Introduction to the Ultimate Elden Ring Endings Guide Guide
Embarking on a journey through the Lands Between is no small feat. From software's monumental masterpiece, Elden Ring, offers players an unprecedented level of freedom, challenge, and storytelling. However, beneath the breathtaking vistas and punishing boss battles lies a complex web of lore and branching narrative paths. If you have been searching for a comprehensive Elden Ring endings guide, you are undoubtedly aware that reaching the credits is only half the battle; the real question is, how will your story conclude?
With six distinct conclusions available in the base game—and even more potential considerations with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion—navigating the prerequisites can feel like solving a cryptic puzzle. Different paths require you to complete sprawling, multi-stage NPC questlines, make monumental moral choices, and collect obscure items across a massive open world.
In this exhaustive Elden Ring endings guide guide, we will break down every single conclusion, detail the steps required to unlock them, and provide you with the strategic roadmap needed to manipulate your save data or plan multiple playthroughs effectively. Whether you want to become the Elden Lord, usher in an Age of the Stars, or burn the world to cinders, this guide has you covered.
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Understanding the Mechanics of Elden Ring Endings
Before diving into the specific conclusions, it is crucial to understand how the game triggers these final cinematic sequences. Unlike traditional role-playing games where choices are made purely in the final dialogue tree, Elden Ring ties its conclusions to physical items known as Mending Runes or specific physical interactions upon defeating the final boss.
When you finally conquer the final encounter of the game, you will be presented with a glowing statue or a prompt at the site of grace. Depending on the items in your inventory and the actions you took throughout your journey, you will have several options regarding how to interact with Marika’s fractured body.
Crucially, some choices lock you into a specific path unless you take proactive measures to cleanse yourself of certain afflictions. For instance, dabbling in the dark powers of the Three Fingers will lock you into a specific fiery doom unless you utilize a legendary item to reverse the curse. Planning ahead is the absolute key to mastering this system.
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The Standard Path: The Age of Fracture
If you ignore every single optional NPC questline in the game and simply follow the main path dictated by the guidance of grace, you will achieve the default conclusion: The Age of Fracture.
To secure this ending, you do not need to interact with Ranni, Goldmask, Dung Eater, or Fia. You simply need to defeat the mandatory bosses, mend the Elden Ring with no special modifications, and claim your seat as the standard Elden Lord.
While this path lacks the narrative flair and sweeping world changes of the alternative conclusions, it serves as the baseline canon for the realm. It is often the ending players stumble into naturally during their blind first playthrough. However, for those seeking a more tailored narrative experience, the true depth of the game lies in the alternative mending runes.
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The Mending Rune Endings: Shaping the Lands Between
Four of the game's conclusions involve finding specific Mending Runes that alter the fundamental nature of the Elden Ring and, by extension, the entire world. Here is how to navigate each of these intricate paths.
The Age of the Duskborn
If you want to envelop the Lands Between in a perpetual state of undeath where death and life coalesce, you must follow the tragic and macabre questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion.
- Locate Fia at the Roundtable Hold and allow her to hold you, obtaining the Dewkissed Herbed and eventually triggering her secret departure.
- Progress through the underground areas of Nokron and Deeproot Depths to find Fia resting near the Prince of Death’s throne.
- Give her the Cursemark of Death, obtained by scaling the Divine Tower of Liurnia using the Inverted Statue.
- Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax in her dreamscape to acquire the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Upon defeating the final boss, use this rune to initiate the Age of the Duskborn.
The Age of Order
For those who desire a world governed by absolute truth, unwavering logic, and the unyielding golden laws of the Goldmask and Brother Corhyn, the Age of Order is the ultimate destination.
- Meet Brother Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold and later find him along the Altus Plateau highway.
- Show Goldmask the secret truth regarding Radagon and Marika using the Law of Regression incantation at the Erdtree Capital.
- Track Goldmask to the Mountaintops of the Giants and finally to Leyndell, Ashen Capital, where you will find his lifeless body and the Mending Rune of Perfect Order.
- Select this rune at the end of the game to purge the Golden Order of its corrupt mortal flaws.
The Blessing of Despair
If your playthrough leans heavily into chaos, vengeance, and a desire to punish the gods and mortals alike, you can pursue the horrifying path of the Dung Eater.
- Find the Dung Eater projection in the Roundtable Hold and obtain the Seedbed Curse from Leyndell.
- Convince him to move to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath the capital.
- Feed him multiple Seedbed Curses until he surrenders his physical form, yielding the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- Use this rune at the finale to plunge the entire world into an inescapable curse where every soul is blighted for eternity.
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The Secret and Legendary Paths
Beyond the mending runes lie two massive, transformative conclusions that completely alter the final cinematic and offer entirely distinct thematic worlds.
Age of the Stars: The Ranni Ending
Widely considered by the community to be the true "good" or secret "true" ending of the game, the Age of the Stars removes the influence of the Greater Will entirely, plunging the world into a cold, dark, but free night guided by the Lunar Princess Ranni.
- Visit Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes and pledge your allegiance to her service.
- Descend into Nokron, Eternal City, to retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Use the Carian Inverted Statue to navigate the Divine Tower of Liurnia and acquire the Cursemark of Death.
- Travel through the Ainsel River Main, defeat the Baleful Shadow, and use the Abandoned Palace Key to open Rennala's chest.
- Traverse the Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and journey up to the Moonlight Altar.
- Obtain the Dark Moon Greatsword and place the ring on Ranni's finger.
- Summon Ranni at the very end of the game by interacting with her blue summon sign instead of the standard glowing prompt.
Lord of Frenzied Flame: The Chaos Ending
If you prefer to watch the world burn, the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending is waiting for you. This path rejects the entire premise of order, grace, and existence itself, burning everything down to a single undifferentiated mass.
- Locate the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell, navigating the brutal jumping puzzle to the bottom.
- Strip off all your armor and interact with the massive sealed door to meet the Three Fingers.
- Accept the embrace of the Frenzied Flame, which will permanently brand your body and lock you out of all other endings.
- Defeat the final boss and trigger the fiery destruction of the Lands Between.
- Note: If you regret this decision, you can use Miquella's Needle inside Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena after completing Millicent’s legendary questline to cure the frenzied flame and restore your freedom of choice.
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Strategic Tips for Managing Your Playthrough
Because Elden Ring does not allow you to easily cycle through every single conclusion in a single standard playthrough without save manipulation, planning is essential.
- Save Scumming: On PC and console, players often utilize cloud saves or manual USB backups just before interacting with the final endgame choice. This allows you to witness multiple conclusions without spending another hundred hours replaying the entire campaign.
- Questline Intersections: Be careful not to accidentally lock yourself out of vital NPC interactions. For instance, giving Ranni your loyalty early on changes certain dialogue options, and burning the Erdtree prematurely can permanently fail specific character arcs.
- Prioritize Exploration: Many of the items required for alternate conclusions are hidden behind obscure bosses and hidden walls. Thoroughly exploring every catacomb, cave, and legacy dungeon is the best way to ensure you have all options open when the time comes.
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Conclusion
Mastering the narrative conclusions of FromSoftware's epic requires patience, dedication, and a keen eye for detail. By following this comprehensive Elden Ring endings guide guide, you are now fully equipped to navigate the complex web of quests, runes, and divine choices that dictate the fate of the Lands Between. Whether you choose the noble Age of the Stars, the fiery destruction of the Frenzied Flame, or a customized mending rune, your journey will leave an indelible mark on this hauntingly beautiful world. Prepare your weapon, hone your skills, and claim your destiny.
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FAQ
Q: Can you get multiple endings in a single playthrough of Elden Ring?
A: Technically, no, you can only choose one conclusion per completed playthrough. However, many players use save backup methods (cloud saves or USB backups) right before the final boss or final interaction to reload their game and view multiple cinematic conclusions without starting a brand-new character.
Q: How do I remove the Frenzied Flame if I accidentally locked myself into it?
A: To reverse the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending lock, you must complete the extensive questline of Millicent to acquire Miquella’s Needle. Then, you must defeat the secret hidden boss Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula and use the needle within his arena.
Q: Which ending is considered the canonical or best ending?
A: Elden Ring does not have an officially declared "canon" ending, as FromSoftware leaves the lore open to interpretation. However, the Age of the Stars (Ranni's ending) is widely considered by the community to be the most satisfying and substantial alternative path due to its unique cinematic and massive lore implications.
Q: Do I need to complete every single side quest to finish the game?
A: No, side quests are entirely optional. If you simply want to finish the main story, you can ignore all optional NPCs and achieve the default Age of Fracture ending by beating the required main bosses and interacting with Marika.
Q: What is the easiest alternative ending to unlock for beginners?
A: The Age of the Duskborn (Fia's quest) or the Age of Order (Goldmask's quest) are relatively straightforward compared to the intricate steps required for Ranni's path or the Frenzied Flame, though they still require thorough exploration and adherence to specific character prompts.
