Many of the major bosses in Elden Ring drop Great Runes, mythical artefacts that can be activated at Sites of Grace to offer powerful, if limited buffs. We'll take a look at where to find them, and how to farm the Rune Arcs needed to power them up.

FromSoftware doesn't do a very good job of explaining some of its more useful systems, and one of those is how to use Great Runes. This guide will cover everything players need to know about this interesting piece of loot.

Level Up

Elden ring runes are one of the most important resources in Elden Ring, used to Enhance Weapons and Gear as well as level up Attribute points. Leveling up Attributes is essential, as each new attribute point increases your attack power and maximum Equip Load.

Elden ring runes can be acquired by killing monsters, selling unwanted items to Merchants and reclaiming them after death. However, players should keep in mind that any runes they drop during gameplay will disappear unless they reclaim them before dying again.

Getting an early head start on the respec system is a good idea as the game progresses, especially after you have completed Stormveil Castle and defeated Godrick the Grafted. To do so, players will want to make sure they have unlocked Torrent the spectral horse and found the Gatefront Site of Grace. The Gold Scarab Talisman can also be acquired here, boosting rune acquisition by 20%. Additionally, the Missionary’s Cookbook can be crafted here, increasing rune rewards by 30% for three minutes.

Upgrade Weapons

In addition to leveling up your character, you can also use runes to upgrade weapons and armor. This increases their damage and scaling, making them more effective at dishing out or taking on the enemy. This can be done at any site of grace after meeting Melina.

To upgrade your weapon, you'll need regular Smithing Stones and the corresponding type of Great Rune (for instance, Normal weapons require Normal Smithing Stones while Special ones require Somber). You can find these in bulk at various tunnels around the world.

You can also earn a few by helping players in cooperative action like killing demigod bosses. Great Runes are permanent items that confer powerful buffs once Activated at a Site of Grace. These are best saved for difficult bosses that you know you can beat with a little more help. To activate a Great Rune, visit the Anvil at the Church of Elleh or the ruins past the Tree Sentinel and interact with it.

Upgrade Armour

In Elden Ring, runes are the general currency of the game, used to level up your character, upgrade weapons and gear at a Blacksmith or buy items from merchants. They're also essential to overcoming some of the most challenging bosses and unlocking the highest damage potential for your armaments.

Enemies throughout the Lands Between are a reliable source of runes and sometimes drop Golden Rune Consumables, which can be eaten to increase your reward from defeating them. Certain bosses will also award a significant bounty of runes upon their defeat.

One of the best early and mid-game elden ring runes farming spots is Castle Redmane in Southern Caelid, which is full of fire-wielding knights and monstrous dogs that you can kill for a generous amount of runes without even engaging in combat. Using a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot will earn you an additional 30% in rune rewards for about three minutes. A Great Rune arc can be used to increase your rune bonus for an hour, but it's best saved until you reach the later stages of the game and are looking to maximize your potential.

Upgrade Shields

In addition to leveling and weapon upgrading, players will need to upgrade their armour and shields in order to dish out a higher amount of damage. The upgrade system in Elden Ring is very similar to previous FromSoftware titles, with Smithing Stones and Runes acting as the main currency for the upgrade system.

During the course of the story, players will encounter a number of Great Runes, which are scattered across the game world and grant the player powerful buffs. Great Runes can be restored at the Divine Tower of Limgrave in the region that they were dropped, after the boss that they were dropped by has been killed.

Players will also need to keep a close eye on their inventory, as selling items for Runes will only net the player a paltry sum of Runes, which can often be far better spent elsewhere in the game. For this reason, Polygon recommends only ever selling equipment when absolutely necessary.