Introduction to Elden Ring Endings
FromSoftware’s masterpiece Elden Ring has captivated millions of players worldwide with its vast open world, deep lore, and challenging combat. One of the most compelling aspects of the game is its non-linear narrative, which branches out into multiple distinct conclusions. If you are aiming for the best Elden Ring endings, you are likely wondering how to navigate the complex questlines required to unlock them. Choosing how the Lands Between will ultimately be shaped is no simple task, as each conclusion requires careful preparation, item collection, and specific moral choices.
With six main achievements tied to the story's resolution, understanding the requirements for each path is essential for completionists and lore enthusiasts alike. Whether you want to plunge the world into eternal darkness, usher in a new age of order, or simply become the Elden Lord under the guidance of your favorite faction, this comprehensive Elden Ring endings guide list will walk you through everything you need to know.
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Understanding the Criteria for Elden Ring Endings
Before diving into the specific paths, it is important to understand how the game handles its conclusions. The fundamental choice revolves around what you do with the Elden Ring once you defeat the final boss. By default, interacting with the fractured Marika grants you access to the standard paths, but discovering hidden mending items or serving outer gods will completely alter the cinematic and the future of the realm.
It is entirely possible to back up your save file right before the final decision to experience multiple conclusions in a single playthrough, provided you have completed the necessary prerequisites. However, one specific path—the Lord of Frenzied Flame—locks you out of all other options unless you undertake a notoriously difficult purification quest. Therefore, planning your journey through the Lands Between is crucial if you want to witness every variation without multiple fresh character builds.
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The Standard Paths: Age of Fracture
Age of Fracture
The Age of Fracture is considered the default ending of the game. If you do not interact with any special items or complete complex side quests, this is the path you will automatically take upon repairing the Elden Ring with the Marika's shattered remnants.
To achieve this ending, you simply need to defeat the final bosses and choose the prompt to mend the Elden Ring. The resulting cinematic shows your character sitting upon the throne as the new Elden Lord, though the fundamental flaws and systemic issues of the Golden Order remain unchanged. It is the most straightforward resolution, lacking any radical social or cosmic reform.
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The Mending Rune Endings
By undertaking specific NPC questlines, you can acquire powerful items known as Mending Runes. These items can be used at the very end of the game to alter the fundamental nature of the Golden Order, resulting in vastly different sociopolitical landscapes for the Lands Between.
Age of the Duskborn
The Age of the Duskborn is achieved by following the intricate and melancholic questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion. By assisting her in gathering the components needed to forge the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, you legitimize those who live in death—a group previously hunted and persecuted by the Golden Order.
- Locate Fia at the Roundtable Hold and allow her to hold you to receive the Radiant Blessing.
- Progress her quest by retrieving the Curious Dagger and giving it to D, Beholder of Death.
- Find Fia in the Deeproot Depths after she departs the Roundtable Hold.
- Defeat the Lichdragon Fortissax and use the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince on Marika's body at the end of the game.
This path integrates undeath into the natural cycle of life, offering a profound shift in how the universe operates.
Age of Order
If you prefer a world governed by absolute logic, unwavering truth, and the elimination of the fickle nature of the Outer Gods, the Age of Order is for you. This path is tied to the righteous Goldmask and the devout Corhyn.
- Meet Goldmask and Corhyn in Altus Plateau and relay information between them.
- Solve the riddle at the Erdtree Capital by casting the Law of Regression incantation in front of the statue of Radagon.
- Find them at the mountaintops of the Giants and eventually in Leyndell, Ashen Capital.
- Acquire the Mending Rune of Perfect Order from Goldmask's body after completing his questline.
This conclusion represents a utopian vision of the Golden Order, cleansed of the corruption and petty emotions of the gods.
Blessing of Despair
Often referred to as the "darkest" or "evil" ending, the Blessing of Despair is unlocked by aiding the vile Dung Eater. Rather than healing or fixing the world, this path curses every single living being in the Lands Between, dooming all future generations to a state of perpetual defilement and suffering.
- Find the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold (represented by a phantom) and unlock his cell in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds.
- Collect Seedbed Curses scattered across major legacy dungeons like Leyndell and Elphael.
- Feed the required Seedbed Curses to the Dung Eater to obtain the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
While deeply unsettling, completing this quest grants deep insight into the cruelty embedded within the history of the Erdtree.
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The Radical Transformations
Beyond the Mending Runes, two major endings completely bypass the traditional Elden Lord paradigm, offering cosmic and divine shifts in power.
Age of the Stars
Widely regarded by the community as the best Elden Ring ending from a narrative and thematic standpoint, the Age of the Stars is tied to the beloved Witch Ranni. This path removes the influence of the Greater Will and the Golden Order entirely, ushering in an era of the cold, dark moon, free from divine tyranny.
- Meet Ranni at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes and join her service.
- Retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade from Nokron, Eternal City, and give it to her.
- Navigate the Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and obtain the Dark Moon Ring.
- Defeat two fingers and place the ring on Ranni's doll at the conclusion of her questline beneath the Moonlight Altar.
- Summon Ranni at the end of the game instead of interacting with Marika.
This epic questline spans nearly every region of the map and provides one of the most satisfying narrative conclusions in gaming history.
Lord of Frenzied Flame
If you want to watch the world burn, the Lord of Frenzied Flame is the ultimate destructive path. Guided by the Three Fingers deep beneath the capital, your character becomes a vessel for the Frenzied Flame, whose sole purpose is to melt all life back into the crucible of the One Great.
- Descend into the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell and locate the frenzied door past the Mohg boss arena.
- Remove all armor and interact with the door to receive the brand of the Three Fingers.
- Note that this locks you out of all other endings unless you complete Millicent's questline, use Miquella's Needle at Dragonlord Placidusax's arena, and defeat Malenia.
- Choose to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame at the final interaction.
The cinematic for this path is hauntingly beautiful and terrifying, showcasing Melina returning with a singular vow to hunt you down.
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Conclusion and Summary
Choosing between the best Elden Ring endings ultimately depends on your personal interpretation of the game's rich lore and your desired role for your Tarnished hero. Whether you prefer the liberation offered by Ranni, the structural perfection of Goldmask, or the chaotic destruction of the Frenzied Flame, FromSoftware has crafted a universe where every choice carries significant weight. Take your time exploring these complex questlines, and may your journey through the Lands Between be triumphant.
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Q: How many endings are there in Elden Ring?
A: There are six main endings in Elden Ring that count toward achievements or trophies. These include the Age of Fracture, Age of the Duskborn, Age of Order, Blessing of Despair, Age of the Stars, and Lord of Frenzied Flame.
Q: Which Elden Ring ending is considered the best?
A: While "best" is subjective, the Age of the Stars ending (Ranni's questline) is widely regarded by the community as the best and most satisfying ending due to its deep narrative, extensive questline, and thematic liberation of the world from outer gods.
Q: Can you do multiple endings in one playthrough?
A: Yes, you can experience multiple endings in a single playthrough by backing up your save file to cloud storage or a local drive right before interacting with the final area after defeating the final boss. However, be careful with the Lord of Frenzied Flame path, as it locks you out of others unless cleansed.
Q: How do I remove the Frenzied Flame curse?
A: To reverse the Lord of Frenzied Flame lock-in, you must complete Millicent's questline to acquire Miquella's Needle, defeat the secret boss Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula, and use the needle within his arena before triggering the final endgame choices.
Q: Do all endings have different achievement trophies?
A: No, the achievements are divided into three specific trophies: one for the Lord of Frenzied Flame, one for the Age of the Stars, and one grouping the standard Elden Lord variations (Fracture, Duskborn, Order, and Despair) together.
Q: Is it necessary to complete side quests to beat Elden Ring?
A: No, you can complete the game by following the main path of defeating required shardbearers and progressing through the capital to the Erdtree, which automatically triggers the default Age of Fracture ending. Side quests are only necessary for alternative conclusions.
