Like other FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring is a game with an absolutely brutal difficulty level, and as a result, it's likely that players will die hundreds of times between the start of their adventure and when they finally defeat the final boss. Elden Ring players die plenty at the hands of enemies, traps, and other hazards, but many die at their own hands as well. Out of all the locations in the game, though, it seems the starting area is the favorite spot for Elden Ring players to off themselves.
This was recently pointed out by Reddit user Vexed_Algides, who posted a screenshot of the excessive bloodstains found in Elden Ring's starting area. More specifically, Elden Ring players are killing themselves in front of the dead maiden in the Chapel of Anticipation, which is where they get the Tarnished's Wizened Finger, an important item that lets players leave messages for others to read in their own worlds.
There is nothing that can kill the player in this area. They have to venture outside and fight Elden Ring's first boss if they want to die at the hands of an enemy, but regardless, there are a ton of bloodstains in front of the dead maiden. This means that players are killing themselves on purpose in front of her, though some Elden Ring fans may be confused by this behavior, especially if they are new to FromSoftware games.
Flooding the starting area of a FromSoftware game with excessive bloodstains is sort of a tradition in the community at this point, with one of the most other notable examples of this happening being Dark Souls 2. In Dark Souls 2, players have to move through a dark forest area to reach Majula, which acts as the game's hub town, the equivalent to Elden Ring's Roundtable Hold. Majula is one of the few safe places in Dark Souls 2, yet there are excessive bloodstains in the path leading up to it.
This is a way for Dark Souls 2 players to prank newcomers. Those who are new to the game may see the bloodstains all over the ground and think that some kind of dangerous enemy or trap is right around the corner. They'll soon realize that they're completely safe, but it does put some players on edge for a bit. It's just a joke, though most new Elden Ring players will soon likely meet their doom anyway when they fight the Grafted Scion boss outside the Chapel of Anticipation's doors.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
