Players probably won’t find out every secret in “Elden Ring,” the newest game from Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware, for a very, very long time. Fans have been loving the game’s challenge and, of course, all the horrifying ways the Tarnished might die, while critics have praised the game’s huge universe and accessibility for Soulsborne newbies.
The lore of “Elden Ring,” like the vast majority of FromSoftware titles, is highly cryptic, and players are loving unraveling it. Players are not guided through the story by the game. Instead, it gives players a lot of hints, hazy directions, and a tale they must piece together for themselves. Because “Elden Ring” doesn’t give players things like quest markers or records of what they’ve done, some gamers, like journalist Jason Schreier, even advise maintaining a notebook to record various story points and objectives.
All of those challenging words eventually come to a satisfying or epic conclusion. You’ve come to the right place if something about “Elden Ring’s” conclusion doesn’t quite make sense. Here is an explanation of “Elden Ring’s” conclusion.
A world shattered
Before diving right into the game’s conclusion, it’s crucial to understand why players are exploring The Lands Between in pursuit of the aforementioned broken Elden ring. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a warrior who was exiled from the world after losing the “grace of the Erdtree.” In an effort to bring back order to the world and bring the Erdtree back to its full force, lost grace, points of collecting light that represent the power of the Erdtree, beckon to the Tarnished and implore them to go back to the Lands Between. The Erdtree is a huge, shimmering, golden tree that, in a way, gives life to the planet and towers over players throughout their adventure.
All of the Tarnished have different reasons for their journeys, but at least some of them, including the player, might be interested in locating the fragments of the broken ring in order to either bring the world back together or take the place of the Elden Lord. As in many FromSoftware games, NPC interactions tend to suggest that the majority of Tarnished aren’t having a fantastic time in the outside world.
But players do have a chance to maybe bring order back to the Lands Between by reforging the ring, suggesting a cautiously upbeat conclusion to “Elden Ring.” Naturally, there is room for interpretation in all of this.
How does Elden Ring resolve its themes?
The journey to finishing “Elden Ring” and gaining the right to start a New Game+, which increases the difficulty even more, is the real thrill of the game, as it is with many other FromSoftware titles. The game nevertheless conveys some important principles to players as they explore the Lands Between, though. No matter which ending players choose, the game illustrates how corrupt the cycle of power is and how unlikely it is that anything will change for the people who live in the Lands Between, regardless of who succeeds Elden Lord. There don’t seem to be many people living there who aren’t already terrifying and horrible, in fact. There isn’t much of a planet to rescue, even if the Tarnished manages to save it, and things won’t get much better with a new leader.
Ranni talks about a new age of fear where she will rule the world if she wins the election. If the Tarnished are elected, they will rule the planet from atop a throne, ruling above everyone else. There wouldn’t be anything left to preside over if the Erdtree eventually caught fire. It implies that no matter what kind of ending players choose, the Lands Between will suffer as long as someone is in charge—no matter who that person is.
More than one way to end things
It’s important to note that “Elden Ring” cannot be finished in a single linear fashion. Some bosses, such as Margit the Fell Omen, must be defeated, but others are entirely optional and avoidable. Even better, gamers have a wide variety of various bosses to select from, including random dragons out in the world and the toughest opponent in small dungeons. This enables players to create their own story and give the game’s conclusion personal meaning.
“Elden Ring” may have more than three possible conclusions. Players might not have yet discovered every conceivable conclusion for this enormous game, which has a ton of hidden mysteries. There are now three possible endings (with a few minor variants) but it’s very conceivable that players will discover more in the future.
There are a few optional bosses that gamers should definitely check out. For instance, the redheaded woman who shot to fame online when the “Elden Ring” teaser originally surfaced is actually a vicious adversary by the name of Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Although it doesn’t always relate to the Tarnished’s search for the Elden ring, fighting her reveals more of the game’s narrative. By learning new details about the lore of the realm and improving players’ comprehension of “Elden Ring’s” complex backstory, pursuing extra bosses and dungeons always has the potential to alter the plot and, consequently, the ending.
Radagon of the Golden Order
Radagon of the Golden Order, the male half of the goddess Marika and Rennala’s previous husband, is the game’s last boss in “Elden Ring.” Although the gods’ lineage in “Elden Ring” is incredibly muddled, players should understand that Radagon, like Marika, is divine. Radagon strikes with the force of a god even if he is both her and not (the two are probably based on the Rebis from alchemical thought). Radagon’s conflict is exhausting and multifaceted. In the first scene, the Tarnished is fighting Radagon in a shape that resembles a human. He is shirtless, gleaming with golden light, and his red hair is blowing in the ferocity of battle. Players may be startled to discover Radagon has risen once more, this time as an Elden Beast, after fighting him.
The Elden Beast puts up a good fight, although some players might be perplexed by its very presence. The Greater Will, the force that directs the world, is thought by one player to be represented physically in the Elden Beast. The force of the universe itself, which must manifest in a tangible form in order to attempt to change fate, may be the only thing keeping the player from obtaining the Elden ring after beating Radagon/Marika.
However, winning over the many Lords in “Elden Ring,” culminating in taking down Radagon himself, gives players the chance to control the Elden ring’s power for themselves.
Ranni’s Ending
Although she first goes by the name Renna, players can encounter Ranni early on in “Elden Ring.” Eventually, Ranni pushes players to release the stars and bring her a particular knife. She claims to be searching for hidden treasure and asks the player to assist her on her journey to locate the “dark path.” But why is Ranni bringing about the Age of the Moon, and what is her goal?
It’s plausible that Ranni wants to surpass Marika or even the Greater Will given that Glintstone magic, the game’s main form of magic, appears to be based on the positions of the stars. She brings in the “Age of the Moon,” a period of terror and cold, so whatever the case, her ending doesn’t look good for the people who live in the Lands Between. That doesn’t sound like the best time to do anything.
Fans speculate that “Bloodborne,” another FromSoftware title that emphasizes the moon, monstrosity, and one extended night of hunting, may have been inspired by Ranni’s ending. In any case, due to the numerous branching sidequests and steps required to complete Ranni’s ending, also known as “The Age of the Star,” it is one of the hardest endings in “Elden Ring” to complete. The conclusion of Ranni implies that the Tarnished will join Ranni in dominating the darkness as her consort.
Repairing the ring and restoring order
After conquering the Elden Beast, players have a choice. They can either strive to mend the fractured planet or fix the Elden ring and seize power for themselves. The Age of Fracture will be put an end by repairing Marika, according to the Elden Lord conclusion. If a player wants to get to this resolution, they can repair Marika’s body after beating the Elden Beast and complete the ring’s transformation to bring the story to a close.
The “fallen leaves tell a story of how a Tarnished became Elden Lord,” according to a voiceover, The narrator claims that future generations will look back on the period and refer to it as a “Age of Fracture,” but that the turbulent period was brought to an end by the gallant Tarnished who brought order and the ring back to the world. Without requiring any special sidequests or artifacts, this is the easiest ending to obtain. There are other, elaborater, and more compelling epilogues to experience, though.
The Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending
There is always the option of chaos if players don’t wish to become the Elden Lord or let Ranni govern the Lands Between. The Tarnished can decide to literally burn everything down in the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, in contrast to Ranni’s attempts to usher in a new age controlled by the Moon and the Tarnished’s ability to set the world right as a just ruler.
Players must travel to meet the Three Fingers while entirely naked in order to obtain the most chaotic conclusion. The player will be burned with scars by The Three Fingers before being freed to continue their adventure. Players will receive a very different conclusion after being marked if they choose to continue fighting Radagon. Players will burn down the Erdtree and anything else in their path instead of fusing the ring back together or aiding Ranni, their head turning into a massive ball of fire. Players then have the option of saving Melina or burning her.
The Lord of Frenzied Flame believes that the Lands Between don’t deserve to be saved and that things could be better if the Erdtree burned down completely, in contrast to the other endings of “Elden Ring” that center on installing someone in position as a new Elden Lord. According to this conclusion, the Elden Lord/Tarnished cycle never ends. There will always be those who are corrupted by power and those who want to eliminate it.
What happens to the lords?
In “Elden Ring,” the Tarnished player is required to take down every shardbearer and Lord. Unlike the game’s weaker invaders and field bosses, these are a group of bosses that must be destroyed in order to advance through the “Elden Ring” tale. A little bit more lore is revealed after each Lord is defeated, detailing the game’s setting in vague terms.
For instance, engaging Rennala of the Full Moon in combat and defeating her as well as conversing with some NPCs opens up new dialogue that describes Rennala’s activities in the Academy. According to a Redditor who responded to a request for an explanation of what was happening with the eldritch academy, Rennala is apparently waiting for her spouse, who is within the egg she is holding, to be reincarnated and join her in life once more. The only solution for people who are having trouble deciphering the narrative of “Elden Ring” is frequently time and more boss battles, which will eventually unlock additional dialogue options with various characters across the Lands Between.
Who are the shardbearers?
The Elden Ring’s first keeper, Queen Marika the Eternal, had a number of offspring who would subsequently take on different ring-keeping responsibilities. In order to maintain power, each demigod child clung to their tiny piece of the Elden ring. The shardbearers each possessed a portion of power in their Great Runes, which the Tarnished player can acquire throughout the game, even if their mother wasn’t as strong as she once was and was imprisoned in the Erdtree.
However, Marika wasn’t quite a normal person, and neither are the shardbearers. Goddess Marika is divided into a male and feminine half (Radagon). Throughout the course of “Elden Ring,” her offspring don’t really seem to want to set her free, but they do seem very interested in keeping the Tarnished from disturbing the balance. Players don’t receive a clear map showing where the shardbearers are or how to fight them, in classic “Souls” way. Instead, that is something kids must learn on their own.
