Picture this: you’re standing before a massive, ornate door in Elden Ring, clearly meant for something important. Your heart’s racing because you know FromSoftware doesn’t build impressive architecture without hiding something terrifying behind it. Then you see it—a glowing message on the ground that simply reads: “Try finger, but hole.”
You roll your eyes, maybe chuckle, and then… you actually try using the door. Because somehow, in the twisted logic of Elden Ring’s community, even the most juvenile humor has trained you to pay attention.
Welcome to the beautiful paradox of Elden Ring’s message system, where the dumbest jokes often contain the smartest advice, and where “but hole” has become an accidental navigation system for millions of players.
The Accidental Genius of Reverse Psychology
Let’s start with my personal favorite category: messages that help you by subverting expectations. You know the ones I’m talking about. You’re wandering through a dangerous area when you spot a message reading “Didn’t expect weak foe” placed strategically in front of what looks like a completely normal enemy.
Your Souls-trained brain immediately translates this: “This thing is going to absolutely demolish me, isn’t it?”
And you’re usually right! These reverse psychology messages work because the Elden Ring community has developed its own twisted sense of humor. When someone drops “First off, well done” before you’ve accomplished anything, you know you’re about to walk into something challenging. It’s like having a friend who congratulates you right before you face something difficult—except the friend is a stranger on the internet who’s been exactly where you are.
The genius here is that these messages actually make you more cautious. I’ve watched streamers read seemingly congratulatory messages and immediately start scanning for environmental hazards, checking their flasks, and mentally preparing for the worst. The joke becomes a warning system that somehow works better than straightforward advice.
The Cryptic Truth-Tellers: When Memes Point the Way
Now, let’s talk about the messages that seem like standard trolling but occasionally lead you to genuine discoveries. You’ve definitely seen “Hidden path ahead” plastered throughout your journey. Most of the time, it’s players having fun with newcomers—hoping you’ll waste time hitting walls that are definitely not illusory. But here’s the thing: sometimes there really is a secret passage waiting.
The beauty of this system is that it’s taught players to be thorough explorers. Every “Hidden path ahead” message—even the trolling ones—has trained an entire generation of players to strike suspicious walls. Sure, most of them are solid stone, but enough of them have crumbled away to reveal incredible secrets that the community keeps trying.
What’s fascinating is how message clusters work as landmarks. When you see a concentration of messages in one area—even joke ones—you know other players found this spot significant enough to comment on. It might be a secret, a tough enemy, or just a memorable location, but it’s information either way.
The community has accidentally created a crowdsourced exploration guide through trial, error, and trolling. Those fake “Hidden path ahead” messages have probably led to more actual secret discoveries than any guide, simply because they’ve encouraged millions of players to test every suspicious surface they encounter.
The Philosophy of “Why is it always dog?”
Let’s address the elephant—or should I say dog—in the room. FromSoftware’s decision to categorize almost every four-legged creature as “dog” in their targeting system has given birth to one of gaming’s most persistent and beloved memes. Whether you’re facing a turtle, a massive wolf, or something that clearly defies biological classification, someone has definitely left a “dog” reference nearby.
But here’s what’s brilliant about this seemingly absurd running joke: it’s actually taught new players something important about how Elden Ring works. When you see “dog” messages next to creatures that are obviously not dogs, you learn that FromSoft plays by their own rules when it comes to categorization and game logic.
The “dog” phenomenon has become shorthand for “expect the unexpected in this game’s systems.” It’s community education disguised as a running gag. New players learn to question their assumptions about how mechanics work, which is honestly one of the most valuable skills you can develop in any Souls game.
Emotional Support Through Shared Suffering
Then there are the messages that don’t help with gameplay mechanics but somehow make the entire experience more bearable. “You don’t have the right, O you don’t have the right” started as a meme response to locked doors and inaccessible areas, but it’s evolved into something deeper—a sort of digital acknowledgment of shared limitation and struggle.
When you see this message after dying to a particularly tough boss, it’s not mocking your failure. It’s recognizing that everyone hits walls in this game, that struggling is part of the experience, and that you’re not alone in feeling like you don’t have the right tools, levels, or skills yet.
These messages create a weird sense of community in what’s traditionally a very isolated gaming experience. The message system transforms individual frustration into collective understanding. When someone leaves encouraging messages before major boss fights, they’re not being sarcastic—they’re acknowledging that you’ve joined the ranks of players who’ve stood in this exact spot, feeling the same mix of determination and dread.
The Unintentional Navigation System
Here’s something that took me embarrassingly long to realize: the message system has accidentally become one of the best navigation tools in the game. Not because individual messages are always helpful, but because they create memorable landmarks and crowd-sourced information networks.
When someone gives directions using “the place with all the finger messages,” you know exactly where they mean. These message clusters have become as recognizable as actual in-game landmarks. The community has unknowingly created a shared vocabulary of locations based on where certain jokes tend to concentrate.
The rating system adds another crucial layer to this. A highly-rated message—even a humorous one—signals that many players found this spot worth stopping at and engaging with. Sometimes it’s because there’s a secret nearby. Sometimes it’s because there’s a particularly memorable encounter. Either way, it’s valuable information about what other players found significant.
I’ve started paying attention to message ratings as much as their content. A “Try ranged battle” with hundreds of upvotes carries different weight than one with just a few. The community has unknowingly created a crowdsourced verification system for both threats and opportunities.
Helpful Trolling: The “Try Rolling” Phenomenon
One of my favorite examples of accidentally helpful trolling is the infamous “Try rolling” message. Players love dropping these near cliffs, in front of obvious traps, or in situations where rolling would be disastrous. It seems cruel, right? But here’s the twist: sometimes “Try rolling” is genuinely good advice.
The meme has become so prevalent that it’s taught players to think more carefully about when rolling is and isn’t appropriate. When you see the message, you pause and consider: “Is this actually good advice, or is someone trying to get me killed?” That moment of consideration often leads to better decision-making than if you’d just acted on instinct.
Plus, the message has helped newer players discover that rolling has invincibility frames and can be used to avoid damage in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Even the trolling versions serve an educational purpose by making players more aware of their movement options.
The Psychology of Shared Jokes
What fascinates me most about Elden Ring’s message system is how it transforms frustration into connection. When you die to the same boss repeatedly and see a message that captures exactly how you’re feeling, you’re reminded that someone else stood in this exact spot, felt this exact frustration, and chose to respond with humor rather than rage.
The comedy serves as emotional armor. Instead of rage-quitting after another brutal death, you might find yourself chuckling at a well-placed message that acknowledges the absurdity of your situation. The humor creates just enough emotional distance to try again, while also building a sense of camaraderie with fellow sufferers.
This is why “Try finger, but hole” has achieved legendary status beyond its crude humor. It represents the community’s refusal to take itself too seriously, even in the face of constant challenge and death. In a game designed to punish and humble players, maintaining a sense of humor becomes an act of resilience.
The Method in the Madness
So the next time you encounter what appears to be a completely useless joke message, take a moment to consider what it might actually be communicating. That cluster of silly messages around a suspicious wall might be marking a spot where the community suspects secrets. The seemingly sarcastic encouragement before a boss fight represents genuine solidarity from players who’ve faced the same challenge.
The beauty of Elden Ring’s message system lies in its layers. On the surface, it’s juvenile humor and trolling. But underneath, it’s become one of gaming’s most effective community support networks. Players help each other through shared jokes, crowd-sourced warnings, and accidentally created navigation systems.
Even the most ridiculous messages serve a purpose. They keep the community engaged with each other, create memorable landmarks, and inject moments of levity into an often punishing experience. They remind us that behind every character struggling through the Lands Between is another human being who understands exactly what you’re going through.
The Accidental Wisdom of Chaos
Elden Ring’s message system works precisely because it wasn’t designed to be a comprehensive help system. Instead, it emerged organically from players trying to communicate within strict limitations, leading to a unique form of crowd-sourced guidance that’s part helpful hint, part inside joke, and part emotional support.
The most profound messages aren’t always the most obviously useful ones. Sometimes the most helpful thing another player can do is make you laugh when you’re ready to throw your controller. Sometimes it’s warning you about danger through sarcasm. Sometimes it’s just letting you know that other people have been exactly where you are, felt exactly what you’re feeling, and made it through to leave a message for the next person.
This is why the system has become beloved rather than just tolerated. It’s not perfect, it’s not always helpful in traditional ways, but it creates something that sterile tip systems never could: a sense of shared experience and community humor that makes the journey through the Lands Between feel less lonely.
Final Thoughts
The next time you’re placing your own message, remember that you’re participating in something special. Whether you’re making a joke, leaving a genuine hint, or just marking your presence in a difficult spot, you’re adding to the strange, wonderful tapestry that makes Elden Ring more than just a single-player experience.
After all, we’re all just trying to make it through the Lands Between together, one message at a time—even if half of them are about fingers and holes. And if you need more help navigating this treacherous world, our other Elden Ring Guides & Tips have got you covered.
What’s your favorite message you’ve encountered in Elden Ring? Have you ever been genuinely helped by what seemed like a joke message, or found yourself laughing at exactly the right moment thanks to the community’s humor? Share your experiences—because if there’s one thing the Souls community loves more than cryptic messages, it’s talking about how those messages somehow always manage to help us when we need it most.
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