Across the trilogy there are eight Dark Souls endings: two in Dark Souls Remastered (To Link the Fire and The Dark Lord), two in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (taking the Throne of Want or walking away from it) and four in Dark Souls III (To Link the First Flame, The End of Fire, its betrayal variant and The Usurpation of Fire). Below are the exact requirements for each, the choices you need to lock in long before the final boss, and what the endings mean when you read them together.
We checked every requirement against the Fextralife wikis for all three games and the Wikipedia plot summaries in November 2026.
Spoiler warning: this guide describes how each game ends. The requirements are written to be useful without heavy plot detail, but the final section discusses what the endings mean for the story.
How Many Endings Each Game Has
The count grows with each game. Dark Souls has two endings, decided by a single action after the last boss. Dark Souls II originally had one, and Scholar of the First Sin added a second through the character Aldia. Dark Souls III has four, though only three of them come with a trophy or achievement, because the fourth is a variation on one of the others.
![Dark Souls YouTube thumbnail: Which ending is the "good" ending? [DARK SOULS]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RwUm_S1fedw/hqdefault.jpg)
The key difference between them is when you have to commit. In the first game, you decide in the last few seconds. In the second, you need to meet a few conditions during your run. In the third, the hardest ending to unlock depends on a long NPC questline that starts in the opening hours, so it is worth reading the requirements before you get far.
| Game | Ending | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Souls | To Link the Fire | Defeat Gwyn, then light the final bonfire |
| Dark Souls | The Dark Lord | Defeat Gwyn, then leave the arena without lighting the bonfire |
| Dark Souls II: SOTFS | Throne of Want | Defeat Nashandra (or Aldia) and take the throne |
| Dark Souls II: SOTFS | Leaving the throne | Meet Aldia's conditions, then leave through the fog gate |
| Dark Souls III | To Link the First Flame | Defeat the Soul of Cinder and link the flame |
| Dark Souls III | The End of Fire | Give the Fire Keeper her eyes, then summon her after the final boss |
| Dark Souls III | End of Fire (betrayal variant) | As above, but attack the Fire Keeper during the cutscene |
| Dark Souls III | The Usurpation of Fire | Complete the Yoel, Anri and Yuria questline, then touch the flame |
Dark Souls Remastered: Link the Fire or Become the Dark Lord
Both endings start the same way: you defeat Gwyn, Lord of Cinder, in the Kiln of the First Flame. What you do next decides everything. Light the final bonfire and you get To Link the Fire, fulfilling the plan of Kingseeker Frampt and succeeding Gwyn. Walk out of the arena without lighting it and you get The Dark Lord, realizing the plan of Darkstalker Kaathe instead.
Two practical points. First, beating Gwyn ends the cycle and drops you into New Game+ with no option to decline, so you cannot see both endings in one run; you will need a second playthrough for the other trophy. Second, the Kaathe side of the story only opens if you meet him in the Abyss before placing the Lordvessel with Frampt. Joining his Darkwraith covenant also makes Frampt disappear, which our Dark Souls covenants guide covers in more detail.
If you are still on the way to the Kiln, the four great souls you need come from Seath, the Four Kings, Nito and the Bed of Chaos; our Dark Souls boss order guide shows the smoothest route to them.
Dark Souls II: The Throne of Want and Aldia's Choice
To reach the end of Dark Souls II, equip the King's Ring and open the door beyond the King's Gate bonfire in Drangleic Castle. The Throne of Want holds up to three fights in order: the Throne Watcher and Throne Defender, then Queen Nashandra, then Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin if you met his conditions.
The default ending follows the defeat of Nashandra or Aldia: golems complete the path to the Throne of Want and Shanalotte narrates as you take your seat. Wikipedia notes that the original game deliberately leaves it ambiguous whether this links the fire or lets it die.
The alternate ending only exists in Scholar of the First Sin, or the original game with patch 1.10. To unlock it, speak with the Scholar of the First Sin at each place he appears (the last primal bonfire you light, the Undead Crypt and the Dragon Shrine), defeat King Vendrick before you face Nashandra, then beat Aldia in the Throne of Want. Instead of sitting down, walk out through the fog gate. Aldia narrates, the credits get new music, and you leave the cycle of light and dark behind on your own terms.
If you are still deciding which version of the second game to play, our explainer on what Scholar of the First Sin changed sets out why this ending is a big reason to pick it.
Dark Souls III: Four Endings and How to Get Them
To Link the First Flame. The default. Defeat all four Lords of Cinder (the Abyss Watchers, Aldrich, Yhorm and Lothric), then the Soul of Cinder, and link the flame. If your character has Dark Sigils, you can heal them first to get the clean version.
The End of Fire. Find the Eyes of a Fire Keeper behind an illusory wall in the dark version of Firelink Shrine, reached after the Untended Graves. Give them to the Fire Keeper and exhaust her dialogue. After the Soul of Cinder, summon her with the sign beside the bonfire and watch the cutscene. You also need Oceiros out of the way, since he guards the route to the Untended Graves.
The betrayal variant. Do everything for The End of Fire, but attack the Fire Keeper during the final moments of the cutscene. This ending has no trophy of its own.
The Usurpation of Fire. The long one, built around three NPCs:
- Recruit Yoel of Londor near the Foot of the High Wall bonfire and ask him to draw out your strength five times at Firelink Shrine (one request per two deaths) before you kill the Abyss Watchers.
- Follow Anri of Astora from the Halfway Fortress to Firelink, then the Catacombs of Carthus (say no, and never tell her Horace's location), Smouldering Lake (kill Horace), the path before High Lord Wolnir and the Church of Yorshka fire. Do not kill the assassin disguised as a statue there.
- After Pontiff Sulyvahn, speak with Yuria at Firelink until she sends you to the Darkmoon tomb. Perform the wedding there and use the Pilgrim's sword on your spouse for more Dark Sigils.
- Defeat the Soul of Cinder and touch the flame. Do not summon the Fire Keeper if you gave her the eyes, and never cure your hollowing through her after the Fire Keeper Soul is in play.
The wiki also describes a way to enable all four in a single run, but it relies on backing up your save between attempts, which is easiest on PC. On console, most players simply take a second or third playthrough. Our Dark Souls 3 bosses guide shows where Oceiros and the four Lords sit on the route.
Choices You Need to Lock In Early
Several endings hinge on decisions made hours before the final boss. If you want a particular finale, these are the points to remember:
- Dark Souls: visit Kaathe in the Abyss before you hand the Lordvessel to Frampt if you want his side of the story. The final choice itself only happens after Gwyn.
- Dark Souls II: talk to the Scholar of the First Sin at each of his appearances and defeat Vendrick before you go to the Throne of Want, or Aldia will not show up.
- Dark Souls III, End of Fire: beat Oceiros, reach the Untended Graves and bring the Eyes back to the Fire Keeper before the Kiln.
- Dark Souls III, Usurpation: start with Yoel before the Abyss Watchers and follow Anri closely, because a wrong answer or a skipped visit can end the questline.
None of these steps is difficult on its own. The trouble is that the games never remind you, so it is easy to reach the last boss and realize the ending you wanted is already gone for that cycle.
What the Endings Mean Together
Read side by side, the trilogy's endings argue about one thing: whether the Age of Fire should be kept alive. Wikipedia sums up the first game's choice as linking the flame to preserve the Age of Fire or letting it die out to begin the Age of Dark. The second game asks the question again but refuses to answer it, and Aldia's ending suggests stepping outside the choice altogether.
The third game gives the fullest set of answers. Wikipedia describes the Ashen One's options as rekindling the First Flame, letting it fade, or claiming its power for yourself, which map neatly onto Link the First Flame, The End of Fire and The Usurpation of Fire. Playing them in order makes each finale land harder, which is one reason we recommend the release order in our Dark Souls games in order guide.
Replaying Drangleic With Everything Unlocked
Seeing Aldia's ending means another full run through Drangleic, and some players would rather do it with a fully stocked character. The store's Dark Souls II: SOTFS Ultra Modded Save is built for that. Its product page lists max souls plus a max-souls bloodstain in Majula, all weapons in various infusions, all armor at max upgrade with duplicates, mule rooms at Cardinal Tower with all spells except hexes, all gestures and covenant rings, most bonfires unlocked and all covenant ranks maxed.
It is for PS4 and PS5 only, and the game itself is not included, so you need your own copy of Scholar of the First Sin. Details are on the Dark Souls II ultra modded save page, and the rest of the range is in the Dark Souls store section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the true ending of Dark Souls?
The game does not name one. To Link the Fire is the default, and The Dark Lord is the alternative tied to Kaathe; which is "true" is a matter of interpretation.
How do you get the Dark Lord ending?
Defeat Gwyn and walk out of the arena without touching the final bonfire.
How many endings does Dark Souls 3 have?
Four: To Link the First Flame, The End of Fire, the betrayal variant of The End of Fire, and The Usurpation of Fire. Three have trophies.
Does Dark Souls 2 have multiple endings?
Yes, in Scholar of the First Sin. You can take the Throne of Want or, after meeting Aldia's conditions, leave through the fog gate.
Can you miss the Usurpation of Fire ending?
Easily. Killing the Abyss Watchers before Yoel draws out your strength, or entering the catacombs too early, ends his questline.
Do I need to beat Oceiros for the End of Fire?
Yes. The wiki lists Oceiros as required for that ending, because the Eyes of a Fire Keeper are found past the Untended Graves route he guards.