From Software's Dark Souls 3 has multiple different endings. Here's Game Rant's guide to ensure a difficult and lengthy campaign doesn't end in bitter disappointment.

As gamers have come to expect from the Dark Souls series, Dark Souls 3 has multiple endings on offer that unlock after fans follow a specific number of steps. Some of these endings are much rarer than others, however, and for those adventurers looking for the best possible conclusion a guide is likely necessary. Here, below, Game Rant details each of the possible endings in Dark Souls 3 and how to obtain them. Although it likely goes without saying, there are huge spoilers after this paragraph – gamers who want to preserve their experience with the Dark Souls 3 story beware.

This ending is the vanilla conclusion to the Dark Souls 3 story, and is thus the easiest one to unlock. All players need to do to get To Link the First Flame as an ending is to reach the Soul of Cinder, Dark Souls 3's final boss. Beating the Soul of Cinder and interacting with the bonfire that appears near the edge of the boss area after he dies is enough to trigger the ending cutscene.

Ending 2: The End of Fire

Ending 2 has a cooler name, so obviously it's going to be a bit more difficult to get. To trigger this ending, gamers need to do a bit of pre-planning prior to the game's final boss fight: they'll need to obtain an item called the Eyes of a Firekeeper. Here's how:

  1. First, gamers will need to find and defeat Oceiros, the Consumed King. To find him, head back to where players encounter the Dancer of Boreal Valley and place the small basin she drops on the statue in that room. This causes a ladder to reveal itself. Climb down the ladder and head left when there's a fork to find the Consumed King.
  2. Defeat the Consumed King. It's Dark Souls 3, so it's never that easy, but Oceiros is weak to lightning damage and his two phases require a similar sort of defensive, patient style. After he's dead, a hallway will open up leading towards what appears to be a dead end. Hit the wall with a melee attack to reveal a passage that leads to an area called the Unintended Graves.
  3. Proceed through the dungeon until coming across Champion Gundyr, an uncorrupted version of Dark Souls 3's first boss. Defeating him opens up a path to a dark version of the Firelink Shrine. Heading towards where the Firekeeper usually stands and hitting the wall there will reveal the Eyes of a Firekeeper.
  4. Head back to the normal version of the Firelink Shrine and give the Firekeeper the Eyes of a Firekeeper. While it seems weird and kind of threatening to present someone with the eyes of somebody else in their profession, all that happens during this exchange is that the background music will change to signify gamers have unlocked the Usurping the Fire ending.
  5. Progress to the end of the game and defeat the Soul of Cinder. Instead of interacting with the bonfire that appears, look to the left of the area and use the Summon Sign for the Firekeeper over there. Summon her to trigger the ending cutscene for The End of Fire.

Ending 2: The End of Fire (Alternate Version)

It is possible to trigger an alternate, much more violent version of the The End of Fire ending. Complete all the steps listed above, but instead of doing nothing after summoning the Firekeeper after defeating the Soul of Cinder, kill her. After the initial ending cutscene there is a small window of time where players can attack the Firekeeper as the fire begins to fade from her hands. It might seem a little underhanded, so gamers could always attempt to kill the Firekeeper with just their fists to lighten the mood before her death triggers the alternate version of The End of Fire.

Ending 3: Usurpation of Fire

This "Lord of Hollows" ending is about as good an ending as one can expect when playing through a game as unforgiving and bleak as Dark Souls 3. Because of that, however, From Software isn't going to make it easy for Dark Souls 3 players. Here are the many steps necessary to unlock what many fans believe to be the best ending in Dark Souls 3.

  1. When gamers first enter the Undead Settlement, they meet a NPC named Yoel of Londor. After speaking with him, players must accept his offer to help them. Upon returning to the Firelink Shrine for the first time since accepting Yoel's offer, he will be located in the lower tunnel to the right of the main entrance.
  2. Speak to Yoel in the Firelink Shrine. Yoel will offer to unlock the player character's true power by branding them with a Dark Sigil item. Accept this proposition – it nets gamers a free skill point, although doing so turns them into a Hollow. Hollows permanently lose hit points every time they die, so it's important to be wary of this during a playthrough attempting to get this ending. Yoel can give gamers up to five "free" skill points during this process, although players need to die twice prior to each instance of getting a new skill point - do this as soon as possible and take all of the skill points and Dark Sigils Yoel has to offer, as he can potentially die later in the game.
  3. After obtaining all 5 Dark Sigils, the next time players visit Yoel at the Firelink Shrine he will die. A new NPC called Yuria of Londor will arrive to take his place at the shrine.
  4. Speak with Yuria and then head to the encouragingly-named Road of Sacrifices to meet up with NPCs named Anri and Horace. Speak with them and exhaust all of their dialogue options. Proceed as normal through the rest of the Dark Souls 3 story until reaching the Catacombs of Carthus.
  5. Once inside the catacombs, head down the staircase before the main stairs where a large skeleton ball is waiting. Anri is waiting here, and will ask gamers if they've seen Horace. Gamers have to be honest here, and inform Anri they haven't seen Horace. Players will then encounter Anri on the way to fighting High Lord Wolnir on the path to the right of the rope bridge – once again, inform Anri that Horace is nowhere to be found.
  6. Locate and talk to Anri again at the Church of Yorshka in the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley region – she/he's located near a bonfire there. Make sure to defeat Pontiff Sulyvahn while in the area as well, as he's a short distance from Anri, down the set of stairs that appears after unlocking the gate shortcut in the area.
  7. Find Horace at the bottom of the catacombs in the Smouldering Lake. He'll be hostile, so players will be forced to kill him or flee – make certain he's dead before leaving the area.
  8. Return to the Firelink Shrine and talk to Yuria. She'll inform gamers that preparations for their bride – or husband, if gamers play as a female character – are nearly complete.
  9. Head back to Boreal Valley, and near the lever that helps players get to Anor Londo there will be a room with a statue of a king.
  10. Walk through the king statue like it's a brick wall in a London train station and gamers will find a secret passageway that leads to the Darkmoon Tomb. Players will eventually encounter a pilgrim there that will give them the Sword of Avowal.
  11. Take the sword to Anri and interact with him/her to initiate the marriage.
  12. Proceed through the story until defeating the Soul of Cinder. Approach the bonfire near the edge of the area to obtain the Usurpation of Fire ending.

While many players won't necessarily make it to the end of the game at all, those who do might be disappointed with the initial ending. Following these guides will help improve the experience of Dark Souls 3, a game that's already the same kind of brutal success its predecessors were.

Dark Souls 3 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Gamespot

NEXT: Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough - Boss Guides, Tips, & Help