The Legend Of Elden Ring's 'Let Me Solo Her' Explained
Video games don't often have certifiable folk heroes. Sure, there might be little hidden tidbits in a game, like the beloved money trees in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," but those things are usually buried in the game's code itself. In a title like "Elden Ring," players have to hold on to every scrap of hope they can get as they go up against a list of increasingly difficult bosses. Malenia is one of the most frustrating enemies in the entire game, mostly because she doesn't allow players a moment to breathe between merciless attacks. While some might consider her an optional boss in a hidden area, Malenia has quickly become one of the biggest challenges for "Elden Ring" players – and the only way to remove the frenzied flame curse. But for those who can't beat Malenia on their own, there's a brave hero out there ready to lend a hand, and fans are singing their praises all over the internet.
YouTuber Klein Tsuboi (a moniker taken from anime "Sword Art Online") recently uploaded a video titled "Let me solo her. 3rd summon solo Malenia" on April 12. In the clip, the player emerged from the summoning spot wearing nothing but a Warrior Jar helmet, urging the host player to let them battle alone against Malenia. Shockingly, the host accepted the offer, standing back as the jar-headed warrior began chipping away at Malenia's health. The player relied on speed (likely aided by their lack of clothing) and dodging skills to avoid Malenia's attacks, perfectly timing their own katana swings between blows. Tsuboi's name in "Elden Ring" — which is the only thing other players see – is simply "let me solo her," indicating exactly what the warrior intends to do. Players immediately took to calling Tsuboi "let me solo her." Their legend quickly grew from there.
A hero emerges
The mysterious warrior allegedly popped up in many games, each time helping players defeat one of the most notorious bosses in "Elden Ring." Klein Tsuboi also posted to Reddit, alerting others about his mission. After uploading a screenshot of their jar-helmeted warrior, they wrote, "I've been helping countless tarnished in their quest to defeat Malenia by going butt naked except for a Jar on my head."
Needless to say, the internet went wild over this mysterious "let me solo her" warrior. Someone dubbed the warrior "the Jarnished," and another added, "Legend has said that the pot on his head is a nerf. It's for the bosses to have a fighting chance." The odd outfit – or lack of an outfit – and impressive fighting skills have quickly made the mysterious warrior the stuff of folktales.
A tweet from Paul R showed that information spreads quickly on the internet. They explained that even though the multiplayer mode in "Elden Ring," like many FromSoftware games, is clunky and unintuitive, some players rise above the system to become whispered about throughout the community. Klein Tsuboi is clearly one of those players, and as Paul R's tweet showed via several pictures, the fan community has already begun creating 3D prints and fanart of the jar warrior. That being said, Tsuboi provides players with very specific instructions: "Let me solo her." Players that refuse to honor Tsuboi's request may be disappointed in the legendary hero, who truly does not want any help battling Malenia.
Follow directions when meeting Tsuboi
Refusing to honor Tsuboi's request can have dire consequences. Cameron Faulkner at TheVerge lucked out and encountered the "let me solo her" warrior. Faulkner was in awe of the legend, which had already been making its rounds online, but forgot to actually let Tsuboi, you know, solo Malenia. Instead, Faulkner joined in on the fight and Tsuboi fled the encounter halfway through. Clearly, Tsuboi works better alone. Faulkner explained that after meeting Tsuboi a second time, he let the master work.
As the legend spreads, there could be imitators, other gamers that dress like Tsuboi and attempt to help gamers tackle Malenia. However, like many folktales, Tsuboi and "let me solo her" have already taken on a specific mythos. "Elden Ring" fans have begun honoring Tsuboi the only way they know how: through fanart and by telling the story. One artist shared lush line art on Twitter of Tsuboi crouched next to their katana, hands covered in blood. Others tried to get to the bottom of what Tsuboi's whole deal is, and one gamer pointed out that it's likely the jar warrior plays with a keyboard, which would essentially make "Elden Ring" even more difficult than it would be with a controller.
Other Twitter users encouraged others to "be the 'let me solo her' for someone in your life today." Hopefully, that message is something the "Elden Ring" community will take with them into the future, imparting a little goodwill to other players along the way.