Elden Ring hides a significant portion of its achievement list to protect players from narrative spoilers. These hidden achievements, often referred to as secret trophies, cover the game's major boss encounters, legendary collection milestones, and the various paths the Tarnished can take to mend—or burn—the Elden Ring. While the base game features 42 achievements in total, the most prestigious ones are tucked away behind complex questlines and obscure geographical locations.

Crucially, players should note that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion does not add any new achievements or trophies to the list. The path to the Platinum trophy or 1000 Gamerscore remains tied strictly to the base game content. This means you do not need to venture into the Land of Shadow to achieve 100% completion, though the power gained there can certainly make some of the harder base-game bosses more manageable.

Understanding Hidden Achievements in Elden Ring

In Elden Ring, an achievement is "hidden" simply as a platform-level setting on Steam, PlayStation, or Xbox. It does not mean the achievement is inherently more difficult to track in-game than others; it just prevents you from seeing the title and description until it is unlocked. Most of these involve killing Shardbearers or reaching specific endings.

How to Reveal Hidden Achievements on Your Platform

If you prefer to know exactly what you are aiming for, you can manually reveal these details. On Steam, navigate to your library, click on Elden Ring, and select "View Global Achievement Stats." This shows every achievement regardless of your personal progress. On PlayStation, selecting a hidden trophy and pressing the Square button will reveal its information. On Xbox, you can view achievement details and select "Reveal Hidden Info."

However, knowing the name of the achievement is only half the battle. Many of these require dozens of hours of preparation and a keen eye for missable items.

The Three Major Ending Achievements

There are three achievements tied to the game's endings. While there are six variations of endings in total, they are grouped into three achievement categories. To get all three in a single playthrough without "save scumming," you would need three full runs. However, if you are playing legitimately across multiple journeys, understanding the triggers for each is vital.

1. Elden Lord

The "Elden Lord" achievement is the most common and can be achieved through four different mending runes: the standard ending, the Age of Order (Goldmask’s quest), the Blessing of Despair (Dung Eater’s quest), and the Age of Fracture (Fia’s quest). For the purpose of the achievement, any of these four will trigger the unlock.

In my experience, players often overcomplicate this. If you simply follow the main path, defeat the Elden Beast, and touch the Fractured Marika without having completed any major NPC side quests, you will receive this achievement by default.

2. Age of the Stars

This is arguably the most popular ending, tied to the Lunar Princess Ranni. Unlocking this hidden achievement requires completing one of the longest and most intricate questlines in FromSoftware history.

To secure this ending:

  • Meet Ranni at the Three Sisters after defeating Royal Knight Loretta in Caria Manor.
  • Defeat Starscourge Radahn to grant access to Nokron, Eternal City.
  • Retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade from Nokron and give it to Ranni.
  • Travel to Ainsel River Main via the portal in Renna's Rise, pick up the Miniature Ranni, and speak to it at a Site of Grace.
  • Defeat the Baleful Shadow near Nokstella.
  • Defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void.
  • Use the Discarded Palace Key (obtained from the Baleful Shadow) to open the chest in the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria to get the Dark Moon Ring.
  • Proceed past Astel's arena to the Moonlight Altar and place the ring on Ranni's finger in the Cathedral of Manus Celes.

After defeating the final boss, you must interact with the blue summon sign on the ground rather than touching the Fractured Marika.

3. Lord of Frenzied Flame

This is the "chaos" ending and is technically the most restrictive. To unlock this, you must descend into the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell. After defeating Mohg, the Omen, you must navigate a harrowing platforming section behind a secret altar.

At the bottom, you must remove all your armor and interact with the Three Fingers. This marks your character with the Frenzied Flame. If you finish the game with this mark, you are locked into this ending unless you use Miquella's Needle in the arena of Dragonlord Placidusax to cleanse yourself. In my testing, I recommend doing this ending last or on a dedicated "evil" run, as it significantly changes the endgame atmosphere and Melina's dialogue.

Hidden Boss Achievements: The Shardbearers and Legends

While many bosses like Margit and Godrick are mandatory, several hidden achievements are tied to optional bosses that are incredibly easy to miss.

Malenia, Goddess of Rot

The fight against Malenia is widely considered the pinnacle of Elden Ring’s difficulty. To even find her, you must find both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion. One half is held by Albus (disguised as a pot in the Village of the Albinaurics), and the other is found in Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants after defeating Commander Niall.

Once you have the medallion, use it at the Grand Lift of Rold to enter the Consecrated Snowfield, solve the puzzle in Ordina, Liturgical Town, and finally descend the Miquella’s Haligtree. Defeating her yields a hidden trophy and her Great Rune.

Dragonlord Placidusax

This boss is hidden in a literal "pocket of time." In Crumbling Farum Azula, near the "Beside the Great Bridge" Site of Grace, you must take an elevator down, exit the building, and head toward the cliffs. Look for a series of rocky platforms you can drop down to. Eventually, you will reach a large architectural fragment where the prompt "Lie Down" appears. This teleports you to the arena of the Dragonlord. Missing this is common because the path is completely obscured from the main progression route.

Lichdragon Fortissax

This boss achievement is tied to Fia’s questline. You must progress her dialogue in the Roundhold Table, receive the weathered dagger, and give it to D. After D is murdered, Fia moves to the Deeproot Depths. You must find her there, give her the Cursemark of Death (found on the Divine Tower of Liurnia during Ranni’s quest), and enter the "Deathbed Dream" by interacting with her sleeping body after exhausting her dialogue.

The Four Legendary Collection Achievements

Four of the most time-consuming hidden achievements involve collecting "Legendary" items. You do not need every item in the game, only the specific ones designated as legendary.

Legendary Armaments

There are 9 Legendary Armaments. WARNING: One of these is highly missable.

  1. Grafted Blade Greatsword: Dropped by Leonine Misbegotten in Castle Morne.
  2. Sword of Night and Flame: Found in a chest in Caria Manor.
  3. Ruins Greatsword: Dropped by the duo boss (Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight) at Redmane Castle after Radahn is defeated.
  4. Marais Executioner's Sword: Dropped by Elemer of the Briar in the Shaded Castle.
  5. Dark Moon Greatsword: Awarded at the end of Ranni’s questline.
  6. Devourer's Scepter: Dropped by Knight Bernahl. You can kill him early in Limgrave or defeat his invader form in Farum Azula.
  7. Golden Order Greatsword: Dropped by the Misbegotten Crusader in the Cave of the Forlorn (Consecrated Snowfield).
  8. Eclipse Shotel: Found in the Church of the Eclipse in Castle Sol.
  9. Bolt of Gransax: Found in Leyndell, Royal Capital. This is the missable one. You must grab it before defeating Maliketh, the Black Blade. Once the capital turns to ash, this weapon disappears from the world.

Legendary Talismans

There are 8 Legendary Talismans required for the achievement:

  1. Radagon Icon: In Raya Lucaria Academy, near the Red Wolf of Radagon arena.
  2. Radagon's Soreseal: Found in Fort Faroth (Caelid).
  3. Godfrey Icon: Dropped by Godefroy the Grafted in the Golden Lineage Evergaol (Altus Plateau).
  4. Moon of Nokstella: Found in a chest at the highest point of Nokstella, Eternal City.
  5. Old Lord's Talisman: Found in a chest in Crumbling Farum Azula, near where Bernahl invades.
  6. Marika's Soreseal: Found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, behind a Stonesword Key door.
  7. Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, in a chest above the drainage channel.
  8. Erdtree's Favor +2: Found in the Ashen Capital. After Leyndell is destroyed, head back from the Forbidden Lands toward the city. It’s on a courtyard guarded by three Ulcerated Tree Spirits.

Legendary Sorceries and Incantations

There are 7 required for this achievement:

  1. Flame of the Fell God: Dropped by Adan, Thief of Fire in the Malefactor's Evergaol (Liurnia).
  2. Greyoll's Roar: Purchased at the Cathedral of Dragon Communion after defeating Elder Dragon Greyoll in Caelid.
  3. Elden Stars: Found in Deeproot Depths, near the Great Waterfall Crest.
  4. Founding Rain of Stars: Found in Heretical Rise (Mountaintops of the Giants) after crossing an invisible bridge.
  5. Ranni's Dark Moon: Found in Chelona's Rise (Moonlight Altar), requires solving the "three wise beasts" puzzle.
  6. Comet Azur: Given by Primeval Sorcerer Azur in Mt. Gelmir.
  7. Stars of Ruin: Given by Master Lusat in Sellia Hideaway (Caelid) after starting Sellen’s quest.

Legendary Ashen Remains

There are 6 required for this achievement:

  1. Lhutel the Headless: Dropped by the Cemetery Shade in Tombsward Catacombs (Weeping Peninsula).
  2. Black Knife Tiche: Dropped by Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader in the Ringleader's Evergaol (Moonlight Altar). In our tests, this is one of the hardest solo fights in the game due to Alecto's speed.
  3. Mimic Tear: Found in a chest behind a Stonesword Key door in Nokron, Eternal City.
  4. Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff: Dropped by the Ancient Hero of Zamor in Sainted Hero's Grave (Altus Plateau).
  5. Cleanrot Knight Finlay: Found in a chest in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
  6. Redmane Knight Ogha: Dropped by the Putrid Tree Spirit in the War-Dead Catacombs (Radahn’s arena).

Missable Content and the Point of No Return

The most important aspect of a 100% hidden achievement run is the "Point of No Return." In Elden Ring, this point is the defeat of Maliketh, the Black Blade in Crumbling Farum Azula.

Before you defeat Maliketh, you must ensure:

  • You have collected the Bolt of Gransax from the giant spear in Leyndell.
  • You have collected the Barlow's Mask (if you care about items) or any other Leyndell-specific loot.
  • You have progressed any NPC quests that rely on the capital being intact (like Goldmask's initial positions).

If you miss the Bolt of Gransax, you cannot get the Legendary Armaments achievement without entering New Game Plus or having another player drop the item for you. However, achievements in Elden Ring are character-bound, so collecting it on a second character will also work, though it’s much easier to do it all on one.

Strategy for 100% Completion (The Platinum Roadmap)

For those looking to minimize the grind, I suggest the following roadmap:

  1. Limgrave & Liurnia: Focus on Ranni’s quest early. This opens up the Eternal Cities where many legendary items are hidden.
  2. Caelid: Defeat Radahn to progress Ranni’s quest and the Mimic Tear.
  3. Altus Plateau & Leyndell: Get the Bolt of Gransax. This is your primary objective before leaving for the mountains.
  4. Mountaintops of the Giants: Clear Castle Sol for the medallion half and get the Founding Rain of Stars.
  5. The Haligtree: This is the hardest area. Defeat Malenia and collect the Legendary items here (Finlay, Dragoncrest Greatshield, Marika's Soreseal).
  6. Farum Azula: Defeat Bernahl for the Devourer's Scepter and locate Dragonlord Placidusax.
  7. Endgame Cleanup: Before the final boss, ensure you have all 8 Talismans, 9 Weapons, 7 Spells, and 6 Spirit Ashes.
  8. Backup Saves (Optional): If on PC or using cloud saves on console, you can back up your save after the final boss but before touching the statue. This allows you to trigger all three ending achievements in one go by reloading the save.

Summary of Key Hidden Achievements

Achievement Category Total Key Difficulty/Missability
Endings 3 Age of Stars is the longest quest; Frenzied Flame is the most restrictive.
Legendary Bosses 16 Malenia and Placidusax are the most hidden/difficult.
Legendary Armaments 9 Bolt of Gransax is missable after Maliketh.
Legendary Talismans 8 Several are in late-game Haligtree/Ashen Capital areas.
Legendary Sorceries 7 Requires Sellen's and Ranni's quests.
Legendary Spirit Ashes 6 Black Knife Tiche is the hardest to earn (Alecto fight).

Conclusion

Unlocking every hidden achievement in Elden Ring is a testament to a player's thoroughness and mastery of the Lands Between. The journey takes you from the lowest depths of Siofra River to the highest peaks of the Haligtree. By prioritizing the missable Bolt of Gransax and following Ranni’s questline, you can secure the most difficult trophies in a single, comprehensive run. Whether you choose to become the Elden Lord or usher in the Age of the Stars, the satisfaction of that final "Platinum" notification is the ultimate reward for your perseverance.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to play the DLC to get 100% achievements? A: No. Shadow of the Erdtree has zero achievements. All requirements are within the base game.

Q: If I accidentally get the Frenzied Flame, am I locked out of other ending achievements? A: Yes, unless you complete Millicent's questline, defeat Malenia, and use Miquella's Needle at Dragonlord Placidusax's arena to cleanse yourself.

Q: Can I get the Legendary Armaments achievement by having a friend drop the weapons for me? A: Yes. If another player drops the legendary weapons for you and you pick them up, the achievement will trigger. This is a common shortcut for the missable Bolt of Gransax.

Q: Do I need to collect every single spell in the game? A: No, only the 7 specific "Legendary" Sorceries and Incantations listed in the achievement description.

Q: Is there a difficulty setting that affects achievements? A: No, Elden Ring has one unified difficulty. Your achievements are the same whether you use spirit summons or play solo.