Enterprising Elden Ring Players Take to eBay to Sell In-Game Runes

Elden Ring has launched to overwhelmingly positive reviews, but not everyone is happy with the game’s difficulty curve as it feels too similar to Dark Souls. Players still have to farm currency for upgrades, weaponry, armor, spells, and potions, similar to previous FromSoftware games. So, players have decided to take matters into their own hands. 

Thanks to the steep difficulty in Elden Ring, runes, the in-game currency, will be in demand as the enemies get more challenging and resources start to cost more. That’s why you can now find people selling these runes on eBay for real money. This might seem like an easy way to earn cash, but it also comes with a certain degree of risk. 

Runes are used to help level up your character and can be farmed in-game through various methods. There are some ways that can help you farm a lot really quickly as well.  

However, it seems players are still looking for the easiest possible way. Players can now find millions of runes offered in bundles on eBay, most likely farmed from duplication glitches and deposited via multiplayer servers.  

As is the case with buying anything online, not all the sales have been legitimate, and players have been scammed out of their money for nothing in return. 

Bandai Namco’s TOS guidelines provide all the legal rules applied to this scenario,

No Player shall be entitled to […] sell to or buy from another […] any of his/her rights held as a Player, and items, characters, and saved data within the game related to the Software which are obtained in the Services (including so-called ‘real money trading’).

Bandai Namco

This buying and selling of runes go against the TOS, so those participating risk being banned from the game entirely. 

Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that he did not intend for Elden Ring to be so difficult that it might turn away gamers. So, those looking to get the shortcut to upgrades by purchasing runes are being criticized by other players. Online retailers have also stated they would ban accounts found selling Elden Ring runes. 

About Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a major title released by FromSoftware in 2022, the developers of Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls franchise. Set in the ‘Lands Between’,  players are on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.

Shadow of the Erdtree is a full-fledged expansion for Elden Ring added in June 2024. It is a whole new map with new Weapons, Sorceries, Ashes, and Craftables. It is a challenging DLC and as players continue to explore the map, they find surprises and easter eggs left by the developers every day.