@@runningoutofnames3CShonestly exactly the same I was like "I'm an INT build I should follow the mage path" and then I was like "idk, goldmasks t-posing is *pretty* convincing!"
In a sense I like the attitude that Ranni has. She doesn't try to justify her actions as doing the best for other people and she doesn't do it to raise to godhood, she just plotted to be free. She doesn't want to erase the prejudice of the Golden Order or be revered as a god; she just wanted herself and by extension everyone else to make their own choices. In that sense, her detachment is the perfect quality of a god because she won't meddle in other people's affairs to impose what is, in her eyes, the best for them. She does what is best for her and expects everyone else to do the same. That is why I like her ending. It doesn't make everything "perfect", it just makes it be
It raises the philosophical question of power and clashing needs though. Because what happens when what is good for you is bad for someone else? Ranni's ending is essentially anarchy except she has no desire to even out the power to make everyone equal, which means that those with people will rule and decide over everyone else what is the best for everyone. Theoretically Ranni's ending would remove the influence of someone else imposing their will on others, but in practice it just means that those with power will take control.
@@Kamishi845 I disagree that Ranni's ending is anarchy. A detached - what would for all intents and purposes be a God, does not mean that suddenly the world is in chaos. It means that responsibility has been moved. The ordinary people of this world will now have the weight of responsibility placed on them. Responsibility ceases to be the domain of the Greater Will, the Two Fingers, Marika, the Elden Lord, or whomever else you might wish to entrust it with. It's now the people's responsibility. They must find ways to govern themselves. How their governance will look, is unknown. But that's rather the point. People will be free to choose for themselves, and likely they will form their own civilization in due time.
@@realDarkPeterson I never suggested the world would be in chaos. I am talking about the needs of individuals and what happens when the needs of one clashes with another's. This has nothing to do with an imposed order by a god or similar entity enforcing a morality onto people it controls or influences, and my entire point is that when you remove one source of power structure, it means that the people in power are more likely to be able to seize control within that vacuum.
She won't meddle in other people's affairs to impose what is, in her eyes, the best for them. She will however meddle in other people's affairs to impose what is best for HER and everyone else be damned. That is the absolute worst quality you'd want in a God.
@rkPeterson I think Kamishi is referring to the responsibility of power. That you have power and do nothing is a choice, and while it is better than tyranny it's worse than walking the, admittedly tricky and difficult, path of using power responsibly. Any system of society, be it seized through strength or chosen by the people, will have leaders who are functionally in a near identical position to Ranni, having greater power than the average individual and being tasked with using it responsibly. Personally, I think what makes Ranni's ending work is that she clearly sees that none of the current god candidates are acceptable, herself included, and so chooses to leave specifically because she both doesn't trust herself nor does she have anyone else to hand power off to. She doesn't know about the existence of the mending rune, and I suspect that if she had learned of it earlier in her journey she would have opted for that path over the death and destruction that was necessary for this "approximately equal" outcome.
Not entirely serious, but also not entirely unserious suggestion: Make 6 sequels, one for each ending. Because the repurcussions of each ending are something worth exploring.
Among sci-fi concepts that exist in ER its the NANOMACHINES that amuse me the most. We have unique "semi-liquid" metal from which some enemies are formed (silver tears) and it is also worked into flexible shape-changing weapons, like Nox flowing sword. Yeah, this is basically nanomachines but in medieval fantasy.
You're absolutely right! And the silver tears are such a great visual reference to the T1000. Now I kinda wish we had a phase 3 for Hoarah Loux where he covers himself in a silver tear and hardens in response to physical trauma.
Ranni is one of my favorite characters entirely because she insults the breath of people who try to give her a potion which probably wouldn't even work since she's a doll.
What is really interesting now after the DLC drop is that Miquella also refers to a "Thousand year voyage". Could it be some sort of set in stone duration? Could it be like the Chinese "ten thousand years" which is really just meant to be like "Forever"?
I still like Ranni as a character, but the more I have played the game and learn about her, the less I can get behind her. For many of the reasons you go over. My own personal reasoning on why a virtuous tarnished would not choose her route can be expressed in 3 main reasons. First, her methods are incredibly cruel and self centered. Second, the way she treats the people she should care for most. The fact that she tells you to inform Blaidd and Igi that she loves them yet immediately abandons them to madness and death never sat well with me. Third, I get the impression that she basically intends to abandon the world much like her friends. And while she may become a god and distance herself from the Lands Between, there is nothing to say the other outer gods will do the same. Which could mean she is essentially just abandoning the world to be fought over by Rot, Frenzy, and Blood, if not more.
That's a great point about Blaidd and Iji. I think she genuinely cares about them but now that you mention it, it is rather galling that she doesn't have any kind of contingency plan to protect her loved ones while she's going on the dark path of the Empyrean. And if the Outer Gods are actually based in space, then it's possible that when Ranni puts the Order far from the Lands Between, she's making it more vulnerable.
@@garrulousgoldmask the only problem is that I don't think that she could have done much to protect them. Iiji: Iiji's death seems like a su**de by cop, as long as you don't tell him about Blaidd's death he won't take his helmet off and end up dying. He took the helmet off, exposing him to the Greater Will and making him a target resulting in his death. Nobody forced him to take it off, he did it on his own KNOWING what the end result would likely be. He was actually safe, however he willingly took the thing that was protecting him off, Ranni couldn't have done anything to stop that, it was his choice and his choice alone. Blaidd: Blaidd's madness seems to stem from his role as a shadow, being torn between hunting Ranni Down and protecting her, this likely fried his brain (figuratively). Ranni had nothing to do with that either, and I don't see what she could have done to stop this. Yes she took a dark path, but he willingly followed her in it. Don't get me wrong Ranni isn't a saint, Godwyn, Deathroot and the Shattering are all on her hands either directly or indirectly. Though I get the feeling that the Elden Ring would have been shattered at some point even without Godwyn's death. Then again you could say the same about Marika herself, or pretty much any of the Demigods aside from maybe Miquella. Truth be told I'm not sure that Goldmask's ending would do anything to help the Omen, Misbegotten, Demi-Humans or Those who Live in Death either. Also I don't know what his would do about Deathroot either or the more concerning threat of Scarlet Rot spreading, and that has NOTHING to do with Ranni and is all on the bitch who was too much of a coward to lose in battle. The only ending that 'fixes' those things is the Frenzied Flame Ending, however that ending is by far the worst one for obvious reasons. Really the only two endings that help prejudiced groups are Fia's and Dung Eater's endings.
I always interpreted Ranni's ending as a end of the world and the re-creation. It's called an age of darkness and she is the god, so maybe she plans to end everything that makes up the horrible world in an attempt to create a better one, which at least would fit with her contempt for everything except her family (which is almost completely dead). I don't think this is very much based on facts, but considering how vague her ending is, i think most speculation isn't either. I think her wording just reminds me of the neverending story, which was one of my favorite stories growing up.
My understanding is that the "thousand year voyage" is not a literal thousand, but rather an arbitrarily large amount. I'm not sure if this is accurate, but I remembering hearing that Japanese use "thousand" like we do "million." Namely, we would say something like "there's a million reasons why...." whereas a Japanese speaker would say (in Japanese obviously) "Theres a thousand reasons why...." So here, a "thousand year voyage" just means an extremely long voyage with no set end date.
My pet theory is that all of the outer gods are a celestial body within the solar system of the lands between. For quite a long time in our history the distinction between stars and planets was difficult to make, and even when we knew of the distinction we equated them to the divine. All of the major celestial bodies within our system are named after gods as well. I suspect that the ties between academic knowledge and the movement of the stars is linked symbology as well, and with the stars being able to move the wisdom of man may grow as well. If this theory is correct it's possible we may visit the seats of the outer gods in the sequel. The world of scarlet rot, the world of the formless mother, and so on. Even the two fingers of the golden order and three fingers of chaos tie into the duality of the sun as it's presented in many cultures. One nurtures life in the garden, the other scotches and burns. Rani meanwhile is related to the heavenly body closet to the lands between, it's moon. All of the horrible things she did was for the denizens of the world she called home rather than the other worlds vying for inuence.
That's a really interesting theory! It's also worth mentioning that the Empyrean was the highest level of heaven in ancient and medieval cosmologies, which could have all kinds of implications if that's also the case in Elden Ring.
The canon ending should be either the age of fracture or age of the stars, but the age of the stars would pretty much delete faith as a concept, arcane even more so. The age of fracture would make the most sense, since Ranni did not invite the tarnished, but every tarnished would get the fractured ending if no other ending was chosen. This would also mean that the gameplay would stay the same. We could enter into an age where a new order and god needs to be decided, basically like the "crucible age" is currently hinted at in many items. An age of contesting beliefs would be way more "fromsoft style" than a simp quest for blue waifu.
I personaly think her ending is one of the better ones. I understand it as shes trying to remove god and outer god influence from the lands between. Through the decription of the eclipse in game, the fact that she is taking the order with her into space and away from the lands (she is that orders vessel so she would be taking it with her much like how we see merikas gilden order in her and raddagons body), and all her lines talking about having power over your own fate (this even ties into the star decriptions mentioning how everyone has their own fate) i see it as shes trying to give veeryone a chance to live withought a gods meddling.
My interpretation of Ranni's ending was a campaign into space beyond the lands between to fight a war against the outer gods who are the real cause of the chaos in the lands between. They are the ones fighting for control over those lands. In the other endings it only serves other outer gods, but with Ranni's ending it serves Ranni and us the player to be free of another gods influence.
That's certainly possible! The Outer Gods are definitely fascinating and feel deliberately underdeveloped, so they would be perfect fodder for a sequel.
The effort it took to get Ranni's ending would've been my first ending as well had it not been for that platform to the Three Fingers. I decided then and there to burn the world instead.
It might be interesting for the DLC to continue ranni’s ending and have the greater will trying to gain back its influence sending fingers and Eldridge horrors
I like her ending because it leaves the people at their own devices. The whole idea of the gods and faith being tangible things is nefarious in itself. She is removing that from the reach of the Lands Between. Whatever happens after is not her problem. XD
Personally, I hope, if Er 2 would indeed take place after the Age of stars ending, that when mentioning the tarnished, it's not gonna be just gone to a male one. Like in fallout 2 about the first game's protagonist. Noone can take away my gay Ranni from me I won't even play the game if they do Just continue replaying the first one mhm
Ranni's and frenzied flame are the 2 endings with a distinct cutscene while the rest are the same with a different colored tree at the end. This is an indication for me that either of these 2 can be used as the cannon ending while the rest, generic endings, are just filler.
Ranni takes the power of a god and leaves so that those in the Lands Between can make their own choices. She could become its new ruler, but she believes the gods to have been fickle and untrustworthy like Goldmask. Having gained this power, she offers escape to the player along with her. I dont believe the 1,000 years to be literal. It's meant to mark a long span of time that is outside the memories of any normal living being.
*destroys everything in the lands between and leaves everything in ruin* But hey at least they’re free! Sort of? She does become the new ruler. She gains power, the she flies off with it because she doesn’t care about anyone or anything she hurt to get it. She is literally fickle and untrustworthy, lying is the first thing she does when we meet her.
Goldmask: "lets remove the ability to manipulate the elden ring, from the physical gods. Since their fickleness lead to the shattering." (Forgetting that the elden ring is a manifestation of the greater will which has already proven to be just as fickle when leaving the dragons from farum azula and the part it played in the shattering itself) Ranni:"lets remove all gods influence, my own, my fathers, the elden ring and its greater will. physical or metaphysical, greater or lesser, outer or inner, no more gods" Kinda seems to me like gold masks solution is more like a band aid. Using a lawn mower to get rid of weeds that will inevitably grow back, while ranni just rips out the weeds, stem and all. Which one is better? Depends on your opinion of the greater will... Of course there is also the problem of rannis the ends justify the means bit, yeah she is not a good person (a horrible warmonger actually), and her motivation to free everyone is just selfishly wanting to be free herself, everyone else is just an automatic byproduct. But the player does not have to justify the means, since ranni already did all of that either way on her own. The player just has to choose if they agree with her ends. I could be wrong but i think ranni doesnt ask the player to do anything of questionable morality. In fact most of what you do in her questline has you cleaning up the mess her means created. So agreeing with her ends but denying them is more of an act of spite and vengence against her than a meaningfull condemnation of her means. To clarify this point lets make an allegory out of it. Imagine a murderer who murdered 1 000 people. Now this murderer created a button out of the souls of his victims, that when pressed, prevents anyone from murdering anyone ever again, but he can no longer press it himself since he broke all his fingers or something xD. He presents you this button and asks you to press it for him, so no one can ever do what he did again. Is it immoral of you to do so, does it make you an accomplice in murder, or does its function make you anti murder? Does pressing it condone the murders that have already taken place, or does not pressing it condone every murder taking place afterward? For me the answer is obvious, pressing the button actually saves people who would have otherwise died, while not pressing it can not bring back the people who have already died, in fact more people will die, whose death you could have prevented, so you should press the button.
I agree with you that Ranni’s ending is problematic in multiple ways. Don’t forget that the fallout from her actions has left the Lands Between with an invasive cancer that everyone else is left to deal with after she peace’s out. She could at least have done something to address Godwin’s body and the spread of deathroot.
@@FayeRantTheStrong I don't believe so, I think that just prevents people from not dying in the future. The death root stays behind otherwise we would have seen the undead go away as soon as we kill Maliketh. I might be wrong though...this game leaves so much out for interpretation.
That is a really interesting question since Godwyn of course was killed long after the Gloam-Eyed Queen was defeated. I'm assuming something else is needed to truly euthanize Godwyn since Miquella could have sent Malenia to defeat Maliketh, instead of being involved with the eclipse at Castle Sol.
@@garrulousgoldmask Malenia was undefeated fighter, but i don't think Miquella would risk sending his sister to fight Maliketh, his strength was very respected and destined death is no joke. I think that if we had possibility to use destined death on Godwyn his body would die entirely, as there is really no reason why death itself wouldn't work. But FromSoftware doesn't give us possibilities to save the world, for the sake of dark atmosphere.
A few things sorry. 1. Her "fingers" is 3 fingers, I kind of understand why she needed the fingerslayer. (Yeah I know what she says, but zoom in or out a bit please.) 2. she manipulates/lies to protect, there is a reson the troll have a mirror helmet on. 3. I Belive Rogier and not her claim. As in she or troll daddy using her mothers rune, unknowing of golden orders fundamental laws and the consequences of the ripple effects. (I question if the everlasting queen placed the rune at her shadow to protect it or make it accessable.) 4. The transelation of the ending is sadly rubbish.
This ending everyone from the influence of the outer gods… this interpretation is very uncharitable o.o Not saying she’s perfect but you really gassed up the perfect order ending. Lol
i chose this ending bc i think it'd be better if the gods & mortals are out of each other's reach so they cant meddle with the other's affairs. as for marrying ranni, well too bad that we have to go with her bc i like melina better 😂
Honestly I don't really agree xD I mean in the point that it shoold be cannon for me it's possible but considering that she literally reduce the land between to almost nothing etc (she literally want to separate all) meh for me the frenzied flame is way more interesting for a sequel!
Bruh. I would better burn the Lands Between with chaos flames, then let the spoiled girl with everlasting daddy issues rule over them. Screw Ranni, all my homies hope for Lord Miquella return (I really hope there will be another ending)
So there are definitely a lot of cosmic horror elements in the game (the Age of Stars ending could even be a prequel to Bloodborne!) but cosmic horror is more about existential dread and the sheer terror of being overwhelmed by a powerful you can't even comprehend, lurking deep in the cosmos. For "celestial fantasy," I was referring more to how the game uses all these sci-fi tropes like black holes, comets, gravity, even extraterrestrials, but in a way that still fits and feels organic to the otherwise medieval fantasy setting of the Lands Between. There can definitely be overlap between cosmic horror and celestial fantasy (Astel is a case in point for Elden Ring) but the former doesn't have to take place in a medieval world, while the latter doesn't necessarily have to invoke existential terror.
@@garrulousgoldmask I see your point, though it is pretty horrific to think the possibilities we could get regarding the kinds of bosses we could get with the other Outer Gods. I can see the overlapping between the two, it would be cool to see more types of magics and weapons based in Gravity and other qualities of Space and the Outer gods. I guess it just spurns from my first encounter with Astel and the dread I felt fighting him. And how omnipotent something like the Frenzied Flame god is for instance. Not to mention some of the parallels we get to some of H.P Lovecrafts works like the Formless Mother (I believe) being a reference to Shubb Niggurath. Plus previous iterations of Miyazaki's work like "Bloodborne" taking heavy inspiration from Lovecraftian horror. It would be cool though to see them expand upon the horrors these Outer Gods can wraught. Especially since we get a glimpse of it with Caelid.
Great points! While it can definitely be frustrating as a lore hunter, the fact that Elden Ring has barely sketched out the Outer Gods gives FromSoft so much room and potential to come up with even more cosmic monstrosities. I also appreciate the fact that it can feel horrific just thinking about what types of cosmic horror could await us
@@garrulousgoldmask I really hope they expand on the other Outer gods in Shadow of the Erdtree! Especially with the God of Death that sends the Deathbirds in as Envoys. Or the fact that the supposed God of Rot is sealed in what can be assumed is the temple within the Lake of Rot, and it is depicted as some kind of Scorpion like creature. But You Lorehunters do the most in relaying this kind of information to us so Kudos to your hardwork!
Oh, I hadn't thought of the Twinbird Outer God and the DLC. But if the Shadow of the Erdtree does take place in a spirit world and/or the past, that would be a great fit! And thank you so much!
The reason I enjoy Ranni so much, is that she is one of the characters to actually have a personality. With wit and humor, disgust and hatred. Which is a contrast to the way FromSoftware usually does these types of characters.
Ranni is honestly such a fascinating character. Her motives are purely concerned with herself, and yet she is one of the greatest of the "movers and shakers" of history in the Lands Between. Many people have discussed Ranni and her nature, but I also find that most people miss just how much her questline tells us about the nature of the Two Fingers in the process. Though they seem... eh, benevolent-ish(?), they exact a great toll on those they want within their yoke, and even the single most powerful individual on the planet was not above their wrath the second she turned against them, as Marika was greatly punished. Just to free a single demi-god from their control you must commit unspeakable sins and dark rites, of which spawned untold political and social turmoil. And even long after the fact, the Fingers still hold Blaidd over her like a Sword of Damocles, perfectly willing to use her own most trusted allies as a weapon against her. I hope in the DLC we get more information about the Finger entities, as they are so bizarre and unique.
Absolutely! The Two Fingers are easily one of the most disturbing elements in the game, especially since they wield so much power and influence (e.g. choosing Empyreans). And wanting to escape their clutches creates a very understandable motivation for Ranni. I also like the fact that the Two Fingers are so creepy, Ranni, Gideon, Varré, and even Patches all turned against them. They definitely would be a great topic to explore in the DLC! Plus, I had a total Michael Bluth moment when I first saw them in the Roundtable Hold. 😅
Not only that i also notice when ya talk to the Crone the fingers said that if you become Elden lord Marika must make you her Consort, implying that Marika has no choice in the matter. I also think that the fingers ordered Marika to banish Godfrey since he is maybe not so easy to control and in unused Dialogue its still hinted at that he love Marika so it make sense they used her to banish him.
I personally think that she herself is a puppet of Nox (those outcasts who live in underground cities.) What it looks like to me is that young and magically - inclined sorcery girl Ranni traveled far and wide, encountered someone who held "unorthodox views" (some people from Nox cities) and they told her their plan about exacting revenge on fingers, Golden Order and Greater Will, which she agreed to carry out because it was so cool and she's young and impressed by their magical stuff.
There are two main sides to Ranni, and it makes her feel much more fleshed out as a character in comparison to so many of the other big players in the Lands Between. On the one hand, she holds a deep love for the people she cares about, and for her family, what I feel is very akin to Renalla's nature. On the other, she is exceptionally ruthless, in a way that's only rivalled by Marika herself. You're right to point out that she seems to hold no qualms about this behavior. While it certainly can be read that her actions were a necessary evil, I can't help but feel that deep down there is a part of Ranni that reveled in the chaos she caused, whether that chaos was justifiable or not. It makes me wonder how different from Marika Ranni would actually be, as a God of the Age of Stars. I wonder what she would think about that comparison.
Those are great points! And she's quite the foil to Marika. Personally, I get the sense that Ranni is much more caring about the very select few people she cherishes (e.g. tell Blaidd and Iji I love them, or the fact that she can call you my "dear" consort if you talk to her at her tower before the ending), while I never really got that sense from Marika. (Maybe Godwyn or Miquella? But that's at most implied.) And Ranni definitely loves a good scheme--she even says as much when you confront her about the Black Knifeprint and then pledge to serve her. I'm on the fence as to whether she actually enjoys seeing all the chaos she's caused, but I do think she revels in the fact that she has the power to drastically change the landscape of the Lands Between (and with Nokron, even literally!)
@@nepi7847 I wouldn't really consider Godwyn to be Ranni's family, if that's what you're implying. They only have a matrimonial connection, with Godwyn being far older than her and having been thrust into her life by Radagon cheating on Renalla. This isn't an excuse for her murdering him, of course, but that's how I would feel if I were in Ranni's shoes. Radahn is basically a lost cause at this point. He's become little more than a beast with the Rot eating away at him. I'm sure that if she could actually have a conversation with her brother, things would go differently. But since he would likely try to eat her, killing him is basically the only option. In spite of this, the Redmane's and the Carrian's have an amicable relationship. Ranni and Rykard are outright stated to have worked together towards the NotBK. Renalla's kids seem to look out for one another, despite doing very different things.
@@nepi7847 But Radahn is but merely a shadow of his former self, his wits completely destroyed by the Scarlet Rot. Even his "allies", like Jarren, welcome you (MC) slaying him because you give him an honorable death by killing him in a big spectacle. The whole point of holding the festival is that hopefully someone will take him down, but in a way that is honorable. Now I wouldn't say Ranni is doing it out of the kindness of her heart or compassion for a suffering brother, of course not, but considering how pragmatic Ranni's character is, the death of one individual that is basically already half-dead (rotten) suddenly unlocking the possiblity of taking down the Two Fingers, the Elden Ring and their Golden Order... is a good trade-off. A necessary evil. Lore-wise, there's also a few things to indicate that Radahn might have been much closer to his father Radagon than he was to his mother Rennala. Afterall, the Carians are a matriarchy, meaning that Radahn would not have had as much power in it, instead it would have been Ranni's (as the Carian Princess). Which would also explain why he basically just fucked off the Caelid lands to build his own kingdom, essentially. So while it's completely speculation, it's fun to imagine that there might have been some ambiguity between Radahn and Ranni as siblings lol From my understanding, not even Ranni knows that Marika is Radagon, so actually ordering the execution of Godwyn isn't exactly unthinkable. In her mind, that's the only demigod she isn't related to, as he is the offspring of Marika (who in Ranni's mind isn't Radagon) and Godfrey? Malenia and co are ""children of Radagon"", so her step-siblings, and obviously Rykard and Radahn are her direct siblings. Also it's not like...she killed him out of twisted pleasure or something. She had a plan, had to slay her Empyrean flesh but somehow survive to carry out her plan, so the rune of death has to be splitted in two ; one demigod had to die in flesh, the other in spirit. There's also a lot to indicate that what Ranni is doing the ""right"" thing in the sense that the Elden Ring needs to go. The means might not be right, but they justify the end. It's also somewhat implied that Marika herself probably wanted the Elden Ring to fall, just as Ranni did. Afterall Marika was a Numen, and all of the Black Knife Assassins who murdered Godwyn during the Night of Black Knives were women rumored to be Numen as well with close ties to Queen Marika herself. So you're telling me Ranni somehow managed to convince a bunch of Numen Assassins that basically work directly for Marika to kill her own child without this possibly being something Marika wanted herself? Honestly I doubt it...
I wasn't under the assumption that she would return in a thousand years. Just that the Age of Stars would end and that even her "far guidance" would stop, leaving the Lands Between to sort it out for itself. Not that the resulting world would be free of conflict... If Ranni's end becomes the canon ending, I can imagine ER2 to become something akin to a chaotic hellscape where the godless Inhabitants tried to recreate Gods and Order, and failed - and the player's got to make something out of it. Well either that, or Ranni and the Tarnished soaring through outer space, hunting for the Greater Will....
I also wonder if the rest of the Lands Between will even know about what Ranni is doing. While she's addressing the audience in her cutscene, it's unclear just how many people will hear her message (aside from her consort of course). It's not too much of a stretch to see how this could play out like a repeat of how the Lands Between felt "abandoned" by the Greater Will.
Ranni is the only one who recognizes that an Age needs to end. Though, weirdly enough, Miquella also seem to do that, despite his own planned Age being even less supposed to end than Marika's Golden Order.
Idk if I quite see it like that especially with the Japanese version. To me it seems like Ranni is taking her order away from the lands between and allowing everyone their own fates/freedom rather than imposing the orders will on the world like the golden order
I took it as that as well, and I've only seen the english version. Ranni seems to value freedom over anything else, so her ending is essentially her claiming the role of God and then fucking off. The age of darkness is called so because it is an age of uncertainty and potential, as the gods no longer walk the earth like man and have no direct influence. It is actually remarkably similar to Goldmask's ending in a lot of ways but radically different in execution.
@@deadseven3474 indeed. I was hoping he'd touch on that translation thing but no. Just a generic "Ranni actually evil" thing using speculation instead of facts(How do we even know Godwin was someone to mourne exactly?).
@@deadseven3474 both her, Goldmask, and I guess Miquella came to the same conclusion essentially but went about rectifying it in different ways. Miquella created a substance to ward off the bad actors interfering with the rules, Ranni's solution was to remove the object that determines the rules from anybody's reach and then serve as its warden, and Goldmask's was to provent anybody from interacting with the object at all. Same solutions, different executions.
@@andresmarrero8666 ranni is the only character in the game who can kill the player instantly and effortlessly and the only character immune to death. I think it’s fair to say that she’d make a pretty good warden along with the player who is also very op
@@land_and_air1250 Kind of, Ranni is warding off The Greater Will and other outer gods. The closest we get to knowing what they are like is the Elden Beast who is a vassal, at this point we have little idea what the outer gods are capable of.
I always took Ranni not mentioning the Golden Order or Greater Will in her ending because the first one doesn't exist anymore with her ending and she is choosing to cut the latter out of the equation. Based on the retranslation of her dialogue in Japan, she wants her order to be far removed from people's lives to the point they aren't even sure it exists. Basically, no one could say Omen, Misbegotten, or the Undead are heretical because they wouldn't know. Now instead of "God" telling you who to hate they will make those choices on their own. By removing her 2 fingers and Empyrean Flesh she has put her self seemingly out of the reach of the Greater Will while hijacking its primary form of influence in the world and taking it off planet on top of that. As a result of this the Great Will will also eventually fade from living memory. So, by this ending, Ranni has liberated the world from the influence of the Elden Ring and more over the Greater Will to the point that in a thousand years no one will remember either of them existed, that she existed, and that you as her consort exist. It feels a bit to well laid out as an ending. You would have to come up with a contrivance to get the Elden Ring back in the story. Boringly enough, I think the Age of Fracture or Perfect Order is the true ending of Elden Ring. Fracture sets the stage for new factions led by actual gods to rise up against the Lord of Fracture in Elden Ring 2's distant past. Perfect Order would probably yield the most Fromsoft result though. With each Dark Souls the world gets slightly worse and further from the shining age of the gods, even though you canonically linked the fire at the end of the first two games. So how does Goldmask's ending fit, he blocked the gods from the Elden Ring this new order cannot be reconfigured and will stagnate the world. Or he has put the Gods outside of the order giving them the same disposition as those who live in death. There will be an unforeseen consequence to the world that can only be addressed by brandishing the Elden Ring once again. Leyndell like Anor Londo will be a mythic city of a lost Gilded Age. We may even find the ruins of a city that was later built like a knockoff Leyndell but is not Leyndell. With either of these two endings being canon Ranni will still be milling about and will likely reemerge. Regardless the order her goal remains the same, usurp the Greater Will. Perhaps her approach would change given the canon failure if I've guessed right.
That's a really compelling interpretation for Ranni's ending! I do like the idea that by effectively removing god from the Lands Between, there can be no heresy, which is a nice parallel to the Age of Order. Though I still think that there's plenty of great narrative potential for what happens to the Lands Between *after* that 1,000 year voyage ends. One thing I probably should have mentioned in the video is that the moon in the cut scene to me looks a lot like a giant waygate. And since Ranni and the Tarnished are going on a voyage, it would be fascinating to see where they end up. That could even be the setting for a sequel, if FromSoft wants a (mostly) clean break. I really like the idea of the gods having proper factions (and would be an easy way to bring back covenants), whether they're the demigod descendants of the Tarnished, the incarnations of the outer gods, etc. Though I think you could have that happen regardless of the ending chosen. It could be also refreshing to have a FromSoft game set *during* a Golden Era with the player character fighting to preserve it; Age of Order would be the best fit for that option.
@@garrulousgoldmask The new gods could definitely rise up out of any ending. Fracture just does the best job of setting the stage as technically the "Order" in that ending is no true Order. While there is an Elden Lord, the Fracture ending seems to lean that there is no unity behind that Lord. Factions could easily pop up in the wake of the Curse and Dusk endings but they too would fall and be forgotten by the time of the next game (if Darksouls is a template to go by). By writing it off Fracture they spare themselves turning something interesting into a footnote and still get to keep the Omen and Undead. Coming off Fracture and the mending rune endings it will all pretty much do the same thing either way. The Elden Lord is gonna get stomped in the wake of new factions rising and the Erdtree is going to get taken down for good. The God of the new age will move the Elden Ring to their "sacred" thing, like a spring or a rock or whatever. The Age of the Erdtree and Gold will be a myth and I bet an NPC will even make a dismissive joke about a how could a tree ever get so big. Maybe a hidden area will be the trunk of the Erdtree under an unfamiliar name al Oolacile and Farron Swamp. Ranni's going into isolation, she isn't really going into space to hang out on a new planets with new people. That's where the current mistranslation of her ending pulls the word "loneliness" from. Her voyage isn't really meant to be her backpacking across the galaxy. She's pretty much waygating to the Darkmoon and is just going to sit there with nothing else around but you, her consort eternal. The chances of anyone figuring out she is there are near impossible since all her accomplices are dead, Gideon might have figured it out but we took care of that. As far as I can tell all the fingers are dead (I assume the one in Roundtable Hold will just burn up) and the Guidance of Grace would be gone since the Elden Ring is gone. Let's face it between the Lord of Night and Ranni all the "t"s are crossed and "i"s were dotted. Not to mention, if Ranni's ending is canon it is the most likely we will never see her again. Again based on Dark Souls' structure, the "power" (first flame, Elden Ring) will have moved several times before the sequel even starts. In the case of the Elden Ring that means Ranni would be another fingerslayer blade/sacred blade at best. The reason I think the Age of Order is the most appropriate is because I think it will cause the most unforeseen harm. I think if the game is set in the age of Order we will find it's locked in nature creates stagnation (a favorite topic of Fromsoft). Honestly, I imagine halfway through the Age of Order things are going to stagnate so bad lands will look like Lothric lol. Because let's face it, what Goldmask did is pretty much no different then when Marika removed Destined Death. Both of them just took cogs out of the system. Death was there for a reason and I imagine the Gods are there for a purprose as well. Folks think some spots in the Lands Between look depressing imagine it being as hopeless as Lothric. But ya know, I bet the DLC will end up changing so much of what we think and it may even contain the true ending. I'm excited for it all and eager to speculate on more lore. Thanks for the reply!
I wouldn't say that it's necessarily canon that you linked the fire in DS2. SotFS shows the option that you could transcend the curse (Which DS3 never touched on in the slightest), but more importantly, is the Dark Firelink Shrine in DS3 and the tiny Lord of Cinder hint, and the end of fire ending confirms that the Fire _has_ faded before, but eventually someone gathers the souls and embers that arrive and links the fire again. Personally, I hate that DS3 didn't consider the possibility of the True Monarch ending, and just went with 'Everything you've done across all three games was all hopeless, the world is dead, nothing can bring it back, the only thing you can do is escape into a painted world.'
@@Kayem237 In order to get DS3 the fire HAS to be linked. But more over if I recall correctly Miyazaki in an interview explained that the linking of the fire is the cannon ending for the first two and letting the fire go out is the cannon ending for DS3. The True Monarch ending does nothing to change the fate of the world and only affects the life of that single undead, as long as they have that crown. Everyone else is stuck with the cycle. DS3 never touches this ending because it is not the intended ending that leads to DS3. Also, the fire has faded but never gone out, the "let the fire die" ending in DS3 has canonically never happened in the Dark Souls World before. This ending means there is nothing to link no matter what you got the fire is gone, again from Miyazaki. The world didn't get stuck in a cycle until Gwyn linked the flame before that there was no cycle and the cycle is merely referring to the cycle of maintaining the first flame. Had Gwyn not linked the flame the world would have transitioned to Dark without the Abyss and things would move forward from there. The Journey of the Chosen Undead and the Bearer of the Curse weren't pointless, each of them effected the world for their lifetime and for a time the world maintained what they understood to be a proper shape. Countless people lived and died between each game, since each game is thousands of years apart. Saving someone's life today isn't pointless because the world is going to end in a few millennia. DS3 drives home the cost of giving EVERYTHING to maintaining something that was not meant to last forever. If they would have stopped linking the fire long ago the world would not have stagnated the way it did. Originally DS3 was meant to mark a definitive end to Dark Souls but the Publisher, Bandai wanted to leave the door open just encase and that is why that line about flames dancing in the dark was tacked on. To show that there is hope; the more important line in the let the flame die ending isn't about the tiny flames it is, "Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?" The reason being, is that everyone in Dark Souls land thinks the fading of the flame is the end of the world but even though it is dark, you can still hear the Fire Keeper's voice. Even though the fire is gone the world is still there. It has finally transitioned to darkness and each game has been subtly explains to us, darkness is not emptiness nor oblivion. To tie this all back to Elden Ring, we are in a world where the Elden Ring has been removed. So it is only hopeless if you are afraid of change.
I could imagine they developers have thought of each ending taking place for the dlc. Plus since they saw how ranni got the most votes for ending im sure they're like yeah let go with that ending.
I’ve never heard anyone mention Godwin in relation to this ending. He is still growing and some videos have shown his cadaver surrogates seem to have giant limbs forming, like he is becoming one giant entity buried in the land (see bonfirevn). It might be she leaves and all that happens is Godwin consumes the lands and everyone in them and there’s just a giant prince of death remaining…
Breh in retrospect Ranni ending is selfish as fuck. She basically destroyed the world and everyone because she wants to be free ( and lets be real shes not the Moon is also an outer god ). Because of Ranni ritual she transformed Godwyn in this fucked up death curse that is infecting even other realms ( he is in the shadow realm ). Basically Ranni gtfo of the planet with you and Godwyn death consumes everything.
I was too angry at her by the time I was finishing the game to chose her ending. Blaidd was dead, Ijji, Godwin, which from what I hear was a good person and had same ideals as gold mask. She indirectly caused all the death root to become a problem, and her leaving wasn't going to fix that. She was leaving the lands between a mess for her own purpose. I also didn't want to leave Boc behind alone and unprotected, Nepheli Loux, as well as the Turtle pope. Despite saying how she hated being controlled by the two fingers, she does the same thing with us, and doesn't care who gets hurt. I never saw anything that indicated she would fix the problems she caused so I chose Perfect Order as it seemed the most logical ending. (that and seeing Corhyn's faith being challenged was neat too) Even if it's not cannon, I thought ok destined death is now a thing again, the dead can rest, and no more silly god/demigod drama to get in the way of the lands between thriving. She is a great character though, otherwise chosing her ending would have been the easiest thing to do. Ps - I would marry Nephie instead after perfect order and invite Rani to the wedding out of spite 😂
Yes thank you! I thought I was weird for not going for her ending because I don't want to leave the good people behind. Cause even if the outer gods can't touch the world which is what a lotta Ranni fans claim, the scarlet rot and death root are still spreading, so either you die and become food for a new form or die but not really die and be a walking corpse until you can't move anymore, but you are still aware. It all sounds like a horrible fate to be condemned to because of the gods. I did chaos at first because I don't want to sacrifice Melina, but that also kills everyone even Torrent. So Goldmask seems to fix every issue I see in the world presented to us.
By the time I got to the end of the game everybody was dead and nothing mattered anymore and Ranni seemed like the only real option I had left. I didn't play the game very responsibly and inadvertently left a wake of death everywhere I went even though I wasn't trying to.
@@DizzEwokAhm, no, all semblance of any Order is to be taken away, the Scarlet Rot is an outer god btw, and those who live in death are a problem due to their conflict with the Erdtree, no one will ever again become a god and enact their own age
Ranni: Doesn't fix the world. Becomes a God so at least another a God couldn't make it worse while people decide their own fate. Goldmask: Fixes the world, prevents Gods from messing up again, and then leaves everyone to decide their own fate. Ranni simps and their brainrot 😂
This ending is the best for me in a scientific standpoint. What we all know of is that Ranni wants to take her order far away into the nothingness of the universe so that all control of higher beings even herself will be severed (Higher Gods) and the people in the lands between will have the chance to live freely without discrimination of each other. Now on why it is the most scientific sounding to me: Freedom is one of the essence of the human brain (aside from curiosity, etc.), we think freely what we want to think and we can do both good and bad things with that free thinking. But to be confined into order (perfect order or the normal ending) which is directly controlled by an outer God is bound to get destroyed (if people have free will to think). There will always and always be people that opposes mere orders because as I have said, the human brain thinks freely ,unless you put a mind controlling chip in the brain to actually implement the “perfect” order, this way all people will follow and this defeats the purpose of letting the people have their own moral happiness. Basically just controlling them like robots. There was this one time that came to me (I promise you this just came to me while deeply thinking about humanity’s future) that the ultimate form of humanity (given that humanity will survive to the end) is that each and one of us will leave our own physical bodies and transfer our consciousness to a technologically advance subjectively perfect virtual world, yes each and every human. Why? This is because of the mind’s free will to think what it wants to think and I speculate that by doing this, each and every one of humanity’s differences will be catered, ultimately achieving happiness and peace. That os why I think Ranni’s ending is a good foundation towards that ultimate goal of eternal happiness and freedom. If you are still reading this, thank you and have a nice day ❤ (did I have a good theory on humanity’s endgoal? Because I think it’s pretty good right? Im pretty proud of it to be honest since it was a product of my deep thinking about philosophy, shoutout to my ever perfect teacher in philosophy)
Now that I think of it, it’s human diversity that also gives life actual fun, my theory is depressing and dystopian. It will achieve peace and equality but at what cost.
I think the term celestial fantasy is very fitting, and I would also love for it to be expanded on by things like games and movies. There are some other games and things that have, but I really like the way fromsoft does it; It's like a slow burn where you realize what's actually going on. This shines especially for me in both bloodborne and elden ring, which I think are the most obvious examples. I love your videos, and the intro to this one made me subscribe! Awesome stuff.
Definitely! Slow burn is a great way to put it-I love how it's not obvious from the get-go and only reveals itself as you get deeper into the game and lore. There's also the famous Arthur C. Clarke quote that at a certain level, technology is indistinguishable from magic, and it seems like FromSoft really took that as a guiding principle for their settings. And thank you so much!
And its a great guiding principle to go by. They have made some of the most compelling stories and art I have ever experienced, and I think the fact that every game they make seems to hit that mark is a credit to how truly adept they are as a team. And you're very welcome! Completely deserved.
Simps emboldened by the flames of horninss... All that hardship and Battles you go through, just to be stolen by a blue useless doll... Not everyone deserves thy Throne.
Actually I believe like with goldmasks ending, the translation of rannis ending is extremely butchered, ziostorm has a good video on it. But one of the main mistranslations is that ranni isnt ushering an era of darkness, shes keeping the darkness away. And shes going to space to isolate the will so as to remove the fickleness of gods from the world.
I'm just speculating, but I'm thinking the "thousand year voyage" could just be poetic translation of a really long time, or "aeon". A thousand years is a millennium, which is a common term used for long epochs of unspecified duration.
That's certainly possible though 1,000 years is one of the few times (maybe even the only time) the game gives an exact amount for a time period. And the game has used plenty of other ways to describe a long passage of time (e.g. Enia saying thousands, if not tens of thousands of moons after the Two Fingers STFU'd).
@@garrulousgoldmask Great point. Also, the essence of Ranni and her associated symbols is change; so maybe it's intentionally limited, and meant to be a "phase", like the moon.
I think why Ranni's ending is the best is simply because it's very much a samurai/knight's story, you being the samurai, Ranni being the lord and her group being her company. It calls to our feudal brains. And when ER is 100% a story fulled of political discourse and critiques of governmental systems, this is what we all can understand: a princess who try to break free of her fate. And her story is not about the tragedy of a sick girl manipulated by bugs. Or a poor girl dominated by madness-inducing parasites. You also can marry the princess? Of course Ranni's ending is "the best ending".
There’s one possibility that would be very redeeming of Ranni’s character, in my opinion. I can’t stop thinking that maybe her thousand years journey is actually into the past to somehow make things better. It kinda goes against what she’s says about not intervening in human affairs, but she also apparently has a double standard for herself when it comes to deciding for other people what their fate is going to be.
Never thought about it like that but that's definitely possible! Especially since manipulating time is already in the base game (e.g. Placidusax's arena, the ancient dragon smithing stones).
I'm like 99% the idea of the voyage is for all beings (if not the world itself as being) to go to a through "fear, doubt, and loneliness" as in the Dark Night of the Soul of Juan de la Cruz, also related to nigredo in alchemy. Elden Ring's repertoire of influences from various religious traditions is unbelievable massive, so I would be more surprised if this wasn't the case than if it was.
@@DizzEwok The world is forced into a position where their choices are dying in fear and doubt, or embark on their own journeys through it, since they can no longer rely on a direct and "present" god like they used to. If she didn't intend to open that possibility for all, I don't see why she would bother with declaring a message "to all".
I was surprised to see you didn't mention that Ranni's whole plot wasn't (at least I think) entirely selfish. She acted for herself, yes, but her intent was the free herself and all things from the strings of fate and meddling of the outer gods, which is why I believe she has Iji who wears that mirror helmet, which reads in the item description that it is to ward off the meddlings of the outer gods within the mind. Ranni's ending is considered the best because she removes the idea of all things having a destiny or fated path, and lets people 'make their own decisions' essentially.
Well, her primary motivation was to free herself from the control of the Two Fingers, which meant having to slay her Empyrean flesh. Had she not been chosen by the Two Fingers as an Empyrean, I think it's safe to say that the history of the Lands Between would have been radically different.
@@garrulousgoldmask though she freed herself by killing two fingers already. Going on a long, lonely, dark journey to take Elden Ring far away from Lands Between is practically martyrdom, especially if you consider that she planned to do it alone (her ring description)
@@garrulousgoldmask Her primary motivation wasn't to free herself from the control of the two fingers. That was a means to an end to eventually accomplish her "Age of Stars" which was her true motivation. Not saying she wouldn't have wanted to escape their control anyways, but her main motivation was her "Age of Stars".
This is one of the worst endings. Its basically like having the world we do in real life. If we have a god, well, how do we know if it never interacts or helps us or punishes us for straying from the path? Theres no purpose in suchh a universe. Ranni was manipulated by Ranna, the cold witch. She killed her brother, is responsible for nearly all the bad shit we see in the lands between when we get there. Deathroot, her fault as well. I dont get the simp army for blue puppet p.
honestly it depends on what you believed, to me this was an okay-ish ending, ranni’s ending is definitely a selfish one. To free herself from greater will influence. she brought the elden ring with you as her consort, making sure it cannot be meddled with by any external forces, and leave the lands between for good, this means the lands between will have a ruler that cannot be worshipped, forever protected by the darkmoon and in turn creating free will for the people. something about this ending always feel optimistic and very philosophical, life goes on, even with fear, doubt and loneliness lets reach the great beyond
Ranis ending when not horribly mistranlated talks of cutting the outer gods off completely from meddling in the lands between and then she and the tarnished travel through outer soace for a long time so noone can reach the elden ring to change this, she wants to put fate back into everyone's own hands, her entire questline is about how other things influence her fate and her cutting herswlf loose of those things, the stars, the fingers, and she wants everyone to be in control of their own fate
Eh I feel like there’s a lot of problems with this interpretation. Mostly because it’s under an assumption 1000 years is in reference to how long her age will last. This isn’t the case. 1000 years is just literally how far their destination is. Which is possibly on the moon. I’ll agree Ranni while probably meaning well is still acting on questionable morals, I don’t think this particular interpretation has enough legs to stand on. And I think it’s safe to say her ending asks the age old question of do the ends justify the means? Hopefully the DLC sheds more light on some of these things, I doubt it won’t. Fromsoftware DLC’s while presenting just as many questions as answers, are in the long run paramount to understanding the world and the characters in it. Who knows. Perhaps Ranni is the savior the world needed all along.
One thing I'm not sure if you missed or left out intentionally is that the ending translation is incorrect. The correct translation makes the ending look like a more positive one.
Make Lord of Frenzied Flame cannon, I want a whole game that is just ashes and Melina chasing after me. That aside, I said this in a reply but I think the voyage Ranni has in mind is for all beings (if not the world itself as being) to go through "fear, doubt, and loneliness" as in the Dark Night of the Soul of Juan de la Cruz, nigredo in alchemy is related too; both would indicate this would be the but the first step, the beginning of a process: the first being towards union with God, the second being for the creation of the philosopher's stone. Elden Ring's repertoire of influences from various traditions is unbelievable massive, so in honesty I would be more surprised if this wasn't the case than if it was.
I hadn't thought of the possible connections to the Dark Night of the Soul before, but there's definitely something there! Before the soul can unite with the divine, it has to undergo a purgation process that completely detaches the sensual from the spiritual. And since Ranni already slew her Empyrean flesh, she literally has that step down. St. Juan de la Cruz also uses the evocative phrase "ray of darkness" to refer to this purgation, which fits rather nicely in an Age of Stars. The poem and the commentaries also have a lot of language involving the Beloved, which is a metaphor for the divine but could also be read literally to refer to the marriage between Ranni and the Tarnished.
@@garrulousgoldmask Yeah. It would appear Ranni's idea is to move on her own journey while also leaving the possibility of people embarking on their own journey open, emphasis on very much just the possibility, since it seems she either finds even herself inadequate to be their god (or just doesn't want to be) and so prefers to leave all figure it out on their own.
I see Elden Ring as a ''Purgatory Fantasy''. Hypotheses Elden Ring Universe. I perceive the ''Lands between'' to be exactly that, the world / purgatory between a certain fantasy world/universe and its afterlife. Every aspect of the lands between consist of pain, grief, turmoil ,suffering or sad desperation. All the beings in the Lands Between are sent there after death in the real realm ,to either suffer in this purgatory or to rule over/maintain the Lands Between (as a ''god, demigod or Elden lord.). Endless rebirth into a hellscape until the correct criteria is met for the being to pass on to the afterlife, heaven or hell. The Twin Bird is the representation of this. The black death bird transports them to hell or the Red Death bird transports them to ‘’heaven’’. The very game starts with ‘’Rise ye tarnished (tarnished by sin, thus sent to purgatory) … ye dead … who yet live. Then you see the grace entering our dead vessel (That died in the real realm) , allowing us to awaken into this purgatory, destined to reawake after every painful death, until the correct criteria is met for the being to pass on to the afterlife, heaven or hell. Even with the (Tibia Marriner) ferryman of Greek mythology seen across the Lands Between , one can see that the Lands Between is the transition stage between life (in this fantasy universe) and the afterlife of this fantasy universe. The Greatsword ‘’Helphens Steeple'’ dropped by a Tibia Marriner, is in the form of a Christian Church steeple, these Churches with their elevated steeples in Medieval Europe acted as gigantic map markers for all, showing you the way to civilisation,to Life , to the Light , showing that within this building, you will find the way to heaven , to true life. And of course the way to reach God Three in One, to sit by His side within Heaven ,in the Afterlife. Mikela and the assimilated prophecy of salvation and the mercy towards the albinorics (the experiments of life / the downtrodden and oppressed / humans) and all whom would reject the evils of this purgatory might just find salvation and the ‘’Promised land ‘’ ..to get to ascend to Heaven. Melania represents the Medieval Christian knights whom fight to protect the ethos of mercy and salvation of Chritendom , most skilled warriors ..but whom are sadly, just like all people , infected by the rot of sin and whose only salvation is through the One whom they fight for. We even have the Valkyries of Norse mythology , Melania + her daughters whose sole purpose it is ,to identify great warriors that HAS FALLEN IN BATTLE and to carry them to the afterlife of this fantasy universe. No where in the ‘’Lands Between’’ do we find any food nor houses, nor any buildings/infrastructure required to sustain actual life, instead we only find catacombs, thousands upon thousands of graves and gargantuan administrative buildings .. housing only figures of power / institutes of magical learning / temples. (Means to / knowledge of how to leave purgatory..or to rule it) Prator Rykard, a symbol of Egyptian Mythology ,the serpent god Apophis , demon of chaos, who had the form of a serpent and was the foe of the sun god, Re (Foe of the current order) Apopis threatened the underworld….the lands between. The serpent devouring itself , a symbol of constant destruction and renewal… The entire realm of the ‘’Lands between’’ is a realm which depicts the transition/deliverance of the ones whom have died, to the afterlife Christian/Greek/Norse/Egyptian/Japanese kegare, thus the ‘’Lands Between’’ is the realm of transitioning from the world of a certain fantasy universe and its afterlife via purgatory. The Thrones of the NOX ‘’Night king’’ = king of darkness. These gigantic skeletons are like eldridge beings, ruling over the Eternal cities , as they sit there, they are undead, dormant, until a suitable amount of lost souls are brought in front of them. Upon which they wake and devour the essence of all the tormented peoples in front of them, sending the devoured to hell. Thus all the beings in front of them are left petrified, left in their state of anguish, screaming in torment and pain and fear , in doing so the eldridge lords gain power to rule further. The ferryman of Greek mythology seen across the Lands Between are of his kin, his servants whom serve the same purpose , to either lead the damned in purgatory to the afterlife , or to lead them to the Night king… Goldmask/The Jars/Rani. Apart from Rani's ending, I think the perfect Ending would be to have GoldMask rule as Elden Lord over the purgatory that is The Lands Between and to have the Jars as his servants/followers. To help all those in the Lands between to find their way to the afterlife. Alexander and all the warrior souls within, rightfully only enter into the afterlife after falling to you in single combat. An Elden Ring Story ► The Warrior Within ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ikUiOKTv-Y8.html
That's a great interpretation! I also like to think that when deciding which afterlife/purgatory the Lands Between should be based on, Miyazaki said "yes."
I don’t think You would ‘preserve’ anything in a sequel…that’s way too derivative of the first game, people don’t wanna go through all that man. Rather people would be much more interesting see what they do in the darkness & creating their own cults & such. Now what makes MORE sense is the voyage itself & what dark you must light to discover pieces of a new order and the new gods that appear from it.
I'm torn, personally. On one hand, Goldmask's ending addresses a lot of societal issues. On the other, I'm not sure if it addresses the Greater Will, and the Two Fingers make the Greater Will ambiguous at best. Then, we get the Age of Stars. Ranni is basically Gideon with a nicer office attitude and a pretty face - if it weren't for her, the majority of the plot probably wouldn't have happened; she's basically a spent Chekov's Gun, with her biggest bullet being Godwyn. That said, while her ending doesn't do much to directly help society, the intended effect of warding off Outer Gods and letting the peoples of the Lands Between govern themselves is admirable. Still, it feels like she's shirking some responsibility; she made a massive mess and then just... left. Frenzied Flame is basically a noose and a stool. Understandable, but... not very constructive. Ultimately, I suppose... T-pose.
Well Goldmask does state that he dislikes oppression and the concept of an "absolute evil", a philosophy which the Greater Will subscribes to as evidenced by their genocidal enforcement of their will, and portrayal of all other gods as heretical. It certainly seems like unless Goldmask did a 180 on that opinion, the Greater Will would be addressed in some way in his ending.
Honestly, if we get another game in Elden Ring's world, it should be outside the Lands Between with only passing mention of them, as to not canonize any specific ending. Not every game needs a 'canon', after all. It'd be interesting to see a game set in the Land of Reeds, or set in the Badlands.
The principles of her order wouldn't be guided by the greater will at all, her order doesn't even need the Elden Ring, most probably many many things changed drastically in the lands between. What Ranni wanted was to people feel less the need to follow what the order Invision and more self awareness, more control over their own decisions and to deal with it's consequences
I enjoy how Ranni's character is made, how flushed out she is. I only got her ending for the trophy though. My first ending was PO because I believe that ti be the best
Very true! I'm also wondering if there will be any connections to Ranni's ending in Armored Core 6. It would be hilarious if there's a secret/joke ending where it's revealed she was the mastermind in that game as well.
I figured that The Age of Stars is the best ending for TLB. It fixes a lot of things: *TLB gets to be free and responsible for itself. We can draw parallels on how her reign would go in her questline. She lets her vassals do whatever scheme they want. *Those Who Live In Death will all get their rest. Godwyn's body is a parasite to the Erdtree, sapping at the souls that return to the roots and using them to corrupt. If Ranni takes the Elden Ring away, the soul recycling mechanism of the Erdtree stops. No more souls to sap, no more deathblight. *Heavily implied that Ranni will still be around, just out in space, blocking off Outer God influence. "A thousand year voyage under the wisdom of the Moon" . Carian Royalty tend to identify themselves as some kind of Moon ( i.e. Renalla of the Full Moon, and another DLC one that I won't spoil). Descriptions and character names point to such. In short, every living being and every living soul in TLB gets to experience the freedom to live or die by their own terms while the Dark Moon lets it all play out, making sure nothing influences them.
It sort of kind of is now with the DLC. There is no Carian representative outside of Frejya who doesn't really care. The Tarnished fills that slot as well as a potential recusant though that faction would likely just be ousted by Leda the Crazy Knight.
2:56 lol Ranni is definitely an evil character, she showed zero remorse when she had godwyn brutally killed. also while she says she loves IJI and blaidd, she would probaly kill them to if it means she achieves her goals.
Yeah Ranni seems to be objectively morally corrupt and her goals seem to be based pretty much exclusively in the self-interest of severing the Greater Will's connection to the Lands Between. Her ending basically just boils down to you slaying literal Gods and Demi-Gods because you're pussy-whipped by a yarn doll, like Ranni is unquestionably using the player character's brawns as a means to seize power, like you don't even get the power you fought for you literally hand it over to some chick. This seems like a pretty shit ending considering that Goldmask directly criticizes the fickleness of the Gods and blames them and their positions of power for the plight of the common people. Her ending consists of the player character being blinded by love and handing over the keys to the universe to someone Goldmask specifically noted should NOT be in a position of power, and in the game's current lore it seems like Goldmask's judgement is the most objective you will get from any of the ending NPCs.
@@Corzappy yeah the default elden lord ending and goldmask ending seems to be the best outcomes. in the standard endin, marika is probaly still imprisoned so she cant go on any more murder crusades and golden order ending tries to stop the suffering caused by the golden order and the gods so that lands between can start healing. though at this point i dont know if thats possible lol.
She either abandoned her closest and only friends, or deliberately had them killed to tie up loose ends. How can anyone possibly trust her? I feel like most people are deluded because they think they're "marrying" Ranni, when Ranni herself makes it clear she has no interest in love (or sex, you freaks. What? Do you think the FnAF animatronics are sexy too? She's a spirtit possesing an inanimate object, she probably doesn't even actually look like the doll). Her words make it seem like once she takes control of order, you are blinded, lose all sense of touch, smell or taste, and you are basically dragged around the universe with Ranni and a bunch of inhuman stars. Meanwhile, without Order, the Lands Between and probably the whole Earth becomes a lifeless husk.
