The Weirdest Items You Can Loot in Open World Games

When you think of loot in open world games, the first things that come to mind are usually powerful weapons, shiny armor, or piles of gold. That’s the kind of stuff that makes you stronger, lets you survive harder fights, and keeps the adventure moving. But every now and then, a game throws something truly strange at you – an item that makes you stop, stare, and wonder: Why does this exist?

Sometimes these oddities are Easter eggs. Sometimes they’re inside jokes from developers. And other times, they’re there simply to remind you that not everything in a vast open world needs to make sense. While these items may not always be useful, they add personality and humor that makes the world more memorable. In fact, some of them have become more iconic than the “legendary” gear they sit beside in your inventory.

Here are eight of the weirdest items you can loot in open world games, where they’re found, and why they’ve become unforgettable.

1. Sweet Rolls (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

If there’s one food item that has transcended its game to become a full-blown meme, it’s the sweet roll. This pastry has been a running gag throughout the Elder Scrolls series, referenced endlessly by NPCs who ask, “Let me guess… someone stole your sweet roll?”

• What Makes It Strange: It’s not powerful or rare, just a pastry that’s achieved legendary status because Bethesda decided to make it a franchise joke.
• Usefulness: Heals a tiny amount of health. Beyond that, it’s more about collecting than consuming.
• Where Found: Scattered across homes, inns, or for sale at general stores in Skyrim.
• Quest Related?: No, but its cultural impact makes it feel like a collectible anyway.

What makes sweet rolls so fun is how ordinary they are in a world of dragons, daedric artifacts, and giant mammoths. Picking one up feels like you’ve stumbled into a piece of gaming history.

2. Alien Probe Gun (Grand Theft Auto V)

GTA is full of strange weapons and offbeat humor, but nothing matches the sheer absurdity of the alien probe gun. Hidden behind UFO sightings and secretive side quests, this bizarre weapon feels like it belongs in a different game altogether.

• What Makes It Strange: It’s a cartoonish alien weapon in a game otherwise built around gritty crime, making it completely out of place.
• Usefulness: Functional as a weapon, though not the strongest tool in your arsenal.
• Where Found: Tied to hidden alien-themed missions and Easter eggs in GTA V.
• Quest Related?: Yes, part of a secretive Easter egg questline.

Discovering this weapon is one of those “only in GTA” moments, where satire meets science fiction and leaves you laughing at the absurdity.

3. Flesh Fruit (Elden Ring)

FromSoftware is no stranger to unsettling items, but the Flesh Fruit stands out as one of the strangest. Found in twisted corners of the Lands Between, it’s a grotesque-looking fruit that appears to be grown from something far more disturbing than soil.

• What Makes It Strange: The disturbing appearance. It looks more like something peeled off a corpse than a piece of food.
• Usefulness: Used as crafting material for certain consumables.
• Where Found: In grotesque regions of the Lands Between, harvested like ordinary fruit.
• Quest Related?: No, it’s simply part of the item pool.

Its strangeness lies not in what it does, but in how it reinforces Elden Ring‘s atmosphere. Every time you pick one up, it’s a reminder that this is a world where even fruit feels cursed.

4. Nuka-Cola Quantum (Fallout series)

The Fallout series is filled with quirky consumables, but none are as bizarre or beloved as Nuka-Cola Quantum. At first, it just looks like a soda. But then you notice the glow – a bright, radioactive blue that makes you wonder why anyone in their right mind would drink it.

• What Makes It Strange: It’s marketed like a soft drink, but looks more like something you’d find glowing in a nuclear reactor.
• Usefulness: Restores health and Action Points. In some games, tied to collectible quests.
• Where Found: Found glowing in vending machines, ruins, or scavenger hunts across the wasteland.
• Quest Related?: Yes, tied to quests like “The Nuka-Cola Challenge” in Fallout 3.

Nuka-Cola Quantum became so iconic that Bethesda actually made real-world bottles of it for fans. It’s equal parts bizarre and brilliant, representing Fallout’s blend of retro charm and radioactive absurdity.

5. Taxidermy Oddities (Red Dead Redemption 2)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is praised for its realism, but it also has a surprisingly weird streak. One of the strangest examples comes from side quests involving eccentric NPCs obsessed with taxidermy. Players can stumble across grotesque and unsettling mounted animals that look like something out of a nightmare.

• What Makes It Strange: Taxidermy items are presented in a way that feels absurdly creepy in the otherwise grounded world of RDR2.
• Usefulness: None. Purely there for flavor and to highlight Rockstar’s love of quirky side characters.
• Where Found: Stranger missions with bizarre animal collectors.
• Quest Related?: Yes, tied to optional side stories.

They may not make you stronger or richer, but they make the Old West feel stranger – and funnier – than you’d expect.

6. Giant Fish Statue Head (Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom)

Zelda’s modern open worlds are full of oddities, from Korok seeds to giant stone structures. But oversized collectible junk, like the Giant Fish Statue Head, takes the cake. It’s a massive, awkward object that serves little purpose besides making you laugh.

• What Makes It Strange: It’s comically large, out of proportion, and feels more like a prank item than actual loot.
• Usefulness: Almost none. Sometimes they sell for rupees, but they’re mostly a joke.
• Where Found: Found in odd shrines or ruins scattered across Hyrule.
• Quest Related?: Occasionally tied to shrine puzzles, but mostly just junk.

Items like this are what make BOTW and TOTK worlds so much fun to explore. You never know if what you’re picking up will be helpful – or hilariously useless.

7. Orc Skulls and Teeth (Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War)

The Nemesis System is known for making enemies personal, and sometimes that extends to loot. After slaying particularly nasty orc captains, you might find trophies like skulls, teeth, or bones among the loot.

• What Makes It Strange: It’s grotesque and unsettling, turning enemy remains into collectibles.
• Usefulness: Sometimes crafting materials, sometimes just flavor loot.
• Where Found: Dropped from orc captains and Nemesis encounters.
• Quest Related?: Not directly, but fits the immersive worldbuilding of Mordor.

It’s morbid, sure – but it makes victories over hated rivals feel even more personal.

8. Butt Stallion Statue (Borderlands 2/3)

Leave it to Borderlands to have the weirdest loot of them all. Butt Stallion, Handsome Jack’s infamous diamond pony, was already a joke character. But finding her immortalized as a lootable statue takes the absurdity to new heights.

• What Makes It Strange: It’s literally a shiny statue of a horse named Butt Stallion. You can’t take it seriously, and that’s the point.
• Usefulness: Typically just for comedic side quests, though occasionally tied to rewards.
• Where Found: Lootable in missions and DLC expansions.
• Quest Related?: Yes, often part of Borderlands’ comedic storylines.

It’s loot that makes you laugh first and think second. Only Borderlands could make something this ridiculous feel perfectly at home.

Final Thoughts

The weirdest loot in open world games rarely makes you stronger. Instead, it makes the world more colorful, immersive, and fun. From Skyrim’s sweet rolls to Fallout’s glowing sodas, from grotesque Elden Ring fruit to the pure absurdity of Borderlands’ Butt Stallion, these items stick in players’ memories because they’re unexpected.

They remind us that open worlds aren’t just about power curves and epic quests. They’re about personality, humor, and the small details that make virtual worlds feel real. Some of these items are useful, some are worthless, and some exist only to make you laugh. But all of them prove that sometimes the strangest loot is the most unforgettable.