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In true RPG tradition,Elden Ringalso has several endings. Attaining them is often a litmus test for patience or curiosity, two virtues thatElden Ringwants from its players. Those who oblige such demands will be rewarded with something more colorful or something entirely different, but all of them have one thing in common: players will have no idea what the endings mean.
At least, that’s the case for most people who didn’t read the guides or lore explanations. However, after about a dozen playthroughs, one begins to understand the nuances between these endings. By then, it’s easier to evaluate which endings are the best – here’s how they all rank up.
Updated July 28, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: There are a total of six Elden Ring endings, and though none were added with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (unfortunately), reaching the end of SOTE complicates your ultimate choice after beating the Elden Beast. You may feel more sympathetic to Miquella’s goals, and may feel that the Age of the Duskborn most aligns with your own beliefs on how the world should progress past the Age of Fracture. Either way, it’s a hard choice to make, and the best Elden Ring ending still has downsides that are worth considering if such things matter to you. Ultimately, the best endings in Elden Ring are those that provide mostly benevolent effects on the world or give a unique ending cutscene – this guide to the best Elden Ring endings has been updated to display the pros and cons for every option available, to help players quickly figure out the effects of each ending without having to worry too much about the nitty-gritty details.
Does The Elden Ring DLC Add A New Ending?
Throughout the Realm of Shadow inShadow of the Erdtree, players follow in the footsteps of Miquella, who seeks to establish an Age of Compassion as a God. The name Age of Compassion harkens back to the endings in the base game ofElden Ring, like the Age of Order, the Age of the Duskborn, etc. So, until players began to beat the DLC and figure it out for themselves, it was thought that the Age of Compassion could be a new unlockable ending in the DLC.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Without spoiling too much about the final encounter of theElden RingDLC, you will unlock a special piece of content, but it is not a new ending. All of the endings in the base game change something about the world as you, the Tarnished, ascend to some kind of higher power – whether that be the Elden Lord themself or Consort to another. You always get a Mending Rune to use, or a unique interaction, after beating the Elden Beast.
After beating theElden RingDLC, you will not get any new interaction or Mending Rune to fix the Elden Ring in Miquella’s image. Credits will roll for the DLC, you will see a short cutscene, but then you will be transported back to the final encounter room with the Remembrance of the final boss in your inventory.
The Blessing of Despair is essentially the true “bad” ending toElden Ring. That’s because the summarized result of picking such an ending is that everyone in the Lands Between gets a free and mandatory curse, courtesy of theDung Eaterand his benefactor, presumably the Formless Mother or some other yet-nameless entity.
Granted, the true nature of the Blessing of Despair’s curse is unspecified. This curse only implies that souls will no longer be able to return to the Erdtree, rendering all the denizens of the Lands Between afflicted with the loathsome curse — one that might turn them into Omens, or do something far more wicked andhorrid as would befit the Dung Eater.
Either way, it’s a psychotic way to endElden Ring,and it’s not really rewarding since it’s a re-skinned version of the default ending.
Players won’t even be fully aware of the implications and repercussions of what they did because it plays out the same cinematic as the default ending. In reality, they’ll become an Elden Lord of cursed and suffering individuals.
How to Get Blessing of Despair Ending
To unlock the Blessing of Despair questline, you must complete theDung Eater’slengthy collection-based questline. Over the course of this quest, you will provide the Dung Eater with 5xSeedbed Curseto finally create theMending Rune of the Fell Curse.
As is standard for most endings, you must not have inherited the Frenzied Flame, or must have removed its influence by the end of the game.
To activate the Blessing of Despair ending, beat the final boss, then interact with the Fractured Marika statue. Select the option to use the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.
Age of the Duskborn, for all its intents, is the most “neutral” ending inElden Ring.Its proponents all strive to remove the Greater Will’s gift and curse of immortality which was also its primary method of maintaining control over its constituents. If no one is immortal, then the hollow souls that have been maddened from constant rebirths will be saved from their suffering.
Fiamerely wants those who have fallen in the Lands Between to finally succumb to the peace of death instead of being manipulated and recycled by the Greater Will. It’s a noble goal that gives more agency to the people ofthe Lands Betweenand depending on one’s perspective on immortality and freedom, how one perceives it ethically might be ambiguous.
As for the visual treat, there’s none. Players merely get a different lighting effect compared to the sunnier default ending, which is why it might be disappointing for those expecting something more expository. Still, the idea behind it is radical and appealing to some, providing a natural balance between life and death and ridding the world of immortality for people and creatures, perhaps peace can engulf the land through the fog.
How to Get the Age of the Duskborn Ending
To unlock the Age of the Duskborn ending, you must complete theFiaquestline toacquire the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince. This quest begins in Roundtable Hold, progresses alongsideD, Hunter of the Dead’s questline, and finishes high above the depths of the Deeproot Depths.
To activate the Age of the Duskborn ending, beat the final boss, then interact with the Fractured Marika statue. Select the option to use theMending Rune of the Death-Prince.
The defaultElden Ringending, the Age of Fractured will see the Tarnished fulfill the promise that started them on this path. The player will mend the Elden Ring itself and begin a new age for the Lands Between, with a new Lord. Yet, in this new age, nothing really changes, and it’s seemingly a repeating cycle until someone else comes along to cause a new bout of chaos and frenzy.
The Tarnished sits on the throne, and despite this ending being the default, there are still layers to it worth exploring. Even the default ending inDark Soulsis not so simple, and often despite the promise to fix things and link the world back together, fates can have a funny way of helping.
The Age of Fracture is not a solid solution, and simply throwing duct tape over the issue. There is nothing to stop the Elden Ring from shattering, nor is there anything stopping another from confronting the Tarnished and the remains of the Golden Order.
How to Get the Age of Fracture Ending
This is the default ending inElden Ring, and all you have to do to unlock the Age of Fracture ending is beat the final boss. As is standard for most endings, you must not have inherited the Frenzied Flame, or must have removed its influence by the end of the game.
After beating the game, simply select the option to Mend The Elden Ring to unlock this ending. This is one of three endings required to 100% the game, the others being the Age of the Stars and the Frenzied Flame endings.
The Age of Order ending is what players get if they follow through with the rather obscure and strictBrother Corhynquestline. It’s a decent ending, especially if one considers the Erdtree and the Greater Will’s ideals to be…ideal. But that one’s a rather bigoted and superficial philosophy — one that yearns to hide what it perceives asugly in the world.
Nevertheless, this ending has an appealing twist since even Goldmask saw through the hypocrisy and inefficiency of the Erdtree. In this ending, players will usher in a new age of stability as an Elden Lord under the guidance ofGoldmask’sMending Rune of Perfect Order. It is what many players can perceive as the overall “good” ending, as in the goody-good ending where everyone lives happily.
The only in-game issue with the Age of Order is that it uses the default ending scene for the Age of Fracture. Something so satisfying should have been treated as more special rather than just a re-skin of the default congratulatory ending. Plus, though things might be better for most, some thrived under the old ways and your own powers might be diminished in an age without the meddling of Gods.
How to Get the Age of Order Ending
To unlock the Age of Order ending, you must complete both theBrother Corhyn questlineand the Goldmask questlines. At the very end ofthe Goldmask questline, you will receive theMending Rune of Perfect Order.
To activate the Age of Order ending, beat the final boss, then interact with the Fractured Marika statue. Select the option to use the Mending Rune of Perfect Order.
All these endings and their exhausting agendas might be too much for players who expect to have more of a say in the Lands Between. There are times whenall that frustrationmust go somewhere, andElden Ringgives no better release than mass arson for such a state of vexation. Just burn everyone away in the maddening blaze of the Frenzied Flame.
That’s what being the Lord of the Frenzied Flame entails. Instead of becoming an Elden Lord, the players take up the mantle of Lord of Chaos. The pompous Erdtree is burned to a stump, and Melina departs after seeing the Tarnished commit a sin so grave.
There’s no predictable or reasonable outcome for the Lands Between and its people in this kind of ending. Everything just falls into chaos, madness, and irrationality. The players are thus free to return ten-fold the insanity that the Lands Between has inflicted upon them, especially those bosses.
Arguably, it’s also the meatiest ending in the game, with its own extended cutscene that featuresMelinavowing to take revenge against the players for defying her and burning everything.
If players meet with the Three Fingers, they will be locked out of the other Elden Ring endings. However, they can reverse this by using Miquella’s Needle at the Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena for a permanent reversal.
How to Get the Frenzied Flame Ending
To unlock the Frenzied Flame ending, you must do a few things: completethe Hyetta questline,find the Three Fingersand inherit the Frenzied Flame deep beneath Leyndell, and burn the Erdtree with the Frenzied Flame instead of Melina.
After you beat the final boss, interact with the Fractured Marika statue and select the option to Become the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
You do not need a Mending Rune to unlock this ending, you just have to inherit the Frenzied Flame and maintain it until the end. This is one of three endings required to 100% the game, the others being the Age of the Stars and the Age of Fracture endings.
As for an ending that still gives players a substantial reward and reprieve yet doesn’t compel them to go mad, the Age of the Stars ending is the most thoughtful one yet. Instead of playing along withthe Greater Will’s game, the players will replace Marika withRanni the Witchwho herself rises to become a God of a different nature than the Greater Will would like.
The more important bit here is that Ranni will pick the players as her consort, her own royal spouse, and Elden Lord.
Yet the players won’t be shackled to another ending of bittersweet servitude to some deity. Instead, they’ll go on a thousand-year journey with Ranni to the unknown and the great beyond, leaving the wretched Lands Between in itsown boiling stew of discord.
Of course, there’s a special cinematic that’s vastly different compared to the default ending. It’s mysterious and cryptic still, but it’s a lot less ominous and more hopeful than some other endings.
How to Get the Age of Stars Ending
To unlock the Age of Stars ending, you must completethe Ranni the Witch questline. This begins in the Three Sisters just northwest ofCaria Manorin northern Liurnia, after speaking with Ranni in person for the first time.
To activate the Age of Stars ending, after you beat the final boss, search the area for Ranni’s summon sign. Summon her to become her Consort and activate the Age of the Stars ending. This is one of three endings required to 100% the game, the others being the Age of Fracture and the Frenzied Flame endings.
