Introduction to Elden Ring Endings in 2025
Welcome to the ultimate free Elden Ring endings guide 2025. Even years after its initial release, FromSoftware’s magnum opus continues to captivate millions of Tarnished across the Lands Between. With the massive success of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the player base is more active than ever, constantly discovering lore implications and optimizing their playthroughs. Achieving all achievements or simply witnessing the culmination of your preferred narrative path requires careful planning, item collection, and specific questline progression.
The Lands Between is a bleak, fractured realm teetering on the edge of collapse, and as a prospective Elden Lord, your choices shape the future of reality. There are multiple distinct conclusions you can unlock, ranging from a standard restoration of the Golden Order to absolute cosmic horror or total annihilation. This comprehensive Elden Ring endings guide will walk you through every single path, outlining the prerequisites, crucial NPC interactions, and missable items required to secure your desired finale without spending a dime on premium strategy guides.
---
Understanding the Mechanics of Elden Ring Endings
Before diving into the specific routes, it is vital to understand how the game handles its conclusions. Unlike many traditional RPGs, Elden Ring does not instantly force you into New Game Plus after defeating the final boss. Once you vanquish the ultimate threat in the Erdtree, you are presented with a site of grace. This gives you the unique flexibility to leave the boss arena, complete unfinished side quests, and return later to interact with the fractured Marika or summon a specific sign on the ground.
However, certain actions will permanently lock you out of specific paths, while others will forcefully lock you into a singular path unless you take extreme measures. For instance, inheriting the Frenzied Flame locks you into that specific ending unless you use a very specific, well-hidden consumable item called Miquella's Needle at Dragonlord Placidusax's arena in Crumbling Farum Azula. Understanding these branching paths prevents heartbreaking moments after sinking over a hundred hours into a single character.
---
The Standard Paths: Age of Fracture and the Mending Runes
The base game offers several variations of the traditional Elden Lord ending. These are mechanically similar, as they all result in you taking the throne, but they alter the fundamental laws of the world depending on which Mending Rune you insert into Queen Marika.
Age of Fracture (The Default Ending)
This is the most straightforward conclusion to the game and requires no side quest completion whatsoever. To achieve the Age of Fracture, you simply need to defeat the final bosses, approach Queen Marika, and choose to touch her. No special items are required.
- Defeat Maliketh in Crumbling Farum Azula to trigger the ash-covered Leyndell.
- Defeat Hoarah Loux, Warrior, and the final boss.
- Interact with Marika without any Mending Runes in your inventory.
- Watch as the world enters a fragile new era under your rule, maintaining the status quo with slight modifications.
Age of the Duskborn (Fia's Ending)
If you prefer a world where those who live in death are granted a rightful place in the cycle of existence, you must follow the tragic and deeply atmospheric questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion. This path rewards you with the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Meet Fia at the Roundtable Hold and accept her embrace.
- Give her the Dexterous Weathered Dagger and eavesdrop on her conversation.
- Progress through Nokron, Eternal City, to find the Cursemark of Death at the top of the Divine Tower of Liurnia (requires defeating Starscourge Radahn and exploring Carian Study Hall).
- Give the Cursemark to Fia in the Deeproot Depths.
- Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax in her dream to acquire the Mending Rune, then use it on Marika after the final battle.
Age of Order (Goldmask and Corhyn's Ending)
For players who believe the Golden Order is fundamentally correct but merely flawed by the imperfect interpretations of the Gods, Brother Corhyn and Goldmask offer a path of absolute doctrinal purity, yielding the Mending Rune of Perfect Order.
- Locate Brother Corhyn and Goldmask in Altus Plateau.
- Tell Corhyn the location of Goldmask.
- Meet them near the Colosseum in Leyndell, Royal Capital, and cast the spell "Law of Regression" on the giant statue while having at least 37 Intelligence.
- Speak to Goldmask again, then find them in the snowy peaks near the Stargazer's Ruins.
- After burning the Erdtree, find Goldmask's body near the capital outskirts to loot the Mending Rune.
Blessing of Despair (The Dung Eater's Ending)
If your goal is to plunge the Lands Between into a cursed, unending nightmare where every soul is defiled and prevented from returning to the Erdtree, you must assist the abhorrent Dung Eater. This grants the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- Find the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold projection and get the Sewer-Gaol Key from the twin maiden husks.
- Free him from his cell in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell.
- Feed him Seedbed Barrows found throughout the world until he gives you the Seedbed Curse item.
- Use it to defile his physical body, acquiring the Mending Rune for the final choice.
---
The Cosmic and Mythological Paths
Beyond the traditional Elden Lord seat, two monumental paths change the very fabric of existence, offering entirely different cinematic cutscenes and conceptual futures.
Age of the Stars (Ranni's Ending)
Widely considered by the community to be the "good" or true narrative-heavy ending, the Age of the Stars removes the Greater Will and the Golden Order entirely from the Lands Between, ushering in the Age of the Night alongside the Lunar Princess Ranni.
- Begin by meeting Ranni at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes.
- Travel through Nokron, Eternal City, to retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Give the blade to Ranni, allowing her to travel.
- Navigate the Ainsel River Main, defeat the Baleful Shadow, and acquire the Discarded Palace Key.
- Open the chest in the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria to get the Dark Moon Ring.
- Descend into the Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and travel up to the Moonlight Altar.
- Enter the cathedral, drop down the hole, and place the ring on Ranni's finger to commit to her questline.
- After defeating the final boss, summon Ranni via the blue summoning sign on the floor.
Lord of Frenzied Flame (The Chaos Ending)
If you are disillusioned by the endless suffering caused by the gods and wish to burn everything away so that "all that is can be one once more," you can inherit the Frenzied Flame beneath the capital.
- Descend deep into the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds past Mohg, the Omen.
- Hit the illusory wall behind the chest in the boss room and platform down the perilous vertical tombstones.
- Reach the Three Fingers and strip off all your armor to receive the embrace.
- Your character's eyes will permanently glow yellow-orange, and your skin will become scarred and burned.
- Beat the final boss; you will automatically trigger this ending, incinerating the entire world.
- Note: You can undo this by completing Millicent's questline, defeating Malenia to get Miquella's Needle, and using it inside Dragonlord Placidusax's boss arena.
---
Tips for Managing Multiple Endings in 2025
Backing up your save files remains the most efficient way to witness all major conclusions on a single character without diving straight into New Game Plus multiple times. PC players can easily copy their save files from the AppData folder, while PlayStation and Xbox players can utilize cloud storage backups.
Make sure to double-check missable triggers before burning the Erdtree, as the shifting landscape of Leyndell locks out several early-to-mid-game interactions. By following this free Elden Ring endings guide 2025, you will master every narrative nuance and rule the Lands Between exactly as you see fit.
---
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I get multiple Elden Ring endings in a single playthrough without save scumming?
A: No. You can only choose one ending cutscene per playthrough. However, by backing up your save files right before the final choice, you can reload your game and view every single ending without starting a completely new character from scratch.
Q: Is Ranni's ending considered the canon ending of Elden Ring?
A: FromSoftware has never officially designated any single path as strictly canon to leave player interpretation open. However, the Age of the Stars (Ranni's ending) features the most extensive and detailed questline, leading many fans to regard it as the definitive narrative journey.
Q: How do I remove the Frenzied Flame if I accidentally inherited it?
A: To rid yourself of the Frenzied Flame and unlock other endings, you must complete Millicent's lengthy questline, defeat Malenia, Blade of Miquella, to acquire Unalloyed Gold, defeat Malenia's optional boss form to get Miquella's Needle, and use that needle inside the storm arena of Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula.
Q: Are any of the Mending Runes missable?
A: Yes. Several Mending Runes depend entirely on completing specific NPC questlines before advancing the main story. For instance, if you progress too far or kill certain NPCs like Goldmask, Corhyn, or Dung Eater prematurely, you will be permanently locked out of their respective endings for that cycle.
Q: Do Elden Ring endings affect gameplay in New Game Plus?
A: The chosen ending does not grant any special stat bonuses, weapons, or unique passive buffs in New Game Plus. It purely determines the final cinematic, the closing text credits, and the state in which you leave the world before starting your next journey.
Q: Do I need to complete the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC to get the main game endings?
A: No. The events and conclusions of the base game remain completely independent of the expansion. You can finish the base game and achieve any of the core endings without ever stepping foot into the Realm of Shadow.
