From Software's library of games has become famous for its brutal difficulty, bizarre enemy design, grim fantasy worlds, and hilarious fandom-wide memes. Judging by its current reception, the recently released Elden Ring is a chip off the old block. Already, the game's fans are hard at work inventing new memes, but one in particular stands out as of writing. The Elden Ring dog meme is one of the most prolific memes currently circulating through the player base, but newcomers may find it confusing and out of place.
Many Elden Ring memes focus on the experiences of players trying to make their way through the Lands Between. The Elden Ring dog meme, however, does something different - rather than focus on the experience of playing Elden Ring, it draws attention to experiences that Elden Ring does not offer its players. In short, the meme focuses on players using the in-game messaging system to leave notes declaring various animals in the game to be dogs.
Do Not Pet the Dogs
In real life, dogs are largely domesticated and make for very popular pets, but in the world of Elden Ring, dogs are highly aggressive enemies. Not only are players unable to pet dogs, but they will also often find themselves being attacked by hostile canines. Dogs tend to roam in packs and can be encountered in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins. However, most of the other animals the Tarnished can encounter have been dubbed "dogs" by players. This especially applies to turtles, a completely non-aggressive species of animal that does not attack the player under any circumstances.
Since Elden Ring's dogs are so violent, it may seem odd that players are labeling completely harmless animals as "dogs." However, this is itself the point - From Software fans often leave deliberately misleading messages to each other. The choice to use Elden Ring's message system to make harmless animals seem dangerous builds from this existing meme tradition. It's relatively harmless fun, especially since the animal dubbed a "dog" needs to be pretty harmless in order for the joke to land. That said, these messages come from the same impulses that lead players to leave friendly notes inviting other gamers to jump from high places, likely to their deaths. What makes the dog meme special is that fans are encouraged by the game mechanics to propagate it and similarly funny misinformation.
The Mechanics of the Dog Meme
In Elden Ring, players are encouraged to use the message system to leave messages to other gamers both to help out other players and for specific benefits. Reading and engaging with messages adds a lot to the game, especially when memes are involved. However, a sufficiently funny or otherwise appreciated message can earn appraisals from other players. Players who leave highly praised messages can receive an instant heal in-game as a reward for their efforts. In a game as grueling as Elden Ring, those unexpected heals can be the difference between life and death. This encourages players to leave as many messages as possible. Thus, a lot of players began leaving blatantly incorrect warnings in front of animals that were not dogs, and the dog meme began to spread.
The dog meme's prevalence in Elden Ring has led to many fans jokingly referring to harmless animals as dogs when discussing the game, which can be quite confusing for new players and passersby. Even characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are referred to as dogs by Elden Ring players. Veteran From Software fans may remember that this isn't the first time a similar meme has taken off. Back in the days of Dark Souls 2, it became popular for players to leave notes reading "horse" in front of creatures that were definitely not horses - including dragons.
Elden Ring releases February 25 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.