Introduction to Elden Ring Endings
Welcome to the ultimate, 100% best elden ring endings guide free of hidden paywalls or gated content. FromSoftware’s masterpiece, Elden Ring, is a monumental dark fantasy RPG that offers players an unprecedented level of freedom. Set in the vast and treacherous Lands Between, your ultimate goal as the Tarnished is to claim the Elden Ring, mend the fractured world, and become the Elden Lord. However, the path you choose dictates the fate of the entire realm.
With multiple distinct conclusions available in the base game—and even more unlocked if you delve into the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion—knowing how to navigate these complex questlines is crucial. Many players accidentally lock themselves out of specific conclusions simply by progressing too far into the main story or by defeating specific boss encounters prematurely. This comprehensive walkthrough is designed to give you a completely free elden ring endings guide so you can experience the narrative payoff you desire without spending a dime on premium strategy guides.
Understanding the lore and mechanics behind each path ensures that your hundreds of hours spent exploring Limgrave, Caelid, and the towering peaks of the Mountaintops of the Giants culminate in the exact cinematic and achievement you are aiming for. Whether you want to uphold the Golden Order, plunge the world into darkness, or rid the Lands Between of the Greater Will entirely, we have you covered.
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Understanding the Elden Ring Choice Mechanics
Before diving into the specific routes, it is essential to understand how the game handles your ultimate decision. At the very end of the game, after defeating the final bosses within the Erdtree, you will be presented with a glowing prompt to interact with a site of grace, summon a specific character, or use a specific mending rune.
Your choices are generally divided into three main categories: Standard Endings (variations of mending the Elden Ring), Age of the Stars (Ranni's unique path), and the Lord of Frenzied Flame (the chaotic alternative). Many players look for a best elden ring endings guide free of ambiguity because a single mistake in an NPC questline—such as missing Fia, Dung Eater, or Goldmask—can ruin hours of careful planning.
It is also important to note that you can save your game file right before the final decision point to experience multiple conclusions on a single playthrough, a technique often referred to as save scumming. However, unlocking the prerequisites for all of them requires executing intricate, multi-stage questlines across the entire map.
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The Standard and Mending Rune Endings
The most common pathways involve mending the Elden Ring using specific runes obtained by completing the side quests of key NPCs. These paths slight alter the narrative epilogue while sharing the same general cinematic structure.
Age of Fracture (The Default Ending)
If you do not complete any major optional NPC questlines and simply repair the Elden Ring with the default materials, you will achieve the Age of Fracture. In this conclusion, you become the Elden Lord, but the fundamental status quo of the world remains unchanged. The Greater Will remains in control, and the cycle of suffering and divine rule continues. While it is the easiest path because it requires zero extra questing, most completionists consider it the least satisfying option.
Age of the Duskborn (Fia’s Questline)
To unlock the Age of the Duskborn, you must follow the tragic and eerie questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion, found at the Roundtable Hold. By granting her comfort, retrieving the Curious Dagger, and eventually diving deep into the Deeproot Depths, you will face Lichdragon Fortissax. Defeating this boss yields the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince. Mending the ring with this item integrates "Those Who Live in Death" into the natural order, reshaping the world into an era where death is no longer viewed as an unnatural abomination.
Age of Order (Goldmask and Corhyn’s Questline)
The Age of Order requires you to team up with Brother Corhyn and the enigmatic, masked scholar Goldmask. This intellectual and theological journey takes you from the Altus Plateau to the capital city of Leyndell, where you must solve a riddle involving the statue of Radagon and the spell Law of Regression. Ultimately, Goldmask crafts the Mending Rune of Perfect Order. Choosing this path corrects the flaws, fickleness, and madness of the gods, establishing a rigid, infallible divine rule governed by pure reason and order.
Blessing of Despair (The Dung Eater’s Questline)
For players seeking the darkest narrative outcome, the Blessing of Despair is achieved by assisting the grotesque Dung Eater. Found in the Roundtable Hold and the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell, you must feed him Seedbed mientras and eventually use the Pne-Seed Curse. This grants you the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse. Using this rune infects every soul in the Lands Between with a hateful curse, ensuring that even in death, future generations are reborn in perpetual torment. It is widely considered the "evil" path in this free elden ring endings guide.
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The Secret and Alternative Endings
Beyond the mending runes lie two massive, game-altering paths that completely bypass the standard Elden Ring repair mechanic.
Age of the Stars (Ranni the Witch's Ending)
Widely regarded by the community as the best elden ring endings guide priority, the Age of the Stars is tied to the sprawling, beautiful, and melancholic questline of Ranni the Witch. To start this, meet her at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes, brave the horrors of Nokron Eternal City, traverse the Lake of Rot, and defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void.
Upon finishing her quest—which culminates on the Moonlight Altar above the Caelid plateau—you will obtain the Dark Moon Greatsword and the ability to summon Ranni at the very end of the game instead of repairing the ring. Choosing this path banishes the Greater Will and the Golden Order from the Lands Between entirely, ushering in a cold, lonely, but ultimately free "Night" ruled by the stars and the moon, with you as her consort.
Lord of Frenzied Flame (The Chaos Ending)
If you prefer total annihilation, the Lord of Frenzied Flame is for you. Deep beneath the capital city in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, past the Mohg the Omen boss fight, lies the Three Fingers. Stripping off all your armor and opening the heavy stone door exposes your Tarnished to the Frenzied Flame, branding your body and locking you into this path.
If you choose this, Melina will abandon you, vowing to hunt you down as kindling, and your character will unleash destructive orange flames upon the entire world, melting everything into chaos. Note that you can cure this ending by completing Millicent’s lengthy questline in the Haligtree and using the Miquella's Needle at Dragonlord Placidusax's arena, giving you a way out if you accidentally trigger it.
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Tips for Managing Multiple Endings in One Playthrough
If you want to maximize your time and achieve multiple achievements or trophies without playing the game four or five times from scratch, you need to manage your save files effectively. Here are the best strategies to do so:
- Complete All Prerequisites First: Before ever fighting the final bosses of the game, complete the questlines for Ranni, Fia, Goldmask, and the Dung Eater. Having all the Mending Runes and items in your inventory gives you total flexibility.
- Reach the Final Site of Grace: Defeat the final boss duo and activate the site of grace in the fractured arena, but do not interact with the statue or the blue summoning sign yet.
- Backup Your Save Data: On PC, copy your local save files from the AppData folder to a secure backup folder. On PlayStation or Xbox, upload your save data to cloud storage while disabling auto-sync.
- Experiment Freely: Interact with the different prompts to watch the cinematic sequences, earn your achievements, and then restore your backup save if you want to explore the world further before officially finishing your playthrough.
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Conclusion
Navigating the complex narrative paths of FromSoftware's masterpiece can be daunting, but with this comprehensive and best elden ring endings guide free of confusing jargon, you are fully equipped to shape the fate of the Lands Between. Whether you choose the righteous order of Goldmask, the icy freedom of Ranni, or the apocalyptic flames of the Three Fingers, your journey as the Elden Lord is entirely your own. Prepare your weapons, master your dodges, and claim your throne.
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Q: How many endings are there in Elden Ring?
A: There are six main endings in the base game of Elden Ring. These include three standard/mending rune variations (Age of Fracture, Age of the Duskborn, Age of Order, and Blessing of Despair), plus two major alternate paths (Age of the Stars and Lord of Frenzied Flame).
Q: Can you get multiple endings in a single playthrough?
A: Yes, you can technically experience multiple endings in one playthrough by backing up your save file right before making the final decision. Once you view an ending and get the achievement, you can restore your save file to try a different path.
Q: How do I start Ranni’s questline for the Age of the Stars ending?
A: To start Ranni's quest, you must first visit the Church of Elleh at night to meet Renna (Ranni). Afterward, find her at Ranni's Rise in Three Sisters (Caria Manor in Liurnia of the Lakes) and agree to serve her, which kicks off her multi-part journey through Nokron and beyond.
Q: How do I remove the Lord of Frenzied Flame mark?
A: If you inherit the Frenzied Flame from the Three Fingers and want to change your ending, you must complete Millicent's questline, defeat Malenia to get Miquella's Needle, and use the needle inside Dragonlord Placidusax's boss arena in Crumbling Farum Azula.
Q: Do the DLC expansions add new endings?
A: The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion adds deep lore, new weapons, and alternative boss interactions, but it does not introduce a brand-new "sixth" main ending cinematic to the base game's final choice, though it heavily expands on the backstory of Miquella and Marika.
Q: What is the hardest ending to unlock in Elden Ring?
A: The Age of Order (Goldmask) and Age of the Duskborn (Fia) endings are often considered the most tedious to unlock because they require precise progression steps, riddle-solving, and defeating difficult hidden bosses like Lichdragon Fortissax.
Q: Does my choice of ending affect New Game Plus?
A: No, your chosen ending does not negatively or positively impact your ability to start New Game Plus (Journey 2). You retain your gear, levels, and map progress while the world resets for a fresh playthrough with increased difficulty.
