The hotly-anticipated Elden Ring has finally been released, and it appears that fans around the world have warmly embraced this dark fantasy action game. Elden Ring's aesthetic leans closer to traditional high and heroic fantasy than the grim darkness of FromSoftware's other Soulsborne titles. One Elden Ring player recently found a funny message that takes advantage of the game's classic fantasy elements to reference the iconic Lord of the Rings franchise.

The Lord of the Rings may be one of the most famous fantasy franchises in the world, so it may not be a surprise to see that the series appears to have inspired part of Elden Ring's setting. Not only is The Lord of the Rings so popular that most modern fantasy has some connection to J.R.R. Tolkien's world, but it also directly helped inspire George R.R. Martin. As Martin helped create Elden Ring's worldbuilding, it might be odder to not encounter any ties to The Lord of the Rings in the game.

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Redditor Master-Spare-4782 shared a screenshot of themself stumbling across a message in Elden Ring, which they described as their favorite message so far. The message uses the cryptic format of the game's word selection to instruct the reader to "Try throwing, Elden Ring!" It is found beside a deep chasm leading to a pool of lava, making it a clear reference to The Lord of the Rings--a story in which the main goal is to throw a magical ring into a volcano.

According to the screenshot, this message is rated "Good" and has been appraised 510 times, which is an impressive number considering how difficult it can be to find specific messages in the game. This isn't the first time Elden Ring players have left messages full of references to other properties, but it may be one of the funniest. However, players should probably not try throwing the Elden Ring into the lava during their playthroughs.

As of writing, it appears that other fans also find this message hilarious. A sizable chunk of the replies consists of users making their own references to The Lord of the Rings, such as claiming that the hobbits are being taken to Caelid or asking the Tarnished what their maidenless eyes see. Another group of users stated that it would be neat if FromSoftware would spawn a hidden enemy beside the lava pool that would try to attack the player from behind, much like the climax of The Lord of the Rings.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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