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When Demon’s Souls released way back when, it introduced a novel and interactive system for players to communicate with each other. You would be able to write messages composed of set phrases, much like what you could do in Pokémon games and alike. In Boletaria, and the rest of FromSoftware’s world since, player-written messages have been a fantastic way to learn the game, but the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has seen a massive increase in obnoxious messages designed purely to farm healing.
With the massively overhauled difficulty scaling that the Land of Shadows brought with it, so has the desperate need to appraisal. For reference, when you appraise (or even interact with) a message in Elden Ring, it will heal you a solid chunk of your HP. If you manage to manufacture a viral message that’s well received, it’s going to heal you a lot of health.
If you’re fighting against a boss and you’ve used up your last flask, you had better hope someone likes that lewd message you left over by the corpse in a compromising position.
I laughed the first time I saw the “try finger, ___ ___” message. Now it’s just a bit dry.
Most of the more obnoxious messages will be found just next to a fog wall or a summoning sign. You will probably click them just before you head into a room to get your ego checked by Radahn or the Blackgaol Knight. MNore often than not, they will contain a vain and uninteresting message that adds little to the texture of the game. There are freak instances where someone is able to scrawl together a poetic jigsaw of boilerplate phrases into something meaningful. There are, however, a lot of messages out there that just pollute the world of Elden Ring with nothing but trite.
There’s a particularly notable moment where you, like many others, will really feel the frustration that messages can bring. Bayle the Dread is one of the new notable bosses in Elden Ring, and the Wyvern will pounce on you as soon as you enter the arena. You’re going to be able to summon Igon inside the arena, though you’ll only have a few frames to click on sign before you get barbecued by the boss. If you’re unlucky enough to click on the “you have no right” message tactfully left beside Igon’s sign – I feel your pain.
Not all of the messages left behind in Elden Ring are as irritating as the one above. Nor are the ‘irritating’ ones that inexcusable: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. More often than not, they’re amusing, and never really much a harm more than once.
