Elden Ring: Deciphering the Best Endings

Elden Ring, one of the most celebrated RPGs of its generation, offers a multitude of endings, each with its unique narrative arc. However, the majority of these endings paint a bleak picture of The Lands Between.

Among the six possible endings, the Age of Stars and the Age of Order stand out as the most optimistic, each offering a distinct vision for Elden Ring’s world.

The Dark Side of Elden Ring Endings

The outcome of Elden Ring’s finale hinges on the player’s decision to use mending Runes on the Elden Ring. Each Rune corresponds to a specific questline, leading to a unique ending.

The Age of the Duskborn, Blessing of Despair, and Lord of the Frenzied Flame endings are generally perceived as negative outcomes, each depicting the Tarnished’s corruption in a different light.

These endings involve breaking the cycle of life and death, inflicting everyone with the Dung Eater’s curse, or setting the entire world ablaze. Pursuing these outcomes requires a dive into the game’s darker elements.

The Silver Lining in Elden Ring Endings

While half of Elden Ring’s endings lean towards a darker narrative, the remaining half offer a glimmer of hope. However, even the default Age of Fracture ending, which fulfills Melina’s will, has a sinister undertone.

The Tarnished’s control over the Elden Ring after its mending may be a better alternative to Marika and Radagon’s corrupt rule, but the player character’s good morals are not something that FromSoftware’s worlds typically allow to persist.

The Underappreciated Ending

The Age of Stars, achieved through Ranni’s questline, is generally seen as the best ending by most players. However, the Age of Order, a lesser-known positive outcome, also offers a promising future for the world.

This ending, reached through using the Rune obtained from Goldmask after his discovery of Marika and Radagon’s true nature, results in the purging of the world’s imperfect gods. Depending on the player’s perspective, either change for The Lands Between could be seen as the best ending of the game.

With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on the horizon, there’s a possibility that new endings could be introduced along with the expansion, similar to previous FromSoftware titles. Until then, both the Age of Stars and the Age of Order offer valid visions for the game’s world following Marika’s fall.

The removal of all godly influence seen in the Age of Stars means freedom for all, but a world of gods incapable of senseless conflict as envisioned in the Age of Order is just as appealing for those who choose to seek it out.