Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s biggest game to date and is filled to the brim with things to do and places to explore. They have taken the open-world formula and added that FromSoftware finesse, putting it apart from the typical game in the same genre.
Not only the game has that rich lore and overall progression that they are so expert at creating, but there is so much side stuff to do that one can easily lose track of the main quest.
Talking about the main quest, from the moment you step out of the tutorial dungeon, you will be presented with the vast green pastures of Limgrave, and the majestic Erdtree will tower over everything in the great distance.
If you wish to progress further in the story, the player is forced to burn the Erdtree. There aren’t any alternate ways to progress, so it’s best to wait until you’ve done all the tasks that will be impossible once it’s burned.
Do You Have To Burn The Erdtree In Elden Ring?
When you look at the Erdtree and receive your instructions from Melina, you will realize that it’s an ever-present beacon to remind you that this is where you must go constantly.
The most important purpose of your tarnished life is to reach the base of the tree, face whatever challenge awaits you, and enter the tree to make a great impact on the Lands Between.
Spoiler Ahead!
Once you reach the Erdtree and have fought all the bosses in your path, you will be barred from entering the tree by thorns. Here you will be instructed by Melina that to bypass this barrier; you must burn the Erdtree using the Great Forge in the Mountaintops of the Giants.
After a grueling journey through the snow-covered peaks, you will reach the forge and burn the tree teleporting you to the Crumbling Farum Azula and triggering the endgame.
We won’t go into much detail as this might ruin your game’s story, but burning the tree is necessary to end the game and something you will have to do eventually.
Although once you have burned the Erdtree, some changes will occur in the world that are not reversible, and some would even stop you from accessing certain areas.
And considering this is the end game, you should be prepared and have completed or explored everything you might have missed.
Luckily the game doesn’t end directly after the burning of the Ertree, and you will have the freedom to check things off your list before the actual end.
1. Explore Leyndell, Royal Capital
The most apparent change to the Lands Between is that the Leyndell Royal Capital will be completely covered under a bed of sand and transformed into Leyndell, Ashen Capital.
This transformation will render much of this location unexplorable, meaning that many of the items and areas will be lost to you.
So if you don’t want to miss out on any of this missable stuff, we recommend you fully explore the Capital before you burn the Erdtree.
2. Complete Unfinished Questlines
Much of Elden Ring’s side/character questlines are tied to specific events and progression in the game. In true FromSoft fashion, the game doesn’t explicitly tell you the trigger points for progressing these quests, so you have to be very vigilant when talking to the NPCs.
One questline’s ending of Goldmask and Brother Corhyn is closely related to the burning of the Erdtree, so you must have done all the prerequisite steps before the burning to get the ending.
This goes for every other questline, too, so be sure to complete them before stepping into the end game, or else you will miss out on some important things.
3. Opt in for a Specific Ending
Speaking of important items and quests, there are a total of 6 endings in the game that require certain quests to be completed.
As burning the Erdtree is the trigger point of the end game, you must be certain what endings you will opt for, and to do so, you must have completed the required quest line.
4. Explore as Much of the Map as You Can
The world of Elden Ring is huge, and every nook and cranny holds some secret, like hidden bosses and items like weapons and armor sets.
Before you burn the Erdtree and end the game, it is best that you must have explored as much of the map as you can. Otherwise, you will have to start over from scratch. Some items in the game are only available once per playthrough, so it is advised to get them as soon as possible.