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Elden Ring has a total of six endings if we count the variations of the vanilla ending. There are three variants of the vanilla ending with slight changes made to them and their implications for the future of the Lands Between, and there are three other completely different endings, each with its own implicit and explicit implications for the Lands Between.
However, to get to any of these endings you must first best the final boss of the game in combat. Radagon, of the Golden Order is not one to take lightly. One misstep and you will be drawn, quartered, and stomped in a tarnished pulp. But after defeating him you will face the incarnation of the Greater Will itself, The Elden Beast. Upon slaying this fearsome entity you will then be faced with a choice, your decision will then lead to one of the six endings.
Key Takeaways
Elden Ring offers six different endings. To achieve any ending, players must defeat Radagon and the Elden Beast.
Here are all the 6 Elden Ring Endings:
- Vanilla ending, “Age of Fracture,” makes the player the new Elden Lord but perpetuates stagnation.
- “Age of Duskborn” results from Fia’s questline and the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, restoring an element of nature.
- “Age of Order” involves Goldmask and Brother Corhyn’s questline and the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, maintaining a stable order.
- “Blessing of Despair” makes the player an Elden Beast, representing the world’s despair, through Dung Eater’s questline and the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
- “Lord of the Frenzied Flame” leads to incinerating the Lands Between by interacting with the Three Finger before the final boss, considered a bad ending.
- “Age of Stars” is the best ending, making the player Witch Ranni’s eternal consort, bringing independence and freedom from predestination.
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Age Of Fracture
Well known to be the vanilla ending to the game. This sees you mend the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord of the Lands Between. Lore wise however this is the cookie cutter Fromsoftware ending where nothing is truly resolved, the system that created Radagon is the same system we have claimed thus solving nothing and perpetuating a broken cycle of stagnation.
Most NPCs in the game point you towards becoming the Elden Lord and saving everyone but in the end that all amounts to nothing considering the knowledge we gain about Radagon and the Elden Beast.
The orange light blankets the area and the sun setting as your character takes their throne. Symbolizing the end of age despite our recent ascension to the lord. Overall one of the most middle-of-the-road endings one could get in their playthrough.
Age Of Duskborn
Another deviation from the Elden Ring vanilla ending. This is achieved by completing the questline of Fia and receiving the Mending Rune Of The Death-Prince, a rune gestated but not discovered by Fia.
- After defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast, you choose to mend the Elden Ring with the Mending Rune Of The Death-Prince.
- As a result, a fog descends upon the Lands Between, and ash begins to rain down. You become the Elden Lord who has enabled death to return to this world.
- This rune represents an order of “Death Restore” rather than the Golden Order, which had sealed away death upon the Elden Ring’s creation.
- This ending deviates significantly from the others, as it restores an element of nature that the Golden Order had removed. It introduces the concept of a “Death Restore.”
Age Of Duskborn ending does provide some more thematic resolution as now the curse of endless life has a way to be broken with the possibility of death. Definitely, one of the better endings in terms of thematics and overall can be considered by some as the best ending.
Age Of Order
Now is where we deviate from the vanilla ending slightly. We achieve this ending by completing the NPC Questline for Goldmask and Brother Corhyn.
- After defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast, you choose to mend the Elden Ring with the Mending Rune Of Perfect Order.
- As a result, when you sit on your throne, a golden light fills the sky, symbolizing a more stabilized order for the Lands Between.
- However, when delving into the lore, it becomes clear that the rune is meant to fix the instability of ideology within the Golden Order due to the fickleness of gods. Interestingly, this rune was discovered rather than created or gestated.
- Despite the appearance of stability, the system remains fundamentally the same as it was before, merely reverting to a past variant with more stability. It implies that the cycle of instability and order will likely continue over time, perpetuating the cycle.
- This ending is not considered one of the best, as it suggests a return to the same problems and instability that plagued the Lands Between before.
It offers an interesting perspective on the consequences of attempting to restore order in a world plagued by chaos, but it may not provide a satisfying resolution.
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Blessing Of Despair
We can now move onto completely different endings, this is one of the three unique endings that you can achieve.
- After defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast, you choose to mend the Elden Ring with the Mending Rune.
- As a result, the world becomes decrepit, and the sky is consumed by rot. The once-golden urd tree loses its luster and turns ghostly white. The throne is shrouded in damp fog, ushering in a new age blessed by despair.
- This ending ties into the lore, suggesting that the defilement caused by the seabed curse may be beneficial as it allows for a world to exist without the need for an urd tree to shepherd souls. It hints at the concept of “True Death” and is sometimes referred to as the “Age of Duskborn.”
- This ending is considered more nuanced and better-received by players, offering a thought-provoking conclusion to the game’s narrative.
Maybe this could be what the Age of Duskborn tried to bring about, True Death. Hence the name refers to the blessing of despair.
Lord Of Frenzied Flame
Another one of the three unique endings but known superficially as the bad ending. This can be achieved not by the means of any rune but rather by interacting with the Three Fingers at any point before the final boss.
- After meeting the Three Fingers, you are marked with burns.
- Upon defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast, you become the Lord of the Frenzied Flame.
- Your head is replaced by a chaos flame orb, and the urd tree is burned to ashes.
- The Lands Between is incinerated, and it seems as if the very fabric of reality is burning away, accompanied by distant screams and the crackling of fire.
However we must look deeper, if we go and listen to the Three Fingers we learn that the Greater Will made a mistake. This mistake can be rectified but it requires for everything born of that mistake to be returned from whence it came. This returning would make all into the One. which is not specified in the lore but it appears to be a god from which all other gods were birthed.
While this ending is intriguing in its exploration of a “what-if” scenario, it may not provide emotional satisfaction to players, leaving them with more questions than answers. It is a unique conclusion that adds depth to the game’s lore and narrative.
Age Of Stars
Finally, we reach the universally considered Elden Ring best ending. Here, after completing the questline of Witch Ranni, we summon her to the stone platform where we defeated Radagon and the Elden Beast.
- Ranni initiates a dialogue that is both ominous and hopeful, suggesting the arrival of the age of the stars, signifying the overturning of the Golden Order and the Greater Will.
- You take Ranni’s hand and become her eternal consort.
- Ranni’s dialogue touches on themes like fear, doubt, and loneliness, which can also symbolize independence, contrasting with the ideals of the Greater Will.
- After the transformation, Ranni and her order depart, leaving the Lands Between. This act signifies the removal of the crutch of fate, allowing people to forge their own path without predestination and granting true freedom to the Lands Between.
- Unlike other endings, in this one, you are not left without a companion, as you are with Ranni as her eternal consort.
This ending is highly regarded among players for its unique themes and the idea of granting true freedom to the people of the Lands Between.
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