Introduction to Elden Ring Endings
Welcome to the ultimate Elden Ring endings guide 2024. FromSoftware’s masterpiece continues to captivate millions of players worldwide. Navigating the treacherous lands of the Lands Between requires more than just mastering dodge rolls and optimizing your build. One of the most intricate aspects of the game is achieving its multiple conclusions. With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the community has seen a massive resurgence, prompting both new players and veterans to dive back in and uncover every possible outcome.
Understanding how to unlock each narrative conclusion is crucial for completionists and lore enthusiasts alike. There are six main conclusions you can achieve in the base game, ranging from standard paths to secret, hidden sequences that completely alter the fate of the world. In this comprehensive guide, we will break down every single pathway, detailing the exact steps, questlines, and choices required to secure your desired achievement. Prepare your Tarnished, as we embark on a journey through tragedy, grace, and ambition.
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The Standard Path: The Elden Lord Conclusions
The most common pathways revolve around repairing the Elden Ring and claiming the throne. However, the exact flavor of your reign depends heavily on which mending rune you utilize during the final moments of the game. These options reflect the core philosophical debates presented throughout your journey across the Lands Between.
Age of Fracture (The Standard Ending)
The Age of Fracture is considered the default conclusion. If you complete the game without committing to any specific side quests involving major NPCs, this is the path you will automatically take.
To achieve this, you simply need to defeat the final bosses, interact with the broken statue, and choose the option to Mend the Elden Ring. This results in the status quo being maintained. The Greater Will remains in control, the Erdtree continues to loom large, and the cycle of the world persists largely unchanged. While it lacks the dramatic world-altering effects of the secret paths, it is a reliable fallback for any playthrough.
Age of the Duskborn
If you wish to introduce Death into the natural order of the world rather than fearing it, you must pursue the questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion. This leads to the Age of the Duskborn conclusion.
- Begin by receiving hugs from Fia at the Roundtable Hold until she gives you the Weathered Dagger.
- Give the dagger to D, Hunter of the Dead, which eventually leads to Fia leaving the Roundtable Hold.
- Locate Fia in the Deeproot Depths and give her the Cursemark of Death, obtained by scaling the Divine Tower of Liurnia.
- Defeat Fortissax and obtain the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Upon defeating the final boss, use this specific rune to initiate an era where those who live in death are no longer persecuted.
Age of Order
For those who believe the Golden Order simply needs to be perfected through fundamentalist logic and absolute truth, Brother Corhyn and Goldmask offer the path to the Age of Order.
- Locate Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold and progress his dialogue until he leaves to find Goldmask.
- Find them both on the Altus Plateau and later at the Capital City of Leyndell.
- Solve the riddle at the Erdtree Sanctuary by casting the Law of Regression incantation while standing in front of the statue of Radagon.
- Obtain the Mending Rune of Perfect Order from Goldmask's body after the capital turns to ash.
- Use this rune at the end of the game to usher in an era free from the fickleness of the gods.
Age of Despair
The darkest and most haunting path available to the Tarnished is the Age of Despair, orchestrated by the infamous Dung Eater. Choosing this path curses every living soul in the Lands Between, plunging the world into eternal torment.
- Find the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold projection and unlock the Sewers beneath Leyndell.
- Collect Seedbed Curses scattered across dangerous locations like the Volcano Manor and Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
- Feed the Seedbed Curses to the Dung Eater in his cell to acquire the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- Upon defeating the final boss, mend the Elden Ring with this cursed rune to doom the world.
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The Secret and Transcendent Paths
Beyond the mending runes lie two deeply hidden, highly sought-after conclusions that require immense dedication, exploration, and overcoming some of the most difficult challenges the game has to offer.
Age of the Stars
Widely regarded by the community as the true "good" or secret narrative path, the Age of the Stars removes the influence of the Greater Will entirely and ushers in the Night of the Coven alongside Ranni the Witch.
- Meet Ranni at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes and join her service.
- Retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade from Nokron, Eternal City, and give it to her.
- Ascend the Ainsel River Main and defeat the Baleful Shadow to obtain the Discarded Palace Key.
- Open the chest in the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria to get the Dark Moon Ring.
- Navigate the Lake of Rot, defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and reach the Moonlight Altar.
- Place the ring on Ranni's finger inside the cathedral to claim the Dark Moon Greatsword and unlock her summon sign at the very end of the game.
Lord of Frenzied Flame
If you prefer utter destruction, chaos, and the burning away of all distinctions and suffering, the Lord of Frenzied Flame path is for you. Be warned, however, that committing to this path locks you out of all other endings unless you take extreme measures.
- Descend deep beneath the capital city into the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds past Mohg, the Omen.
- Find the hidden door behind the altar and navigate the perilous platforming puzzle down to the Three Fingers.
- Strip naked and interact with the Three Fingers to receive the branding of the Frenzied Flame.
- This burns your body and changes your appearance, locking your ending in unless you use Miquella's Needle in Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena in Crumbling Farum Azula.
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How Shadow of the Erdtree Affects Endings
With the release of the massive Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, many players wonder if the DLC introduces a brand new ending to the base game. FromSoftware designed the expansion as a self-contained side story set in the Realm of Shadow, centered around Miquella the Kind.
While completing the DLC does not fundamentally alter the final cutscene or add a new mending rune for the core game, it provides essential lore context that recontextualizes the motivations of characters like Marika, Radagon, and Miquella. Exploring the memory fragments and defeating the ultimate bosses of the expansion will deepen your appreciation for the overall narrative web, making your subsequent playthroughs of the base game endings carry much more emotional weight.
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Tips for Managing Multiple Endings in 2024
Because achieving every single achievement requires multiple playthroughs or clever save-scumming, here are some essential tips for modern players navigating the game in 2024:
- Cloud Saves: If you play on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, you can back up your save file right before interacting with the final area's grace. This allows you to reload your save and experience multiple conclusions without replaying the entire 100-hour campaign.
- Quest Tracking: NPC questlines in Elden Ring are notoriously easy to break by progressing too far into the main story. Always complete side quests in regions like Liurnia and Caelid before burning the Erdtree.
- Preparation is Key: Secret bosses like Malenia and Placidusax are often tied to these elaborate questlines. Ensure your character build is fully optimized with upgraded weapons and talismans before taking them on.
By carefully planning your playthrough, utilizing community resources, and following this Elden Ring endings guide 2024, you will easily conquer the Lands Between and claim whichever throne—or lack thereof—your heart desires.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you get all endings in a single playthrough of Elden Ring?
A: Technically, yes, if you use the "save scumming" method by backing up your save file to the cloud or a USB drive right before triggering the final choice. Otherwise, achieving all achievements related to the conclusions requires at least three separate playthroughs, as some mutually exclusive paths prevent others from being chosen naturally.
Q: Does the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC add a new ending to the base game?
A: No, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion does not add a new conclusion or mending rune to the base game. It takes place in a separate realm and expands heavily on the lore, particularly concerning Miquella and Marika, but the core choices at the end of the main campaign remain the same.
Q: How do I remove the Frenzied Flame if I change my mind?
A: To reverse the Lord of Frenzied Flame path, you must complete the questline of Millicent and defeat Malenia to acquire Miquella's Needle. You then need to use this needle inside the arena of Dragonlord Placidusax, a secret hidden boss in Crumbling Farum Azula, which neutralizes the flame and opens up your options for other conclusions.
Q: Which ending is considered the canonical or best ending?
A: FromSoftware games famously avoid confirming a single canonical outcome. However, the Age of the Stars (Ranni's ending) is widely considered by the community to be the most satisfying and lore-rich pathway, as it breaks the cycle of the Greater Will and ushers in a new era of freedom.
Q: Will completing Dung Eater's questline ruin other NPC interactions?
A: Completing the Age of Despair path requires interacting with the Dung Eater and feeding him Seedbed Curses, but it generally does not break other major NPC questlines unless you progress the main game too far. However, his actions and the resulting conclusion are profoundly disturbing, so proceed with caution.
Q: What is the easiest ending to get for a beginner?
A: The Age of Fracture is the easiest and default conclusion to achieve. If you simply defeat the final bosses without starting or completing any specific NPC questlines regarding mending runes, the game will automatically assign this standard path.
