Does The Game End After Elden Beast?

Does the Game End After Elden Beast?

So, you’ve made it! You’ve battled through countless tough enemies, explored mysterious lands, and finally stood face-to-face with the Elden Beast. It’s a challenging fight, for sure. You might be wondering, “Is that it? Is the game over after I beat the Elden Beast?” Well, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Let’s take a closer look at what happens after this epic showdown, and what you can expect.

The Immediate Aftermath of the Elden Beast Fight

After you defeat the Elden Beast, you don’t immediately get thrown into the credits. Instead, you’ll find yourself at the Fractured Marika site of grace. This is a very important spot. From here, you have the chance to interact with the broken Elden Ring. This interaction is where the game gives you a few different choices that determine the ending you receive.

Choosing Your Ending

The key thing to understand is that Elden Ring doesn’t just have one ending. It has multiple endings, and your actions throughout the game, as well as the choices you make after defeating the Elden Beast, will decide which one you see. These choices are often influenced by the questlines you’ve followed, and the NPC characters you’ve interacted with. It’s important to understand the various endings so that you can influence the final outcome of your gameplay.

• The Elden Lord Ending: This is considered the most straightforward ending. To achieve it, you’ll need to have repaired the Elden Ring by interacting with the fractured Marika in a specific way. You generally get this ending by following the main path without delving too deeply into other character’s stories. It is the default option many players get on their first playthrough.
• The Age of Stars Ending: This ending is tied to Ranni the Witch’s questline. If you’ve completed her quest, you’ll have the option to summon her after the Elden Beast fight. This will trigger a different cutscene and lead to a unique conclusion. This ending can be very different from the standard elden lord ending.
• The Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending: This ending is much more complex to obtain and involves interacting with the Three Fingers at the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. Choosing to take the Frenzied Flame and become the Lord of Frenzy after the elden beast will change the ending substantially. This also locks you out from other endings.
• Other Variations: There are minor variations of some of these endings too, based on smaller choices you might make in the course of your adventures. These variations might change who becomes the next Elden Lord and give unique cut scenes that will be different for every player.

Each ending presents a different vision for the future of the Lands Between, making replaying the game to see all of them a common activity. Don’t worry too much if you don’t get the ending you expected, because it is normal for some players to explore for multiple playthroughs.

What Happens After the Ending Cutscene?

Once you’ve viewed an ending cutscene, the game gives you a choice. It doesn’t force you to start a new game immediately. Instead, the game prompts you to return to the main menu. From the menu, you have several options.

Option 1: Starting New Journey

This is essentially Elden Ring’s version of New Game Plus (NG+). If you choose this option, your character will start again in the Lands Between. However, you will retain your equipment, weapons, levels and spells that you earned on your previous playthrough. This allows you to tackle the game with a very powerful character, making the game easier than the previous time. Be careful though, the game’s difficulty will scale with you so you should expect enemies to hit harder and deal more damage.

Starting a new journey is perfect if you want to:

• Experience the game with a powerful character.
• Try out different builds and weapons.
• Go for different endings.
• Collect all the items and explore every location in the game.

Option 2: Continuing Your Existing Save

If you choose to continue your existing save game instead of doing new game plus, you are placed right back before you chose which ending you want. This is an excellent choice for those who want to explore and collect items they may have missed in the first playthrough, fight any additional bosses, or complete any NPC questlines that weren’t yet done. All the bosses that you previously defeated will stay dead and you can explore any areas that you haven’t before. This allows players to really explore every hidden detail of the lands between.

What if I want to get different ending without starting a new journey

To experience a different ending without starting a new journey, you must use your existing save, select your preferred ending, and upon seeing the cutscene, return to the main menu instead of selecting “start new journey”. After selecting your previous save again, you are given the option to do another ending.

Post-Elden Beast Gameplay and Exploration

Even after “beating the game,” there’s plenty to do in Elden Ring. This is due to the sheer size and depth of the world and is one of the many reasons why it is so fun. The game does not immediately lock you out of the open world after defeating the elden beast. Here are some things you might want to consider completing after you defeat the elden beast:

Completing NPC Questlines

Elden Ring is full of characters with their own stories. Many of these questlines take you across different parts of the Lands Between, and some even offer unique rewards. Many questlines require specific actions to be completed and it’s possible to miss crucial steps throughout the game. Finishing them up can give you more insight into the world’s lore.

Finding Missed Items

The Lands Between is vast, and chances are you’ve missed a few items along the way. This could be a very unique weapon, a powerful talisman, or any type of special item. Now is a great time to really explore every hidden path and secret dungeon to collect anything you might have missed. This will enhance your next playthrough and help you try different builds.

Fighting Optional Bosses

Beyond the main story bosses, Elden Ring has a ton of optional boss fights. Some are hidden in caves or catacombs, while others are tied to side quests. These optional fights can provide a great challenge and many drop very unique equipment. They also allow you to test your character against more difficult enemies that you might have not been able to deal with previously.

Exploring Every Location

There are areas in the game that many players may miss during their first time playing. This is a great opportunity to check and make sure that you’ve visited every single corner of the map and seen everything there is to see. This provides a much better understanding of the game’s intricate world and lore. From the starting area, all the way to the secret and hidden parts of the game, there are many beautiful locations to visit.

The Significance of Multiple Endings

Elden Ring’s multiple endings aren’t just different cutscenes; they represent different visions for the future of the Lands Between. Each ending explores the consequences of your actions and the various philosophical or political viewpoints that exist in the world. This provides an opportunity for players to replay the game and explore different approaches to its narrative. The different endings show players how their actions affect the overall world.

Exploration Through Different Playthroughs

The fact that the game doesn’t force you to immediately start a new journey means you have lots of freedom. You can explore all these options at your own pace. It makes replaying very rewarding, since you can choose different builds, try different weapons and choose different endings. Experiencing the story through different perspectives is a core element of why Elden Ring is so replayable.

Thinking about Future Elden Ring Playthroughs

Many players begin planning their next playthrough as soon as they finish the first. This shows the huge appeal of the game. The multiple endings, combined with the sheer scale of the game world, gives it tons of replayability. It’s common for players to tackle it multiple times, exploring different play styles and story paths. Here’s what you might consider when planning a new playthrough:

Trying a New Character Build

Perhaps you focused on strength in your first run. Maybe you’d like to try a magic based character or one that uses dexterity based weapons on your second run. Each playthrough gives you a chance to explore the different builds available and provides new ways to experience the game. Having a character with a completely different gameplay style from your first one can make the game feel fresh and exciting.

Focusing on a Specific Ending

If you achieved the Elden Lord ending on your first run, then maybe you’d want to try the Age of Stars or Lord of Frenzied Flame ending on your next. Actively making choices to get the specific ending you want is a fun approach to playing the game again. This lets you explore different paths and story details that you may have missed in your first playthrough.

Exploring Different Areas and Secrets

There is so much hidden content in Elden Ring. It can be very hard to find all of the secrets on your first playthrough. On your second and third playthrough you can revisit areas to make sure you explore every path and collect every item. Exploring the game completely will give you a better understanding of the world and its narrative and provides a very different game experience.

So, while defeating the Elden Beast is a major accomplishment and the culmination of your journey to become Elden Lord, it doesn’t mean that the game abruptly ends. You will be prompted to choose your ending and start a new journey or keep playing on your existing save. This approach to the end game is what makes Elden Ring so replayable and engaging. It is very common for many players to go through multiple playthroughs of the game and experience everything the game has to offer. Ultimately, the game continues to engage the player and provides a wide variety of possibilities, which makes it a truly unique experience.