Elden Ring Memes

2019Subculture / multi-format meme familysemi-active

Also known as: Elden Ring · No Maidens · Let Me Solo Her · Touch Grace

Elden Ring Memes are the massive wave of internet jokes, fan creations, and viral moments spawned by FromSoftware's 2022 action RPG, a game co-created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. The meme culture around Elden Ring is unique because it started years before the game even launched, with fans on Reddit inventing fake lore, fictional bosses, and elaborate inside jokes for a game that didn't exist yet1. After the game's release in February 2022, it generated a second explosion of memes including No Maidens, Let Me Solo Her, and Touch Grace3.

elden ring memespre release hype memesdifficulty memesfandom hype memessoulsborne memes

Overview

Elden Ring Memes cover two distinct eras of internet humor around the same game. The first wave, from 2019 to early 2022, came from fans who grew so impatient waiting for the game that they invented an entire fictional version of it, complete with bosses, areas, and lore that didn't exist1. The second wave arrived when the game actually launched on February 25, 2022, bringing a flood of in-game memes built around the Soulsborne difficulty tradition, cryptic NPC dialogue, and the game's own language3.

The pre-release memes are particularly unusual in gaming culture. Rather than reacting to existing content, the r/EldenRing community collectively hallucinated an entire game world, treating their invented fiction with the same reverence and frustration fans typically reserve for real game experiences1.

Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019 as a collaboration between FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones novelist George R.R. Martin2. The announcement trailer dropped in June 2019, and then the game went almost completely silent1.

By November 2019, the r/EldenRing subreddit had descended into creative madness. With no new information to discuss, fans started creating "Fake Lore" posts, inventing bosses, areas, and storylines for a game that wouldn't release for over two years1. The community developed shared canonical elements. Glaive Master Hodir became the unanimously agreed-upon notoriously difficult boss, discussed across the subreddit as though he were a real in-game encounter1. Fans debated strategies for beating the Shattered Vikings of Stonehaven Sanctuary and praised the beauty of the Serpent's Fjord, none of which existed in any form1.

After launch on February 25, 2022, the game received multiple perfect review scores and broke sales records3. The post-release meme explosion drew from actual game content, spawning formats like No Maidens (a riff on NPC dialogue), Let Me Solo Her (celebrating a legendary player who helped others defeat the boss Malenia), and Touch Grace (the Elden Ring version of "touch grass")3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Reddit (r/EldenRing subreddit for pre-release fake lore), Twitter / YouTube / Reddit (post-release memes)
Creator
FromSoftware
Date
2019 (pre-release), 2022 (post-release)

Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019 as a collaboration between FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones novelist George R.R. Martin2. The announcement trailer dropped in June 2019, and then the game went almost completely silent1.

By November 2019, the r/EldenRing subreddit had descended into creative madness. With no new information to discuss, fans started creating "Fake Lore" posts, inventing bosses, areas, and storylines for a game that wouldn't release for over two years1. The community developed shared canonical elements. Glaive Master Hodir became the unanimously agreed-upon notoriously difficult boss, discussed across the subreddit as though he were a real in-game encounter1. Fans debated strategies for beating the Shattered Vikings of Stonehaven Sanctuary and praised the beauty of the Serpent's Fjord, none of which existed in any form1.

After launch on February 25, 2022, the game received multiple perfect review scores and broke sales records3. The post-release meme explosion drew from actual game content, spawning formats like No Maidens (a riff on NPC dialogue), Let Me Solo Her (celebrating a legendary player who helped others defeat the boss Malenia), and Touch Grace (the Elden Ring version of "touch grass")3.

How It Spread

The fake lore era of 2019-2021 stayed largely contained within the r/EldenRing subreddit and FromSoftware fan communities, though outlets like Polygon covered the unusual creative outpouring in November 20191. As Polygon's Cass Marshall noted, fans had "gone feral," making "incredibly specific memes for a game that does not exist"1. The community created tragic boss backstories, gameplay tips for nonexistent encounters, and detailed area guides for imaginary locations1.

The post-release meme wave in early 2022 spread far beyond Reddit. Elden Ring memes hit Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and gaming forums worldwide3. The game's combination of extreme difficulty, obtuse NPC dialogue, and open-world absurdity gave players endless material. Let Me Solo Her went particularly viral when a player named "Let Me Solo Her" became famous for wearing only a jar helmet and helping thousands of players defeat the game's hardest boss.

Platforms

RedditRedditTwitter

Timeline

2023-01-01

Meme keeps see steady use

2024-01-01

Elden Ring Memes reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

Elden Ring memes come in several formats depending on the era:

Pre-release fake lore style: Create a detailed, serious-sounding post about a boss, area, or mechanic that doesn't exist. Write it as though you're a frustrated player seeking help or a lore enthusiast sharing discoveries. The joke works best when the fake content is highly specific and delivered completely straight-faced1.

No Maidens format: Use the phrase "No maidens?" as a dismissive response, typically paired with a screenshot of the NPC who says it. Often used as a reaction image to mock someone's behavior or situation3.

Touch Grace: Elden Ring's equivalent of "touch grass." In the game, players interact with Sites of Grace (checkpoints). Telling someone to "touch grace" means they need to step away from the internet, delivered with Elden Ring flavor3.

Let Me Solo Her: Reference the legendary player or the concept of an overpowered helper arriving to save the day. Typically used when someone swoops in to solve a seemingly impossible problem.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The pre-release fake lore period attracted mainstream gaming press coverage, with Polygon publishing a feature article about the community's creative output in November 20191. The article framed the fake lore not as mere shitposting but as a meaningful form of fan engagement, arguing that "shared themes across a body of work can impact a player more than just prizing a series of individual concepts"1. The fact that FromSoftware fans developed what amounted to their own shared dialect and mythology before the game even launched was considered remarkable1.

After the game's February 2022 release, Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022 and sold over 20 million copies in its first year, ensuring its meme output reached mainstream audiences well beyond the Soulsborne fanbase3.

Fun Facts

The r/EldenRing subreddit's "Fake Lore" tag became one of the most active content categories during the nearly three-year wait between announcement and release1.

Polygon compared the fake lore community to people who might just need "a tall glass of water and some applesauce" to break out of their "fake lore fugue"1.

The collaboration between Miyazaki and Martin was announced at E3 2019, combining the creator of Dark Souls with the author of A Song of Ice and Fire2.

Despite inventing hundreds of fake bosses and areas, the community collectively agreed on Glaive Master Hodir as the most important shared creation1.

The game launched to multiple perfect review scores and became one of the best-selling games of 20223.

Derivatives & Variations

Elden Ring Memes Variations

Different takes on the Elden Ring Memes format with modified content

(2022)

Elden Ring Memes Mashups

Combinations of Elden Ring Memes with other popular memes

(2023)

Elden Ring Memes Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2023)

Frequently Asked Questions

Elden Ring Memes

2019Subculture / multi-format meme familysemi-active

Also known as: Elden Ring · No Maidens · Let Me Solo Her · Touch Grace

Elden Ring Memes are the massive wave of internet jokes, fan creations, and viral moments spawned by FromSoftware's 2022 action RPG, a game co-created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. The meme culture around Elden Ring is unique because it started years before the game even launched, with fans on Reddit inventing fake lore, fictional bosses, and elaborate inside jokes for a game that didn't exist yet1. After the game's release in February 2022, it generated a second explosion of memes including No Maidens, Let Me Solo Her, and Touch Grace3.

elden ring memes pre release hype memes difficulty memes fandom hype memes soulsborne memes

Overview

Elden Ring Memes cover two distinct eras of internet humor around the same game. The first wave, from 2019 to early 2022, came from fans who grew so impatient waiting for the game that they invented an entire fictional version of it, complete with bosses, areas, and lore that didn't exist1. The second wave arrived when the game actually launched on February 25, 2022, bringing a flood of in-game memes built around the Soulsborne difficulty tradition, cryptic NPC dialogue, and the game's own language3.

The pre-release memes are particularly unusual in gaming culture. Rather than reacting to existing content, the r/EldenRing community collectively hallucinated an entire game world, treating their invented fiction with the same reverence and frustration fans typically reserve for real game experiences1.

Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019 as a collaboration between FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones novelist George R.R. Martin2. The announcement trailer dropped in June 2019, and then the game went almost completely silent1.

By November 2019, the r/EldenRing subreddit had descended into creative madness. With no new information to discuss, fans started creating "Fake Lore" posts, inventing bosses, areas, and storylines for a game that wouldn't release for over two years1. The community developed shared canonical elements. Glaive Master Hodir became the unanimously agreed-upon notoriously difficult boss, discussed across the subreddit as though he were a real in-game encounter1. Fans debated strategies for beating the Shattered Vikings of Stonehaven Sanctuary and praised the beauty of the Serpent's Fjord, none of which existed in any form1.

After launch on February 25, 2022, the game received multiple perfect review scores and broke sales records3. The post-release meme explosion drew from actual game content, spawning formats like No Maidens (a riff on NPC dialogue), Let Me Solo Her (celebrating a legendary player who helped others defeat the boss Malenia), and Touch Grace (the Elden Ring version of "touch grass")3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Reddit (r/EldenRing subreddit for pre-release fake lore), Twitter / YouTube / Reddit (post-release memes)
Creator
FromSoftware
Date
2019 (pre-release), 2022 (post-release)

Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019 as a collaboration between FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones novelist George R.R. Martin2. The announcement trailer dropped in June 2019, and then the game went almost completely silent1.

By November 2019, the r/EldenRing subreddit had descended into creative madness. With no new information to discuss, fans started creating "Fake Lore" posts, inventing bosses, areas, and storylines for a game that wouldn't release for over two years1. The community developed shared canonical elements. Glaive Master Hodir became the unanimously agreed-upon notoriously difficult boss, discussed across the subreddit as though he were a real in-game encounter1. Fans debated strategies for beating the Shattered Vikings of Stonehaven Sanctuary and praised the beauty of the Serpent's Fjord, none of which existed in any form1.

After launch on February 25, 2022, the game received multiple perfect review scores and broke sales records3. The post-release meme explosion drew from actual game content, spawning formats like No Maidens (a riff on NPC dialogue), Let Me Solo Her (celebrating a legendary player who helped others defeat the boss Malenia), and Touch Grace (the Elden Ring version of "touch grass")3.

How It Spread

The fake lore era of 2019-2021 stayed largely contained within the r/EldenRing subreddit and FromSoftware fan communities, though outlets like Polygon covered the unusual creative outpouring in November 20191. As Polygon's Cass Marshall noted, fans had "gone feral," making "incredibly specific memes for a game that does not exist"1. The community created tragic boss backstories, gameplay tips for nonexistent encounters, and detailed area guides for imaginary locations1.

The post-release meme wave in early 2022 spread far beyond Reddit. Elden Ring memes hit Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and gaming forums worldwide3. The game's combination of extreme difficulty, obtuse NPC dialogue, and open-world absurdity gave players endless material. Let Me Solo Her went particularly viral when a player named "Let Me Solo Her" became famous for wearing only a jar helmet and helping thousands of players defeat the game's hardest boss.

Platforms

RedditRedditTwitter

Timeline

2023-01-01

Meme keeps see steady use

2024-01-01

Elden Ring Memes reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

Elden Ring memes come in several formats depending on the era:

Pre-release fake lore style: Create a detailed, serious-sounding post about a boss, area, or mechanic that doesn't exist. Write it as though you're a frustrated player seeking help or a lore enthusiast sharing discoveries. The joke works best when the fake content is highly specific and delivered completely straight-faced1.

No Maidens format: Use the phrase "No maidens?" as a dismissive response, typically paired with a screenshot of the NPC who says it. Often used as a reaction image to mock someone's behavior or situation3.

Touch Grace: Elden Ring's equivalent of "touch grass." In the game, players interact with Sites of Grace (checkpoints). Telling someone to "touch grace" means they need to step away from the internet, delivered with Elden Ring flavor3.

Let Me Solo Her: Reference the legendary player or the concept of an overpowered helper arriving to save the day. Typically used when someone swoops in to solve a seemingly impossible problem.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The pre-release fake lore period attracted mainstream gaming press coverage, with Polygon publishing a feature article about the community's creative output in November 20191. The article framed the fake lore not as mere shitposting but as a meaningful form of fan engagement, arguing that "shared themes across a body of work can impact a player more than just prizing a series of individual concepts"1. The fact that FromSoftware fans developed what amounted to their own shared dialect and mythology before the game even launched was considered remarkable1.

After the game's February 2022 release, Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022 and sold over 20 million copies in its first year, ensuring its meme output reached mainstream audiences well beyond the Soulsborne fanbase3.

Fun Facts

The r/EldenRing subreddit's "Fake Lore" tag became one of the most active content categories during the nearly three-year wait between announcement and release1.

Polygon compared the fake lore community to people who might just need "a tall glass of water and some applesauce" to break out of their "fake lore fugue"1.

The collaboration between Miyazaki and Martin was announced at E3 2019, combining the creator of Dark Souls with the author of A Song of Ice and Fire2.

Despite inventing hundreds of fake bosses and areas, the community collectively agreed on Glaive Master Hodir as the most important shared creation1.

The game launched to multiple perfect review scores and became one of the best-selling games of 20223.

Derivatives & Variations

Elden Ring Memes Variations

Different takes on the Elden Ring Memes format with modified content

(2022)

Elden Ring Memes Mashups

Combinations of Elden Ring Memes with other popular memes

(2023)

Elden Ring Memes Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2023)

Frequently Asked Questions