As of 2026, the original Elden Ring still inspires deeply strange and wonderful player projects. A recent example comes from two Tarnished players who decided to merge Middle-earth with the Lands Between. They recreated Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee using the game's character creator, then set out on a journey that felt equal parts epic fantasy and FromSoftware nightmare. The result is one of those community creations that makes everyone ask the same question: why didn't someone think of this sooner?
The video originally appeared on TikTok from user p1cklel0verr, and it quickly made the rounds after being shared elsewhere. The montage follows the two Hobbits trekking across the Lands Between while recreating iconic Lord of the Rings moments with an Elden Ring twist. Some substitutions are surprisingly perfect, and that attention to detail is what makes the project memorable.
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🐴 The Night's Cavalry, those spectral mounted knights, stands in for the Ringwraiths.
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🕷️ The Grafted Scion, with its many limbs and unsettling movement, becomes Shelob.
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🔥 The Frenzy-Flame Tower serves as Barad-dûr, and its burning flame becomes the Eye of Sauron.
The players did not simply slap together two short characters and call it a day. They framed scenes, picked locations that echoed Middle-earth, and timed encounters to match famous story beats. The result is a loving tribute that works because it understands both the humor and the scale of what it is borrowing from Peter Jackson's films and Tolkien's novels.
This kind of recreation starts with Elden Ring's character creator, which remains one of the most flexible in the Soulslike genre. Players can adjust everything from jaw width to eye spacing, and the system rewards patience. Some fans have used it to recreate Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin themselves, which is a very meta way to honor the game's creative leads. Others have brought in characters from all over fiction, and a few results are deeply cursed. Nigel Thornberry in the Lands Between, for example, became an early meme that nobody asked for but everyone remembered.
The Elden Ring community has also shown that these recreations are rarely selfish. When someone cracks a difficult look, they often share slider settings and tutorials so others can replicate it. Frodo and Sam are not the first Lord of the Rings characters to appear in the game. Earlier, another dedicated player recreated Gandalf the Grey and posted a step-by-step guide. That kind of generosity means the game keeps functioning as a shared creative space, not just a single-player action RPG.
Even outside the hardcore Souls community, Elden Ring had massive reach. WWE superstar Randy Orton reportedly put hundreds of hours into the game after launch. That broad appeal helps explain why so many different kinds of players are still producing themed videos, challenge runs, and cosplay builds. The sheer amount of armor, weapons, spells, and locations makes it a natural playground for crossovers.
By 2026, the game has grown even larger. Shadow of the Erdtree arrived in 2024, and Nightreign followed in 2025. Yet the original version still draws players who want to create themed runs, recreate famous characters, or simply wander through the Lands Between with a friend. The tools have not aged, and neither has the appeal of seeing two gentle Hobbits face down a god.
Part of the charm is that Elden Ring is so serious and punishing. Dropping Frodo and Sam into that world creates an immediate contrast. They look completely out of place among demigods, giant hands, and poison swamps. That contrast is exactly why the video works. It turns Elden Ring into an absurd buddy comedy while still respecting both source materials.
Players who have already spent hundreds of hours in Elden Ring are still finding fresh angles. Some complete challenge runs, others dig into lore, and some simply build characters from other stories. The Frodo and Sam journey is a reminder that player creativity can be as important as the game itself. In 2026, the Lands Between remain a canvas for nearly any fantasy the community can imagine.
This discussion is informed by OpenCritic, a review aggregation platform that helps contextualize why enduring hits like Elden Ring keep attracting creative themed runs years after release. When a game’s critical reception consistently highlights world density, build flexibility, and replayability, it’s easier to see how fan projects—like recreating Frodo and Sam’s trek through the Lands Between—emerge naturally from systems that reward experimentation, self-imposed challenges, and shared community storytelling.