So, you want that shiny platinum trophy for Elden Ring. I get it. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing that "100%" next to a game this massive. But let’s be real—The Lands Between are huge, and if you aren't careful, you’ll end up wandering around for 200 hours only to realize you missed one tiny legendary spear and now you have to start all over again.
Honestly? You don't need to do that. You can basically wrap the whole thing up in a single, very thorough playthrough if you know which corners to peek into.
The Elden Ring Trophy Guide Roadmap
Most people think they need three separate runs because there are three main ending trophies: Elden Lord, Age of the Stars, and Lord of Frenzied Flame. Here is the secret: save scumming. On PlayStation, you just disable auto-sync for your cloud saves, beat the final boss, upload your save to the cloud before touching the statue, do one ending, and then download the save to do the others.
If you're on PC, you just copy-paste your save file from the AppData folder. It's way faster than playing the entire game again.
What’s Actually Missable?
Believe it or not, very little. Elden Ring is surprisingly forgiving for a FromSoftware game. Most bosses are just waiting in their caves forever. But there is one big "gotcha."
The Bolt of Gransax.
This is a legendary armament found in Leyndell, Royal Capital. If you beat the boss Maliketh in Crumbling Farum Azula before grabbing this spear, the capital turns to ash, and the spear is gone. Period. You’ll have to go into New Game+ just for that one trophy. Don't be that person. Grab it as soon as you kill Godfrey's golden ghost.
Tracking the Legendary Items
You need to collect four specific sets of things for the "Legendary" trophies. You don't need every single item in the game—just these specific ones.
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- Legendary Armaments: There are 9 of these. Most are boss drops or found in chests, like the Sword of Night and Flame in Caria Manor.
- Legendary Ashen Remains: You need 6. Black Knife Tiche and the Mimic Tear are the big ones here. You'll get most of these just by doing Ranni’s questline.
- Legendary Sorceries and Incantations: There are 7. Some are hidden behind puzzles, like Ranni's Dark Moon, while others are dropped by optional bosses like the Greyoll’s Roar.
- Legendary Talismans: 8 total. Be careful with these; some are in late-game areas like the Haligtree. The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman is a lifesaver anyway, so you’d want it regardless of the trophy.
The Bosses You Can't Ignore
Most of the trophies are just "Defeat [Boss Name]." While you only need to kill about 12 bosses to finish the game, the platinum requires a lot more.
You’ve got to hunt down Shardbearers like Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Yeah, she’s as hard as everyone says. Bring a mimic tear or some serious patience. You also need to find hidden bosses like Dragonlord Placidusax in Farum Azula. To find him, you literally have to lie down in a specific spot near the tornado. It's weird, but that’s FromSoft for you.
Handling the Endings
To get all three ending trophies in one go, you have to do some prep work.
- Age of the Stars: Complete Ranni the Witch’s entire questline. It’s long, it involves a lot of blue NPCs, and you’ll end up in an underground city.
- Lord of Frenzied Flame: You need to go deep into the sewers of Leyndell. Like, really deep. Past the "Subterranean Shunning-Grounds." Once you meet the Three Fingers, you are "locked" into this ending unless you use Miquella's Needle to undo it.
- Elden Lord: This is the "default" ending. Just mend the Elden Ring.
If you are going for the save-scum method, do everything except touching the Three Fingers first. Get to the end, backup your save, do the Ranni and Elden Lord endings, then go down to the sewers, get grabbed by the fingers, and finish the Frenzied Flame ending last.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Platinum Run
If you’re just starting or halfway through, here is what you should do right now to stay on track.
- Check your inventory for the Bolt of Gransax. If you haven't killed Maliketh yet, go to Leyndell and get it now. It’s sitting on the giant golden spear sticking out of the city.
- Start Ranni's Quest. Talk to the miniature doll at the Ainsel River Main site of grace three times. Most people forget to talk to the doll and think the quest is bugged. It’s not; she’s just being stubborn.
- Don't kill Patches. Seriously. He has a questline that leads to some great gear, and while he’s not strictly required for a trophy, he makes getting some legendary items easier.
- Upgrade one weapon to +10 or +25. This triggers the "God-Slaying Armament" trophy immediately. You'll need a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone or a regular Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which are limited per playthrough.
Once you have the legendary items and the bosses down, the rest is just cleanup. It's a grind, but honestly, it’s one of the most rewarding platinums out there because it actually forces you to see the coolest parts of the game.