The Lands Between remains one of the most sprawling, mysterious, and captivating open-world settings ever created by FromSoftware. If you are currently traversing this unforgiving realm, you are likely hunting down every secret, boss, and narrative path available. Navigating the complex web of quests required to unlock every achievement can be daunting, which is why a comprehensive Elden Ring endings guide is essential for completionists and lore enthusiasts alike.
Whether you are jumping back into the game for a fresh playthrough or preparing your character for the massive expansion, understanding the precise steps to secure your desired conclusion is vital. In this detailed, up-to-date free Elden Ring endings guide this month, we will break down every single major conclusion available in the base game, detailing the exact questlines, key items, and crucial choices you need to make to see your preferred cinematic play out.
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Understanding Elden Ring Endings
Before diving into the specific steps for each path, it is important to understand how the finale of the game works. Unlike traditional role-playing games where your final choice is made in the very last room, your path in The Lands Between is locked in much earlier through your actions, quest progression, and the acquisition of specific Mending Mending Mending Mending runes or items.
Upon defeating the final boss, you will be presented with a statue. Interacting with this statue triggers the ending based entirely on what items you hold in your inventory and whose quests you have completed. This means you can technically complete multiple side quests, back up your save file (on platforms that allow it), and view every single variation without having to replay the entire 100-hour campaign from scratch.
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The Standard Path: The Age of Fracture
If you ignore every major side character and simply barrel through the critical path of the main story, this is the default conclusion you will receive. It is often considered the baseline Elden Ring endings guide scenario because it requires no complex side questing.
To achieve The Age of Fracture, you simply need to defeat the final boss of the game. Once the dust settles, interact with the Marika's statue in the Erdtree sanctuary. You will repair the Elden Ring with no special modifications, restoring the Golden Order in its traditional, albeit flawed, state. While this path lacks the dramatic societal shifts of the other options, it serves as the foundation upon which all other conclusions are built.
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The Golden Order Variations: Mending Rune Endings
Three major side quests grant you a unique Mending Rune. These runes alter the state of the Elden Ring upon repair, leading to entirely different sociopolitical outcomes for The Lands Between. Consulting an Elden Ring endings guide is crucial here, as failing a single NPC interaction can lock you out of these items entirely.
The Age of the Duskborn
This atmospheric and melancholic ending is tied directly to the tragic questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion. By helping Fia embrace the state of those who live in death, you will challenge the natural order where souls cannot return to the Erdtree.
- Speak to Fia at the Roundtable Hold and allow her to hold you regularly.
- Eventually, she will give you the Weathered Dagger and ask you to return it to its rightful owner, D, Hunter of the Dead.
- Deliver the dagger, reload the area, and find D dead in the secluded room near the blacksmith. Fia will depart.
- Progress through the game until you reach Deeproot Depths. Find Fia resting near the Prince of Death's Throne.
- Give her the Cursemark of Death (obtained atop the Divine Tower of Liurnia after defeating General Radahn and navigating the Carian Study Hall).
- Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax in her dream world to receive the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Use this rune at the end of the game to usher in an era where death and life coalesce.
The Blessing of Despair
Perhaps the darkest and most reviled path in the entire game, this conclusion is orchestrated by the Dung Eater. Following this path plunges the entire world into an inescapable curse where every soul is defiled and reincarnated in torment.
- Reach the Altus Plateau to trigger the Dung Eater's physical appearance as a phantom in the Roundtable Hold, who hands you the Seedbed Curse.
- Find Dung Eater's true body locked in the sewers beneath the Leyndell Royal Capital (the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds).
- Collect Seedbed Curses scattered across major legacy dungeons like Volcano Manor and Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
- Feed these curses to his physical body until he gives you the Seedbed Gaol Key.
- Unlock his cell, defeat him in the outer moat, and claim the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- Using this item at the end creates a world where the curse of defilement is applied universally to all living beings.
The Age of Order
If you prefer a world governed by absolute logic, wisdom, and the correction of the Golden Order's hypocrisies, you must align yourself with Goldmask and Brother Corhyn. This quest requires high intelligence and meticulous tracking across the map.
- Meet Brother Corhyn and Goldmask in the Altus Plateau.
- Use the Law of Regression incantation (requires 37 Intelligence) in front of the Radagon statue inside Leyndell, Royal Capital, to reveal the secret truth: Radagon is Marika.
- Report this revelation back to Goldmask.
- Find them later on the bridge in the Mountaintops of the Giants, and finally near the Leyndell, Ashen Capital site of grace.
- Claim the Mending Rune of the Perfect Order from Goldmask's body after the capital turns to ash.
- Choosing this option at the game's climax repairs the Elden Ring by removing the emotional whims and flaws of the gods, replacing them with immutable cosmic laws.
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The Radical Transformations: Unique Cutscene Endings
Unlike the Mending Rune variations which modify the standard ending cinematic, these two paths offer completely distinct visual conclusions that reshape the lore of the universe entirely.
Age of the Stars
Widely regarded by fans as the "good" or true narrative conclusion, the Age of the Stars is tied to the sprawling, multi-tiered questline of Lunar Princess Ranni. This path removes the influence of the Greater Will and the Erdtree entirely, ushering in the Night of the Stars and plunging the world into a thousand-year voyage of fear, doubt, and cold freedom.
- Begin by meeting Ranni at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes.
- Travel to the Siofra River and speak with Blaidd. Talk to Seluvis and Sellen to progress the narrative thread.
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn to open the path to Nokron, Eternal City, and retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Give the blade to Ranni to receive the Carian Inverted Statue, allowing you to access the Divine Tower of Liurnia.
- Navigate through Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and enter the pristine moonlight altar area.
- Place the Dark Moon Ring on Ranni's doll to receive the Dark Moon Greatsword and unlock the summon sign on the floor after defeating the final boss.
Lord of Frenzied Flame
If you wish to watch the world burn and completely incinerate the current order, you must seek out the Three Fingers deep beneath the capital. This path locks you out of all other endings unless you use a specific, well-hidden quest item to cleanse yourself.
- Descend into the nightmarish depths of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell.
- Navigate the punishing platforming puzzle past the Frenzied Flame Proscription site of grace.
- Strip off all your armor and interact with the massive door at the bottom. The Three Fingers will brand you, enveloping your eyes in chaotic yellow fire.
- Melina will abandon you, vowing to hunt you down as the destined death.
- Interacting with Marika's statue at the end triggers a devastating cinematic where you become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, melting away all distinctions and individual suffering into the primordial chaos.
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Tips for Managing Multiple Endings
Because seeing every conclusion requires immense dedication, many players utilize the cloud-save exploit to view all base game variations in a single playthrough.
Before defeating the final boss, you can upload your save data to cloud storage or back up your local save files to a USB drive. After defeating the boss, you can trigger one ending, watch the credits, and then restore your backup save file to your platform. This allows you to interact with the statue again and choose a different path without needing to replay the entire game. Just ensure that you have fully completed the respective prerequisites for each ending before initiating the final boss fight, as progressing too far into the post-game state can occasionally lock out ongoing NPC questlines.
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Conclusion
Mastering the intricate web of requirements in this comprehensive free Elden Ring endings guide this month ensures you will never miss out on your desired narrative payoff. Whether you choose to establish a cold cosmic order under Ranni, heal the wounds of the Golden Order with Goldmask, or purge the world in holy fire with the Frenzied Flame, The Lands Between will respond dynamically to your choices. Prepare your build, complete those side quests, and claim your rightful place upon the Elden Throne.
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FAQ
Q: Can I get multiple Elden Ring endings in a single playthrough?
A: Yes, you can technically view every ending in a single playthrough if you complete all the prerequisite questlines beforehand and use manual save backups right before interacting with the final endgame choice.
Q: How do I remove the Lord of Frenzied Flame branding?
A: To rid yourself of the Frenzied Flame and unlock other endings, you must complete the rigorous questline of Millicent, defeat Malenia, use the Miquella's Needle item inside Dragonlord Placidusax's arena in Crumbling Farum Azula.
Q: Do Elden Ring endings affect gameplay in New Game Plus?
A: No, the ending you choose does not carry over any mechanical debuffs or stat changes into New Game Plus (NG+). It only impacts the final cutscene, the achievement unlocked, and the ultimate lore state of your campaign.
Q: What is the most popular ending among players?
A: According to community statistics and achievement tracking data across all platforms, the Age of the Stars ending tied to Ranni's questline is overwhelmingly the most popular choice due to its deep lore and unique rewards.
Q: Are any Elden Ring endings completely missable?
A: Yes. Most Mending Rune endings and Ranni's ending can be permanently locked out if you kill key NPCs, progress the main story past the point where Leyndell turns to ash, or fail to initiate specific steps before defeating mandatory bosses.
