In a nutshell, the Tarnished player's goal is to fix the Lands Between. Often, this involves partaking in quests to help people. But in true Soulsborne fashion, not all the NPC-related quests are rewarded with triumph. Some end up either in flames or the player ends up pushing them to their demise.
By then, it's already too late; they have become the enabler of misfortune-- a walking disaster in the Lands Between (with exceptions). Pretty standard for a Soulsborne game, honestly. But if players don't want to end up feeling like troublemakers or worse-- villains, then they ought to be mindful of these quests. As always, be wary of spoilers.
9 Boc The Seamster's Questline
The "proper" ending for Boc's questline isn't exactly heartbreaking. But it's so easy to ruin the quest where Boc ends up dead. Because it turns out, Boc has some self-esteem issues stemming from his being a demi-human albeit a modest and more intelligent one compared to his kin.
Boc deemed his appearance unworthy of being a royal seamstress for the players once they start racking up Great Runes. So, he subjects himself to Rennala's rebirth and even asks for the player's opinion regarding the matter. If players let Boc's insecurity get the best of him, then he'll end up a dead husk since the rebirth process for regular people never goes well. Turns out the solution is obscure: players will have to procure the "You're beautiful" Prattling Pate item and use it on Boc.
8 Sellen's Questline
Sorceress Sellen might be morally corrupt, but one has to admit she has her own charm and seems to have genuine affection for the player's character. Her plan to take over Raya Lucaria Academy also didn't seem too harmful since Rennala was out of order and Ranni was busy playing with dolls. Someone needed to take charge.
Sellen did, but she was briefly met with something that looks like a curse since she literally turned into a giant stone ball who couldn't move or speak as soon as she took over Raya Lucaria. Some speculate that it was Ranni's prank or way of disapproving Sellen. Sure enough, the players are also a part of this and inadvertently drove Sellen to this predicament. There goes magic mommy.
7 Smithing Master Hewg's Questline
It's not really much of a questline as Master Hewg's unfortunate amnesia is a repercussion of the players burning the Erdtree, but the interaction is a lot more tragic if players completed Roderika's mini-quest. Because she'll look after Master Hewg throughout an apocalyptic event and won't leave his side.
The sad part is that Master Hewg doesn't even remember Roderika or the players due to his amnesia by the end of the game. All those fond memories and hesitant friendship with him were reduced to ashes along with the Erdtree. Worse still, is how players never got to share their victory with him, given the fact that he forged and upgraded the player's weapons with the intent of killing oppressive gods. It was a noble sacrifice on Hewg's part.
6 Ranni's Questline
Ranni's questline as a whole isn't exactly that sad; players get to marry her and have a unique queen who isn't beholden to the sanctimonious Greater Will. It's just that Ranni had to sacrifice a couple of valuable allies in the process of becoming a Lunar Queen.
The most notable casualty is Blaidd who was Ranni's most loyal subject. Blaidd went mad after Ranni slew her Two Fingers, and he had to be put down while agonizing over losing his purpose as Ranni's guardian. Meanwhile, Iji was abruptly killed by the Black Knife Assassins in a rather unceremonious death all because Ranni seems to have abandoned her servants to pursue her goal. The only fault they had was being too loyal.
5 Sorcerer Rogier's Questline
Rogier was a breath of fresh air in Elden Ring since he's one of the few NPCs who actually talk sense and converses normally with the players. Be it explaining some lore dumps or giving directions, Rogier was a sanctuary for the clueless. On top of that, he has a noble goal of helping maddened Tarnished by giving them the gift of death after they became maddened zombies from repeated resurrections.
Sadly, Rogier also caught a deadly condition called the Deathblight while poking around Godwyn's corpse hoping to advance his remedy for the Tarnished. Even so, he didn't let this condition get in the way of helping the players. He even bequeaths his trusty rapier and armor to the players knowing his demise was near. Most of all, he appreciated the moral compass of the players and trusted them. He died too early.
4 Iron Fist Alexander's Questline
Most Souls veterans probably expected Alexander's questline to end in tragedy given his lively and optimistic personality. Soulsborne games have this tradition where anyone too happy or upbeat gets a nasty fate. Alexander was no exception. His quest to become a warrior ended in vain.
Because by the time he reached Crumbling Farum Azula, he was no more powerful than the players. In a way, challenging the players to a deathmatch duel was his thinly-veiled goodbye after trying everything and still coming up short. Still, he was ever so noble with his praises and remained a humble warrior who deserved better. Getting his powerful talisman is a bittersweet achievement, all things considered.
3 Irina's Questline
Irina is a blind, innocent girl who only hoped to reunite with his busy father. What could go wrong? Well, it's a Souls game, so unfortunately for Irina, she gets dealt an abysmal hand. As soon as her father, Edgar makes up his mind to come back to Irina to take care of her, Irina gets killed by a misbegotten warrior.
To be honest, she was more or less courting death given her location in the Weeping Peninsula. If anything, it's the player character's fault for dismissing the safety of a blind and defenseless girl. To add insult to injury, Irina's body seems to have been possessed by Shabriri, the mad spirit of the Frenzied Flame, and it also seems Shabriri's agents drove Edgar mad.
2 Millicent's Questline
Millicent's story in Elden Ring is an existential plight where she strives to determine herself despite being predestined to become a crazed Rot Goddess like her mother. The few moments of her life after she was temporarily cured of her scarlet rot sickness were her happiest and most liberating moments.
It was during that fleeting respite in her life that Millicent also strived to cure her mother of the same malady that plagued her. Of course, Millicent died in the process of seeking independence and establishing her own self-determination. But at the very least, she died free.
1 Rya's Questline
Speaking of self-determination, Rya or Soraya is also another tragic tale. All her life, she thought she was born of a king's grace but had to hide her true appearance to be accepted. It was thanks to the players that Rya gradually found out that she was a mere result of an unholy and blasphemous union and that her existence doesn't mean much.
Crushed by this disillusion, Rya set out on her own journey to find her purpose and life's meaning. Her foster mother, however, had other plans and wanted to poison her and erase her memories. Had Rya been a deplorable character, she would have deserved it, but she's actually one of the compassionate souls in Elden Ring. It's one of those quests where the players will likely regret meddling; perhaps Rya would have been better off in her ignorant bliss? Maybe Margit was right about us being a foul Tarnished.
Elden Ring is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.