Elden Ring’s Age Absolute ending is a fan-made ending that a YouTube posted on YouTube on April 1, 2022. The YouTuber changed one of the existing endings in such a way that it seemed like a completely new ending.
What’s in the „Age Absolute“ ending? Elden Ring
The „Age Absolute“ ending begins similarly to the other endings. The stained stand in front of the broken remains of Radagon after the final boss fight. When they interact with the body, an option pops up asking if players want to ring in the Age Absolute.
If players select the option, they will pick up Radagon’s head and rejoin it with the destroyed body. As Radagon’s remains dissolve, the stained are surrounded by a bright glow of light.
Next, the Earth Tree is seen completely engulfed in flames before the scene moves back to the Stained Ones standing in a chapel before the Five Fingers, worshipping them. The voice that also spoke the beginning to Elden Ring explains that the next generation will think back to the time known as Age Absolute.
What can the „Age Absolute“ ending mean? Elden Ring
On their journey through the interlands, the Stained Ones will encounter the emissaries of the Greater Will, the Two Fingers. These beings serve as a sort of proxy for the outer gods, and are meant to relay the messages and orders of the Greater Will through the Finger Readers.
However, when players explore the world and find an optional area known as the Underground Reserve of Shame, they will find a creature made up of Three Fingers in the Cathedral of the Outcasts. The Three Fingers are corrupted by a dark power and carry the Frenzied Flame.
Since the Age Absolute worships a being composed of five fingers, it can be concluded that this being has both the power of the Greater Will and the destructive power of the Fierce Flame. Perhaps the Five Fingers disturbed the outer gods themselves and took the lead as a new divine being. This is supported by the fact that in the Ending the Earth Tree, which is also a symbol of the Greater Will, will be consumed by hungry flames and thus, so to speak, the Age of the Earth Tree will come to an end.
Fake or truth?
After the YouTuber Garden of Eyes uploaded a video of the supposed „Age Absolute“ ending on his YouTube channel, the speculation started. Many fans wondered if the video was real or if it was a fake. A data miner named Lance McDonald explained on Twitter that the video was a fake. Only the audio track could have been found during the network test that FromSoftware conducted before the release of Elden Ring.
Garden of Eye commented itself on April 2, 2022 in response to various questions from fans, without directly addressing Lance McDonald’s accusations. The YouTuber explained that the graphic elements were all fictitious. The YouTuber had developed the menu that could be seen in the video as well as the figure of the Five Fingers, the burning earth tree or the end sequence in the cathedral as an elaborate April Fool’s joke. For this, he had used various graphics and video editing programs.
However, Garden of Eye also explains that the spoken dialogs used for the video were not fake and did not come from the network test. The YouTuber found the audio file in the final version of Elden Ring and compared the ID of the file with other audio files. In the process, he noticed similarities to the spoken lines from the „Age of Order“ ending.
The similarity suggests that „Age Absolute“ might have been an alternate name for the „Age of Order.“ But it’s equally conceivable that FromSoftware originally planned another ending for its role-playing game, but ultimately scrapped it.
Even though this is a very elaborate April Fool’s joke, fans are already speculating what would have had to be accomplished to actually usher in an „Age Absolution“ if FromSoftware had included the ending in the game.