rabbi Bill Clinton]]", getting the very last word of the show in the process. Naturally, the internet reacted with a massive outpour of memes thanks to the sheer bizarreness of the whole thing.[[/labelnote]]

** ''[[ThatOneBoss "Put these foolish]] [[HaveANiceDeath ambitions to rest."]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]The DiscOneFinalBoss of the Network Test, and first boss of the first Legacy Dungeon, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Margit The Fell Omen]], says this after he kills the player. And with him being [[WakeUpCallBoss easily the most difficult challenge]] in the Network Test, with his hyper-aggressive AI and his devastating combo attacks, needless to say the players who got to play the test have heard this phrase ''a lot'', and it's always brought up at least once when discussing the boss. He was such an infamous challenge, Fromsoft had to mention that they ''nerfed'' him in the final release, and it seems it did little to quell his reputation, as weeks later they dedicated ''an entire section'' to him in an official Early Tips guide. It '''also''' doesn't help that even if ''Margit'' has been nerfed, his true self '''''Morgott''''' is even harder than he was in the Network Test, and uses the same line every time he kills the player.[[/labelnote]]
*** ''[[TurnsRed May the curse seep to thy very soul.]]''[[labelnote:Explanation]]Once Omen King Morgott initiates his second phase, he vomits his cursed Omen blood all over the throne room of Leyndell, making him go ballistic with shame and rage, his victory quote changes to this. Note that this is most likely similar in nature to the Dung Eater's Seedbed curse, and you can tell [[FateWorseThanDeath just how much you pissed Morgott off.]][[/labelnote]]
** ''[[WakeUpCallBoss "Lowly Tarnished...]] [[HaveANiceDeath Thou'rt unfit even to graft..."]]''[[labelnote:Explanation]]Taking Margit's DiscOneFinalBoss throne is Godrick the Grafted, the first Lord Boss of the game. He has since gained a reputation of being ''the'' BeefGate of the game as a whole, with many mechanics, the start of the game's main story, and much of the world outside Limgrave requires him to be killed first. And the game makes ''very'' clear it wants you to ''explore and prepare'' before taking on the Lords, as he is ''unforgivingly difficult'' for an early game Souls Boss, with his erratic and highly mobile moveset, and his ''huge'' AOE attacks. As such, his HaveANiceDeath quote is often parroted on message boards.[[/labelnote]]
** ''[[AsskickingEqualsAuthority A crown is warranted with strength!]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Uttered by Godfrey, The First Elden Lord in his second phase: Hoarah Loux. A powered-up hyper-aggressive version of him where he ditches his weapon and armor in favor of FightingGame-style ground slams and grab moves. While he is definitely a tough fight (not surprising, given he is the penultimate boss (at least if you consider [[spoiler:Radagon and [[FinalBoss the Elden Beast]]]] [[SequentialBoss a single boss fight]]; if not, Godfrey[=/=]Hoarah Loux is the third-to-last boss)), he is also considered by many to be [[Awesome/EldenRing one of the game's best.]][[/labelnote]]
** ''"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella."'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]The win quote of Malenia, Blade of Miquella. You'll be hearing it '''a lot''', as she's widely considered to be ''the'' hardest boss in the entire game.[[/labelnote]]
*** ''"Let your flesh be consumed. By the Scarlet Rot."'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]A widespread follow-up to the above quote, as this is Malenia's quote when defeating you in phase two once she becomes Malenia, Goddess of Rot. [[SuperBoss Her second phase is no easier than her first, to put it mildly.]][[/labelnote]]
** "''Miquella is'' '''''mine''''', ''and'' '''''mine alone'''''."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Uttered by Mohg, Lord of Blood, another {{Superboss}} found in the late game, who is also perhaps ''the'' most evil character in the story. His utterly unforgiving difficulty combined with his [[VillainousIncest genuinely]] [[StalkingIsLove depraved]] [[HumanSacrifice actions]] in the backstory have made him one of the most talked about fights in the game, with his win quote encapsulating much of what makes him a memorable character.[[/labelnote]]

** [[Website/{{Twitter}} L + no maidens + touch grace]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Many players make jokes playing on Twitter's "ratio" and "L + [x]" insult messages, often with even more game relevant additives like "tarnished" and "unfit to graft".[[/labelnote]]

** "[[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/341/506/ac2 Once again Tarnished, weird, but not a sin]]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Should you give Miriel magic tomes to learn spells, Miriel has no issue teaching you them, on the basis that learning is not heresy since it is merely the pursuit of knowledge. Due to Miriel being basically a pope in look, this lead to a resurgence in an older meme [[https://imageproxy.ifunny.co/crop:x-20,resize:640x,quality:90x75/images/a93fc426b21c04ee984324a9314d7604a792364064a38b3d41c152edb8a34e59_1.jpg like this]], with the text adjusted to being about the Tarnished, such as the Tarnished talking about marrying Ranni.[[/labelnote]]

** [[Website/{{Twitter}} L + no maidens + touch grace]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Many players make jokes playing on Twitter's "ratio" and "L + [x]" insult messages, often with even more game relevant additives like "tarnished" and "unfit to graft."[[/labelnote]]

** "old codger"[[labelnote:Explanation]]While [[InherentlyFunnyWords amusing by itself]], and often written for elderly characters (such Iji who literally refers to himself as an old codger in conversation) and the above mentioned turtles, it is most frequently used in reference to the unique "Light Nobles" that spawn when activating a white tree of light. Once spawned, they will lead you to a cave of some kind...very...very...''very'' slowly. The only thing stopping this from being a full on EscortMission is that the Noble cannot die (though, given his penchant for leading you straight into very dangerous enemies, ''you'' have a high chance of dying). It's not an uncommon sight to see the Noble's path littered with messages disparaging the "old codger", proclamations of "I can't take this", and contrasting rousing messages telling people not to give up. Some of which are practically a bread crumb trail right to the place already.[[/labelnote]]
** "Ahh, I’ve failed…" [[labelnote:Explanation]]carried over from Dark Souls. There are some areas that require impressive jumping skills to reach but provide absolutely no rewards or secrets for getting to, and often are in Dungeons so can only be escaped by dying. These despairing messages tend to cluster around them.[[/labelnote]]

** "[[WitchWithACapitalB dastard!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]An old and archaic word for a dishonorable or despicable person, fans have been using it as a substitute for...a more well-known similarly spelt word. Typically left around [=NPCs=] reviled by the community, like Selivus mentioned above, or other things treated with offense, like a corpse carrying [[KickTheDog turtle neck meat.]][[/labelnote]]
*** dastard ahead... but lovable sort! [[labelnote:Explanation]] Similar to the above, but always found next to the beloved recurring DirtyCoward Patches.[[/labelnote]]

** "lover ahead" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A message pinpointing a popular character people find attractive like [[CuteWitch Ranni]] or [[PopularWithFurries Blaidd]].[[/labelnote]]

** Could this be a giant?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Expect to find variations of this (or the use of the word "dragon" instead) in front of windmills up north in the Altus Plateau, mostly because the Literature/DonQuixote jokes [[WindmillCrusader just write themselves.]][[/labelnote]]

* Elden Ring, now with [[https://twitter.com/alexdnz/status/1500431929388285954?t=NishHfdxzQTxNLEVZxmPQA&s=19 improved UX!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Shortly after the game's launch, developers from Ubisoft and Guerilla Games were seen criticizing Elden Ring for "lack of care for user experience," particularly the game's UI compared to Horizon's (and similar open world games') HUD, and also ''Elden Ring''[='=]s lack of a quest book, which was a point of contention for some. The mean-spirited Tweets caused players to lash back and mock those developers, while also generating discussion over how much a game is allowed to "hold your hand" with [[NowWhereWasIGoingAgain tracking objectives]] or pointing out optional content and the like. [[https://twitter.com/alexdnz/status/1500431929388285954?t=NishHfdxzQTxNLEVZxmPQA&s=19 this]] meme is an accurate summary to how formulaic modern open-world games have become, down to the microtransactions, and a mockery of how much Ubisoft's games have not deviated from the formula.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[[EvilSoundsRaspy TOGETHAAAA!!!]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]] Rykard's slurred, raspy voice has made him a very popular character, particularly the way he says the word "together." Expect to see people spam this in livestream chats whenever Rykard takes the stage.[[/labelnote]]

* [[GratuitousLatin NIHIL!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] The phrase used by Mohg during his true bossfight as he transitions to his second phase. Since it's repeated three times as he stabs into the air with his trident, dealing immense damage to the player (if they haven't gotten the required Physick tear) and healing himself - it has left quite an impression on many players fighting him and will be often repeated anytime discussion about Mohg crops up. Since his boss weapon also lets the player use his SignatureMove for themselves, it also shows up in clips showcasing it. To a lesser extent, his earlier shouted counting-down throughout phase one of "Trēs" "Duo" and "Ūnus" also gets this treatment.[[/labelnote]]
** "It's Mohging time."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A variant on "[[Memes/{{Morbius 2022}} It's morbing time]]" used in reference to the Lord of Blood himself. Fans like to joke about Mohg saying this during his intro cutscene or during his transition to his second phase. Getting killed by his Rite of Blood in phase 2 is sometimes referred to as "getting Mohged."[[/labelnote]]

** ''Mohg: to Catch a Predator'' [[labelnote:Explanation]] Mohg lusts after his half-sibling, Miquella, who is cursed to live in the body of a child. Considering how depraved the Omen demigod already is, this pedophilic implication was the cherry on top of the horrifying cake. Jokes quickly spread that Mohg wouldn't be out of place in the popular show about arresting online child predators. [[/labelnote]]

* Let Me Solo Her [[labelnote:Explanation]]Malenia is considered one of the hardest bosses in the game. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/u22zpa/heres_to_an_absolute_legend_let_me_solo_her/ One player posted about encountering another player named "Let me Solo Her"]] (otherwise known as "The Jarnished," so called due to wearing nothing but the Jar Helm) placing their summon sign outside of Malenia's arena, and the player then, well, solo'd her. Said jar-headed player even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqN2phpMWno uploaded gameplay]] of themself flawlessly beating a Malenia with boosted health on their own, [[ExcuseMeWhileIMultitask while taking time to exchange emotes with the world master]] in the distance. "Let Me Solo Her" became a [[UltimateGamer386 legend]] and an instant meme, even [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/u2nk9j/fanart_of_the_greatest_gigachad_this_side_of_the/ getting]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/u2m5wo/let_me_solo_her_fanart/ fanart]], [[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wa-RMwVI4ZU analysis about why he became so famous]], ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oov1cLn1oIk and a rap by]] Music/JTMusic''. Bandai Namco even gave the player a [[https://mobile.twitter.com/TsuboiKlein/status/1544772979988520960 personalized award]] for his 1000th Malenia kill.[[/labelnote]]
** Let Me Solo Her vs. Giantdad[[labelnote:Explanation]] Crossing over with the "[[Memes/DarkSouls Giantdad]]" meme, it is easy to contrast the two fan figures, as one is an unstoppable but altruistic ally for co-op and the other is a figure universally hated in PVP. [[https://www.deviantart.com/sbg1990/art/Let-Me-Solo-Her-VS-Giant-Dad-915657502 Fanart was immediately made pitting the two against each other]].[[/labelnote]]

* [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance COULD HAVE GONE PRO IF I HADN'T JOINED THE GOLDEN ORDER!]][[labelnote:Explanation]] As soon as MGR fans noticed how easy it is to compare Godfrey to [[Characters/MetalGearSenatorArmstrong Senator Armstrong]], a flood of copypastas of [[FountainOfMemes Armstrong]]'s infamous rant modified to suit the First Elden Lord ensued. [[/labelnote]]

* Scarlet Rotussy. [[labelnote:Explanation]] A meme that started as a way to poke fun at people who got hot and bothered over Malenia’s naked second stage, despite the fact she’s basically a [[{{Squick}} walking lump of Scarlet Rot]] by that point. [[/labelnote]]