Dark Souls, the 2011 hit developed by FromSoftware, created a world full of mystery, intrigue, and difficulty. Though the series has gone on to become a popular franchise for both its gameplay and lore, there is still a core fanbase that goes above and beyond. It's a community that's not only proud of accomplishing the seemingly impossible but one that thrives on the hellish experience that Dark Souls is known for.

Over the course of the three games in the Dark Souls series, fans have created hundreds of memes drawing direct inspiration from their experiences within the world. The true beauty of Dark Souls lies in FromSoftware's —but detailed— world-building. There are entire Youtube channels solely based around theorizing possible explanations for the Dark Souls universe. On the surface, the series might seem to have a closed off community, but in reality, the community is very welcoming. Sharing the joy of anguish and resolve is a great way to bond online. FromSoftware are the kings of precise gameplay with an emphasis on feedback and feel. It's great to see that they're also great at creating a series with the depth and community fervor as Dark Souls. Let's now take a look at only 15 of the best Dark Souls memes the internet has to offer. If you're not a true Dark Souls fan, or happen to be stuck early on in the series, we're sorry, but all we can really say is "Git Gud."

15 This Is The Tutorial?

Many games, especially in the post-2000's have been notoriously helpful in terms of easing players into their world and providing them with the necessary tools to feel comfortable and confident during the early stages of the games. FromSoftware seems to believe in a "trial by fire" or "learn on the go" style of tutorial. At the beginning of the first Dark Souls players begin in an asylum. Outside of a few inventory and combat prompts, a lot of what makes the game special are the tricks you simply learn by doing. Players are then quickly treated with an experience that directly communicates what the rest of their journey will entail. Less than 10 minutes into the game players are thrust into their first boss fight with nothing but a broken sword hilt and some soiled underwear. Talk about a tutorial.

14 I'm So Happy For You

Now, like I previously mentioned, Dark Souls is a game in which you get introduced to the first boss rather quickly. It's also a game that plays very different than most other action role-playing games. Dark Souls is brutal, and it's unforgiving. It's a game that punishes players for making mistakes and tells you blatantly that you're wrong. The Asylum Demon is very difficult for first-time players and is usually the end of Dark Souls for many of these players. Dark Souls is a game that is often disliked by those who can't overcome the challenge, or find the difficulty to lack any enjoyable moments. Those who are willing to learn and adapt often praise the series for its ability to teach patience and strategy. If you're willing to die a few times, the reward for overcoming the series' difficulty is unlike anything else.

13 It's Not A Cult

We've already talked about Solaire and his obsession with the sun. He's a Warrior of Sunlight which is a covenant that praises the first born of Great Lord Gwyn. Every covenant in Dark Souls has a specific item that must be obtained, and then given to each individual covenant. If enough of these items are given to said covenant then the player is treated to special items in return. The Warriors of Light's covenant item happens to be things called sunlight medals. They look eerily similar to athletics medals someone would receive for finishing highly in a sporting event. If you live in Seattle or an area that doesn't have good weather it wouldn't be surprising to see someone call upon any and all forces to bring a little sunlight.

12 Russian Around

The meme centered around Russia and turning a phrase, action, or statement around and starting it off with "In Russia" has been an internet staple for as long as anyone can remember. It's not a surprise that the legacy meme has made its way into the Dark Souls meme realm. Mimics are a notorious part of the Dark Souls series and an unfortunate surprise to those unfamiliar with the enemy. They tend to be the thing your friend doesn't warn you about. Mimics are the interaction you're friends patiently waiting for you to come across during a weekend sleepover or random hangout session. Though mimics are quirky and awkward in design and movement, don't take them lightly. They can quickly turn from an unfortunate interaction to a painful reminder to not be frugal with your soul consumption.

11 Do You?

Memes are one of the greatest parts of internet culture. A lot of times they're thought of as having a certain shelf life and expiring rather quickly in a fast moving culture. This isn't necessarily the case, seeing as new and old fandoms alike spark inspiration and simply recycle older memes with a thematic twist. In this list alone we've already talked about one such case and the meme right above is also an example of this. The 'Do you even lift bro?' meme has been around for quite a long time and has been a favorite of gym rats and ironic nerds alike. Dark Souls fans will never miss an opportunity to make a joke revolving around everyone's favorite sunlight warrior, Solaire.

10 Confidence, Eh?

Dark Souls is often talked about in terms of its difficulty and steep learning curve. Sadly, it's rarely praised for how it teaches players patience and has an excellent system in place in terms of building confidence, skill, and familiarity. Though many people struggle to even defeat the Asylum Demon during the initial stages of the game, many people who beat Dark Souls end up playing through the game multiple times. Dark Souls is a game in which a player is completely different from when they started the game to when they finished. Many players talk about how the Dark Souls series has changed their perspective and playstyle completely. So, even though Dark Souls can be hard and frustrating, if you stick with it, you'll be a better person for it.

9 Goddess Of Light

It's a bit ironic that the NPC known for praising the sunlight has become a beacon of hope for Dark Souls veterans and newbies alike. If you're reading this article, you're more than likely familiar with Solaire of Astora. He's a Warrior of Sunlight and is known for having a jolly attitude and praising the sun every chance he gets. It's no surprise that Solaire would find himself kneeling at the feet of Leona from League of Legends. Leona is a warrior templar who just so happens to be imbued with the fire of the sun. Do you see where this is going? Now, I'm not a huge fanfic person, but if there ever was to be a soulmate for Solaire, Leona would be exactly that. Everyone who's completed Dark Souls is familiar with Solaire's fate, so hopefully, this pairing doesn't end with the same result.

8 Watch Your Step

Have you ever been cocky enough to actively carry 100,000 plus souls only to lose them all due to over confidence or cocky behavior? Of course, you have. We've all had this experience at one point or another in our time with Dark Souls. It's one thing to get killed by a tough boss or enemy and be at the mercy of game design and/or strategy. However, it's an entirely different issue when the sole reason you lost progress is due to a lack of awareness or spatial reasoning. The worst part about this is that falling off a cliff or simply rolling off when trying to evade is a mistake that falls directly on your shoulders. There's plenty of situations in Dark Souls where you can simply chalk it up to FromSoftware trolling players, but being clumsy isn't one of them.

7 Doge Souls

Your meme is automatically going to blow up when you use the internet's favorite breed of dog. To most people, this picture would simply be a showcase of an adorable dog with an awesome sword in its mouth. To true fans of Dark Souls, the picture resonates as a call back to one of the saddest yet amazing parts about the original Dark Souls and the characters you meet. In Dark Souls you come across a grave before being thrust into battle against a wolf holding a sword in its mouth. The wolf's name is Sif, and as you come to find out, Sif is wielding the sword of his fallen owner, Artorias. Talk about loyalty. Who knew FromSoftware would hit players with an emotional moment between a dog and its owner. Looks like they watched that emotionally similar episode of Futurama.

6 Adventure Souls

We live in a day and age where literally every entertainment property has been merged into some piece of merchandise, usually a t-shirt. Adventure Time is one of the most popular and equally bizarre cartoons in the last decade and has been merged with everything from Lord of the Rings to My Little Pony. This picture isn't only cool because it shows two very naive, young, and immature characters in the foreboding world of Dark Souls, it's that it nailed what the actual experience would be like. Finn is a curious adventurer also looking to Jake for advice. Jake is an all-knowing shapeshifter and is willing to be blatant and blunt with Finn. It's interesting that this picture can so quickly and easily describe the relationship between all three games in the series.

5 Oh, Mercy!

You've heard me mention the word difficult about ten plus times by this point in regards to Dark Souls. Many people have this misconception that the games are created to make you ragequit and stop playing the game. I wouldn't say that's FromSoftware's gameplan when they release a new iteration. They create games that are heavily focused on the combat. It's a hard pill to swallow, but there are very few times throughout the three games in which dying isn't a direct result of the player making a mistake. Some people feel that even though this might be true, what's the point in making such a difficult game? Well, the answer is simple really. If you stand out in terms of excellence or any other reason your game has a higher chance to thrive. Create your niche.

4 Jolly Co-Operation

Solaire has been a frequent topic of conversation throughout this list and is involved in a hefty majority of Dark Souls related memes. We've talked about what he praises and who he might love, but we haven't covered what makes him so special. In a world full of bleakness, death, and defeat, Solaire sticks out like a sore thumb. His jolly attitude and willingness to accept what is, set him apart from many of the woe-stricken characters you're introduced to. Solaire is a large part of Dark Souls, and a lot of that is due to his summoning sign being available to the player in a number of boss fights. Not only is he a strong ally who aids in drawing attention from the player in times of healing, but he also provides a positive and triumphant voice in times of despair.

3 You've Got No Friend In Me

Guess what? There's another meme you've probably seen before, but this time it's injected with a bit of Dark Souls context. The original picture comes from a scene in Toy Story 2 involving Buzz Lightyear and Woody. The meme is known for including a repeated phrase followed by the word everywhere. Not only did the creator of the meme use the word death, but they also put both Woody and Buzz in some amazing Dark Souls cosplay. Woody is dressed up as the main character that the player takes control of, whereas Buzz Lightyear is outfitted in a pretty frightful black night suit of armor. It's always hilarious to see these figures from a world lacking any sense of humor or happiness merged with a children's movie aimed at seeing the beauty in friendship and love.

2 Drunk Souls

People who love to drink also love making drinking games out of anything. There are many different reasons as to why people enjoy playing drinking games. Some people find it as a reasonable excuse to continue drinking, others simply enjoy the social aspect. You have someone very clever on your hands when they not only create a drinking game based on events in a video game, but a game in which the context for why you're drinking directly match up with that of the in-game character. Some people are huge fans of role-playing a game to a very extreme extent. I know people who dressed up as hobbits when they would attend a screening of The Hobbit. So if anyone asks why you're drinking so much, simply tell them it's an Estus flask and your life depends on it.

1 Anger Consumes

So far we've covered the difficulty of Dark Souls and how the game's tutorial has a tendency to punch new players directly in the mouth. We haven't really touched on the fact that the game itself has a staggering amount of dropoff in terms of people who started Dark Souls but didn't finish it. Really, many people who start Dark Souls rarely get past the tutorial boss and leave the Undead Asylum. It's a shame that so many people are so quick to quit and don't show the resolve or mental fortitude to overcome adversity. Dark Souls is a hard game, but it's a game that's also equally rewarding. It's an experience that's appreciated by those who understand and learn and an experience that's trashed on and misunderstood by those unwilling to commit.