Dark Souls 3 had four different endings, and Bloodborne had three. Knowing this, it was a safe bet that Elden Ring, FromSoftware's biggest game yet, would have more than one conclusion. You probably suspected Elden Ring would have more than one ending. The highly acclaimed game does in fact have multiple endings -- and you'll only get to see one per playthrough.

Yep, once you beat Elden Ring you'll have to do it again in New Game Plus to see the other possible endings. In other words, you need to choose wisely before initiating the final boss fight. 

Below is a guide on how to get all the different endings contained in Elden Ring. It's not an ending explainer piece, and won't show any of the endings themselves. There are no spoilers below -- unless you consider revealing the amount of endings in Elden Ring a spoiler. 

So how many endings are there?

As befits a gigantic game like Elden Ring, this is a complicated question. The simplest answer is that there are six different endings. However, four of those endings are very similar. They're variations on what you could call a neutral ending. The two others are "special" endings that will take a bit more time to unlock.

How to unlock the four "neutral" Elden Ring Endings

When you beat the final boss, you'll be prompted to do an action which triggers the ending sequence. If you have certain items in your inventory, using those items will be added to the prompt list. You'll get a slightly different ending depending on which item you choose. 

Remember: You only get to see one ending per playthrough, so even if you have all four endings available to you, you can only see the one you pick.

Each Key Item that grants an ending option is obtained by finishing a certain quest line. Here's what they are:

Mending Rune of the Death-Prince 

You'll get this by completing the quest line associated with Fia. To do this, you'll need to begin Ranni's questline, which takes you through the Lost City of Nokron, the Divine Tower of Liurnia and gives you access to the Deeproot Depths. There you'll find and interact with Fia, fight the Lichdragon Fortissax dragon and get this Mending Rune. 

Mending Rune of Perfect Order

This Mending Rune is associated with Corhyn, who like Fia you first meet at the Roundtable Hold. Corhyn can be found near the Atlus Highway Junction. If you travel further up the highway, you'll find the Forst-Spanning Greatbridge Site of Grace. Next to it is a transporter, which takes you to another bridge in Atlus where you'll meet an odd, silent chap wearing a golden sunflower mask. Travel back to Corhyn and tell him about the masked man, and this will start a questline. 

If you complete it, you'll be able to find the strange masked-man in Lynedell, Capital of Ashes (once that area is unlocked in the main story), where you can collect the Mending Rune of Perfect Order. 

Mending Rune of the Fell Curse

To get this key item you'll need to complete the Dung Eater's sidequest. The Dung Eater's spirit shows up in the Roundtable Hold after you get your first Great Rune. Give him a Seedbed Curse, which can be found in Leynedell, and he'll give you keys to the capital's sewers, which starts you off on his journey. You'll go into the sewers, fight his spirit in a swamp and find four more Seedbed Curses to give him. Once you do, he'll award you the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse. 

How to get the "bad" ending

To get what would best be described as "the bad ending", you'll need to complete the Three Fingers sidequest. To do so, you'll need to travel back down the same sewers the Dung Eater's quest had you sludging through. 

When you drop into the sewer system you went through to find the Dung Eater, you'll find a hole on the right if you look hard enough (you may need a lantern). In the screencap below, moving forward takes you to the Dung Eater, moving through the wall takes you towards the Three Fingers.

It's a dark and perilous trip, involving a dungeon which takes you to the Cathedral of the Forsaken. Once there you'll fight a boss, The Lord of Blood, and platform down a jumping puzzle to the bottom of a shaft and find a Site of Grace. Take off all your armor and unequip your weapons, and you can be embraced by the Three Fingers.

With the Three Fingers leaving their mark on you, fight the final boss and... see what happens. 

How to get the "good" ending

To get the best ending possible -- where best means the best outcome for your character, not necessarily the most satisfying to watch -- you'll need to fully complete Ranni's questline. 

As noted above, this sidequest is initiated at Ranni's Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes. It's a big one, introducing you to a few characters and journeying you through not one but two lost cities, plus a literal land of rot. There are also quite a few bosses in this questline. The upside is you'll learn some valuable lore, get some helpful items and, at the end of it, unlock what will probably be remembered as Elden Ring's "good" ending.