Elden Ring endings explained

The Elden Ring endings offer complex stories about the fate of the Lands Between. They are directly related to the reforging of the Elden Ring. This title offers complex lore, where the Tarnished and the Greater Will interweave in a dance of destiny, power, and order. The consequences of mending the Elden Ring loom heavy on the world and can spell both wonder and disaster for the Lands Between.

In this article, we will explain the Elden Ring endings, and what they insinuate for the fate of the land and the Golden Order.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.

Role of the Tarnished

Shattering of the Elden Ring (Image via FromSoftware || AgtJake on YouTube)

To start, the role of the Tarnished needs to be explained. Many players seem to believe that the Tarnished is simply following through with the Greater Will's plan for the world. However, this is not the case, as we have the Elden Beast/the Erdtree blocking our way.

The Tarnished is a wild card, someone who can alter the fate of the world, which is probably what led to Queen Marika banishing them and the Erdtree denying Grace. Unlike games like Dragon's Dogma 2, where the final ending revolves around breaking a "cycle" of events, it is important to understand that Elden Ring does not share a similar concept.

The shattering of the Elden Ring is unlikely to ever happen again. The event is unique and exclusive, irrespective of the age your endings lead to. This also spells one very important fact for the Elden Ring endings - each of the available ones holds immense magnitude in themselves. The Tarnished's actions will create a lasting effect on the fate of the Lands Between.

All Elden Ring endings explained

Queen Marika's lifeless body in Elden Ring (Image via FromSoftware || Games from Mars on YouTube)

To put it simply, the Elden Ring is repaired at the end of the game, but there are significant changes to it. The Greater Will loses its power and influence in the Lands Between when you slay the Elden Beast. In all probability, this also removes the two fingers, completely doing away with any vassals that it might have had. The Golden Order also sees its downfall.

The Rune of Death that was taken from Malekith also likely made its way to the reforged ring. The new Elden Ring sees a lot of new runes that didn't previously exist in it before the Shattering. The exact status of the Outer Gods is unknown. They do not have direct control over the Lands Between anymore and will have to resort to other methods if they need to meddle.

Here are the Elden Ring endings that you can achieve in the game:

Age of Fracture

One of the better endings in my opinion, mostly conforms to all that has been already mentioned above in this article. Although the Elden Ring has been fixed, the land is not devoid of the Shattering's aftermath, which is going to be evident for some time.

The Tarnished becomes the Elden Lord, the Greater Will is no more, but Marika is quite possibly still the matriarch of the Golden Order. Although the Tarnished was used by the Greater Will for this ending, it saw stability return to the Lands Between for the first time since the Ring's shattering.

Age of Order

To get this Elden Ring ending, you will first have to acquire the Mending Rune. Its description states:

"A Rune of transcendental ideology which will attempt to perfect the Golden Order. The current imperfection of the Golden Order, or instability of ideology, can be blamed upon the fickleness of the gods no better than men. That is the fly in the ointment."

The Golden Order removes the Greater Will, and with it Marika and/or Radagon as the top figure. With the Tarnished becoming the Elden Lord, this Elden Ring ending coincides with what Goldmask wanted, prompting Brother Corhyn to lose it all when the revelation dawned upon him. With the newly perfected Order, the gods of the land are purged completely, giving rise to a new Age of Order.

This ending ideally coincides with Miquella's plan for the Lands Between, which we get to know more about in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC ending.

Interestingly, the Mending Rune "will attempt" to perfect the Golden Order, and there is no source to confirm its viability. This ending opens the door for a lot of questions regarding the new Golden Order, but you will have to use your imaginative powers to feed your soul.

Age of Duskborn

The Mending Rune of the Death-Prince's description states:

"Formed of the two hallowbrand half-wheels combined, it will embed the principle of life within Death into Order. The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored."

The Age of the Duskborn marks a radical shift in the Lands Between. Ushered in by the Tarnished becoming Elden Lord and wielding the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, this Elden Ring ending shatters the old order's obsession with immortality. The harrowing fog that engulfs the world is a symbolic shroud, signifying the death that was previously denied by the Golden Order.

However, this death is not an end, but a transformation. Undeath, once a horrifying curse, becomes a natural extension of life. Those who live in death are no longer outcasts but accepted as part of the cycle. The Age of the Duskborn embraces the flow of life and undeath, forging a new path for the Lands Between.

Age of Despair

This ending requires the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse. It states:

"The reviled curse will last eternally, and the world's children, grandchildren, and every generation hence, will be its pustules. If Order is defiled entirely, defilement is defilement no more, and for every curse, a cursed blessing."

One of the negative Elden Ring endings, The Age of Despair paints a tragic and bleak fate for the Lands Between. While the Tarnished still becomes the Elden Lord, the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse unleashes a curse to haunt the realm forever. This is the same curse that had inflicted the Dung Eater, thereby tainting the Erdtree forever.

Souls after death will no longer be able to return to the Erdtree and will be subject to an eternity of torment. Despair looms on the horizon in the Lands Between in this Elden Ring ending, leaving behind a legacy of curse, suffering, and despair.

Age of the Stars

Age of Stars Elden Ring ending (Image via FromSoftware || HarryNinetyFour on YouTube)

Considered by many to be the true Elden Ring ending, the Ring is mended by Ranni and not the Tarnished. You become a consort for Ranni as she becomes an Empyrean and ascends to godhood, replacing Marika.

However, the Golden Order is completely removed with Ranni's ascension. The new order that Ranni establishes may possibly have ties to her affiliation with the Order of the Dark Moon instead.

Unlike the prior Golden Order, Ranni chooses to be a distant god. She takes the Elden Ring, and with it, her influence, far away from the Lands Between. This leaves the world without a direct deity for the first time in ages. People are free to pave their own destinies, released from the shackles of a singular order.

Lord of Frenzied Flame

Lord of Frenzied Flame is one of the worst Elden Ring endings, where the Tarnished embraces the Outer Gods. This ending signifies a cataclysmic rebirth of the Lands Between, where the Tarnished becomes an entity of chaos destined to burn the Lands Between to ash, returning it to the primordial state before the Great Will's existence.

The land is engulfed by a raging inferno, and the Tarnished, now the Lord of Chaos, fulfills the Three Fingers' prophecy of erasing all mistakes from the world. If you received the Frenzied Flame before the events of the Forge of the Giants, a special cutscene can be seen where Malenia leaves your party. She then says:

"Lord of Frenzied Flame. I will seek you, as far as you may travel. To deliver you what is yours, Destined Death."

Malenia's final act of defying the Tarnished suggests this ending is a horrific oblivion. The Lands Between are reduced to smoldering ash, leaving behind nothing but the chilling promise of a new world.

The Elden Ring endings leave a lot of unanswered questions. What happens to Marika in the Elden Lord endings? Being the presumed vassal for the Elden Ring, she might become a guiding force in the Lands Between. However, nothing more can be confirmed. Perhaps the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC can put some more perspective into the twisted lore of the Lands Between.