Does completing Ranni‘s quest lock you into her ending?

No, finishing Ranni the Witch‘s questline does not automatically lock you into her "Age of Stars" ending. But some actions related to her intriguing quest can affect which endings you can choose in this expansive game. Let‘s break it down.

What Exactly is Ranni‘s Ending?

In Ranni‘s Age of Stars ending, she takes the place of Queen Marika to become the new godlike entity presiding over the Lands Between. Cold moonlight replaces golden sunlight and a focus on knowledge and "dark moon" magic reshapes the paradigm. Importantly, she takes you, the player character, as her consort. So you rule together over this new age ushered in by the Dark Moon.

It‘s an incredibly cool ending for Ranni who is arguably Elden Ring‘s most prominent and complex NPC outside of the main story characters. I love that this ending gives Ranni a fitting resolution to her ambitious questline while neatly tying your Tarnished‘s arc to hers.

Her Quest Definitely Doesn‘t Lock You In…But

Simply completing Ranni‘s questline does not railroad you into only being able to choose her ending. Her quest involves assisting her to ultimately kill her Two Fingers and discard the Greater Will to forge a new order. Engaging stuff!

However, and this is key, certain events and actions within her sprawling quest can affect or even lock you out of specific endings depending on choices made. Let‘s break those down…

Defeating Radahn Blocks His Ending

During Ranni‘s quest you must defeat the legendary Starscourge Radahn in Redmane Castle. A truly epic fight against a worthy foe! However, slaying Radahn here cuts off any possibility of pursuing his own questline and related endings down the road.

Something to consider if you think you might want to see where the gravity magic maestro‘s storyline may have led in another playthrough.

Blocks Seluvis and Connected NPCs

At another stage of Ranni‘s questline you must sabotage and put a definitive end to the scheming antics of Sorcerer Seluvis. This stops you from being able to complete Seluvis‘s side story which has ties to NPCs like Nepheli Loux, Dung Eater, and Sellen.

So while unrelated to endings directly, it does close off that narrative avenue. Seluvis is pretty creepy so I can‘t blame Ranni for her ruthlessness there!

Frenzied Flame Locks You In

This one catches a lot of Tarnished out. If you manage to get the Frenzied Flame and then defeat the Elden Beast, you are permanently locked into the chaotic "Lord of Frenzied Flame" ending no matter what.

So for example, even if you finish Ranni‘s questline after this point, her ending would not be available anymore since the Flame locks your fate. Keep that in mind!

Elden Beast Ties You to Current Quest

Lastly, defeating the final boss Elden Beast before making any other decision or quest choice will lock you into the default "Age of Fracture Shattering" ending.

So while Ranni herself doesn‘t force your hand, defeating that climatic last foe seals your ending fate if you haven‘t yet finished an alternate questline. Choose wisely!

In Summary…

• Ranni alone doesn‘t railroad your ending
• But Radahn, Frenzy Flame and final boss can lock you in based on timing
• It‘s safest to finish Ranni‘s full questline before defeating the Elden Beast to keep your options open

So I hope this gives you clarity on how Ranni and fates intertwine in Elden Ring! Let the Age of Stars guide your way. Or perhaps you have other destinies in mind for your Tarnished instead…

What ending did you choose and why? I love discussing the possibilities so let me know!