The Internet Is Losing It Over Elden Ring's Weird Enemy

It doesn't take much to get "Elden Ring" fans excited. A mild tweak to the game's website had gamers stirring, and fake footage raised gamers' hopes. Now, FromSoftware finally announced a release date for "Elden Ring," accompanied by a trailer of the game the internet has been waiting for. Surprisingly, people online fell in love with a strange creature seen shuffling across the screen. Enter the Pot Lads.

There's not really a better way to describe these characters than they look like little bodies shoved into pottery, arms and legs protruding oddly. The enemies featured in the trailer for only a moment, but the internet embraced them fully, immediately getting to work on fan art for the long-limbed fellas. In the process, gamers have taken to giving them several adorable nicknames, including Pot Lads, Vase Bois, and Pot Goblins.

Some gamers have made the connection between the ceramic enemies of "Elden Ring" and the mimics of "Dark Souls." Both enemies look like regular objects, but hide surprising creatures within, and both have the potential to do serious damage to the player character. The Pot Lads also resemble the messengers from "Bloodborne," who sometimes wear special outfits collected by players. In "Demon's Souls," some prisoners are even held in "man-sized pots."

The "Elden Ring" pots also look a good bit like the Pot Noble from "Sekiro," another FromSoftware game. The Pot Noble provides wares to Sekiro (for a price) and isn't an enemy at all. With so many similarities to other FromSoftware creatures, one wonders if the developers simply love the idea of anthropomorphic pottery. The pot-wearing monsters do seem to be enemies, but fans will have to wait until "Elden Ring" arrives to know for sure. Given the history of ceramics in FromSoftware games, these new Pot Lads could go either way.

Regardless of what gamers have decided to call these new baddies, they're universally loved on the internet. Some gamers have speculated that the Pot Lads are destined to become sought-after merchandise for FromSoftware fans. From memes to wholesome endorsements, fans clearly love the ceramic monsters and are excited to see them in "Elden Ring." One gamer said they would "even take a sip from [them]." It's not clear how clean the Pot Lads are, or if they'd particularly like for players to drink from them, but it's probably nice to have that sort of confidence.

Players won't be able to play "Elden Ring" until early 2022. While that's sooner than many fans expected, it's still a long wait for those eager to see these lumbering pots in all their glory.