Introduction to Elden Ring Endings in 2024
Navigating the vast and unforgiving world of FromSoftware's masterpiece can be an overwhelming experience, especially when you are aiming for a specific conclusion to your journey. With multiple paths available, understanding the working elden ring endings guide 2024 is essential for completionists and lore enthusiasts alike. Whether you are stepping into the Lands Between for the very first time or returning in anticipation of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, unlocking every fate requires precision, patience, and careful quest management.
The game features several distinct paths ranging from standard conclusions to secret achievements that drastically alter the fate of the entire realm. Because patches and updates have streamlined certain questlines, utilizing an updated working elden ring endings guide 2024 ensures you do not miss vital steps tied to obscure NPCs. From becoming the Elden Lord to plunging the world into eternal despair or ushering in an era of stars, your choices at the foot of the Erdtree matter immensely.
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Understanding the Core Requirements for All Endings
Before diving into the individual questlines, it is crucial to understand how the save system and triggers work. Unlike some RPGs where you can simply reload a save right before the final boss, Elden Ring requires you to have the specific key items—often called Mending Runes or special summons—in your inventory before interacting with the fractured Marika.
To successfully execute any route outlined in this working elden ring endings guide 2024, you must progress the main story up until the point of defeating Maliketh, the Black Blade, and subsequently defeating the final bosses in the Erdtree sanctuary. Making backup saves via cloud storage or USB drives on consoles, or copying your save folder on PC, is a common strategy used by players who want to witness multiple conclusions in a single playthrough without starting a brand-new game from scratch.
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The Standard Paths: Elden Lord Variations
The most common category of conclusions involves sitting upon the Elden Throne as the newly crowned ruler. However, the precise nature of your rule depends entirely on which optional item you use at the end of the game.
Standard Elden Lord Ending
This is the default path and requires the least amount of external questing. If you do not acquire any special Mending Runes or trigger alternate routes, interacting with Queen Marika's body will trigger this standard cinematic.
- Defeat the final bosses of the main campaign.
- Interact with the statue without any special items in your inventory.
- Claim your place as the standard ruler of the Lands Between.
Age of the Duskborn
Managed through the complex and melancholic questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion, this path integrates those living in death into the natural order of the world.
- Complete Fia's questline by giving her the Cursemark of Death.
- Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax in the Deeproot Depths.
- Obtain the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Use this rune at the end of the game to unlock the Duskborn achievement.
Age of Order
Championed by the steadfast Goldmask and Brother Corhyn, this path seeks to correct the perceived flaws and fickleness of the Golden Order by establishing absolute mathematical perfection.
- Follow Corhyn and Goldmask's journey across Altus Plateau and Leyndell, Royal Capital.
- Solve the puzzle regarding Radagon's true identity using the Law of Regression incantation.
- Find Goldmask in the ruins below the colosseum after the capital turns to ash.
- Loot the Mending Rune of Perfect Order from his body.
Blessing of Despair
Perhaps the darkest of the Elden Lord variations, this path is unlocked by completing the horrific quest of the Dung Eater, ensuring that every living being in the realm is cursed for eternity.
- Discover the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold and give him a Seedbed Curse.
- Release his physical body from the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell.
- Defeat him at the outer moat and collect the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- Use the rune upon completion of the game to plunge the world into the Curse of Despair.
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The Alternate Paths: Age of the Stars and Lord of Frenzied Flame
For players looking for conclusions that completely bypass the Elden Lord status, two monumental paths exist. These require extensive exploration and feature entirely unique cinematic cutscenes.
Age of the Stars
Widely considered by the community to be the "true" or most satisfying narrative conclusion, the Age of the Stars path is tied to the beloved witch Ranni. This route removes the influence of the Greater Will and the Golden Order entirely, ushering in a cold, distant, but free era of the night.
- Begin Ranni's questline at Ranni's Rise in Caria Manor.
- Travel deep into the Nokron, Eternal City ruins to retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Use the Carian Inverted Statue in the Carian Study Hall to flip the tower and secure the Cursemark of Death.
- Navigate the Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and traverse the Moonlight Altar.
- Place the Dark Moon Greatsword upon Ranni's finger to summon her at the end of the game.
Lord of Frenzied Flame
If you prefer total annihilation and chaos, the Lord of Frenzied Flame is your calling. This fiery conclusion burns away the current world order entirely, making you the vessel for the Three Fingers.
- Descend deep beneath the capital into the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds past Mohg, the Omen.
- Locate the secret door behind the altar leading to the Three Fingers.
- Strip off all your armor and embrace the Frenzied Flame.
- Note: Doing this locks you into this specific conclusion unless you complete Millicent's lengthy questline, use Miquella's Needle at Dragonlord Placidusax's arena, and reverse the curse.
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Essential Tips for Success in 2024
As you work your way through the Lands Between, keep these expert strategies in mind to ensure your playthrough goes smoothly:
- Always exhaust NPC dialogue options until they repeat themselves to prevent quest lines from stalling.
- Check the map for NPC markers if you lose track of where characters have relocated.
- Be mindful of progress-locking triggers, such as burning the Erdtree, which instantly fails certain early-game interactions.
- Utilize online interactive maps to track elusive items like Seedbed Curses and Deathroot locations.
By following this comprehensive working elden ring endings guide 2024, you will be fully equipped to claim whichever crown—or lack thereof—that best fits your roleplaying desires. Prepare your weapons, hone your skills, and claim your destiny in the Lands Between.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I get multiple endings in a single Elden Ring playthrough?
A:Yes, you can achieve multiple endings in a single playthrough by backing up your save file right before interacting with the final area's choice prompt. On PC, you can copy your save data folder from your local AppData directory. On PlayStation and Xbox, you can upload your save to cloud storage, turn off auto-upload, and download the save back after viewing an ending to experience the others.
Q: How do I remove the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending if I accidentally touched the Three Fingers?
A:To remove the Frenzied Flame mark, you must complete Millicent’s questline all the way through to the Haligtree, defeat Malenia, and use the Unalloyed Gold Needle on the bloom she leaves behind to obtain Miquella's Needle. Then, you must travel to Dragonlord Placidusax's hidden boss arena in Crumbling Farum Azula and use the needle during or after the fight to cleanse yourself, unlocking the ability to choose other endings.
Q: Does the DLC (Shadow of the Erdtree) add any new main game endings?
A:No, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion does not add a new ending to the base game's final boss encounter. Instead, the expansion features its own self-contained narrative arc, bosses, and unique lore discoveries within the Realm of Shadow that expand upon the motivations of Miquella and Marika without altering the original game's concluding cinematic choices.
Q: Which Elden Ring ending is considered the best for lore lovers?
A:The "Age of the Stars" ending, achieved via Ranni's questline, is widely regarded by the community as the most intricate, rewarding, and lore-heavy conclusion. It offers a massive shift in the world's power dynamic by removing the Greater Will's direct meddling and introducing a mystical, exploratory age ruled by the lunar goddess and her consort.
Q: Can I lock myself out of all alternate endings?
A:It is very difficult to lock yourself out of all alternate endings entirely, provided you have not triggered the Frenzied Flame lock. However, you can easily lock yourself out of specific sub-endings like Fia's, Goldmask's, or the Dung Eater's by killing them prematurely or progressing the main story past the point of burning the Erdtree before initiating their respective quest requirements.
