Runes are unquestionably the most precious resource to gather in Elden Ring. First, you need to use Runes to upgrade your character and increase your stats, increasing your chance of surviving the game’s many deadly encounters. However, runes are also the main currency of the Lands Between, meaning you must spend them to buy resources from the many merchants you find during your journey.
No matter where you are in the game, you will always need more Runes to access new Spells, Weapons, Armor, and crafting materials. So, since you risk losing all your precious runes every time you die, sometimes it makes sense to take some time exclusively for farming. Finding the best spot to farm Runes can be tricky, though, so we’ve prepared a list of the best places. This list includes early-game and endgame spots while underlining passive strategies best suited for less confident Tarnished.
Updated June 29, 2024, by Zackary Wiggs: Arise fellow Tarnished! There is a new challenge in the form of Shadow Of The Erdtree. The mysteries of Marika and her companions await, but they won't come easily. While there are ways to upgrade your arsenal and skills in the Land Of Shadow, it's never a bad idea to step back and farm some runes for a good old-fashioned level-up. Thankfully, you don't have to work terribly hard, as there are some great places to go, and with little effort, you'll watch your rune counter rise quite quickly.
10 Troll Hunting At Stormgate
Don't Let Them Gatekeep
During your first hours of Elden Ring, you’ll meet a handful of merchants with plenty of goodies you should buy. Since you are still learning the game’s mechanics, the first hours also represent the moment when you lose Runes more often. The solution to this problem is learning how to properly kill Trolls.
There is a group of Trolls north of the Stormgate, each dropping 1,000 Runes when slayed. To get to them, teleport to the Site of Grace and head south. It can be intimidating to tackle these brutish beasts in the early game, but Trolls are somewhat slow, and fighting them will also teach you how to dodge attacks.
Before farming for Runes, you should use a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot, which increases your Rune gain by 30 percent for three minutes. While it is rare to find Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot, you can craft it after buying the Missionary's Cookbook [2] from Patches.
9 Passive Farming In Liurnia
Lakeside Rune Farming
If fighting enemies is still giving you some trouble, there’s an early spot that allows you to make some runes without lifting your sword. If you go to the Liurnia North Road Site of Grace and keep heading north, you’ll witness a battle between spectral soldiers and specters. Get enough for them to start fighting, and just wait for the Runes of fallen enemies to come to you automatically.
This method is as safe as it can get in Elden Ring, but it doesn’t grant you too many Runes. Still, it can give a small boost for beginners trying to survive the Lands Between.
You don’t need to kill any boss to get to Liurnia. You can simply take the road on the right side of Stormveil Castle to bypass the first Legacy Dungeon completely.
8 Thumb Wrestling On The Mountaintop
Bring A Coat
The Mountaintop Of The Giants is one of the later places you visit in the main game, and while it is somewhat sparse, there are some good places to farm runes on those snowy peaks as long as you don't mind bringing Torrent into the fray.
On the southeastern side of the main mountain, there are a "handful" of trolls, some monstrous crows, and fingercreepers. They don't often get along, which means that you can often stand by while they defeat one another.
There are also a few of the smaller fingercreepers around the area if you feel the need for even more runes. It's best to approach all of these creatures on horseback as they can usually knock you prone or grapple you rather easily.
Nearby there are also a few fire monks if you want to push your luck. Be careful though, they can easily mob you.
7 Dropping The Ball At Lenne’s Rise
Just Like Indiana Did
Southwest of Lenne’s Rise, on the path that takes you under the bridge, a giant ball is conjured out of thin air to push you from the ledge. It’s a dangerous trap that will take you by surprise the first time you cross it. However, since balls are living creatures in Elden Ring, you can also use them to farm some Runes.
Standing near the ledge when the ball shows up and rolling to the side at the last moment makes it fall to its demise. This will give you 1,952 Runes without any buff, a great number for a process that takes only a few seconds to repeat.
6 The Battle Of Redmane Castle
Which Side Are You On?
In the area right before Redmane Castle, there’s a fierce battle happening between knights and the beasts of Caelid. That means you can score passive Runes by watching the two groups slay each other.
For this farming method, just teleport to the Impassable Greatbridge Site of Grace and take the road in the opposite direction of the castle. Then, just wait as knights and beasts kill each other, granting you their Runes.
If you feel comfortable exploring the rot-infested wastelands of Caelid, you should look for the Abandoned Cave.
Beating its boss grants you the Golden Scarab Talisman, which increases your Rune gain by 20 percent.
5 Slaughter At The Bestial Sanctum
Go Beast Mode
From the Bestial Sanctum, you can take the road south until the bridge, slaying all the Vulhar Militiamen you find in your path. These small creatures can be easily killed with just a few hits, each dropping 1,023 Runes.
The Bestial Sanctum farming spot is great because it has you doing something instead of waiting for Runes to drop. Yet, the Vulgar Militiamen are easy to dispose of, meaning they are a good practice target for beginners. The main issue with that strategy is that you must kill Black Blade Kindred to clear the Bestial Sanctum road.
4 Raising Stormveil Castle
A Real Castle Crasher
This is a better option for later in the game, but Stormveil Castle's interior can be a surprisingly good place to get a lot of runes rather fast thanks to the sheer number of enemies that appear there. Plus, it can be fun to go back and see how much stronger you've become.
At earlier levels, they can be a pain, but once you're further into the game, many of the enemies can be taken out in one or two hits. Be aware, though, that some of the enemies, like the arbalists, can still pack a punch if you get caught in a bad spot.
3 Burning Windmill Village To The Ground
Behold, Giant
Once you get to Altus Plateau, you gain access to the Windmill Village, where you find the Celebrant enemies. These enemies keep dancing happily until you get too or attack them. That gives you a good window to cast powerful spells or use area attacks to wipe out many enemies before they notice your presence.
The Celebrants drop a large amount of runes, which, allied to their unique behavior, makes them an easy target. In addition, since you’ll be well-equipped when you get to Altus Plateau, there’s no need to fear these enemies.
While slaying the Celebrants of Windmill Village, watch for the Celebrant weapons they drop. These weapons grant some runes every time you hit an enemy and can speed up your rune farming a bit.
2 Stealth-Farming At Haligtree
The Assassin's Approach
A great endgame spot for farming runes in the Haligtree, an optional Legacy Dungeon filled with powerful creatures. While the enemies on the Haligtree pack quite a punch, you can easily farm them thanks to backstabs.
After teleporting to the Prayer Room Site of Grace, head North and walk through the parapets. Almost all the enemies on this path are looking away from where you come, opening them to backstabs.
Since you’ll have endgame weapons by the time you get to the Haligtree, you can easily dispose of these enemies with a single hit. Since each enemy drops between 2,000 and 3,000 Runes, this path can quickly give you thousands of Runes while letting you hone your skills.
1 Albinauric Slaughter At Mohgwyn Palace
The Lord Of Blood Approves
The best place to farm Runes is, by far, Mohg’s Palace. More specifically, by killing the group of Albinaurics that sleep next to the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace. These Albinaurics will only attack you if you can’t kill them in a single hit. However, since Mohg’s Palace is an endgame location, slaying them all in one hit shouldn’t be too hard.
The best weapon to use against the Albinaurics is the Sacred Relic Sword. This sword’s unique Weapon Art destroys the Albinaurics in a few seconds. However, since you must kill the Elden Beast to get this weapon, you can also use the Starscourge Greatswords’s Weapon Art or the Hoarfrost Stomp.
Each Albinauric drops 4,700 Runes without any kind of boost. So, by repeatedly whipping out a whole pack repeatedly, you can get millions of Runes in just a few minutes. Not bad to fully upgrade your Tarnished.
