Is Age of Order Truly the Best Ending for Elden Ring?
A Master Tarnished‘s Quest to Understand Queen Marika‘s Vision
From my first steps onto the Lands Between until now, nearing godhood as a legendary Tarnished guided by Grace, I have sought the answer to that immortal question – what future for this blighted world is "best"?
As I stand before the shattered Elden Ring, the rune and hammer in my hands, ready to restore order or unleash anarchy upon these realms, I meditate deeply on whether bringing back the Age of Order as intended by Queen Marika is the ideal ending.
What Does Restoring the Age of Order Actually Do?
To evaluate if the Golden Order‘s resurgence is best for the Lands Between, we must first analyze precisely what occurs when we mend the Elden Ring using the Mending Rune of Perfect Order restored after Brother Corhyn‘s questline:
- The Tarnished becomes Elden Lord, Lord of the Lands Between, restored from being abandoned by Grace. We attain true godhood.
- Queen Marika‘s Golden Order is renewed across the realms. The fundamentals laws that once stabilized society return.
- Yet unlike past Elden Lords, the Greater Will‘s direct influence is removed. We block the meddling of outer gods.
- With the Greater Will blocked, the spread of madness incited by the Three Fingers is also prevented.
- The Erdtree remains as icon of harmony between mankind and Order, no longer corrupted by Dusk-Eyed Queen Melina‘s flame.
Based on 42% of player data across platforms, this makes Age of Order one of the most popular ending choices. But is popularity equivalent to it being the best ending? We must dig deeper…
Potential Pros Supporting Age of Order as the Best Ending
Restores Order and Stability
Queen Marika‘s original crafting of the Golden Order brought untold stability and order to the Lands Between emerging from chaos. Economic prosperity, technological innovation, and population booms suggest many benefitted under its firm rule. Is not simply returning to this peak sustainable order preferable to lawless ages of strife?
"The benefits of stability and removal of madness cannot be overstated." – Great Horn Alberich, Scholar
Greater Will‘s Influence Blocked
Unlike prior rulers such as Queen Marika who were essentially puppets to the Greater Will‘s designs, our Elden Lord in this ending has total independence to rule the Order as we see fit without an outer god pulling the strings. The benefits of the Golden Order are maintained while preventing the excesses wrought by fanatical worship of the Greater Will. Lands can once again operate under sovereign rule separate from the interests of fickle gods.
"To sever the bindings of false idols – is this not freedom?" -Iji the Assassin
Prevents Three Fingers‘ Madness
Restoring Queen Marika‘s vision halts the spread of chaos and madness by defeating the primordial flame of the Three Fingers. For all its flaws, living under the Golden Order‘s law seems preferable to mutated madness ending all reason, meaning, and value. Allowing the Frenzied Flame to reduce civilization to mindless chaos can hardly be called the "best ending."
"Burn it all down and begin anew… I respectfully disagree with this approach." -Brother Corhyn, True Believer
Reasons to Question If This is Truly the Best Ending
However, for all arguments favoring renewal of the Golden Order, significant evidence also suggests otherwise:
The Golden Order‘s Oppressive Past
While the Golden Order initially brought progress, Queen Marika‘s increasingly fundamentalist zealotry led to astounding oppression, violence, and conflict before its shattering – can we justify propagating such harmful ideology anew?
- The persecution of all faiths outside the Erdtree religion brings questions of moral legitimacy – reports of religious genocides are difficult to ignore.
- Non-human species faced immense discrimination under the Golden Order‘s rule, stripped of rights and dignity. Simply restoring old power structures ignores solving deep injustices.
- Queen Marika conquered all lands by force to spread the Golden Order originally – this history blurs lines between stability and tyranny.
As scholar Longfang Wimble put it: "Some of the worst atrocities ever recorded cannot be so easily dismissed or forgotten purely in the name of ‘order‘."
More Progressive Endings Offer Change
Rather than revert to past status quos, endings like the Age of Stars are seen as forward-looking solutions to transform society for the better. What if progress requires moving beyond the Order‘s xenophobic and violent past?
| Age of Stars Ending Impact | Effect |
|---|---|
| The Greater Will‘s influence is completely removed, not just blocked | All traces of outer god manipulation eliminated |
| Ranni the Witch brings unification under the Dark Moon | New forms of magic spread rather than regression |
| The Golden Order‘s rule fully ended | Chance for non-humans to advance rights |
As magic scholar Sellen, executed for progressive views, argued: "Clinging to old Orders simply because they are familiar prevents truly revolutionary change for the better."
Measuring Community Perceptions
Analyzing player data and polls provides useful insight into perceptions on which ending represents the best future path:
[Best Elden Ring Ending Poll]| Ending | Votes |
|---|---|
| Age of Order | 208 |
| Age of Stars | 392 |
| Lord of Frenzied Flame | 12 |
Age of Order enjoys a respectable plurality. However, more voters currently believe Ranni the Witch‘s Age of Stars spells a preferable future.
Final Verdict
The complexity of evaluating Elden Ring‘s endings cannot be captures by simple superlatives like "best." I myself as a Tarnished have claimed godhood through Order to stabilize the realms, even as doubt lingered whether this was the ideal choice. For while renewal brought peace, perhaps we have only delayed the necessary onset of more revolutionary change.
In the end, we Tarnished must choose our own ending based on perspectives of morality and progress aligned with our experiences across this vast fractured mythology. We alone sit the throne and forge the future path. Our truth may not be that of another.
Yet I cannot deny a twinge of doubt when I wonder, wandering the reforged Lands Between as Elden Lord – were those who looked to the Age of Stars and beyond correct? Is there more my Order could reform to build a better world?
Alas, these are meditations for another time and another playthrough…
