Understanding Elden Ring's Multiple Endings
Elden Ring features six distinct endings that reflect different choices made throughout your journey. Unlike some FromSoftware games where endings are minor variations, each elden ring ending tells a different story about the future of the Lands Between and your role as Elden Lord. This elden ring ending guide will explain how to achieve each ending and what it means for the world.
Before we dive into the specifics, it's important to understand that most endings are determined late in the game, often after defeating the final boss. However, some require completing specific questlines much earlier, so plan ahead if you want to experience a particular ending.
The Six Endings of Elden Ring
1. Age of Fracture (Default Ending)
The Age of Fracture is the default ending you'll receive if you simply defeat the final boss without completing any special questlines. This ending sees you become Elden Lord and repair the Elden Ring, restoring the Golden Order to the Lands Between.
How to get it: Defeat the final boss and choose to mend the Elden Ring without any special items.
What it means: This is the most straightforward ending, representing a return to the status quo. The Erdtree is restored, and the Golden Order continues, though the scars of shattering remain visible.
2. Age of Order
The Age of Order ending is achieved by completing Brother Corhyn and Goldmask's questline. This ending involves using the Mending Rune of Perfect Order to create a more rational, logical Golden Order free from the influence of the Greater Will.
How to get it:
- Find Brother Corhyn in the Roundtable Hold after defeating Godrick
- Locate Goldmask near the Erdtree in the Capital
- Complete their questline by helping them understand the nature of the gods
- Obtain the Mending Rune of Perfect Order from Goldmask's body
- Use the rune when mending the Elden Ring
What it means: This ending represents a more controlled, ordered version of the Golden Order. It's unclear whether this is better or worse than the default ending - the increased order might bring stability or might remove free will.
3. Age of the Duskborn
The Age of the Duskborn ending comes from completing Fia's questline and using the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince. This ending introduces the concept of death back into the world, allowing those who died in the Shattering to truly pass on.
How to get it:
- Meet Fia in the Roundtable Hold and let her hold you
- Progress her questline by giving her the Weathered Dagger
- Defeat the boss in the Deeproot Depths and find D's body
- Obtain the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince from Fia
- Use the rune when mending the Elden Ring
What it means: This ending acknowledges that death is a natural part of life. It's a more compassionate ending that allows the dead to rest peacefully, though it also means those who lived through the Shattering must now accept mortality again.
4. Age of Stars
The Age of Stars ending is achieved through Ranni's extensive questline. This ending sees you serve Ranni as her consort, ushering in an age where the stars influence the world rather than the Greater Will.
How to get it:
- Meet Ranni at the Three Sisters area in Caria Manor
- Complete her entire questline, which spans the entire game
- Defeat the bosses she tasks you with, including Astel and the Dragon
- Summon the blue sigil after defeating the final boss
What it means: Many consider this the elden ring best ending for those who want change. It represents a complete break from the Golden Order and the influence of the Greater Will. The age of stars brings mystery and freedom, though it also means an uncertain future without the guidance of the gods.
5. Lord of Frenzied Flame
The Lord of Frenzied Flame ending is the most destructive ending available. By inheriting the Frenzied Flame, you choose to burn the entire world to its foundations, destroying everything including the Erdtree itself.
How to get it:
- Find the Three Fingers in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell
- Remove all your armor and open the door to inherit the Frenzied Flame
- After inheriting it, you cannot access other endings unless you use Millicent's needle
- Defeat the final boss and choose to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame
What it means: This is the nihilistic ending, representing total destruction. The Frenzied Flame believes that life is suffering, and the only mercy is to end it all. It's a dark ending, though some see it as a form of compassion - ending all pain by ending existence itself.
6. Blessing of Despair (DLC Ending)
The Blessing of Despair ending comes from completing the Dung Eater's questline. This cursed ending spreads the Seedbed Curse across the world, ensuring that all life is born suffering.
How to get it:
- Meet the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold after finding a Seedbed Curse
- Free him from his cell and progress his questline
- Obtain the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse from his body
- Use the rune when mending the Elden Ring
What it means: This is arguably the worst ending for the world. It ensures that all future generations will suffer, as the Seedbed Curse corrupts the very nature of life. It's a bleak ending that serves as a cautionary tale about the cycle of suffering.
Which Ending is the "Best"?
The elden ring best ending is subjective and depends on your perspective:
- For hope and change: Age of Stars (Ranni's ending) offers the most optimistic view of the future
- For balance: Age of the Duskborn acknowledges death as natural while maintaining order
- For control: Age of Order creates a more rational world, though at the cost of free will
- For tradition: Age of Fracture maintains the status quo
- For nihilism: Lord of Frenzied Flame and Blessing of Despair are the most destructive
From a gameplay perspective, the Age of Stars ending is often considered the most satisfying because it represents a complete break from the corrupt Golden Order and offers genuine hope for the future. However, each ending has its merits depending on how you view the world of Elden Ring.
Tips for Experiencing All Endings
If you want to experience all elden ring endings, here are some tips:
- Create multiple save files or characters before the final boss
- Complete all major questlines before fighting the final boss
- Remember that inheriting the Frenzied Flame locks you out of other endings unless you reverse it
- Some endings require specific items that can only be obtained once per playthrough
- Consider using New Game Plus to experience different endings with the same character
The Lore Behind the Endings
Each ending in Elden Ring reflects different philosophical perspectives on life, death, and order. The Golden Order represents control and hierarchy, while the Frenzied Flame represents chaos and destruction. Ranni's age of stars offers freedom and mystery, while the Duskborn ending acknowledges the necessity of death.
Understanding these themes adds depth to your playthrough and helps you choose the ending that resonates with your character's journey. The elden ring story explained through its endings reveals a world struggling to find balance between order and chaos, life and death, control and freedom.
Conclusion
Elden Ring's multiple endings give players meaningful choices that affect the world's future. Whether you choose to restore the Golden Order, embrace the stars, or burn it all down, each ending tells a compelling story about power, responsibility, and the nature of existence. Take your time exploring the questlines, consider the implications of each choice, and choose the ending that feels right for your Tarnished.
