Thanks to the detailed and user-friendly Elden Ring character creator, one player has managed to bring Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings into the game. This is just one example of how players can craft meticulously detailed avatars through the latest FromSoftware title, with another fan using the character creator to birth a version of Friends' Ross in Elden Ring.
While the most accurate way to describe Elden Ring would be as an open-world action game, it certainly has no shortage of RPG elements. The most recognizable of these elements can be found in the gear and progression systems, which allow players to scale up their abilities and stats as they move throughout the game and conquer its challenges. Before any of this occurs, though, players must create their own character. During this opening process, gamers can simply randomize their avatar's appearance and proceed with the game, but those inclined to have a more personalized digital human can leverage a series of cosmetic toggles and sliders to achieve that end. These custom creations often get shared across social media, with one high-profile example being Neil Druckmann's TLOU Clicker-inspired Elden Ring character.
Elden Ring players don't appear to be slowing down with their custom character designs, as evidenced by a recent post from Redditor TheMilkManReddit, who shared a series of screenshots depicting a Tarnished modeled after the film version of The Lord of the Ring's Gandalf. A more clean-shaven depiction of the same character is also shown, boasting an appearance that is much more similar to how actor Ian McKellen looks in real life. The post includes comparison pictures of each custom character beside their real-world and film counterparts for good measure, and the full set of images can be seen on Reddit. Those looking to make their own Gandalf can follow TheMilkMan's handy YouTube tutorial video to see the sliders.
See the full image gallery on Reddit here.
The post was made on a subreddit dedicated to custom characters in FromSoftware games, demonstrating all there is to say about the community surrounding Elden Ring creations. Whether an Elden Ring player is making Nigel Thornberry or some more intimidating fictional character, the robust character creation options seem to allow for it. This subculture is surely pleased by the fact that Elden Ring's improved graphics have opened the door to even more interesting and detailed player characters.
It has only been about two weeks since Elden Ring was unleashed on the gaming community, and already it has yielded a bevy of intriguing, funny, and surprising online content. While the character creator may not be the main draw of the game for all its players, it is emblematic of the title's broader freedom of choice. Who knows, the gaming world might even see more Lord of the Rings-inspired creations in Elden Ring down the road.