Mastering the Lands Between: The Ultimate Elden Ring Endings Guide for PC Players
Embarking on a journey through FromSoftware's masterpiece is no small feat, especially for PC players experiencing the unforgiving Lands Between for the first time. With its vast open world, cryptic lore, and multiple branching paths, figuring out how to secure your preferred conclusion can feel overwhelming. This comprehensive elden ring endings guide for pc is designed to demystify the game's complex narrative paths, helping you make the right choices before burning down the Erdtree.
Whether you are playing on a high-end rig with ray tracing enabled or optimizing your settings for steady frame rates on a Steam Deck, the core narrative decisions remain the same. FromSoftware games are legendary for hiding their true conclusions behind obscure, multi-layered questlines. If you want to avoid stumbling into the default or "Age of Fracture" ending by accident, you need a roadmap. Let us dive deep into the requirements, steps, and prerequisites for unlocking every single conclusion available in the game.
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Understanding Elden Ring's Ending System on PC
Before diving into the specific paths, it is crucial to understand how endings work mechanically. There are six major achievements tied to the conclusions of the game. On the PC version—primarily played through Steam—these achievements unlock the moment the final cinematic rolls and credits appear.
Crucially, you can technically back up your save files on PC to experience multiple conclusions in a single playthrough. This technique, often called "save scumming," is a popular method for PC gamers who want to 100% the achievements without sinking another one hundred hours into New Game Plus. We will touch upon how this works later in the guide, but first, let us explore the actual narrative paths you can take.
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The Standard Path: Age of Fracture
The Age of Fracture is considered the default path. If you complete the game without advancing any specific side characters' questlines to their ultimate conclusions, you will automatically be guided toward this route.
To achieve this, you simply defeat the final boss, touch the fractured Marika, and choose to mend the Elden Ring with the basic Mending Rune. In this scenario, the world remains largely unchanged. The status quo is maintained, and the Greater Will continues its reign over the Lands Between, albeit with a broken and wounded deity. While it lacks the flavor of the other paths, it is a reliable fallback if you miss vital NPCs.
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The Mending Rune Endings
There are three distinct endings that involve finding specific Mending Runes throughout your journey. These paths slightly alter the state of the world and grant unique achievements, but they share the same fundamental cutscene template as the default path with color grading and dialogue variations.
Age of the Duskborn
This path is tied to the enigmatic questline of Fia, the Deathbed Companion. By holding Fia close at the Roundtable Hold, recovering the Cursemark of Death, and defeating Lichdragon Fortissax in Deeproot Depths, you will obtain the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
- Travel to the Roundtable Hold and speak to Fia regularly until she moves to the Prince of Death's Throne.
- Complete Rogier's questline to acquire necessary lore and directions.
- Defeat the Lichdragon Fortissax in the underground depths.
- Use the Mending Rune upon defeating the final boss to usher in an era where Living Death is integrated into the natural order.
Age of Order
If you prefer a world governed by absolute truth and the unyielding laws of the Golden Order, you must seek out Goldmask and Brother Corhyn. Their questline takes you across the Altus Plateau and Leyndell, Royal Capital.
- Meet Brother Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold and tell him about the location of Goldmask.
- Find them on the broken bridge in Altus Plateau and later in the capital city.
- Solve the fundamental puzzle at the Erdtree Sanctuary using the Incantation "Law of Regression" with high Intelligence.
- Retrieve the Mending Rune of Perfect Order after finding Goldmask's final resting place near the Mountaintops of the Giants.
Blessing of Despair
Perhaps the bleakest of the standard variations, this path leads to the Dung Eater's twisted vision of the world. By inflicting a curse upon everyone in the Lands Between, you create an era where suffering is universal.
- Find the Dung Eater in the Roundtable Hold (appearing as a phantom projection initially).
- Unlock the subterranean shunning-grounds beneath Leyndell to find his physical body.
- Feed him Seedbed Barrows found throughout the later regions of the map.
- Obtain the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse and use it at the end of the game to unlock this grim achievement.
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The Secret and Unique Endings
Aside from the variations of the fractured world, two massive questlines grant entirely unique cutscenes and fundamentally different outcomes for the Lands Between.
Age of the Stars (Ranni's Ending)
Considered by many to be the "true" or most satisfying conclusion, the Age of the Stars is tied to Witch Ranni's massive, multi-region questline. This path replaces the Greater Will with the Dark Moon, plunging the world into a thousand-year voyage of the cold night and free will.
- Visit Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes and pledge your fealty to her service.
- Travel through Siofra River, Radahn's festival in Caelid, and Nokron, Eternal City to retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Navigate the Lake of Rot and defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void to access the Moonlight Altar.
- Place the Dark Moon Ring on Ranni's finger at the Cathedral of Manus Celes.
- Upon defeating the final boss, summon Ranni using the blue summon sign on the floor instead of interacting with Marika.
Lord of Frenzied Flame
If you wish to watch the world burn, the Lord of Frenzied Flame path is for you. This ending locks you out of all other options unless you complete a notoriously difficult secret questline to cure yourself.
- Descend deep into the subterranean shunning-grounds beneath Leyndell, past the Mohg, the Omen boss room.
- Navigate the terrifying platforming puzzle down the shaft to the Three Fingers.
- Strip naked and interact with the door to receive the frenzied flame, branding your character with glowing scars.
- Melina will abandon you, vowing to kill you herself. You become the vessel for total destruction, burning the Erdtree yourself without her sacrifice.
- Note: If you do this before facing Dragonlord Placidusax, you can use Miquella's Needle in Crumbling Farum Azula to reverse the frenzy and unlock a different ending.
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PC Save Backup Guide: How to See Every Ending in One Playthrough
Because playing through the game three to six times can take hundreds of hours, many PC players utilize manual save file backups to unlock every achievement in a single run. Here is how you can do it safely.
- Ensure your game is closed or paused safely at the final site of grace before interacting with the final choice.
- Press the Windows key + R, type `%appdata%`, and hit Enter.
- Open the folder named `EldenRing`, followed by the folder with a long string of random numbers (your Steam ID).
- Copy the files inside this folder (such as `ER0000.sl2`) and paste them into a separate backup folder on your desktop.
- Launch the game, complete one ending, and let the credits roll until you return to the main menu or start a new game.
- Close the game completely, take your backup files from the desktop, and paste them back into the `EldenRing` Steam ID folder, replacing the updated files.
- Relaunch the game to find your character standing right back at the final decision point, ready to choose another path.
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Tips for PC Optimization While Ending Hunting
Navigating massive areas like the subterranean shunning-grounds or the Lake of Rot requires stable performance. Ensure your graphics card drivers are updated specifically for Elden Ring to prevent crashes during critical cutscenes. Additionally, if you are experiencing stuttering on your PC, toggle off ray tracing in the settings menu, as it is notoriously demanding and can lead to unstable framerates during intense late-game boss battles.
Keep a notebook or digital checklist of which NPCs you have spoken to. Missing a single dialogue prompt with Brother Corhyn or Fia can lock you out of an entire questline until your next playthrough. By carefully planning your route through the Lands Between, you will easily conquer the game and achieve 100% completion on Steam.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I get multiple endings in a single playthrough on PC?
A: Yes, PC players can back up their save files manually through the AppData folder before making the final choice. By restoring your save file after viewing an ending, you can return to the decision point and select a different path without starting a new game.
Q: How do I remove the Frenzied Flame if I change my mind?
A: To cure the Frenzied Flame and unlock other endings, you must complete Millicent's questline, defeat Malenia, use the Unalloyed Gold Needle on her defeated flower to get Miquella's Needle, and use it inside the arena of Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula.
Q: Which ending is considered the best for lore?
A: While subjective, the "Age of the Stars" (Ranni's ending) is widely considered the most fleshed-out and narratively satisfying path by the community, as it removes the oppressive outer gods from the Lands Between entirely.
Q: Will Melina still die if I inherit the Frenzied Flame?
A: No. If you inherit the Frenzied Flame before reaching the Mountaintops of the Giants, Melina will abandon you because you chose to burn the Erdtree yourself. However, she appears in a secret post-credits scene if you choose the Frenzied Flame ending, swearing to deliver you destined death.
Q: Do I need to play New Game Plus to get all achievements?
A: No, you do not technically need New Game Plus if you use the PC save-scumming method. However, many players choose to experience New Game Plus to test their overpowered builds against earlier bosses with increased difficulty.
Q: What happens if I defeat the final boss without any items in my inventory?
A: If you have not completed Ranni's quest, acquired a Mending Rune, or inherited the Frenzied Flame, you will be forced into the default "Age of Fracture" ending with no other options available.
