Decoding the Whispers: What Do Messages in Elden Ring Actually Do?
Messages in Elden Ring serve as a unique and crucial form of player interaction, allowing Tarnished adventurers to leave behind short, cryptic notes for others to discover. These messages aren’t just flavor text; they are a vital mechanic that can dramatically impact a player’s journey through the Lands Between. Essentially, messages function as a community-driven guide, offering hints, warnings, humor, and sometimes blatant misdirection. These messages can indicate the presence of hidden paths, point out valuable loot, caution against ambushes, or simply offer a moment of levity in the often grim world of Elden Ring. Players communicate through a pre-determined set of words and phrases, which are used to create short, contextual notes. The messages, although simple in construction, play a very important role in the overall gameplay experience. They can save you time, frustration, and even your life, while also providing a sense of shared experience in a predominantly single-player game. The impact of Elden Ring’s message system goes far beyond just basic in-game hints. It creates a dynamic where players are constantly learning from each other, sharing both successes and failures.
The Power of Player Notes: Beyond Simple Hints
While the primary function of messages is to provide information, they achieve much more. The system taps into human psychology and shared experiences, creating a fascinating layer of social interaction. Here’s a deeper look at how messages operate:
Sharing Knowledge and Survival Tips
The most obvious use of messages is to share critical game knowledge. These could be:
- Location of Items: “Hidden path ahead,” or “treasure chest ahead” are common indicators of a secret location that may contain a vital item.
- Enemy Encounters: A message reading “ambush ahead” is invaluable, giving you the edge in a difficult fight. Messages also often pinpoint the presence of a tough enemy ahead, such as “strong foe ahead”.
- Safe Routes: Players sometimes mark safe paths with messages such as “safe route ahead,” or “no foe here,” a useful thing to find in a tricky area.
- Site of Grace: Players will often leave messages near Sites of Grace with simple notes like “grace ahead,” which can be a good way of finding one if lost.
The Humorous and The Trolling: The Dark Side of Messaging
Not all messages are designed to help. The system also allows for a fair amount of humor and, sometimes, trolling:
- Silly Humor: Players will often use the message system to write funny messages, like commenting on the appearance of the environment, the behavior of enemies, or the actions of the player themselves.
- Misdirection: Sometimes players are a bit malicious, leaving false messages to lure others into traps or dangerous encounters.
- Misleading Advice: A popular type of trolling is to leave a note warning about a false danger, leading players to let their guard down in a dangerous area.
The Reward System: Rating and Healing
The message system isn’t just a one-way street. Elden Ring encourages active participation by providing rewards for both creating and interacting with messages:
- Rating System: Players can rate messages as either “positive” or “negative”. Positive ratings indicate helpful messages, while negative ratings signal useless or misleading ones.
- Healing Upon Positive Rating: When a message is rated positively, the message creator receives a small amount of HP back in return, encouraging helpful interaction and useful messages.
The Limitations: Maximum Messages and Durability
There are limitations to message placement and longevity:
- Maximum Number of Messages: Each player can only have a limited number of active messages placed in the game at any given time, making it important to choose their location strategically. The maximum number of messages a player can place is 10.
- Protection: Players can apply “protection” to a limited number of messages. This prevents them from being automatically deleted when placing a new message once the maximum is reached.
- Message Lifespan: The life span of a message is not strictly set. Messages with high positive ratings will typically last much longer, while negatively rated messages might disappear quicker. If not protected, messages are automatically deleted when you reach the max, with the oldest message going first.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Elden Ring Messages
Here are some frequently asked questions about Elden Ring messages to further enhance your understanding:
1. Can you see messages left by players on different platforms?
No, messages are specific to the platform you are playing on. A player on PC won’t see the messages of a player on PlayStation, and vice versa.
2. Do you get anything for leaving messages in Elden Ring?
Yes, if your message receives a positive rating, you will receive a small health heal as a reward for helping someone out.
3. How long do messages last in Elden Ring?
The lifespan of a message depends on its rating. Messages with high positive ratings will remain active for a long time, while those with low or negative ratings might disappear relatively quickly. Protected messages will remain active regardless.
4. How many active messages can you have at once?
You can have a maximum of 10 active messages in Elden Ring.
5. Can I protect my favorite message?
Yes, you can apply protection to a limited number of messages, which will prevent them from being deleted automatically when you hit the message cap and add a new message.
6. Why are bloodstains connected to messages?
Bloodstains and messages work in tandem. Bloodstains allow you to see the death of other players, and messages are often left near bloodstains warning you to avoid the area or to point out why a player might have died there.
7. Can messages warn you about an upcoming boss fight?
Yes, players often leave messages near boss entrances warning of the battle or suggesting tactics, making them very useful for new players.
8. Do messages appear offline?
No, messages are an online feature of Elden Ring, meaning you cannot see messages if you are offline.
9. Can you report a message that is offensive or misleading?
No, there’s currently no report system for messages in Elden Ring. This means players have to learn to distinguish between useful and harmful messages through experience.
10. Do messages work across different game regions?
Yes, messages are global. You can see messages from other players anywhere in the world of Elden Ring, provided you are online.
11. Can you delete a message after posting it?
No, once a message is placed, you cannot directly delete it. If you reach the maximum number of messages, the oldest will be replaced unless they are protected.
12. Can messages indicate the location of hidden walls?
Yes, messages are often placed near illusory walls, with the message sometimes hinting at the presence of a hidden wall.
13. Are messages always reliable?
Definitely not. While many messages are helpful, some players intentionally leave misleading or false messages to trick others, so do not always trust a message that seems obvious.
14. Can messages be used to show off your achievements?
Sometimes players leave messages in hard-to-reach locations with a message about how difficult it was to get there, however, this isn’t a common practice.
15. Are messages always short?
Yes, messages in Elden Ring are always short, usually not more than a handful of words, but they can be surprisingly insightful, funny, or even terrifying within their constraints.
In conclusion, the message system in Elden Ring is a vital component of the game, enhancing player interaction, adding depth, and providing a unique way to experience this challenging world. Understanding how messages function will not only improve your gameplay experience, but also add a new layer of appreciation for the clever, humorous, and sometimes cruel, community that inhabits the Lands Between.