Does Millicent Affect Elden Ring’s Ending? A Deep Dive into the Scarlet Rot’s Influence

Yes, completing Millicent’s questline has a significant impact on the possible endings you can achieve in Elden Ring. Specifically, it unlocks you from being locked into the default “Age of Fracture” ending (Ending A, the one Melina desires). By completing her quest, the game presents you with a choice at the very end, based on the other quests you’ve completed, thereby allowing you to influence the final outcome and choose a different ending than the default.

Understanding Millicent’s Role in Shaping Destiny

Millicent, a compelling character afflicted with Scarlet Rot, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and struggle that directly intertwines with the fate of the Lands Between. Whether you choose to aid her or betray her significantly alters the options available at the culmination of the game.

The key takeaway is that by not ignoring her questline, you ensure that you’re not automatically funneled into the standard ending. This opens up the opportunity to experience the richer, more nuanced endings tied to characters like Ranni, Fia, or the Dung Eater, among others. Her quest acts as a gateway to greater ending flexibility.

Assisting Millicent: A Path to Empowerment

Choosing to assist Millicent culminates in a pivotal moment where you help her fight off her sisters. By completing this step, you receive the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, a powerful talisman that enhances attack power with successive attacks. Furthermore, and arguably more importantly, you keep her alive and her questline active, influencing your ending possibilities. This is especially crucial if you are aiming for a specific alternative ending tied to other questlines.

Challenging Millicent: A Sacrifice for Power

Alternatively, choosing to challenge Millicent and kill her grants you Millicent’s Prosthesis, another valuable talisman that greatly boosts dexterity and attack power. However, this choice comes at the cost of Millicent’s life and the further progression of her narrative. Moreover, upon returning to Gowry’s shack, you’ll discover that he is dead. While powerful, obtaining this talisman essentially shuts down her questline which impacts your potential endings.

The choice between assisting and challenging her comes down to the player’s preferred playstyle and the desired ending. The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is generally considered superior for builds that focus on rapid, successive attacks. However, if you’re aiming for a specific ending, you’ll need to prioritize Millicent’s survival and continued interaction.

The Scarlet Rot’s Significance

Millicent’s affliction with Scarlet Rot isn’t merely a detail of her backstory; it’s intrinsically linked to Malenia, Blade of Miquella, one of the most formidable bosses in the game. The Scarlet Rot is a potent force of destruction, and Millicent is essentially an offshoot of Malenia herself. The article indicates that Millicent and her sisters are akin to buds springing off of the Scarlet Aeonia (Malenia).

Understanding this connection adds another layer of depth to Millicent’s questline and the choices you make. By helping her overcome her affliction, you are, in a way, counteracting the influence of the Scarlet Rot and shaping her destiny independently of Malenia.

Beyond the Default: Exploring Elden Ring’s Multiple Endings

Elden Ring boasts a rich tapestry of endings, each reflecting the player’s choices and actions throughout their journey. While the default “Age of Fracture” ending represents a standard conclusion, the game offers opportunities to shape the Lands Between in drastically different ways.

• Ranni’s Ending (Age of Stars): By completing Ranni’s questline, you can usher in an age of stars, guided by the enigmatic witch. This ending involves a profound shift in the world’s order and a departure from the influence of the Greater Will.
• Frenzied Flame Ending (Lord of Frenzied Flame): Embracing the Frenzied Flame grants you the power to burn the Erdtree and reshape the world in chaos and destruction. This is often considered the “bad” ending. However, you can absolve yourself of this before the end.
• Dung Eater’s Ending (Age of Despair): Completing the Dung Eater’s questline leads to an age of despair, marked by the defilement of the Erdtree and the propagation of his seedbed curses.
• The Age of Order: Completing the Goldmask questline allows you to mend the Elden Ring with his perfect order.
• The Age of the Duskborn: Completing Fia’s questline allows you to grant immortality to Those Who Live in Death.

By engaging with these various questlines and making informed choices, you can unlock these alternative endings and experience the full breadth of Elden Ring’s narrative. Remember, Millicent’s questline is a key that unlocks the door to these possibilities.

The Morality of Choice: A Grey Area

Elden Ring presents players with morally ambiguous choices, forcing them to confront the consequences of their actions. There are multiple ways to interprete a “best ending” in Elden Ring.

• Ranni, for instance, is a complex character whose motives are not entirely clear. Her “Age of Stars” ending, while seemingly positive, involves a radical departure from the established order.
• Even the seemingly straightforward “Age of Fracture” ending can be viewed as problematic, as it merely perpetuates the cycle of conflict and instability.
• The Frenzied Flame ending, while undeniably destructive, can be seen as a necessary act of rebellion against a corrupt and stagnant system.

Ultimately, the “best” ending is subjective and depends on the player’s individual values and perspective.

FAQs: Decoding Millicent and Elden Ring’s Endings

1. What specifically changes if I kill Millicent versus helping her?

Killing Millicent grants you Millicent’s Prosthesis immediately but ends her questline and locks you out of the further narrative developments associated with it. Helping her allows you to obtain the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and keeps her quest alive, influencing your ending possibilities.

2. Is Millicent truly Malenia’s daughter or a clone?

The game strongly implies that Millicent is an offshoot or extension of Malenia, more akin to a bud on a plant. The Scarlet Aeonia, or Malenia, buds off Millicent.

3. What happens to Gowry if I kill Millicent?

If you challenge and kill Millicent, upon returning to Gowry’s shack, you will find him dead. This is because Gowry’s fate is intertwined with Millicent’s.

4. Does Ranni’s questline lock me out of other endings?

No, completing Ranni’s questline does not lock you out of other endings until the very final moment. When you defeat the Elden Beast, you will have the choice to use Ranni’s summon sign, which leads to her ending. You can choose to touch Marika instead, triggering other possible endings (assuming you’ve met the requirements for those endings).

5. What is the hardest ending to achieve in Elden Ring?

The Lord of Frenzied Flame ending is arguably the most difficult to achieve due to the obscure and esoteric nature of the questline required to unlock it.

6. Can I reverse the Frenzied Flame ending if I acquire it by mistake?

Yes, you can reverse the Frenzied Flame ending by completing Millicent’s questline and then using Miquella’s Needle in Dragonlord Placidusax’s arena. This allows you to choose a different ending after defeating the final boss.

7. Does Melina have a specific ending she wants me to achieve?

Melina’s narrative arc generally leads the player towards the standard “Age of Fracture” ending, where the Tarnished becomes Elden Lord.

8. How many total endings are there in Elden Ring?

There are currently six known endings in Elden Ring.

9. Why does Gowry want Millicent to “blossom”?

Gowry believes that Millicent’s blossoming, potentially through betrayal and suffering, will ultimately lead to the ascension of Malenia to godhood.

10. What are Millicent’s weaknesses in combat?

Millicent, like other NPC enemies, is vulnerable to jump attacks and can have her own attacks interrupted if you strike before she pulls them off.

11. What should I do with the Dung Eater?

Completing the Dung Eater’s questline leads to the “Age of Despair” ending. Whether you choose to kill him or follow his quest is up to you, but avoiding him completely will lock you out of this ending.

12. Are Ranni and Melina the same person?

While there are theories linking Ranni and Melina as being related or even the same person, the game files confirm that Melina is the daughter of Marika.

13. Does Melina open her eye at any point in the game?

Yes, Melina opens her eye under certain circumstances in the Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending, revealing a murky dark blue eye, which many connect to the Gloam-Eyed Queen.

14. Should I summon Ranni or touch Marika after defeating the Elden Beast?

If you want the Age of Stars ending, summon Ranni. If you want any other ending you have unlocked, touch Marika.

15. What is the “best” ending in Elden Ring?

There is no objectively “best” ending. Each ending offers a unique perspective on the fate of the Lands Between, and the choice ultimately depends on your individual preferences and values. Considering the different moral implications of each ending adds another layer of depth.

Elden Ring’s intricate web of quests, characters, and choices creates a truly unique and replayable experience. Understanding the impact of characters like Millicent on the ending allows you to shape your destiny and explore the rich lore of the Lands Between.

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