Of the many beloved NPCs in FromSoftware's latest release, Elden Ring, Ranni the Witch often sits at the top of fan-favorite lists. From her gorgeously magical design to her idealistic desire to rebel against the established order that governs the Lands Between, it's no surprise that the Lunar Princess is admired by many fans. Aside from the allure of the ethereal witch, Ranni offers many advantages to those that decide to brave her lengthy, yet rewarding, quest. Players have the chance to earn special items as well as more pieces of lore that paint a greater picture of the complicated history that Elden Ring weaves through its narrative.

On the surface, Ranni the Witch advocates for freedom from the controlling influence of The Greater Will. However, a look into Ranni's history long before the Tarnished is tasked to restore the Elden Ring puts the widely-loved NPC into a questionable spotlight. Underneath her valiant devotion to change the world, something darker hides within Ranni's enchanting persona -- something that could possibly reveal an evil streak in the character.

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Ranni the Witch questline ending Grand Cloister Elden Ring

Throughout the game, we learn that Ranni's ideals differ quite drastically from that of the Golden Order. Her viewpoint of a better future differs from the one the Tarnished is supposed to initiate with the restoration of the Elden Ring. As the game's scraps of lore come together, we see that Ranni the Witch is just as connected to the ruined world of the Lands Between as Marika.

The great event known as "The Shattering" occurs when grief-stricken Queen Marika destroys the Elden Ring because her favored son, Godwyn, is murdered one night by a group called the "Black Knives." This sends the Golden Order and the entire world into fractured chaos. That same night, a piece of the Rune of Destined Death is stolen and the mark of the rune appears on the bodies of both Godwyn the Golden and Lunar Princess Ranni.

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Godwyn the Golden killed in the Night of the Black Knives Elden Ring

Gamers learn that Ranni is regarded as an Empyrean, and was elected by the Two Fingers to eventually take Marika's place. This means that Ranni would become a servant to The Greater Will, the very thing she despised. Later, we learn that Ranni kills her Two Fingers. Closer inspection of her body on the night she died reveals half of the mark of the Rune of Death on her back to match the one on Godwyn's corpse. Ironically, one has a destroyed body but preserved soul and one has a preserved body but a vacant spirit. Without her Empyrean body, Ranni is no longer subject to the control of The Greater Will, and her soul can be secured within her new doll form but at the cost of someone else's.

Sacrificing another life to save her own, stealing death and being the catalyst behind The Shattering sure sounds like the making of a villain. A mistranslation of Ranni's dialogue at the end of the game when completing her quest leads to The Age of Stars ending, a new era of a cold, lonely world without gods. However, if a FromSoft game has taught players anything, it is that not everything is as it seems. Not every good character makes morally perfect choices which we can see in other Soulsborne games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, wherein many bosses have tragic and complicated backstories and the main characters themselves have to make difficult decisions that could negatively impact others throughout the game.

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Ranni the Witch's Age of Stars ending in Elden Ring.

FromSoftware consistently presents the theme of morality in its games and what is right or wrong is left to the perception of the player. Ranni the Witch's actions to achieve a world where people are not controlled by The Greater Will were drastic, but how necessary they were all depends on the player's interpretation. While some players may believe that restoring the Elden Ring is the best way to return order, others might agree that a world without the command of the gods is the better world in which to live.

Ranni the Witch is the perfect example of a morally gray Souls character, and to label her as "evil" would be unfair to an NPC that brings about the best possible outcome in all of Elden Ring's endings. The Age of Stars is not a grim ending to the world, but the beginning of a new age wherein The Greater Will does not influence the Lands Between and where the people can live without being at the mercy of gods. This is an optimistic future for the world of Elden Ring but at a price. Just like in every other FromSoftware game, even the good endings come with a heavy cost.