Elden Ringhas six different endings for players to discover, but at the risk of sounding ungrateful for the diversity of ending choices, it doesn’t seem like enough. The six endings currently in the game are all fine, it’s more about how the game sets up several other factions and potentially interesting endings and then abandons them. Most of the game’s endings are driven by how theTarnished interacts with an influential character like Fia, Ranni, or Goldmask, but there are some interesting and unique characters with their own ambitions that don’t have any effect on the ending of the game. There’s no better way to fix this problem than with a new story DLC.
It’s worth saying six endings is more than any other FromSoftware game has had to date, even if they are all similar and summed up by a cutscene. Even so, the world and characters ofElden Ringare so full of potential that it’s hard to see that potential go to waste. Characters like the Loathsome Dung Water, The Three Fingers, and Ranni are certainly all worthy of having their own dedicated ending, but the same could be said about Tanith and her Volcano Manor assassins and White Mask Varre’s veneration of Mohg, Lord of Blood.
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Elden Ring - The Six Endings of the Base Game
Progressing through the game without interacting with any of the major side characters' quest lines results in the default ending. The player mends the Elden Ring, becomes Elden Lord, and starts a new era in the Lands Between. This ending can be modified by using different Mending Runes obtained from important characters. Fia’s Mending Rune of the Death-Prince brings about the Age of the Duskborn, Goldmask’s Mending Rune of Perfect Order ushers in the Age of Order, and theDungeater’s Mending Rune of the Fell Cursecauses the Blessing of Despair to overtake the land. All four of these endings see the Tarnished sitting as Elden Lord.
The other two endings in the base game are a bit more unique. By inheriting the Flame of Frenzy from The Three Fingers, players can become the Lord of Frenzied Flame and let chaos take the world. In doing so, the entirety of The Lands Between is reduced to ash, ending all suffering by ending all life. Alternatively,completing Ranni’s sprawling questsees the Tarnished become Ranni’s consort and join her on a cosmic journey to the stars. The Age of the Stars ending is open to interpretation, but it seems as though it blocks the Outer Gods from influencing The Lands Between any longer.
Elden Ring DLC Should Add A Volcano Manor Ending
Volcano Manor is a striking and intriguing area. Somehow, despite the effects of the Shattering, its residents still seem to live in luxury, free to pursue their own ambitions. It just so happens that theirambitions involve killing other Tarnished and defying the Greater Will. It’s easy to see why fans fell in love with Volcano Manor and wanted to learn more about Tanith, Bernahl, Rya, and the rest of the motley crew there. That’s not even mentioning Rykard, the Lord of Blasphemy, who acts as a sort of leader of Volcano Manor.
Becoming Elden Lord seems to go against what Volcano Manor stands for, but the Tarnished could still ally with the faction and potentially usher in an Age of Blasphemy. Whether this takes the form ofdevouring the gods with Rykardor simply championing free will against the Greater Will and the Golden Order, it would be interesting to see how things pan out if the Tarnished stayed with Tanith and Rya at Volcano Manor.
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Elden Ring DLC Should Add An Ending For Saving Melina
One of the major twists in the story ofElden Ringis that the player must burn the Erdtree to become Elden Lord. This act is blasphemous on more levels than one, yet the player’s faithful maiden Melina is ready to throw down her life and become kindling to light the flame. Tugging on the Tarnished’s heart strings, Shabriri informs the player that they cansave Melina’s life if they inherit the Flame of Frenzyand burn the Erdtree themself, but Melina doesn’t take kindly to this idea.
If the player goes through with this, Melina abandons the Tarnished, even vowing to hunt them down because she knows what will become of the world if the player becomes the Lord of Frenzied Flame. Interestingly, players can complete a series of quests, culminating in abattle against the fearsome Goddess of Rot Malenia, to attain an Unalloyed Gold Needle. Using this item cleanses the Frenzied Flame from the player and allows them to pursue other endings, but Melina’s story doesn’t change at all despite being alive in this version of events. Even if the change is minor, it would be nice to see Melina at the player’s side when they become Elden Lord in futureElden RingDLC.
Elden Ring DLC Should Add An Ending For White Mask Varre and Mohg’s Dynasty
White Mask Varre is the first (not so) friendly NPC that players meet when they first step into Limgrave, and he even acts as a sort of guide for the player at first, teaching them about the Guidance of Grace. Eventually, the player is knighted by Varre and joins the ranks of his cult in veneration of Mohg, Lord of Blood. His goal is to help Mohg usher in his new dynasty. Unfortunately, after completing this and getting an invitation for an audience with Mohg, the Tarnished’s only options are to either do nothing orbetray White Mask Varre and kill Mohg.
This leaves fans to wonder what might happen if the player doesn’t betray Varre and the demigod Mohg. Perhaps the player could usher in an Age of Blood, and help see Mohg’s Dynasty to fruition. Of course, for this to happen, Miquella would have to emerge from his slumber, an event the developers may be saving for aMiquella-focusedElden RingDLC. There’s no way to know ifElden RingDLC will add any new endings to the game, but if it does, hopefully they tie up some of the loose ends left behind from the base game’s story.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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