Elden Ring‘s Best Ending: An In-Depth Guide

For my fellow Tarnished who have struggled through the Lands Between and felled beasts and demigods alike to complete the game – I congratulate you! But your journey is not yet over. When you finally fell the Elden Beast and restore the shattered Elden Ring, you will be faced with a choice.

Elden Ring provides the player with six unique endings, each with their own implications for the fate of the Lands Between. While the default "Age of the Fracture" ending allows you to become Elden Lord, other conclusions offer more resolution or meaning to your epic journey.

As a player with over 500 hours across multiple characters and new game plus cycles, I‘ve experienced every ending firsthand. And in my opinion, the "Age of Stars" is Elden Ring‘s best ending based on theming, emotional payoff, and story implications.

Below I‘ll analyze each ending in depth so you can decide what fate you wish to bestow on the Lands Between. I‘ll share my perspective as a seasoned player for those seeking the most enjoyable and lore-appropriate conclusion. Let‘s dive in!

Age of Fracture

The Age of Fracture is the default ending obtained by mending the Elden Ring during the final boss fight. You take the title of Elden Lord, but as the name implies, it is an age of instability and stagnation.

• Despite your efforts, the tyrannical Greater Will remains in control over the Lands Between
• Fundamental flaws in the Golden Order persist, with decay and stagnation continuing
• Provides least amount of closure or resolution to the player‘s journey

I cannot in good faith recommend the Age of Fracture ending for most players. While it fits with certain narrative threads regarding the cyclical nature of ages in Lands Between lore, it lacks meaningful closure or change after everything you‘ve overcome.

Unless you specifically roleplay a character seeking continuation of the status quo under the Golden Order, I would suggest experiencing another, more impactful ending for your first playthrough.

Age of Duskborn

The Age of Duskborn is obtained by acquiring the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince from Fia after completing her questline. Using it to repair the Elden Ring creates an age where Death is restored.

• Ash rains from the sky as Death returns to Lands Between after being sealed away
• The Erdtree loses its golden aura, signaling the end of the Golden Order‘s influence
• You usher in an age aligned with the natural cycle of life and death

I find this ending very compelling from a narrative standpoint. Throughout Elden Ring, we learn how the removal of Death led to widespread suffering and undead curses. Restoring mortality returns meaning to existence, as no one can live indefinitely.

For my high Faith builds seeking to roleplay an honorable Templar or Paladin type bringing justice, I feel the thematic undertones of the Age of Duskborn strike the right tone. It offers melancholy yet fitting closure.

Age of Order

To get the Age of Order, you must complete the questline of Goldmask and Brother Corhyn, which involves rediscovering a lost Mending Rune capable of restoring stability to the metaphysical Order.

• Blinding rays of light shine down as the new age begins
• The rune reverts the Order to a time before Queen Marika introduced instability
• Represents themes of regressing to replicate the past rather than forcing change

While visually striking, the Age of Order has underlying melancholy elements. Dialogue implies that even an age of order may once again give way to chaos over time.

As a veteran player, I find this ending‘s themes predictable – it is merely reverting to the past rather than forging a new future. The symbolism also caters to authority and status quo. Unless roleplaying a devout Golden Order fundamentalist, I find it lacking in originality or boldness.

Blessing of Despair

One of Elden Ring‘s most obscure endings is unlocked by advancing the questline of Dung Eater. You will need to provide him with Seedbed Curses, which allows creation of the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse.

• The Lands Between become ethereal and foggy, evoking a dreamlike ambience
• Ghostly particles fall from the sky onto twisted, obsidian trees
• Represent themes of defilement leading to revelation, hints at cycles of rebirth

This ending requires some reading between the lines, as the imagery is highly symbolic. I interpreted it as representing the lands being reduced to their core elements before being reformed anew.

A player seeking to roleplay an agent of chaos and change may find meaning in the Blessing of Despair. I personally find the surreal, otherworldly atmosphere compelling from an artistic perspective. It may not be the most straightforward ending, but absolutely dripping with soul.

Lord of Frenzied Flame

Arguably Elden Ring‘s most iconic ending, the Lord of Frenzied Flame is obtained by descending into the depths of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds and allowing the Three Fingers to burn you with the flame of madness.

• Your body becomes enwreathed in flames as madness sears away human flesh
• The Lands Between are engulfed by apocalyptic fire that reduces everything to ash
• Represents chaos unleashed without restraint; the cost of revelation at its most extreme

I find this to be one of Elden Ring‘s most powerful endings in terms of delivering jaw-dropping spectacle. Gazing out at the smoldering remains of creation definitely stirs a visceral reaction.

Thematically this conclusion is quite fascinating, as the Three Fingers hints that burning away creation may reveal enlightening truths. However, the ultimate outcome remains ambiguous. Players seeking to roleplay morally ambiguous agents of chaos may find suiting the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

Age of Stars

We come at last to Elden Ring‘s best ending in my opinion, the mysterious Age of Stars brought about by Ranni the Witch. To unlock it, you must complete her long questline across Liurnia and beyond.

• Ranni speaks of shattering the tyranny of the Golden Order and Greater Will
• You take her hand in matrimonial union, becoming new age‘s eldritch consort
• Represents themes of independence, ambition, doubt, hope; an uncompromising vision

Both visually and conceptually no other ending rivals the sheer mysticism conjured by gazing up at the cosmos with Ranni. Her stirring dialogue and orchestral score stir the spirit. And by her side, you represent a new way forward free from the machinations of fickle gods.

As someone who admires Ranni‘s daring ambition, I relish the chance to aid her. And the focus on questioning predestined fate and embracing uncertainty come across as thought-provoking themes rarely seen in fantasy stories, let alone games.

For this stark defiance of the status quo and breathlessly cosmic scope, the Age of Stars delivers the most resonant and rewarding conclusion to journey across the Lands Between. All other endings pale in comparison to becoming consort to an Empyrean who dared to dream bigger than all other souls combined.

So if this analysis hasn‘t made it clear enough already, I cannot recommend Ranni‘s questline and the world-shattering implications of the Age of Stars highly enough, whether it‘s your first playthrough or your fifth!

No matter whether you seek to restore stability, embrace chaos, or forge an ambitious new path among the stars, Elden Ring empowers players to decide the Lands Between‘s fate through profound narrative choices. Hopefully this guide sheds some light on which ending speaks most to your values and aspirations!