Elden Ring detectives can't decide if the beast warrior from the trailer is a dog or not

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They're measuring snouts and counting teeth over here

Elden Ring
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

The long-awaited release of a full-fat Elden Ring trailer may have calmed the game's ravenous community, but it's also inspired a new and fervid debate: is the beast warrior from the new trailer (pictured above) a dog or something else?

Nearest I can tell, this started a few days ago with a simple question on the game's subreddit: is that warrior of the canine or feline variety? The community was quickly divided, with some arguing that it is in fact a lion knight based on the shape of its nose, lips, and mane, while others highlighted the shape of the warrior's teeth as indisputable proof of doggo blood. And thus, three parties were formed: Team Lion, Team Dog, and Team Wolf. Meanwhile, Team Lolf was busily brokering a peace treaty. 

he_is_neither_a_wolf_nor_a_dog_he_is_a_noble_lion from r/Eldenring

The plot thickened as the once-joking Team Lolf gained ground thanks to an extensive breakdown citing the roars of actual lions and tigers, the bite of a panther, as well as the snout and tail of a wolf. Reddit user michel6079 began to seriously speculate that "it's unironically a 'Lolf'", and like a Big Bang, this made room for all sorts of off-the-wall theories. 

In the past few hours alone, Team Bear has come out of hibernation alongside the once-neutral amphycion stans, also known as Team Bear Dog, not to mention Team Chimera, made up of staunch believers of a mixed breed beast warrior, and even Team Wolverine (but let's be honest, there's no way the wolverines make it out of the primaries). 

So in case anyone was wondering how the Elden Ring community has been handling the roughly six-month wait until the game's release, well, they've turned the identity of one character that gets about five seconds of limelight into an eight-faction (and growing) zoological debate. Somebody really ought to check on them soon; in the time since I started researching this, Team Giraffe and Team Platypus joined the fight in an obvious attempt to steal votes from Team Lolf and Team Chimera, respectively, and you can bet it was the two-faced Team Bear Dog that put 'em up to it. 

How long is Elden Ring? Director Hidetaka Miyazaki estimates around 30 hours with zero side trips, which is just a fraction of the time that fans have collectively put into this bestial bickering. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.