Like the souls in From Software’s previous open-world RPG game, Dark Souls, runes are a currency in Elden Rings. More importantly, they’re necessary to help you upgrade your character. Moreover, it’s essential to spend your runes as quickly as you get them, as you can lose them effortlessly in a jarring game like Elden Ring.
Players can obtain runes by defeating enemies, but it’s most definitely a time-taking process.
You can easily farm runes by visiting particular locations in Elden Ring, such as the Gatefront Ruins, Secluded Cell Troll, Erdtree-Gazing Hill encampment, First Mt. Gelmir Campsite, and Nokstella. These locations are famous for their high concentration of runes and proximity to Sites of Grace.
Here’s a guide to the rune-rich locations and ways to grab the resources that’ll help you level up and unlock new spheres of potency.
1Location – Gatefront Ruins
Gatefront Ruins are a rune-farming location with decent abundance and the one you’re probably going to come across the earliest. This encampment is in Limgrave, the region where you’ll find the first map fragment of part of Limgrave and the first Whetstone knife.
Note: The Whetstone knife in Elden Ring helps players apply affinities to their weapons.
Additionally, it’s pretty easy to deal with soldiers in this area, and the best way is by sneaking up on them one by one. However, it’s advisable to avoid the two soldiers guarding the central path. Also, keep the patrolling knight to take on last because he can turn out to be a worthy foe.
Lastly, a visit to this encampment should send you back home with 1500 runes. If you’re on a winning streak, you may challenge the two soldiers and the Troll for an additional 1300 runes.
2Location – Secluded Cell
The Secluded Cell located in Stormveil Castle is the last Site of Grace you’ll come across before coming face-to-face with Godrick the Grafted, the first Great Rune holder of Elden Ring.
In addition to that, it’s an early-game rune-farming spot due to the Troll guarding the cell. Killing him and nearby soldiers will earn you an easy 1000 to 1500 runes.
Thanks to the adjacent Site of Grace, players can reset the whole scenario in short order to farm effectively.
3Location – Erdtree-Gazing Hill Encampment
Once players are halfway into the game of Elden Ring, they’ll gain access to the four-stage rune-rich encampment east of the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Site of Grace located in Altus Plateau.
Defeating the soldiers, ballista operators, the Pumpkin Head, and the horseback rider will reward you with a whopping 8000 runes. On top of that, you’ll gain the opportunity to grab a few decent weapons and armor drops from the dead.
The ideal way of navigating this encampment is to start by killing the three soldiers out in front. Go around the left, climb the rocks and stab them in the back. Then, defeat the Pumpkin Head and ultimately the horseback knight rider.
4Location – First Mt. Gelmir Campsite
The First Mt. Gelmir Campsite is another decent mid-game rune-farming encampment. It’s directly adjacent to the Site of Grace, located in Mount Gelmir.
Murdering the soldiers here will make you richer by around 5000 runes. Luckily, it’s bizarrely easy to kill the enemies in this region as most of them will be standing with their backs turned at you. Furthermore, it’ll permit you to greet them with a few spectacular backstabs.
5Location – Nokstella, Eternal City
After reaching the other side of the underground Ainsel region, players will run into the enormous city called Nokstella.
In order to reach the rune-abundant site, start progressing from the region’s Site of Grace and proceed to the stairs nearby. Defeat the soldiers in front of you.
Then, you’ll come across lots of black electric sludge beings gathering together and heading towards you. Upon dying, these creatures will explode and deal damage to kill their siblings. Consequently, you’ll learn to create chain reactions through the sludges.
Besides, it’s a great opportunity to farm 4000 runes at once. Kill one sludge and set off a chain reaction to kill all the other sludges. Subsequently, go to the nearby Site of Grace and reset in order to return and farm another 4000 runes by repeating the whole process.
It’s by far the best site to farm runes in Elden Ring.
6. 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.
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