Can you believe it's 2026 and we're still talking about a tutorial boss that was designed to be completely forgotten? I certainly can't. In the vast, punishing, and epic world of Elden Ring, where demigods with tragic backstories and multi-phase, screen-filling monstrosities reign supreme, the ultimate legend isn't Malenia, Blade of Miquella. It's not even Starscourge Radahn, the beloved festival host. No, my friends, the true, enduring icon of the Lands Between is a humble, utterly generic soldier named Rick. How on earth did we get here? Let me, a fellow Tarnished who has felt the sting of Malenia's Waterfowl Dance one too many times, tell you the tale of the Soldier of Godrick's improbable ascent to meme-godhood.

The Most Forgettable Boss in Soulsborne History

Let's set the scene. You start Elden Ring, get brutally murdered by a Grafted Scion (as is tradition), and wake up in the Lands Between. You might stumble into the Cave of Knowledge, a gentle tutorial area. It teaches you the basics: roll, jump, attack. And then, as your final test, it presents you with... him. The Soldier of Godrick. This guy isn't a boss; he's a regular enemy with a health bar slapped on the bottom of the screen. Seriously, that's it. He has the same moveset as any other Godrick Soldier you'll mow down by the dozen in Limgrave. He doesn't even get his own epic boss theme music! He fights to the generic "Formidable Foe I" track, which is the musical equivalent of store-brand cereal. The lore explicitly states he's just a regular grunt in Godrick's army. FromSoftware designed him to be a confidence-building speed bump, a boss you defeat and immediately forget as you step out into the glorious, terrifying open world. So, what went so right that it went so hilariously wrong?

The Birth of a Legend: Soldier of God, Rick

The community, in its infinite wisdom and love for ironic humor, decided this forgettable foe was anything but. It started subtly. People began jokingly calling him the hardest boss in the game. Can you imagine? Uploading "tutorial" videos where they'd dramatically struggle against his slow, telegraphed swings, pretending to be on the verge of defeat. Comment sections would fill up with "How did you beat him? I'm stuck!" and "This boss is harder than Malenia!" The joke was perfectly self-aware. But the real turning point, the moment of divine inspiration, was a simple grammatical tweak. Someone added a comma. The Soldier of Godrick was no more. In his place stood the Soldier of God, Rick. A single punctuation mark transformed a generic enemy into a named character with a divine mandate. Rick was born.

Rick vs. The Universe: When Memes Get Stats

The joke evolved from text posts and funny videos into the arena of versus battles. You know the ones: "Malenia vs. Radahn REMATCH" or "Godfrey vs. Every Soulsborne Boss." Content creators, always in tune with the community's pulse, started including Rick in these epic showdowns. But they didn't just plop the tutorial boss in as-is. Oh no. To truly honor the meme, they gave him stats. Not just good stats, but ridiculous, god-slaying stats. Imagine a Soldier of Godrick with Malenia's health pool, Radahn's damage, and the poise of a mountain. That's Rick when the community gets hold of him.

And so, the legend grew through these edited battles. We witnessed it:

• Malenia, Blade of Miquella, the undefeated swordswoman, being pummeled by Rick's basic sword combo.

• Maliketh, the Black Blade, a creature of destined death, falling to a soldier in standard-issue armor.

• Even Godfrey, First Elden Lord, Hoarah Loux himself, was shown being bested by the might of Rick.

It was the ultimate underdog story. The lowest-ranking soldier, rebranded as a divine entity, was now canonically (in our hearts) beating the pantheon of Elden Ring's greatest champions. The community's silly head-canon had solidified into a full-blown, shared legend.

Carrying the Torch: Challenge Runs and Eternal Legacy

So, what's the legacy of a meme in 2026? It's alive and well, I assure you. Mention "Soldier of God, Rick" to any veteran Tarnished, and you'll get a knowing smile. They might tell you about the "Soldier of God, Rick" challenge run. Unlike the masochistic no-hit runs, this one is accessible and full of role-playing joy. The rules are simple:

1. Wear the full Godrick Soldier armor set.

2. Use only the standard Lordsworn's Straight Sword (or a similar basic armament).

3. Avenge Rick by defeating his cruel commander, Godrick the Grafted, with this humble build.

It's a pilgrimage many have undertaken, proving that Rick's power was within us all along. And with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC now a foundational part of the experience, a new question arose: would Rick's legacy extend into the Land of Shadow? Modders, the unsung heroes of our community, have ensured it has, creating mods that truly turn Rick into the fearsome deity of the memes.

Isn't it just perfect? In a game filled with meticulously crafted, tragic, and awe-inspiring bosses, our collective favorite is one that the developers didn't think about for more than five minutes. He represents the playful, creative heart of the Elden Ring community. We took a piece of nothing and built a cathedral of humor around it. So here's to Rick, the Soldier of God. The tutorial boss who out-tutored us all in the art of creating a lasting legend. He's a reminder that in the grim, serious world of the Lands Between, there's always room for a little divine comedy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a certain grafted scion. I hear he's been talking trash about Rick.