History YMMV / EldenRing

** If you've gone diving in side dungeons, especially in the Hero Graves, you're bound to face a lot of trouble from the chariots that run back and forth through the dungeon and threaten to flatten your character with very unfair HitboxDissonance. Fortunately, the same dungeons will eventually give you the opportunity to destroy them, and they won't come back on reloading, giving you free reign to explore!

** Leonard the horse is widely beloved amongst the fanbase, even though he's a perfectly mundane horse with little real relevance, and even his name is only known from datamining. This is due to his relationship with his owner, General Radahn, which is often considered humorous and incredibly touching. The scrawny horse is ''far'' too small for his titanic demigod, resulting in a downright absurd HugeRiderTinyMount image. Yet, Leonard shows genuine UndyingLoyalty to Radahn and vice-versa [[spoiler:to the point where they stick together even after Radahn has gone violently feral from Scarlet Rot]]. In a touching but hilarious example of MundaneUtility, it's also accepted that one of the reasons Radahn learned [[GravityMaster Gravity Magic]] was so that he could still ride his loyal steed, despite the massive disproportionate difference in size between them.

** While she has certainly committed heinous crimes, many fans strip Marika of ''any'' sympathy she might have gained by creating (and possibly reviving and then guiding) the Tarnished, assisting Ranni in her theft of the Rune of Death, and trying to break the Greater Will's hold over the Lands Between.[[note]]How sympathetic these events are can be rather debatable given there isn't much concrete evidence of the how much of the Order's tyranny falls on the Greater Will's hands, that the Black Knife assassinations helped kickstart the war, and that the Tarnished's goal can only seemingly be achieved by killing her children.[[/note]] Expect to especially see this interpretation pop up in fanworks centering around the omen twins, despite the indication that they had it a lot better than most of their kind. [[note]]The statement "Demigods, my children beloved" presumably includes them; Morgott is implied to have somewhat better relationships with his surviving blood siblings than the rest, and the description of the Sentry's Torch and the fact that Mohg calls his dynasty Mohg''wyn'' could be taken as a good relationship with Godwyn; Finally, judging by their various competencies, both twins were educated. [[/note]]

** Malenia is a [[HeroicHost noble]] and [[MagneticHero revered]] warrior and [[FourStarBadass mighty general]] who has nonetheless been decaying since birth due to being cursed with the [[MysticalPlague Scarlet Rot]] in the womb. Her decision to resist it rather than ascend as its champion cost her an arm in childhood, and resulted in a progressively worse affliction to the point she's missing [[BodyHorror both of her eyes, her entire left leg, and half of her right leg]] by the time the game begins, with much of the rest of her skin scarred and her mind suffering constant assault under its influence. By the time you face her she's also lost both of her parents to the Shattering, her beloved brother Miquella to Mohg's predations, and has the Haligtree, the refuge of outcasts that she rejected a second chance at godhood to protect, slowly dying around her (along with her devoted subjects) due to Miquella not being around to sustain it (and help her repel her Rot) with his magic. You would ''never'' know all this just going by the way she acts, both because of her [[TheStoic demeanor]] and because her extreme [[WorldsBestWarrior strength, speed, skill,]] [[LadyOfWar and grace]] belies the fact that she's suffering at all. Even when you defeat her, she uses her last words to [[GracefulLoser compliment]] [[WorthyOpponent you]] rather than despair at her own fate. [[spoiler:Millicent's quest does throw her a bone by giving her possibly the only "good" ending of any of the demigods,[[note]]Malenia is all but stated (and cut dialogue removes the "all but") to still be alive and awaiting rebirth in the flower she leaves after her boss fight. The description of the Unalloyed Gold Needle, infused with Millicent's "dew", directs the player to restore her "sense of self" by returning it to her, and doing so causes the flower to take it and engage a friendly trade, with the implication that she'll now retain her identity when she wakes up instead of being lost totally to the Rot. Additionally, the trade implies that she knows that only by going to Farum Azula can Miquella's needles permanently purge an outer god's influence, and you do in fact open the way to Farum Azula in every ending, opening the way for her being cured. On top of all that, you've probably located Miquella and killed his captor, opening the path to return him to the Haligtree post-ending - if DLC doesn't address that.[[/note]] but even if the best interpretation [[AmbiguousEnding is true]] it took absolute hell for her to get there.]]

** While she has certainly committed heinous crimes, many fans strip Marika of ''any'' sympathy she might have gained by creating (and possibly reviving and then guiding) the Tarnished, assisting Ranni in her theft of the Rune of Death, and trying to break the Greater Will's hold over the Lands Between.[[note]]How sympathetic these events are can be rather debatable given there isn't much concrete evidence of the how much of the Order's tyranny falls on the Greater Will's hands, that the Black Knife assassinations helped kickstart the war, and that the Tarnished's goal can only seemingly be achieved by killing her children.[[/note]] Expect to especially see this interpretation pop up in fanworks centering around the omen twins, despite the indication that they had it a lot better than most of their kind. [[note]]The statement "Demigods, my children beloved" presumably includes them; their relatives know of them--Godrick has cut dialogue referring to the Omen King, and Morgott is implied to have somewhat better relationships with his surviving blood siblings than the rest, and the description of the Sentry's Torch and the fact that Mohg calls his dynasty Mohg''wyn'' could be taken as a good relationship with Godwyn; judging by their various competencies, both twins were educated; Finally, cut dialogue from Godfrey indicates they were HappilyMarried and he was in on the whole plan, which would seem a bit weird if she despised the sons he loved. [[/note]]

** [[StarterVillain Godrick the Grafted]], formerly "Godrick the Golden", is a [[TheResenter resentful]] descendant of [[Characters/EldenRingMarika Marika]] and [[Characters/EldenRingGodfrey Godfrey]], and a vicious monster who helped the descent of the lands and in starting the vast wars that consume the world around them. Taking countless beings to "[[BodyHorror improve]]" himself, Godrick tortures and harvests the limbs to graft unto himself. Setting up Stormveil to lure in Tarnished that are worth harvesting, Godrick gleefully [[SerialKiller takes them and their parts]], proclaiming he alone is lord of all that is golden.
** [[Characters/EldenRingMohg Mohg]], [[BloodMagic Lord of Blood]], is a child of Marika and an Omen of cursed blood. Desiring to become the Elden Lord, Mohg establishes a cult to the [[EldritchAbomination Formless Mother]] consisting of [[HumanSacrifice nightmarish blood sacrifice]] to empower himself with the deaths of countless others. Mohg also harbors a dark lust towards his half-sibling Miquella, a god with the body of a child. Kidnapping and attempting to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil violate Miquella]], Mohg murdered him with intent to revive him as the Elden Lord and reign through him with Miquella as a puppet.

** [[MadScientist Preceptor Seluvis]] (or possibly the mysterious [[TheManBehindTheMan Pidia, should Seluvis be his puppet]]), is the assistant of [[Characters/EldenRingRanniTheWitch Ranni]], who desires to usurp his mistress in the worst way. Seluvis hungers for powerful people and creates a potion to break their minds so that they become his [[PeoplePuppets puppets]] and {{sex slave}}s with intent to eventually enslave Ranni. Seluvis even offers Ranni's body to [[Characters/EldenRingTheTarnished the Tarnished]] in return for their service, in a fate considered far worse than death.

** PVP-specific:

*** Bleed is such a GameBreaker all on its own that even players who don't use katanas in PVP will almost certainly be using a bleed weapon of some kind. Even if their weapon doesn't have innate bleed, they've probably got a Blood infusion on it anyway, or make use of the Bloodflame Blade incantation. "Just use Bleed" is pretty much the first and last piece of advice anyone will offer players stuck at any part of the game (other than "[[MemeticMutation git gud]]", obviously), as any boss not 100% immune to Bleed will melt like butter in a volcano, and most of the bosses that ''are'' immune aren't all that difficult to begin with, with the exception of the FinalBoss.

*** The Great-Jar's trial involves duels with three "Knights of the Great-Jar" which take the builds and loadouts of players who have bested this challenge before. While the game tries to have some variation between each Knight, you'll be bound to see at least one of the popular PVP builds. This trial is better done offline than online, where the Knights each have a distinct playstyle.

** Speaking of issues dating back to the original ''Dark Souls, Elden Ring's'' greater popularity has exposed a much wider audience to the series' unique approach to multiplayer. Allies must be summoned using different menus and consumables and can only be summoned by those who haven't beaten the area boss (potentially causing trouble for players who've killed an area boss like the Draconic Tree Sentinel but want help with a Field Boss like the Bell-bearing Hunter) and also allow Invaders to enter the world for impromptu PvP. Playing with specific people requires all involved parties to manually set the same password and look for each other's signs (the password ''doesn't'' apply to Invaders). This is in contrast to many games inspired by the Souls series that let players join through a standard lobby system using platform overlays like ''VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes.''

** Due to this game's [[VideoGame/DarkSouls legacy]], many terms and mechanics that were translated over but retained the same identity are often referred to with their previous names. Therefore, Runes are still frequently called Souls, Sites of Grace are still bonfires, Incantations are Miracles, etc.
** As an extension of the "John Darksoul" nickname from its predecessor, the Tarnished sometimes gets called "[[Music/EltonJohn Elden John]]."

** While not in the game itself, the manga has a moment that is deeply satisfying for players who found themselves invested in Rennala's story and feel bad about her fall from grace following her abandonment by her husband; Not only is the manga's version of Rennala fully coherent and present of mind, when Aseo brings up Radagon, she goes on a richly deserved rant complaining about her ex-husband and his tendency towards keeping secrets.
--->'''Rennala:''' And don't get me started on that man!! The more I think back, the more secrets I realize he had!! I mean, the twisted perfectionist even made Carian preceptors literally wear masks with their mouths sewn shut!! Any slip-up and he'd be off to scrub it away with celestial dew! Can you really call that absolution!!?

* ImprovedSecondAttempt: Not the game itself, but the manga adaptation, ''Road to the Erdtree''. There have been many attempts at adapting Creator/FromSoftware games into comic books, but they have all largely ranged from SoOkayItsAverage to fairly bad. ''Road to the Erdtree'', on the other hand, has been very positively received as an excellent and enjoyable adaptations, which is somewhat surprising given that it's a comedic parody. Perhaps because of said comedic nature, the manga is able to have fun with characters and not take itself too seriously, which ironically allows it to show a true love and appreciation for the source material.

** Other than Finaly, several other extremely minor characters have been featured in fanfiction, not just as background characters but as the main ship (usually with the Tarnished). These include, but aren't limited to: Crucible Knight Ordovis (just a boss at the end of a dungeon), Black Knife Tiche (spirit ash identical to any other Black Knife Assassin), Elemer of the Briar (a recurring boss) and even the Tree Sentinel.

* LGBTFanbase: Similar to the EstrogenBrigade detailed above, the game's garnered a significant queer fanbase, as not only are there many attractive characters of both genders, it's the first [=FromSoftware=] game to feature canonical homosexual relationships, specifically the female PC being able to marry both Queen Marika and Ranni in their respective endings. That and the true nature of [[spoiler:[[GenderBender Marika and Radagon's identiy]]]] has garnered a significant amount of attention among the trans, non-binary, and gender-fluid communities. Continuing off that point, some have noted that, under the assumption that [[spoiler: Radagon is just Marika under a guise, as opposed to a separate person]], that would make [[spoiler:Marika]] canonically bisexual, as it would mean she not only married Rennala, but had three biological children with her. Lastly, Malenia, in a similar vein to [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Lady Maria]] before her, has also proven to be rather popular among lesbians, as [[LadyOfWar strong, yet elegant women]] tend to be. It helps that there's a degree of [[LesYay potential subtext]] regarding her and Finlay.

* LGBTFanbase: Similar to the EstrogenBrigade detailed above, the game's garnered a significant queer fanbase, as not only are there many attractive characters of both genders, it's the first [=FromSoftware=] game to feature canonical homosexual relationships, specifically the female PC being able to marry both Queen Marika and Ranni in their respective endings. That and the true nature of [[spoiler:[[GenderBender Marika and Radagon's identiy]]]] has garnered a significant amount of attention among the trans, non-binary, and gender-fluid communities. Malenia, in a similar vein to [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Lady Maria]] before her, has also proven to be rather popular among lesbians, as [[LadyOfWar strong, yet elegant women]] tend to be. It helps that there's a degree of [[LesYay potential subtext]] regarding her and Finlay.

** The Tree Sentinel is one of the toughest mounted bosses in the series thanks to a combination of high attack, speed, and defense stats. The Draconic Tree Sentinel amps those traits up as well as implementing fire and lightning elemental attacks and range to make fighting them more challenging and frantic for many players. Even then, players can kill them in a very underhanded tactic, namely by sneaking up behind them and casting the Poison Mist Incantation. With enough patience and time, players can spam the Incantation as much as they could until the Tree Sentinel drops dead, never having noticed the player and netting them a decent amount of runes to spend. [[spoiler:This is far harder to pull off on the one in Crumbling Farum Azula, as there's no easy way to sneak behind him.]]

** [[spoiler: After all of the atrocities the Greater Will and the Golden Order are responsible for, up to and including the [[CrapsackWorld state of the Lands Between]], the fact that every ending allows you to completely screw them over in some way is nothing short of satisfying.]]

** Queen Marika is also subject to a fair amount of this, with many attributing many of the darker aspects of the Golden Order, such as the wars of conquest and genocide, along with the FantasticRacism, as the fault of the Greater Will, and painting her as being forced to go along with it. Except, not only is it never stated that the Greater Will wants this, the Golden Order is explicitly a personality cult dedicated to Marika, making her the highest authority, and thus the one responsible. Furthermore, while most of her motivations are kept ambiguous, what little is revealed of her personality indicates her to be at minimum, a very ruthless and terrifying figure, as evidenced by the fact that Hewg is utterly terrified of her, and even Gideon is frightened by what he believes to be her will. Lastly, in regards to her parenting, most of what's shown indicates her to be an AbusiveParent to most of her children, with the exceptions of [[ParentalFavoritism Miquella and Godwyn]], as not only do none of her children mention her once in their dialogue or item descriptions, it's explicitly stated one of the reasons she summoned the Tarnished was to [[YouHaveFailedMe kill the demigods for failing in their task]].

** Befitting his role as an {{expy}} of Siegward/Siegmeyer, ''Dark Souls''' beloved onion-clad knight with a habit of getting stuck in pickles, the living jar Iron Fist Alexander is often affectionately dubbed "[[{{Pun}} Siegjard]]."

** Why did Radahn and Malenia fight to begin with? It's not at all intuitive for them to do so given that their realms are on the opposite sides of the map, that Malenia had much easier targets to pick off (right between the Haligtree and Caelid are Liurnia, which is in a civil war, and Limgrave, which Godrick can barely hold against the local beastmen and brigands with his depleted skeletal garrison), and that Radahn had just been repulsed from the capital by Morgott. Was it a case of two half-siblings fighting for power, or a Rune Shard, as suggested by Morgott in the cutscene of his boss fight? Did Malenia think Radahn had kidnapped Miquella, thus sparking a fight? Or perhaps Radahn posed enough of a threat that Malenia felt she had to stop him? Did she invade Radahn's territory solely to get to Mohg's palace, a location directly underneath the Heart of Aeonia where Radahn and Malenia dueled,[[note]]As in Miquella's cocoon is [[https://i.redd.it/aztdq2hy5yw81.jpg almost to the pixel]] at the same location as the arena; both images have the same coordinates, one is the underworld and the other is the overworld.[[/note]] and a misunderstanding created the conflict? Another theory is that Malenia was after Radahn specifically to free the stars from his power (the stars control fate and Miquella needed them for a ritual). There are vague hints into why they fought to begin with, but it leaves it open for debating regardless. Another aspect to this duel is that both Radahn and Malenia are gracious to each other, with her allowing him to use his gravity magics and he allows her to retrieve her prosthesis. Is this simply CombatByChampion and these are the rules of engagement? Do they respect each other enough to allow this to happen despite the clear disadvantage? Or is it simply pride and a desire to showcase their own skills?

* VillainsNeverLie: For a shadowy schemer, Ranni's very straightforward. If you accuse her of masterminding the Night of the Black Knives as part of Rogier's quest she'll point-blank say "Yes, it was I, I did it all" without a hint of either deception or false remorse (in fact, she specifically says that she doesn't regret the deed). If you then ask her for the location of the cursemark, she just says that she doesn't have it and isn't going to tell you where it is, rather than trying to lead you on a goose chase by giving you a false location or claiming that it's destroyed. She also says that you're justified not to trust her and that suspicion will serve you well in the Lands Between if you refuse her spirit bell in her first appearance, and that her servant Seluvis has [[SerialRapist "peculiarities"]] but not to mind them as you should only focus on extracting what usefulness you can. If queried about her plans, she will clearly lay out what she intends for her Age of the Stars to the Tarnished.