Just like previous FromSoftware series like Dark Souls and Demon Souls, Elden Ring has a complicated and sometimes deeply hidden narrative. Most of the storytelling requires players to dig through lore, uncover secrets, and explore the vast world in order to reveal the plot at the heart of the game. Players will probably be discovering story elements in Elden Ring for months and years to come, showing how complex and detailed the design of a typical FromSoftware game can be. While the narrative can be a little obscure at times, the act of uncovering it can be one of the things that players love most and can make them truly feel a part of the in-game world.
If players don't take the time to properly reveal pertinent parts of the story, Elden Ring's endings can lack a lot of meaning on their own. Gamers might not fully appreciate the significance of each ending, like to what extent the Age of Duskborn ending upsets the old power structures or the true chaos of the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending (although the closing cinematic does convey that quite well). Some endings don't appear to be that distinct at first, but actually have some unexpected differences. The Age of Order ending may initially seem very similar to the Age of Fracture ending, but players who dig a little further may see the disparities between the choices.
Requirements For The Ending
Of the six endings, players will take up the mantle of the Elden Lord in all but two. While some Elden Ring endings severely mess up the status quo, they all still require gamers to accept the influence of the Outer Gods in some way and usually incorporate a specific god's power into the Elden Ring to start a new cycle. Some endings require very specific sequences of actions in order to meet all the requirements, while others don't need players to make much of an effort in order to reach a certain conclusion.
In order to achieve the Age of Order ending, players must ensure that they complete Goldmask and Brother Corhyn's questline. Once the Crumbling Farum Azula is completed, players can find Goldmask in Leyndell, Ashen Capital, and receive the Mending Rune of Perfect Order – a great rune that is essential for the Age of Order ending. Once Radagon and the Elden Beast are defeated, the players will be confronted with some choices. If they wish to pursue the Age of Order ending, they need to "Use Mending Rune of Perfect Order," which will make some significant changes to how the Lands Between operate.
Peace Restored
If the Age of Fracture can be seen as the 'default' ending (players achieve what they were initially tasked with, and the Elden Ring is restored), then Age of Order takes this a step further. The ring is still mended and the player's Tarnished still becomes the Elden Lord, but because they used the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, the shape of this new unified future is slightly different. While the Age of Fracture is very much business as usual and returns the Lands Between to what they once were with the Outer Gods still involved in the affairs of the inhabitants, the Age of Order doesn't make things quite so simple.
For the Age of Order, the new Golden Order that is created through the mending of the Ring is designed to be much more robust than the world prior to the events of Elden Ring. The Outer Gods will no longer be able to meddle in the Lands Between in the same way, avoiding any catastrophic fallout from their inevitable squabbles and dramas. Inhabitants won't be corrupted by ambition and the world won't destroy itself as soon as the gods and demigods come into conflict. This can be considered a 'utopian' ideal, reinstating the peace and prosperity of the previous age and protecting it still further from outside influences.
However, like many things in Elden Ring, this ending is not quite as straightforward as it seems. While eternal peace and a position of authority may seem like a bed of roses, nothing is ever that easy or uncomplicated in a FromSoftware game. The Lands Between may have technically had order restored, and the gods should theoretically be better behaved and less destructive, but ascending to positions of power in previous FromSoftware titles usually comes with some kind of catch. Considering the fates of previous Elden Lords, it might not be everything it's cracked up to be. Not to mention that eternal peace and order might be a bit of a poisoned chalice for some, especially as it can take away aspects of free will and individual agency.
There's not really a 'right way' to end Elden Ring, and which ending is the 'best' one is still up for debate. Players should read up on each of the consequences of their final actions and see what state they want to leave the Lands Between in; whether they want to return things to how they were, or literally burn the system to the ground.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.