Even though it’s been over a month since its launch, there are still a lot of questions aboutElden Ring.It’ll likely be some time before someone out there pieces it all together in a believable and understandable way. Yet, one of the biggest questions thus far is what is Destined Death? It’s a story element that surfaces a lot, playing a major role throughout the story and in each ofElden Ring’s endings.
Some believe Destined Death is simply death, while others believe Destined Death itself to be one ofElden Ring’s Outer Gods—or a Lord/aspect of this Outer God. No matter what players do, however, they unleash Destined Death back into the world.
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Death in Elden Ring
First, it’s worth looking at how death works inElden Ringfrom a lore standpoint. There are beings inElden Ringwho have experienced a sort of half-death. What this means is that their physical body can die, but their mind can live on. For example, Ranni used the Rune of Death to kill her physical self to avoid The Greater Will’s control. Another “style” of death can be seen withGodwyn and Fia, as beings whose spirits never return to the Erdtree, or Those Who Live in Death.
Those whose spirits return are eventually resurrected by the Erdtree, and it seems this resurrection can go awry. It appears that the Outer God related to the Scarlet Rot can infect people severely through this resurrection, which lore suggests is the result ofMalenia’s Scarlet Rotin some way. It’s not really explored in-game, but some think this Outer God is sealed away beneath Lake Rot.
Either way, this means there is common death, a partial death, living in death, and Destined Death. Many associate the latter with common death. While it makes sense, it seems too important to just encompass such a basic premise. Destined Death appears to be the fate that all living beings share—that everyone dies. Yet, it seems some have a bigger, more dramatic, and more “destined” death. In the story, Marika had taken the Death Rune, given it to Maliketh, and had wanted to ensure her family and demigods did not die. Others still could and did, and she enforced this, but she removed their destined death.
More so than thecommon death of any creature in the world ofElden Ring, Destined Death seems to be the inherent dramatic deaths of those involved. Players always ensure that Destined Death returns to the world in a playthrough ofElden Ring, and that’s potentially what allows them to truly, trulykill Marika/Radagon. Whether Destined Death is an Outer God or perhaps part of the Order of the universe, that so manyElden Ringelements utilize, is up for debate, but it seems everyone is destined for death—Destined Death is for those major beings who must die.
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Destined Death in Elden Ring’s Endings
What really sets the concept of Destined Death apart from other types of death in theElden Ringworldis its association/use in the endings. Everyone restores Destined Death to the world, but the endings can manipulate it or use it to some degree. The six major endings toElden Ringare the Age of Fracture, Age of Duskborn, the Blessing of Despair, the Age of Order, Lord of the Frenzied Flame, and Age of the Stars.
Elden Ring: How Ranni’s Ending Changes The Golden Order and Destined Death
Every ending imposes some form of order, and Destined Death plays some role in that order. Whether it’s the destruction caused by the Lord of the Frenzied Flame (and the Destined Death of the Tarnished sought by Melina), the Age of Order which seeks to end conflict, the Order created by Those Who live in Death, the painful curse and order brought upon by the Dung Eater’s ending, or simply yet another age ruled by another Elden Lord, there is some form of Order inthe Lands Between. Except in Ranni’s ending.
The sixth and final ending,The Age of Stars achieved by doing Ranni’s quest, sees that Order established, with Ranni replacing Marika with herself, ending The Golden Order and replacing it with her Order based on the Dark Moon, and removing the influence of The Greater Will from The Lands Between. She then, alongside her new consort and Lord (The Tarnished), takes a voyage throughout the stars for a thousand years—leaving the Lands Between to its own devices, without a ruling deity, a ruling Order, or even a mortal ruler for the first time. Here, without The Golden Order to impose it, it seems Destined Death is gone too.
Obviously, some of this is more speculative based on the Elden Ring’s fate and the Rune of Death, which seems to be what dictates Destined Death vs. common death. Whereas more common deaths lead to some form of simple resurrection, it seems Destined Death is absolute. Perhaps, in some relation to the Outer Gods, this is whatElden Ring’s cut Age of Absolute contentdeals with. But ultimately,Elden Ring’s story, lore, and world are still one big puzzle with a ton of unresolved pieces.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
