You Can Build Giant Dad in 'Elden Ring' With These Substitutions

The lore behind Dark Souls games is long and complex — and since the original game was released in 2011, there's just as much meme lore around the franchise as new installments have been released.

Elden Ring, which is the most recent game released from developer FromSoftware, features a lot of similarities with the Dark Souls games, and while it hasn't been around for nearly as long, players are still creating their own non-canon lore.

For example, there's the jar-headed player Let Me Solo Her, who will take down Malenia single-handedly for newbies who are struggling with the particularly difficult boss. Some are even saying Let Me Solo Her is the new Giant Dad. But is there really a replacement for Giant Dad in Elden Ring?

If you're new to FromSoftware games, you may not be familiar with the long-running meme build Giant Dad. While the build's origin story isn't entirely clear, it can be traced back to the 2012 YouTube video "HE'S BACK." The edit consists of multiple clips of "Giant Dad" defeating others in a Dark Souls title and "pwning noobs."

But even if you can look past the video's offensively outdated quips, it does little to explain the point of Giant Dad — or even what stats make it a competitive opponent.

According to the Fandom entry for Giant Dad, to create the character in a Dark Souls game, here are the skill levels you'll need:

• Soul Level 99
• Bandit class
• Vitality: 48
• Attunement: 12
• Endurance: 66
• Strength: 16
• Dexterity: 10 ("BUT DON’T TELL ANY1 U LEVELED THAT UP.")
• Resistance: 10
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 8

To complete the build, you'll also want to deck your character out with the following gear:

• Giant Armor
• Giant Gauntlets
• Giant Leggings
• Mask of the Father
• x2 Black Flame
• “Well! What is it!” Emote
• Grass Crest Shield
• Havel’s Ring
• Ring of Favor and Protection ("EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WANT.")
• Chaos Zweihander +5 ("DON’T F**KIN FORGET.")

Giant Dad's stats make it a difficult (though not quite invincible) opponent in PvP combat across the Dark Souls games, and its legacy has continued to live on, even as FromSoftware has made updates to make these builds less easy to achieve.

Anyone who has played the Dark Souls line knows that Elden Ring (like many of the other games FromSoftware develops) has a very similar character-building system, and it wasn't long after the title's release that many wondered if making a Giant Dad build in the game was even possible.

But if there's a will, there's a way, and players on the internet have definitely found a way to bring the meme to life in Elden Ring.

Unfortunately, there is no way to replicate the original Giant Dad build the way it was intended, as many of the aspects of it have been leveled out by the developers — but for the most part, you can still make an exploitatively powerful character with the same stats and similar armor.

In place of the items from Dark Souls that are obviously not included in Elden Ring, players have subbed in Radahn’s set, Fire Prelate Helmet, Malformed Dragon Armor, Godskin Robe, and Lionel’s Gauntlets.