In most Soulslikes, you can reasonably say you beat the main game when you complete its principal progression and reach a main ending or final objective. Optional bosses, quests, collectibles, achievements, alternate endings, and downloadable content (DLC) are separate goals unless the particular ending or objective you chose requires them.
Because Soulslikes do not share one completion standard, say what you mean: the main story, a specific ending, all achievements, every optional boss, or a named completion checklist. Also clarify whether you mean the base game or an expansion.
What does “beating a Soulslike” usually mean?
For a straightforward answer, use the main route and a principal ending or final objective as the baseline. In a game with a final boss and credits, reaching that point is a reasonable threshold for saying you beat the main game. It is an informal convention, not a genre-wide rule. Some games do not have conventional credits or a single ending; in those cases, identify the game’s final objective and the threshold you used.
Players may use “beat” and “finish” differently. In one Reddit discussion about Soulslikes, a participant described beating a game as defeating its last boss and seeing the credits, while using finishing for the broader goal a player sets, such as clearing all bosses or reaching 100%. That is an example of player language, not a survey or binding definition. Read the discussion.
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Which kind of completion do you mean?
These goals overlap, but none automatically implies all the others. Naming the target makes a claim such as “I finished it” much clearer.
| Completion target | What it means | Clear way to describe it |
|---|---|---|
| Main story | Complete the principal progression and reach the main ending or final objective. | “I beat the main game.” |
| Specific ending | Meet any extra requirements for one chosen ending, including relevant side content. | “I got the Age of Duskborn ending.” |
| Achievements or trophies | Earn the achievements or trophies defined by the game and platform. | “I got all achievements.” |
| Completionist checklist | Complete a stated list of optional bosses, quests, collectibles, equipment, areas, or other goals. | “I cleared all optional bosses on this checklist.” |
| Expansion | Finish a named DLC story, or complete a separately stated checklist for it. | “I finished Shadow of the Erdtree.” |
When does side content matter?
Optional content can add bosses, rewards, lore, and substantial questlines without being a prerequisite for the main route. It may still matter if you want a particular ending or reward, or if your own completion goal includes it.
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Elden Ring’s main goal and optional exploration
Bandai Namco describes Elden Ring’s overarching goal as becoming Elden Lord, while also presenting exploration, mini-dungeons, bosses, rewards, and NPC questlines as parts of the experience. The publisher notes that NPC questlines can advance as the player progresses. This illustrates why optional content can be extensive or time-sensitive without making every quest a universal requirement for beating the main game.
A quest tied to a chosen ending
Fia’s questline is an example of optional content becoming relevant to a specific goal: PC Gamer’s walkthrough connects it to the Age of Duskborn ending. If that is the ending you want, its required steps matter; if your goal is simply to reach another principal ending, that does not make Fia’s quest a general requirement. See the Fia questline walkthrough.
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Are all achievements the same as 100% completion?
No. Achievements and trophies are a target defined by a particular game and platform; a completionist checklist is a target chosen by whoever made the checklist. Either may include content that the other leaves out.
For example, a Steam Community guide to Elden Ring achievements says that collecting every spell and weapon is not required for all achievements, though selected legendary items and achievements for different endings are. That describes the guide’s account of Elden Ring’s achievement requirements, not a rule for every game or every platform.
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By contrast, Tarnished Forge’s Elden Ring tracker chooses a broader 100% scope that includes bosses, equipment, spells, NPC questlines, and achievements. That is one tracker’s convention. When someone says “100%,” ask which list they mean—or state the categories in your own claim.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does beating the base game include DLC?
Not by default. A player can complete a base game’s main route without completing its expansion. Elden Ring’s official site describes Shadow of the Erdtree as adding weapons, equipment, skills and magic, enemies, boss encounters, and plotlines. Treat expansion completion as a separate scope unless you explicitly mean the base game plus that DLC.
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How to describe your completion precisely
- Name the scope: say “main game,” a specific ending, achievements or trophies, a named checklist, or the expansion.
- State any extra target: if you cleared optional bosses or followed a particular questline, name that rather than implying every optional task is required.
- Identify the checklist when claiming 100%: say whose checklist you used or list its categories, since there is no universal Soulslike standard.
For instance, “I beat Elden Ring’s main game and got the Age of Duskborn ending” communicates both the principal-game milestone and the side-content-dependent ending without claiming every item, boss, or achievement is complete.
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