Once players have managed to grind through Elden Ring's typically punishing gameplay, challenging demigods, and gathering Great Runes in their quest to restore the Ring, they are confronted with a few choices. They may finish the task they were given at the start of the game, reuniting the Elden Ring and becoming the Elden Lord themselves. They may also choose to usurp Queen Marika and let Ranni the Witch take her place, ushering in an Age of Stars and destroying the old, corrupting power structure. Gamers may take another route, deciding that the system is broken and everything needs to be burned to the ground so that something else can take place.