FromSoftware's open world action-RPG Elden Ring has earned rave reviews across the board, with many hailing it as the best Soulsborne game to date. Elden Ring builds on what FromSoftware started with its previous games like the Dark Souls series, and as a result, there are many features that are shared between the studio's various games. This includes a rather unique way to communicate with other players online.
In Elden Ring, players can leave messages on the ground that can be seen and read by other players in their own games. These messages can sometimes be helpful by warning players of an impending ambush or by helping them find secret treasure. Alternatively, these messages can be trolls. Elden Ring players often troll others with messages by strategically placing them in inconvenient spots, like right by Sites of Grace or at the bottom of a ladder. Other times Elden Ring players use messages to trick players into wasting their time hitting a fake illusory wall or by jumping off a cliff to their death.
While Elden Ring players likely get annoyed by the trolling messages, they may appreciate the more helpful ones they come across while exploring the Lands Between. Whenever Elden Ring players read a message in the game, they are given the option to appraise it, and doing this can mean life and death for other players.
This was illustrated by an intense clip uploaded to Reddit by user SadroSoul. In the clip, SadroSoul is fighting the God-Devouring Serpent, aka Rykard, an optional boss located beneath Volcano Manor. The boss fight against Rykard can be very difficult, as he is capable of dishing out a ton of damage with each hit. In the clip, SadroSoul finds themselves trapped in the serpent's mouth, being slammed on the ground repeatedly before getting thrown across the arena. This could have been the end of SadroSoul's run at the God-Devouring Serpent, but they are saved at the last minute by a message appraisal.
In Elden Ring, whenever someone's message is appraised, they are given a big boost in health. This encourages Elden Ring players to leave helpful or clever messages in the Lands Between, as they stand to benefit whenever someone finds the message and appraises it. Those who want to be nice to their fellow Tarnished may want to make it a habit of appraising as many messages as possible, because as shown in this clip, it can give players the help they need to win a tough fight.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.