You’ve seen it on your feed. It’s in the Twitch chats. It’s under the YouTube comments of your favorite soulslike streamers. Why are people saying no kings? It sounds like a political uprising or a weirdly specific protest against chess pieces. Honestly, it’s neither. It’s actually a hyper-specific cultural moment born from the intersection of competitive gaming, streamer etiquette, and the chaotic nature of the Elden Ring community.
If you aren't terminally online, the phrase feels like a riddle. It’s short. It’s aggressive. It’s everywhere.
The reality is that "No Kings" isn't about deposing a monarch. It’s a battle cry about how we engage with challenges. It's about the "scrub quote" mentality and the weird gatekeeping that happens when a game gets too popular for its own good. When people ask why are people saying no kings, they are usually stumbling into a debate about whether certain playstyles are "cheap" or "dishonest."
The Origins: It Started with the Tarnished
To understand the "No Kings" movement, you have to look at the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. When FromSoftware dropped the DLC, the difficulty spiked. Hard. Even veterans were getting flattened by Promised Consort Radahn. This created a massive rift in the community. On one side, you had the "purists" who believe you haven't really beaten the game unless you did it solo, at level one, with a club. On the other side, you had people just trying to see the credits.
The phrase "No Kings" began to circulate as a shorthand for rejecting the self-imposed "throneroom" of elite gaming. It’s a rejection of the idea that there is a "King of the Hill" who gets to decide how everyone else plays. If you used a spirit summon, were you "crowned" a winner? The "No Kings" crowd says the crown is a lie anyway.
But there's a deeper, weirder layer.
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In some circles, the phrase is a direct reference to specific streamer drama. Content creators like Asmongold or Kai Cenat brought millions of new eyes to difficult games. When these streamers struggled, their chats became a warzone. "No Kings" became a way to tell the audience to stop worshipping the "pro" players and start enjoying the messiness of the struggle. No one is a king when everyone is dying to the same boss for six hours straight.
Why are people saying no kings in competitive circles?
Outside of the RPG world, the phrase has leaked into the fighting game community (FGC) and tactical shooters like Valorant. In these spaces, "No Kings" takes on a slightly different flavor. It’s about the "King of the Hill" format in lobbies.
Usually, a "King" stays on the machine or in the slot as long as they keep winning. Recently, players have been pushing for "No Kings" lobbies. Why? Because it’s boring to watch one guy win 50 times in a row. It kills the vibe. It stops the learning process for everyone else. By saying "No Kings," players are advocating for a rotation-heavy, inclusive environment where the goal isn't just dominance, but collective improvement.
It’s a shift from "I am the best" to "We are all here to play."
The Psychology of the Anti-Monarchy Trend
We are living through a period of extreme "anti-hero" sentiment in digital spaces. People are tired of the polished, untouchable expert. We want the struggle. We want the "No Kings" energy because it feels more authentic.
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- Accessibility over Elitism: People are tired of being told they played "wrong."
- The Death of the Pro: With AI and advanced coaching, the gap between a "pro" and a "sweat" is shrinking.
- Chaos is Fun: A lobby with no dominant leader is more unpredictable.
When you see someone type "No Kings" after a massive upset in a tournament, they are celebrating the fact that anyone can be beaten. It’s a reminder that status is temporary. In a game like Elden Ring, even the most legendary players can get clipped by a random dog in the woods. That’s the "No Kings" philosophy in a nutshell: the game is the master, and we are all just peasants trying to survive.
Is it just a meme or something more?
Kinda both.
Most people use it because it sounds cool. It has that punchy, cinematic weight to it. But memes don't survive without a kernel of truth. The truth here is a growing resentment toward the "top 1%" of gamers who dictate the meta. When a YouTuber releases a video saying "YOU MUST USE THIS BUILD," the "No Kings" response is a way of saying "I'll use what I want."
It’s a reclamation of agency.
Think about the way Helldivers 2 handled its community. The developers acted like "Game Masters," but the players often revolted against the "meta" to do something funny or lore-accurate. That is the spirit of why are people saying no kings. It’s the refusal to follow the "royal" decree of the most efficient tactic available (META).
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How to navigate the "No Kings" culture
If you’re a gamer, a creator, or just someone who likes lurking in Discord servers, you’re going to keep seeing this. It isn't going away. In fact, as more games move toward "community-driven" experiences, the hierarchy of the "Expert King" is going to keep crumbling.
Honestly, it's a good thing.
The "No Kings" mentality encourages experimentation. It tells the guy who is afraid to try a new game because it looks "too hard" that there isn't some council of elders waiting to judge his performance. It creates a flatter, more chaotic, and ultimately more enjoyable playground.
Actionable Steps for the "No Kings" Era
If you want to lean into this vibe or just avoid getting roasted in the comments, here is how you handle the shift:
- Stop chasing the "God Build." If you’re playing a game, try a weapon or a strategy that everyone says is "trash." The most "No Kings" thing you can do is win with garbage gear.
- Rotate your lobbies. If you run a private server or a gaming group, ditch the "winner stays" rule for a night. See how the energy changes when everyone gets an equal turn, regardless of skill.
- Call out gatekeeping. When you see someone asking "why are people saying no kings" or getting bullied for using an easy mode, remind the group that the "crown" isn't real.
- Embrace the loss. The reason people worship "Kings" is because they are afraid of losing. If you accept that you’re going to fail, the "King" loses his power over you.
The internet is a loud, messy place. Phrases like "No Kings" act as a lighthouse for people who are tired of the same old power structures. It’s about more than just video games; it’s about how we value skill versus how we value the experience of just being there. So the next time you see a "King" trying to tell you how to live your digital life, you know exactly what to say.