Elden Ring Endings Guide: Requirements, Choices & Outcomes
Elden Ring Endings Guide | SteelSeries
A complete guide to all six Elden Ring endings, including requirements, questlines, and outcomes to choose the fate of the Lands Between.
Elden Ring has six main endings, each tied to the choices you make, the Outer Gods you align with, and the NPC questlines you complete along the way. Some endings simply restore the Golden Order, while others reshape the Lands Between entirely—plunging it into chaos, reviving forgotten powers, or handing the world over to a new cosmic ruler.
In this guide, we’re breaking down every path, its requirements, and its final outcome.
Spoiler Warning: Major story details, final boss information, and NPC quest outcomes are included below.
Each ending requires completing specific NPC questlines, retrieving Mending Runes, or making key choices later in the game towards the end. Some paths, like Ranni’s Age of Stars or the Frenzied Flame route, are easy to lock yourself out of if you make the wrong decision.
Quick Comparison Table
Ending | Route Type | Required Questline / Item | Final Alignment |
Age of Fracture | Default | None | Golden Order (standard) |
Age of Duskborn | Elden Lord Variant | Fia & the Death-Prince Rune | Death / Duskborn |
Age of Order | Elden Lord Variant | Goldmask’s Mending Rune | Perfected Golden Order |
Blessing of Despair | Elden Lord Variant | Dung Eater’s Fell Curse Rune | Fell Curse |
Age of Stars | Alternate Path | Complete Ranni’s Questline | Ranni’s Dark Moon Order |
Lord of Frenzied Flame | Alternate Path | Become the Lord of Frenzied Flame | Frenzied Flame / Chaos |
All Elden Ring Endings (Full List + Requirements)
Below is every Elden Ring ending, what you need to unlock it, and what each one means for your fate.
1. Age of Fracture (Default Ending)
TL;DR: The “default” Elden Lord ending where you stitch the Elden Ring back together and continue the Golden Order without major world shifts.
Route Type: Default
Difficulty: ⭐ Easiest (no missable steps)
How to Unlock
To unlock this ending, you don’t need to complete any specific side quests, find any runes, or ally with any NPCs specifically. Just play and finish the game as you would normally.
What you must do:
Defeat Radagon of the Golden Order
Defeat the Elden Beast
Approach the statue of Marika
Choose “Mend the Elden Ring”
Recommended Preparation
While this is the simplest ending, players often regret missing content tied to alternate endings. Before committing, consider:
Complete major NPC questlines (Ranni, Fia, Goldmask, Dung Eater) if you want access to other endings later.
Do not interact with the Frenzied Flame door in Leyndell; it locks you out of this ending unless reversed.
If you want to follow Melina’s wishes, this is aligned with her goals.
What This Ending Means
This ending keeps the world essentially the same:
The Golden Order stays in charge, just repaired.
The Greater Will still governs the Lands Between.
No major societal, cosmic, or elemental changes occur.
You become Elden Lord, but nothing radical shifts under your rule.
It’s the “restore the status quo” ending and is often seen as the baseline from which the other endings diverge.
NG+ & Achievement Notes
You’ll need to reload a prior save or enter NG+ to see other endings.
Backing up saves before interacting with the final statue is recommended if you want to obtain multiple ending trophies in one run.
2. Age of Duskborn
TL;DR: You use Fia’s Mending Rune to create a world where true death is restored and the Lands Between enter a quiet, shadowy era.
Route Type: Elden Lord Variant
Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Moderate (requires multiple questlines intersecting)
How to Unlock
To trigger this ending, you must complete Fia’s questline in Deeproot Depths and earn the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
Required Steps
Reach Deeproot Depths via the coffin in Siofra Aqueduct or the hidden path through the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds.
Defeat Fia’s Champions.
Speak to Fia, lying beside the corpse of Godwyn.
Acquire the Cursemark of Death (from Ranni’s questline steps on the Divine Tower of Liurnia).
Return the Cursemark to Fia.
Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax inside her dream.
Receive the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.
At the final statue, choose “Use Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.”
Recommended Preparation
Before committing to this ending:
You must complete part of Ranni’s questline just to get the Cursemark of Death.
Ensure you haven’t inherited the Frenzied Flame, which blocks all Elden Lord routes.
Fia’s path involves some of the game’s more hidden travel routes—be ready for exploration.
What This Ending Means
Age of Duskborn is one of Elden Ring’s most somber finales.
Death returns to the world in its natural form.
Godwyn’s corrupted influence is addressed through the Death-Prince.
The Lands Between become a place where souls can die true deaths instead of lingering in half-life states.
The Golden Order remains, but in a diminished, shadowed form.
It’s a quiet, melancholic ending centered on restoring a natural cycle that was broken long ago.
Achievement/NG+ Notes
This counts as a separate Elden Lord ending.
If you want to see all Elden Lord variants in one run, make a backup save before using any Mending Rune.
Fia’s quest is one of the most commonly missed routes, worth doing early if you plan to see all endings.
3. Age of Order
TL;DR: A more rigid, “perfected” version of the Golden Order created using Goldmask’s Mending Rune.
Route Type: Elden Lord Variant
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate–High (long questline with a tricky puzzle)
How to Unlock
This ending requires completing the Brother Corhyn + Goldmask questline and earning the Mending Rune of Perfect Order.
Required Steps
Meet Brother Corhyn at Roundtable Hold.
Find him again in Altus Plateau, where he’s searching for a master.
Lead him to Goldmask (north end of the great bridge toward Leyndell).
Progress their dialogue until they move into Leyndell, Royal Capital.
Solve the Law of Regression / Law of Causality puzzle:
Use the spell Law of Regression near the Radagon statue.
Reveal the truth about Radagon and Marika.
Return to Goldmask to continue the questline.
Follow them through the Mountaintops of the Giants and the capital’s later state.
Collect the Mending Rune of Perfect Order near Goldmask’s final location.
At the final statue, choose “Use Mending Rune of Perfect Order.”
Recommended Preparation
You need the Law of Regression spell, which requires 37 Intelligence — plan for that stat requirement or use gear/talismans to boost it.
Some quest progression can break if major bosses are defeated in the wrong order; visiting Goldmask and Corhyn frequently is recommended.
Ensure you have not inherited the Frenzied Flame, which locks out this path.
What This Ending Means
The Age of Order reinforces a perfect Golden Order:
The fractured system Marika destabilized is stripped out.
Goldmask’s logic-driven philosophy replaces divine impulse.
Chaos, mutation, and irregularities are removed from the world.
The Elden Lord (you) rules under a more controlled, unbending ideology.
It’s the most “lawful” of all endings and arguably the least flexible.
Achievement / NG+ Notes
This is a separate Elden Lord ending that counts toward all-endings achievements.
You can collect multiple Mending Runes in one run — just save before the final choice.
If Corhyn disappears early, you may need to adjust quest order; this route is one of the most commonly broken NPC chains.
4. Blessing of Despair
TL;DR: You side with the Dung Eater, use his Fell Curse Mending Rune, and condemn the Lands Between into a future ruled by corruption and suffering (how nice of you).
Route Type: Elden Lord Variant
Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Moderate (requires rare items + careful sequencing)
How to Unlock
To trigger this ending, you must complete the Dung Eater’s questline and obtain the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
Required Steps
Acquire your first Seedbed Curse to make the Dung Eater appear in Roundtable Hold.
Travel to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds and free him from his cell using the Sewer Gaol Key.
Find him again in the Leyndell moat and defeat him in combat (he drops another Seedbed Curse).
Gather five total Seedbed Curses and bring them to him.
Receive the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
At the final statue, choose “Use Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.”
Recommended Preparation
The Dung Eater route is easy to lose if you progress too far in the story. Here are the story beats to watch out for that can break or complicate the quest:
Do NOT defeat Maliketh too early: After Maliketh, Leyndell becomes the Ashen Capital, making some Seedbed Curses and quest steps inaccessible.
Fight the Dung Eater in the moat before major story progression: If you don't trigger this encounter, his quest may stall.
Secure all five Seedbed Curses ASAP: They’re missable depending on how far you push the main story.
Avoid inheriting the Frenzied Flame: This locks you out of all Elden Lord variants, including this one (unless reversed).
Refresh dialogue often: Some NPC steps require reloading areas or resting at a Site of Grace.
General Tips
Explore Leyndell thoroughly before major boss fights.
Keep a list of Seedbed Curse locations handy (the game doesn’t hint at them).
Complete this questline before pushing the Mountaintops and beyond.
What This Ending Means
This is Elden Ring’s darkest finale—and intentionally disturbing.
The Fell Curse becomes the new governing principle of the world.
Souls and bodies are eternally defiled; suffering becomes universal.
The Golden Order collapses entirely.
As Elden Lord, you impose a world ruled by torment, rot, and desecration.
It’s not just a bad ending, it’s FromSoftware’s evil mastermind plan of an ending.
Achievement / NG+ Notes
This counts as one of the Elden Lord endings for trophy progress.
If you want multiple endings in one run, create a manual save before choosing a Rune.
Missing even one Seedbed Curse can force you into NG+ to finish the questline.
5. Age of Stars
TL;DR: You complete Ranni’s massive questline, reject the Golden Order, and become her eternal consort as she ushers in a new cosmic order ruled by the Dark Moon.
Route Type: Alternate Ending
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High (longest, most intricate questline)
How to Unlock
This is the longest and most involved ending in Elden Ring. To access it, you must complete Ranni’s full questline, which spans several regions, secret areas, and late-game bosses.
Required Steps
Meet Ranni at Caria Manor and agree to serve her.
Work with Blaidd, Seluvis, and Sellen across Limgrave, Liurnia, and Caelid.
Unlock access to Ainsel River and receive Miniature Ranni.
Progress through Nokstella, Eternal City.
Traverse the Lake of Rot.
Defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void.
Use the Dark Moon Ring to access the Cathedral of Manus Celes.
Witness Ranni’s final scene and complete her ascension steps.
After defeating the final boss, find the blue summon sign next to the statue.
Choose “Summon Ranni” to trigger the Age of Stars ending.
Recommended Preparation
Ranni’s quest is easy to break if you progress out of order or miss key NPC beats. Here are some tips to avoid breaking the questline:
Do NOT kill Blaidd early, as he’s scripted to die later. Killing him early breaks several steps.
Finish Sellen’s quest before progressing too far if you want full context, though it's not required for the ending.
Don’t attack Seluvis or disrupt his puppets prematurely. His items are necessary for some routes.
Explore every new location Ranni sends you to before moving on.
Make sure you retrieve the Dark Moon Ring; it’s mandatory and easy to overlook.
General Best Practices
Keep extra Stonesword Keys.
Have strong boss-ready builds for Astel and the Lake of Rot traversal.
Avoid progressing the main story too quickly; Ranni’s questline runs parallel.
What This Ending Means
Age of Stars is the most dramatic departure from the Golden Order.
Ranni becomes a new Outer God–level entity of the Dark Moon.
She severs the Lands Between from the Greater Will’s influence.
You become her eternal consort, not her ruler.
The world enters a thousand-year age of cold night and distant cosmic order.
It’s the closest Elden Ring gets to a classic “cosmic fantasy” ending, beautiful, mysterious, and untouchable.
Achievement / NG+ Notes
Age of Stars has its own unique achievement, separate from Elden Lord endings.
You can still collect all Mending Runes before committing to this choice.
Backup saves are recommended because you cannot trigger Ranni’s sign after selecting any other ending.
6. Lord of Frenzied Flame
TL;DR: You inherit the Frenzied Flame from the Three Fingers, reject the Greater Will entirely, and burn the world in a chaotic, cleansing fire.
Route Type: Alternate Ending (Non-Elden Lord)
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High (It takes only seconds to enter this ending path, but reversing it demands a long, high-difficulty sequence)
Required Steps
Reach the Frenzied Flame Proscription, the hidden chamber deep beneath the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds.
Remove all armor to open the sealed door.
Walk inside and approach the door to trigger the cutscene.
Accept the embrace of the Three Fingers, inheriting the Frenzied Flame.
Finish the game normally.
At the final choice prompt, you will automatically trigger Become the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
You will not see other ending options unless you undo this choice.
Recommended Preparation
This is the most dangerous ending to interact with accidentally, because it locks you out of all Elden Lord endings unless reversed.
Critical Warnings Before You Begin
DO NOT open the door if you want any other ending on this playthrough.
Once you inherit the Flame, Melina leaves you and vows to stop you.
You cannot choose any Mending Rune after touching the Flame.
If you want the option to reverse it:
You will need Miquella’s Needle, used at Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena. That requires:
Completing Millicent’s questline
Defeating Malenia, Blade of Miquella
Acquiring the Unalloyed Gold Needle
Completing the needle’s transformation
Reaching Crumbling Farum Azula to use it
A huge lift. Intentionally the hardest path to “fix.”’
How to Undo the Frenzied Flame (If You Regret It)
To reverse the Flame and regain access to other endings:
Complete Millicent’s questline
Defeat Malenia
Receive the Unalloyed Gold Needle
Transform it into Miquella’s Needle inside the Scarlet Aeonia
Travel to Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena
Use Miquella’s Needle to purge the Flame
This is one of the hardest content sequences in the entire game, designed to make undoing the Frenzy a monumental act.
What This Ending Means
Lord of Frenzied Flame is Elden Ring’s most catastrophic, apocalyptic ending.
You become the avatar of a chaotic Outer God.
The Lands Between are consumed in a cleansing fire.
The Golden Order, the Erdtree, and the Greater Will’s influence are all annihilated.
Melina opposes you, and her relationship with the Tarnished ends in tragedy.
The world resets through destruction, not order.
This ending is the ultimate rejection of destiny, the Greater Will, and every divine system in the game.
Achievement/NG+ Notes
This ending has its own achievement separate from the Elden Lord endings.
If you want all endings on one save file, make a manual backup before touching the Flame.
Once you inherit the Frenzied Flame, the decision is locked until you complete the Needle path. NG+ does not automatically reset the effect.
Detailed Ending Comparison (What Changes Across Each Fate?)
Ending | Route Type | Main Requirement | Difficulty | World Outcome | Best For |
Age of Fracture | Default | None | ⭐ Easiest | Golden Order restored; status quo maintained | First playthrough, Melina-aligned players |
Age of Duskborn | Elden Lord Variant | Fia’s questline + Cursemark of Death | ⭐⭐ Moderate | Death restored; somber, natural cycle returns | Lore lovers, players interested in Godwyn/Fia threads |
Age of Order | Elden Lord Variant | Goldmask + Corhyn questline | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate–High | Purified Golden Order; rigid, lawful world | Philosophical players, Order/tradition themes |
Blessing of Despair | Elden Lord Variant | Dung Eater questline + 5 Seedbed Curses | ⭐⭐ Moderate | Fell Curse spreads; world becomes corrupted | Players embracing dark endings, completionists |
Age of Stars | Alternate | Complete Ranni’s entire questline | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | Golden Order abandoned; Ranni ushers in a cosmic age | Story-focused players, cosmic fantasy fans, Ranni enjoyers |
Lord of Frenzied Flame | Alternate | Accept the Frenzied Flame (Three Fingers) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | Lands Between burned in chaotic cleansing fire | Role-players rejecting all gods; players wanting the darkest ending |
Which Ending Should You Choose? (Most Missable Steps for Each Ending
Age of Fracture: Nothing major! Just avoid inheriting the Frenzied Flame.
Age of Duskborn:
Grabbing the Cursemark of Death from the Divine Tower of Liurnia
Talking to Fia after defeating her champions
Returning to her after getting the Cursemark
Triggering the Lichdragon Fortissax fight
Completing part of Ranni’s quest just to progress Fia’s path
Age of Order:
Solving the Law of Regression puzzle (requires 37 INT!)
Speaking to Corhyn and Goldmask after major story beats
Visiting their later locations before the Capital becomes Ashen
Grabbing the Mending Rune of Perfect Order at Goldmask’s final site
Blessing of Despair:
Collecting all five Seedbed Curses before Leyndell becomes Ashen
Fighting the Dung Eater in the moat
Talking to him after every Seedbed Curse delivery
Not accidentally progressing past important story beats (e.g., Maliketh)
Age of Stars:
Completing Nokstella, Ainsel River, Lake of Rot, Astel
Obtaining the Dark Moon Ring
Reaching the Manus Celes area
Not killing Blaidd early
Finding Ranni’s blue summon sign after the final boss
Lord of Frenzied Flame:
Easiest to miss as a choice, but also the easiest to accidentally lock yourself into
Removing all armor to open the door beneath Leyndell
Understanding you’ll lock out all Elden Lord endings
Reversing Frenzied Flame requires: Millicent’s quest → Malenia → Placidusax → Miquella’s Needle
Build Recommendations for Each Ending
If you’re the kind of player who would like every bit of preparation, here are build recommendations depending on the ending you’re playing:
Age of Fracture: Since it's the most basic and neutral path, really any build will do here. If you’re a beginner player and really want to optimize for this ending, go for a melee/strength build.
Age of Duskborn: For this ending, go for a faith build (for thematic synergy with death miracles), a dexterity↔faith hybrid, or status builds (rot, bleed)
Age of Order: Opt for pure faith or faith↔strength builds, lean into Golden Order incantations, and sport heavy armor.
Blessing of Despair: Go for a thematic pairing with an arcane build, rot↔poison build, or really just anything grotesque and “corruption” aligned. Strength↔arcane hybrids also work (Colossus weapons + Curse synergy).
Age of Stars: This ending pairs best with an intelligence, frost, Darj Moon Greatswold builds, or sorcery-focused casters.
Lord of Frenzied Flame: Options here include Frenzy Incantation, Faith↔arcane hybrids, lighting/chaos themed spells, melee berserkers, or Madness PvP-inspired setups.
Shaping Your Fate
Elden Ring offers six different ways to shape the future of the Lands Between, each tied to the choices you make and the questlines you complete. Now you know how every ending works, so pick the path that appeals to you (or maybe even do all of them). But before you take your next journey…
Make sure you can hear the world as clearly as you explore it. From distant rune bears to spell windups to those subtle boss audio cues, Elden Rings sound design does half the storytelling, if your headset can keep up. Bring out every detail with a headset built with high-fidelity audio and 360º Spatial Sound.
Elden Ring Endings: FAQs
How many endings does Elden Ring have?
Elden Ring has six main endings:
Age of Fracture
Age of Duskborn
Age of Order
Blessing of Despair
Age of Stars
Lord of Frenzied Flame
Four are Elden Lord variations, while the final two (Age of Stars and Lord of Frenzied Flame) branch into completely different timelines.
What’s the hardest ending in Elden Ring?
It depends on how you define “hard,” but generally:
Age of Stars is the hardest ending to unlock due to its extremely long questline (Nokstella → Lake of Rot → Astel → Moonlight Altar).
Lord of Frenzied Flame is the hardest ending to undo, since reversing it requires completing Millicent’s questline, defeating Malenia, and reaching Placidusax's arena to use Miquella’s Needle.
Blessing of Despair can be tricky if you miss Seedbed Curses before the Capital becomes Ashen.
In terms of raw complexity and steps, Age of Stars is the most demanding path.
What ending does Melina want?
Melina supports any Elden Lord ending except one: She is firmly opposed to the Lord of Frenzied Flame route.
If you inherit the Frenzied Flame:
She leaves you
She vows to bring you down
She becomes a direct antagonist in the ending cutscene
For all other endings, Melina’s purpose, delivering you to the Erdtree to become Elden Lord, remains aligned with your path.
Is Marika dead at the end of Elden Ring?
Not exactly, and the game intentionally keeps her fate ambiguous.
Here’s what we do know:
Marika and Radagon share a single body.
By the time you reach the Elden Throne, you see Ragadon’s broken body.
In most endings, she remains in that fractured state while the new Elden Lord (or Ranni) shapes the future.
She is not shown alive, restored, or truly “dead” in any explicit sense.
Marika’s status is best described as a broken vessel whose role has ended, but not someone who receives a clear, final death within the game.
Which Elden Ring ending is canon?
As of now, FromSoftware has not declared any ending canon. Elden Ring is designed so that your Tarnished’s choice becomes the definitive future for your playthrough.
That said, community theories often point to two possibilities:
Age of Stars, because it breaks fully from the Golden Order
Age of Fracture, because it’s the default “intended” outcome if you follow the main story
But officially, no ending has been confirmed as canon.
Does choosing an ending affect NG+?
No, NG+ does not lock you into an ending and does not change story content.
In NG+:
All questlines reset
All ending options become available again
You can pursue any ending regardless of prior choices
Only items, levels, and gear carry over
Your ending choice affects that playthrough, not future ones.
Wordsmith at SteelSeries. Enthusiastic about Dota 2 and fighting games. A cat dad.
