Despite a load of secret achievements and hidden trophies, Elden Ring is one of the easiest FromSoftware games to 100%.
Games like Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice previously required players to do an enormous amount of grinding in order to get every trophy or achievement. On top of this were trophies that required players to complete NPCs’ questlines, which were finicky and could be irreparably failed for no apparent reason.
By comparison, Elden Ring is a cakewalk. Outside of getting the three different endings, each of the achievements can be done in just one playthrough. There is one missable trophy, but even that one can be obtained on a second playthrough without much trouble.
Top tips for new Dark Souls players after Elden Ring
The one problem is that it’s tough to track your ability to complete Elden Ring due to the sheer number of hidden trophies and secret achievements. Though this isn’t an issue on Steam, it most certainly is for console players. With that in mind, here’s a handy list to plot out your next run.
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Almost all the secret achievements and hidden trophies are associated with bosses and the endings. There are a handful associated with gameplay milestones and important moments in the story. Most of the trophies that meet these requirements are not hidden, though.
With that in mind, here are all of Elden Ring’s secret achievements and hidden trophies. They will be broken up by general type, as noted below.
These trophies are generally mandatory or are essentially guaranteed to happen in a regular playthrough of the game. Roundtable Hold is obtained by gaining access to Roundtable Hold, Great Rune is obtained after activating a Great Rune in a Divine Tower, and Erdtree Aflame comes after reaching the end of the Mountaintops of the Giants area.
Included in this is the Elden Lord ending, the most straightforward ending to the game that simply requires defeating the final boss.
The overwhelming majority of boss fights in Elden Ring are optional, even ones that are seemingly important. There are a handful that actually are mandatory, however, with the ones tied to achievements being the following.
In order to beat Elden Ring, players need to defeat two shardbearers before heading into Leyndell, Royal Capital. The list of shardbearers to enter Leyndell includes Godrick, Rennala, Radahn, Rykard, and have other major bosses associated with them. The Godskin Noble doesn’t need to be defeated in order to reach Rykard but many players will find themselves crossing paths with the boss en route to him.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella is the toughest boss in Elden Ring. It’s tough just to make it to her, too.
Malenia waits in the Haligtree, which players can only reach after beating Commander Niall. The path also includes a fight against Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.
Though Malenia is technically a shardbearer, there’s no way to reach her until after making it to Leyndell. As such, she’s a completely optional boss and not a part of the semi-mandatory crew.
The Ranni the Witch questline is completely optional, but makes up a significant portion of Elden Ring’s content. It brings the players to several areas and includes a number of boss fights including shardbearers Rennala and Radahn.
It culminates with the player reaching an otherwise inaccessible area of Liurnia of the Lakes. All this culminates with what may be the “good” ending of Elden Ring, the Age of the Stars.
Another possible epilogue is the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, which is effectively the bad ending. It can be achieved by heading under Leyndell and reaching the Subterranean Shunning Grounds.Â
The player encounters Mohg, the Omen, and gains access to the Three Fingers by moving an altar in his boss arena. From there is a platforming stage where the player has to carefully make their way down in order to find them. This gives the player the option to commit to the ending after defeating the final boss.
Alongside these are a slew of completely optional bosses. Some of these are bosses that serve as gatekeepers to areas that can be accessed in multiple ways. Others are effectively the major bosses of areas that are optional and not required for any critical questlines.
Lichdragon Fortissax is a part of the Fia questline which sets up an alternate ending. Leonine Misbegotten and Elemer of the Briar are necessary fights in order to obtain the Legendary Armaments achievement.
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