Elden Ring borrows many of its mechanics and systems from FromSoftware’s previous games, including the unique message system that allows gamers to indirectly communicate with each other. Like the Dark Souls games, Elden Ring players can leave messages on the ground with useful information, such as the location of an important item or the next Site of Grace.
This feature provides a great way to warn others of an ambush, but not all players leave useful information in their notes. Many Elden Ring fans leave messages with jokes or references to other video games and movies, but some try to trick others into falling to their death. FromSoftware allows players to rate the messages and users regain health if theirs get appraised. It's not unusual for helpful messages to receive hundreds of ratings, but one Elden Ring player came across a message with an absurd amount of appraisals.
A user named Gilgameshbrah found a message with 9,999 appraisals while exploring the Lands Between. This note may have received even more appraisals as 9,999 is the maximum number that shows up on this screen. The other player seems to have run into trouble as the message reads “I can’t take this, I want to go home, O I want to go home.” Users will usually find these words in Elden Ring’s deepest dungeons and caves, with this image taken from the Lake of Rot, which is perhaps infamous for being an annoying area to navigate.
The Lake of Rot is known for its massive pool of scarlet rot near the first Site of Grace. It functions similarly to the swamps in FromSoftware’s games, as fans are forced to slowly make their way to a safe spot while a deadly status ailment keeps reducing their health. According to the comments, this particular message is found in the Grand Cloister in the Lake of Rot.
Some users share stories of the times they saw a message with 9,999 appraisals in Elden Ring. Many fans came across one with the words “Time for Elden Ring” near the beginning of the game when it first came out, with some also mentioning that they saw maximum appraisals for popular jokes in the community. One user tells a funny story of how they encountered a message with 9,999 appraisals stating that there is a secret passage nearby. Being new to FromSoftware’s games, they thought it was genuine and searched everywhere for the secret, only to find out that it was also a joke.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.