Chinese players discover Elden Ring hints hidden in beta test map

eurogamer.net:

A group of Chinese players has analysed the map used in the Elden Ring beta test to uncover secrets about the game.

The highly anticipated game is due out next month, with fans eager to learn more about The Lands Between.

We won't be including any story spoilers here, but what follows are details of the map analysis.

Files extracted from the beta test include a map of the Limgrave and Weeping Peninsula areas. It's similar to the map in-game, but with additional details.

These include various runes scattered in key areas. The runes initially appeared to be a fictional language, as the game includes various scripts used for their aesthetics.

However, the Chinese players discovered the runes on the map are standardised Yi script of Liangshan.

Why Yi script? They speculate it's because the script is mostly unknown and used commonly by priests, adding some fantastical mystery to the game.

By analysing names of places, identifying creatures on the map, and picking out repeated patterns of runes, the team realised that From Software has used the Yi script alphabet to spell out words in Japanese.

From there, the Chinese players decoded the runes across the map to discover hints at what to expect in the final game.

We won't repeat those hints here — after all, half the fun of Soulsborne games is discovering deeply hidden lore — but you can check out the video for yourself below.