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Elden Ring has only been out for a few hours, but players are already using the messaging system to mess with their fellow Tarnished.
If you're at all familiar with FromSoftware games, you'll have encountered these messages dotted about the worlds of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Composed from a limited list of words in an attempt to encourage creativity, the notes are left by players and then rated by the rest of the community, in a system originally intended to offer a gentle helping hand through the studio's punishing worlds.
As often as the messages might offer warning of a monster lurking around a corner, however, they can also be used to bait Chosen Undead or Tarnished to an unwitting end. In the Reddit post below, submitted barely an hour after Elden Ring launched, it seems that early-adopting tricksters were already making the most of the system. Standing above a gaping abyss, user trollvor211 reads a note that simply reads "Try jumping." A number of bloodstains - denoting spots where other players have died - surrounding the message suggest that this particular message had its desired effect.
Some messages have proven less deadly, but just as frustrating. Watching a friend play last night, I saw him tumble into a series of stone walls because of messages promising treasure chests ahead. IGN reporter Reb Valentine shared their experience, following a trail of messages that eventually led to a cliff edge, the promised rewards only discoverable way off in the distance.
fuck's sake pic.twitter.com/NFZlgXXfgLFebruary 25, 2022
Other notes are just plain silly. The Lands Between are already dotted with a host of messages reading something along the lines of "Try fingers, but whole". One, hidden underneath a bunch of destructible crates right at the start of the game, documents another classic player tactic by proclaiming "Praise the rolling!", while another, placed before a tiny ledge, reads "Behold, jumping!"
While the concentration of messages is likely to be highest towards the start of the game, there's no guarantee that they'll get any more helpful as you progress through The Lands Between, so make sure you're on your guard.
Elsewhere, Elden Ring appears to be off to a flying start, smashing the concurrent player counts of its two most recent predecessors. That's likely helped by world-beating review scores, which you can get a closer look at in our own Elden Ring review.
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