Elden Ring is a game released in 2022, belonging to the Soulslike RPG subgenre and produced by the Japanese studio FromSoftware. It was one of the most anticipated releases of the previous year and proved to be a significant hit shortly after its launch.
The game attracted fans with its balanced mechanics, intriguing world, complex quests, and the possibility to complete it in six different ways!
Fans of the Asian gaming market probably aren’t surprised by this number because many games have offered multiple entirely unique endings (the Resident Evil series, Chrono Trigger), depending on how the player’s story was conducted and what moral choices were made. Often, even the least significant quests or interactions with NPCs could have a crucial impact on how the story unfolds. Was it similar in the case of the new FromSoftware game? What do all the possible Elden Ring endings look like, and how can you unlock them? Welcome to our guide!
Seeing Multiple Endings in One Playthrough
How to get all endings in Elden Ring and unlock all the achievements? Well, the answer is simple: by finishing the game six times, starting each time a New Game playthrough. The game offers a fairly classic playthrough during which a series of decisions, moral choices, and quests related to important NPCs influence which ending the whims of fate and Lady Luck will lead you to.
Does playing the same game multiple times sound impossible to you? There is a way to bypass it: saving at the right moment and making different choices (especially towards the end of the story) that will lead to a different game ending. But how can you know which choices to make and what to change to achieve a different outcome? That’s where we come in with this guide.
Thanks to modern technologies offered by Steam, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One/Series, you can conveniently save your progress in the cloud. Saving at key moments will allow you to complete the story in various ways and, as a result, unlock several or even all possible game endings.
Helpful Hints Related to Endings
At the beginning of the game, your task will be to create a character, one of the Tarnished. You have the option to customize their appearance, class, and keepsake. If you don’t have a specific playstyle in mind, your choices won’t matter much. However, if you enjoy playing characters with specific abilities, have a close look at which classes have which stats.
For example, the Astrologer has strong Intelligence and Mind but low Strength; the Hero is a Strong and Vigorous character with low Intelligence, and the Samurai has well-developed Endurance and Dexterity but relatively low Arcane and Intellect.
The initial location where you respawn will be the Chapel of Anticipation. After familiarizing yourself with the terrain and collecting equipment, you will leave this place and, after a short journey, encounter the first boss. Depending on whether you manage to defeat it or not, you will either continue your journey or wake up in the Stranded Graveyard, Limgrave.
The first boss is quite challenging, so you can take defeat in stride and consider it a natural part of the game. After waking up in the Stranded Graveyard, you will have the option to visit tutorial dungeons or venture further into the world.
The game features an open world, so it’s up to you which direction you take, who you meet, which quests you complete and in what order, and how and when you confront bosses. Your decisions also determine whether and when you encounter key characters, who will affect the course of events.
NPCs play a significant role in the gameplay because they determine what side quests await you and what secrets you can uncover during the game.
Several of the achievable endings (excluding the default one) are strongly tied to these side quests and the order and manner in which you complete them. Therefore, it’s worth approaching some quests with caution and attention.
How to Prevent the Chaos Ending
Among the six possible endings in Elden Ring, there is one known as the Chaos Ending. Of course, you can end the game this way, but it means you will become a destructive dictator who will destroy the world at the behest of a mysterious dark force. This ending is called The Lord of Frenzied Flame. We’ll explain how to unlock it later.
However, if the game leads you to this ending, and it’s not a satisfying conclusion for you, there is a way to reverse the course of events. Miquella’s Needle plays a significant role in this, and you must use it in the Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena before any interaction with Marika.
To obtain the Needle, you must complete Gowry and Millicent’s fairly long quests beforehand. This will free your character from the grip of the dark force that possessed them, allowing you to finish the game in a different way – this ending will reflect all the decisions you’ve made along the way.
Guide to All Elden Ring Endings
As mentioned at the beginning, the game offers a total of six endings. One of them is default and doesn’t require any special actions or hidden quests performed by the player. One ending is known commonly as the Chaos Ending, and the other four require the completion of specific questlines and specific decisions.
It’s important to note that Elden Ring endings, for the most part, lead to becoming an Elden Lord. There are four possible Elden Lord endings. Below, you’ll find a description of the actions and information needed to unlock each of them.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is no truly good or bad ending in Elden Ring. Even the Chaos Ending is not inherently a bad choice to be avoided at all costs. Each of the available story endings has its deeper meaning and ambiguity.
Detailed Endings
Age of Fracture Ending
This is the default ending that doesn’t require any special actions or hidden quests.
To complete the game this way, simply play through it, defeating all the bosses. After defeating the final boss, you must Mend the Elden Ring, and you will be transported near Fractured Marika. All you have to do is touch her, and you will become the Elden Lord.
Completing the game in this way unlocks the Elden Lord achievement.
Age of the Duskborn Ending
This is another possible Elden Ring ending, but it requires some additional tasks and a specific storyline.
To unlock this ending, you must complete two important questlines: for Fia and Ranni the Witch. You must also possess the Statue to Invert Carian Hall.
Having this statue allows you to use the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince on Marika instead of choosing to Mend the Elden Ring.
Unlocking this ending will also grant you the corresponding achievement. This ending will make you an Elden Lord, and, thanks to Fia, a mist will descend upon the land, marking the end of immortality in the Lands Between, all due to her connection with the Prince of Death.
Age of Order Ending
The third of the possible alternate endings is called the Age of Order or Goldmask’s Ending.
To achieve it, you must complete the Goldmask and Brother Corhyn’s questline. This ending is somewhat challenging to attain, especially if you progress too far in the main storyline and, for example, cause the Erdtree to be burned by Marika. If you’re aiming for this ending, head to Roundtable Hold as soon as possible and meet with Brother Corhyn.
To unlock this ending, you will need the Rune of Perfect Order, directly related to Goldmask’s quests. After defeating the final boss, instead of choosing to Mend the Elden Ring, you will need to use this rune on Marika.
This ending is one of the more satisfying ones, especially if you’re looking for a positive conclusion to the story and, at least partially, a happy ending. This ending will bring peace and order to the Lands Between, putting an end to all conflicts caused by the “flames of ambition”.
Blessing of Despair Ending
This is one of the more interesting but less positive endings, known as the Blessing of Despair or Dung Eater’s Ending. To end the game this way, you will need to complete Dung Eater’s quest and possess the Seedbed Curse item, which will appear in the game multiple times and can be acquired in several ways.
Defeating Dung Eater will grant you access to the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse. After the final battle, instead of choosing the default solution to Mend the Elden Ring, you will need to use this rune on Marika.
In this ending, your Tarnished character will also become an Elden Lord, and a powerful curse will befall the Lands Between. So, if you want to curse an already cursed world instead of saving it, this ending will help you fulfil that plan.
Lord of the Frenzied Flame Ending
The Lord of the Frenzied Flame is indeed the previously mentioned Chaos Ending, in which you become a ruthless dictator and literally destroy the world in flames, under the influence of a powerful entity called Three Fingers.
To unlock this ending, you must complete several additional tasks. It is associated with quests for Hyetta, the Bloody Finger Hunter, and Yura. You also need to reach the location called the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, where, after completing a series of additional tasks, you will encounter Three Fingers.
Three Fingers will bestow upon you the power of the Frenzied Flame and block the possibility of any other ending, except for becoming the Lord of the Frenzied Flame during the final encounter with Marika (unless, of course, you previously acquired Miquella’s Needle, as mentioned earlier).
By choosing this ending, you will actually see the world burning.
Age of the Stars Ending
Age of the Stars is the final of the possible secret game endings. Like with the Age of Duskborn, unlocking it requires completing quests for Ranni the Witch. This ending is one of the more interesting and positive endings, entirely different from all the previous ones.
Completing Ranni the Witch’s questline will allow you to obtain the key to a chest containing the magical Dark Moon Ring. Presenting it to Ranni during one of the final objectives related to her questline will trigger a dialogue option in which she reveals her plans for the Lands Between.
Unlike other endings, you don’t need to acquire any Mending Runes in these questlines. After defeating the final boss in the last arena of the game, where Marika is located, a summoning point will appear.
Instead of interacting with her, summon Ranni, who will assume the role of the Goddess, replacing Marika, and thus initiating the Age of Stars. Erdtree will be replaced by the Moon, the Guidance of the Stars will overtake the Lands Between, granting everyone free will and freeing their souls.
Additional Information
As you’ve noticed in the text above, Ranni the Witch is one of the most important characters. However, players have noticed differences in dialogue options and interactions with Ranni, depending on the choices you make, where you encounter her, and how your relationship with her develops.
The quest related to her is quite long and complex, and the decisions you make affect whether the Witch merely likes or tolerates you or if something more develops between you two.
There have been many doubts and rumours surrounding Ranni’s quest and the Age of Stars ending, mainly due to the translation of the game’s original Japanese script into English, which was not entirely successful and accurate.
In the English version, Ranni’s words regarding the inhabitants of the Lands Between seem much darker and more pessimistic, suggesting that for 1000 years they will wander in nothingness under the rule of the Moon and so-called Cold Nights.
However, the developers clarified these speculations and explained the translation error in the script. Ranni’s plan from the beginning was to free and restore free will to everyone in the land.