Does Ranni Have a Mending Rune in Elden Ring?
No, Ranni the Witch does not possess a Mending Rune in Elden Ring. While her questline is crucial for unlocking one of the game’s most significant endings – the Age of the Stars – she doesn’t directly provide the Tarnished with a Rune to mend the Elden Ring. Instead, the Age of the Stars ending is achieved by summoning Ranni after defeating the final boss, Radagon, and the Elden Beast, rather than using a specific Mending Rune. This distinct mechanism sets her ending apart from the others, which rely on using Mending Runes to alter the Elden Ring’s fundamental nature.
Ranni is a central figure in the narrative, a Shardbearer who abandoned her Great Rune, an action that has profound implications for the game’s lore and the Tarnished’s journey. Her quest takes players through various challenging areas, ultimately leading to her becoming a powerful cosmic entity and initiating a new age. However, this transformative path does not involve the conventional mending process and the specific use of a mending rune. Instead, her ending utilizes her unique power and the player’s bond with her to enact a different kind of change to the Lands Between.
Ranni’s Role and the Age of Stars Ending
Ranni’s questline focuses on disrupting the established order and bringing about a new cosmic age, not mending the existing Elden Ring. Her actions are driven by a desire to break free from the influence of the Greater Will, the powerful outer god that has shaped the Lands Between for ages. She seeks to establish an age where fate is not predetermined, and where beings are free from the rigid control of the Golden Order.
The Age of Stars ending is achieved by summoning Ranni after the final boss fight at the Fractured Marika statue and is a testament to her unique nature and the player’s involvement with her. This summoning is significantly different from utilizing a mending rune. It involves a pact between the Tarnished and Ranni, leading to the formation of a new order.
The Importance of Mending Runes
Mending Runes are specific items obtained through completing certain questlines and defeating specific bosses, which are then used to alter the Elden Ring. They are not mere tools to ‘fix’ the ring, but rather, instruments that imprint a different form of order onto the world. For instance, the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse results in an ending where the Lands Between is consumed by a vile curse, while the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince brings death back to the world. Each mending rune provides an alternate path and reflects the ideologies of the characters whose journeys are required to obtain them.
The Lack of a Mending Rune in Ranni’s Ending
Ranni’s ending does not use a mending rune, which implies that the change she wants is not based on reshaping the Elden Ring, but in transcending it. Her actions highlight a desire for total separation from the influence of the Greater Will rather than simply mending or altering the established order. In the Age of Stars ending, the player becomes Ranni’s consort and helps her establish a new cosmic order, different from any of the other mended Elden Ring variations.
This approach sets the Age of Stars ending as a unique departure, highlighting that not all endings in Elden Ring revolve around the traditional concept of mending. Ranni’s path emphasizes change through cosmic forces and a player-driven choice, showcasing that there are alternatives to simply fitting a new piece into the existing puzzle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is a Mending Rune in Elden Ring?
A Mending Rune is an item used after defeating the final boss to alter the Elden Ring and define the new age. They represent specific ideologies and will determine the nature of the Lands Between in your ending.
2. How do you get the Age of Stars ending?
To achieve the Age of Stars ending, you must complete Ranni’s questline. After defeating the final boss, summon Ranni from a blue sign near the Fractured Marika statue instead of interacting with the statue directly.
3. Does Ranni have a Great Rune?
Ranni is a Shardbearer who discarded her Great Rune. Its whereabouts are unknown, and it’s not obtainable by the player. This act is a part of her scheme to escape the influence of the Greater Will.
4. What is the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince used for?
The Mending Rune of the Death-Prince is obtained by interacting with Fia and defeating the Lichdragon Fortissax. Using this rune after defeating the final boss leads to the Age of the Duskborn ending, bringing true death back to the Lands Between.
5. Why does Ranni want to create a new age?
Ranni seeks to break free from the influence of the Greater Will and establish an age free from predetermined fate. She desires to create a cosmic order where beings are not subject to the control of the Golden Order.
6. Does Ranni love the Tarnished?
In the Age of Stars ending, Ranni refers to the Tarnished as her “lord” and “dear consort”, indicating a deep bond and recognizing them as a partner in her new cosmic order. While not overtly stated as “love”, their bond is certainly profound.
7. Who is Fia and what is her connection to the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince?
Fia is a Deathbed Companion who gives you the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince after progressing through her questline. Her goal is to restore death to the Lands Between which is a key part of the Age of Duskborn ending.
8. What does it mean to be a “Shardbearer” in Elden Ring?
Shardbearers are demigods who possess a fragment of the Elden Ring’s power, represented as Great Runes. They are the primary targets for the Tarnished in their quest to become Elden Lord.
9. Is the Age of Stars ending good or bad?
The Age of Stars is generally considered a positive ending by most players, as it brings about a new order free from the influence of the Greater Will. However, the definition of “good” and “bad” is subjective in Elden Ring, and the morality of all endings is debated.
10. Did Ranni steal the Rune of Death?
Yes, Ranni stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh, which she used to create the Black Knives that killed Godwyn the Golden.
11. What is the significance of Ranni’s doll?
Ranni transferred her soul into a doll as a part of her plan to escape her destiny and the influence of the Greater Will, which is a key part of her overall character and story.
12. Is Melina related to Ranni?
There are theories, supported by game files and dialogue, suggesting that Melina is Ranni’s sister, both being daughters of Queen Marika. They share similar qualities such as their spectral existence and a connection to the Erdtree.
13. What is the “Greater Will” in Elden Ring?
The Greater Will is an outer god that exerts significant influence over the Lands Between, dictating the rules of the Golden Order. Ranni seeks to defy this influence.
14. Do Mending Runes carry over to New Game+?
No, Mending Runes, along with the demigod’s Great Runes, do not carry over to New Game+. You will have to obtain them again in each new playthrough.
15. What is the main difference between mending the Elden Ring and summoning Ranni?
Mending the Elden Ring involves using a specific Mending Rune to alter the world’s order according to that rune’s ideology. Summoning Ranni for the Age of Stars ending creates a new cosmic order entirely, one that transcends the traditional Elden Ring and existing power dynamics. It is not a mending of the Ring itself.