As a passionate Elden Ring player with over 500 hours of gameplay, I‘ve extensively tested endless rune farming strategies. Acquiring runes quickly is mandatory for strengthening your Tarnished against lethal foes like Malenia and Radahn.
However, you risk losing all progress on death. You must balance high yield locations with lower chance of demise.
In this definitive guide, I will share the most efficient rune farming approaches uncovered in my adventures through the Lands Between.
Why High Rune Acquisition Matters
Let‘s examine why farms that rapidly accumulate runes are so essential:
Swiftly Gaining Levels
Defeating enemies grants you runes (this world‘s currency) to level up your character. More runes means faster level gains and attribute point allocation.
Higher levels allow equipping elite weapons and spells with steep stat demands. Quick leveling also provides more HP, stamina, FP and equipment load capacity.
Meeting Gear Requirements
The unique armaments you discover often have high Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Faith requirements.
Runes let you invest enough points to wield these rare weapons and sorceries.
Boosting Offensive Power
Leveling offensive attributes like Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence increases your damage output. You can cut down enemies faster to earn even more runes.
Reducing Risk
Runes farmed allow you to level Vigor. This governs your health pool and defenses, greatly reducing your risk of dying and losing progress.
Respec Flexibility
You can respec (reallocate) all your attributes via Rennala at the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Farming surplus runes means you can fluidly experiment with new builds.
In summary, rune acquisition speed correlates directly with your character‘s power growth to overcome challenging battles.
Risks & Mitigation Tactics
While essential, rune farming has major downsides worth covering before detailing locations:
Loss of Rune Stash on Death
Dying causes you to leave behind all runes gathered since your last level up or spend. This loss can be massive from farming.
Upon death, your rune stash appears as a glowing pile on the ground. You have one chance to recover by returning there without dying again en route. Fail and they vanish permanently!
Mitigation: Bank runes regularly by spending / leveling up to secure your progress.
Loss of Arc & Consumables
Die twice without retrieving your runes, and you also lose your equipped Rune Arc buff. These precious consumables provide big stat boosts.
Repeated deaths could mean consuming the limited crafting materials needed to make more.
Mitigation: Craft surplus Run Arcs when you have materials. Be extremely cautious if you have an active Rune Arc to avoid losing it.
Progress Setbacks
Losing hundreds of thousands of runes could negate hours of farming. This can be deeply frustrating and demoralizing.
You may even consider manipulating your save file to recover losses. But this will forfeit achievements / trophies.
Mitigation: Mentally prepare for failures and factor periodic losses into your farming time estimates.
Top Rune Farming Strategies & Locations
I‘ve categorized my top discoveries into early game, mid game and end game options below.
Choose approaches that match your progress level and risk tolerance. I‘ve included maps and statistics on each as well.
I recommend periodically spending your farmed runes via level ups and gear purchases to bank progress.
🗡️ Early Game Locations
These entry-level farming spots work best for Tarnished around levels 30-70. Yields may feel small late game but provide a helpful jumpstart when you‘re under-powered.
Stormhill Evergaol:
- Level Range: 30+
- Location: Liurnia Lakes
- Runes per Run: 15,000
- Runs Per Minute: 2
- Total Per Minute: ~30,000+
This hidden path in Stormhill leads to an easy Imp Spirit boss fight, rewarding 15,000+ runes and resetting fast.
At lower levels, Rock Sling gravity magic can crush its health bar quickly while remaining safe at range. Melee builds should two hand their weapon for max damage, baiting its dive bomb attack then punishing.
While 30,000 runes per minute may seem low compared to late game, it massively accelerates early progression. Just 1-2 levels higher makes a big difference facing relentless demigod boss attacks.
Gatefront Ruins Grace Site:
- Level Range: 20+
- Location Limgrave, Outside Stormveil
- Runes per Run: 5000+
- Runs Per Minute: 2
- Total Per Minute: 10,000+
These ruins packed with soldiers and knights become available very early. Isolated clears reward 1000+ runes per soldier and 5000+ per knight.
Pull enemies out one by one with throwing knives / spells. Melee builds should two hand their weapon again for max damage.
The troll boss yields over 10,000 but pulls nearby enemies. I suggest withdrawing and despawning small enemies to solo focus its health bar.
At just level 20+ you can farm quick levels here to attempt Margit. Gathering 10,000 per minute early on makes a massive difference against relentless boss combos.
Third Church of Marika:
- Level Range: 80+
- Location: Mountaintops of the Giants
- Runes per Run: 100,000+
- Runs Per Minute: 1
- Total Per Minute: 100,000+
This endgame area may seem counter-intuitive for early farming. However, you can skip battling formidable giants and ride north grabbing runes from passive suicide jumps.
Grouped crow enemies will fling themselves off cliffs netting 1000+ runes each. Against the Golden Scarab talisman you easily earn 100,000+ runes quickly without any combat.
While only manageable around level 80+, this remains highly efficient. Farm up a few quick levels before returning to your current progression point stronger.
⚔️ Mid Game Locations
After defeating Morgott, mid game opens up more advanced farming opportunities.
I recommend a minimum level of 100 before attempting these encounters:
Palace Approach Grace Site
- Level Range: 100+
- Location: Leyndell Royal Capital
- Runes per Run: 100,000
- Runs Per Minute: 1
- Total Per Minute: 100,000+
This legendary spot becomes available after defeating Morgott in Leyndell. Easy access to a Site of Grace respawn allows repeatedly collecting 100,000+ runes per run from the suicide bird.
I can consistently down this creature in under 3 seconds using my Bleed Bandit build‘s weapon skill. Against the Golden Scarab talisman, that already nets 167,000 runes per minute!
This is my personal choice through mid game. With reasonable risk, you rapidly strengthen your Vigor and offensive attributes.
Dragonbarrow Caelid:
- Level Range: 120+
- Location: Caelid Dragonbarrow
- Runes per Run: 100,000
- Runs Per Minute: 1
- Total Per Minute: 100,000
Sprint across this bloody battlefield to trigger a spectacular fight between dragon Greyoll and two Lesser Erdtree Burial Watchdogs. If you lead the Watchdogs to Greyoll, they can actually defeat him!
Sit back at a safe distance and watch the colossal creatures battle, culminating in an instant windfall of 100,000+ runes from Greyoll‘s demise.
Simply fast travel back to the Site of Grace to quickly respawn and repeat. This awards you 300,000 runes every 3 minutes purely for manipulation without personal risk.
Of course, dying means dropping hundreds of thousands of runes in an instant. Bank your earnings by spending them often.
🏆 Late Game Locations
In end game areas, you can leverage AI weaknesses for astronomical rune profits. Beware the higher likelihood of massive loss from repeated deaths however.
Sparkling Crystal Tunnel Mohgwyn Palace
- Level Range: 150+
- Location: Underground Mohgwyn Region
- Runes per Run: 15,000
- Runs Per Minute: 4
- Total Per Minute: 60,000+
This hidden path filled with non-hostile albinaurics is perfect for area-of-effect spells. My recommended setup:
- Weapon: Staff of Loss, Carian Regal Scepter
- Spells:
- Terra Magicus
- Azur‘s Comet
- Shard Spiral
Group the albinaurics together with Terra Magicus then decimate them instantly with your longest range / widest AOE spells.
Timing my Azur‘s Comet perfectly eradicates 5+ enemies at once for 15,000+ runes on average. Simply jump off the cliffs after collecting to respawn at the Site of Grace in seconds.
At just 20 second cycles, it works out to over 300,000 runes every 10 minutes!
Palace Approach Cliff Jump
- Level Range: 200+
- Location: Leyndell, Royal Capital
- Runes per Hour: 300,000+ AFK
- Method: Enemies Jump Off Cliffs
Perhaps the most broken mechanic is manipulating enemy behavior to commit suicide off cliffs…automatically granting you their runes.
By strategically getting stuck against collision near cliffs, you can "AFK" farm while sleeping or away. Both field enemies and Erdtree Avatar bosses continually walk off edges.
This awards 8000 – 20,000 runes non-stop. Over just 8 hours AFK while you sleep, that‘s 2.4 million free runes!
The obvious risk comes from returning to finding your character also died somehow, losing an astronomical rune stash. But the rewards may justify it.
Optimizing Runs With Summons & Multiplayer
While solo farming has higher risk, some tactics can help:
Spirit Ashes:
- Tanky summons like Lhutel the Headless can draw aggro
- Ranged spirits provide safe dps like Greatbow, Fanged Imps, Sorcerers
- Mimic Tear summon (self); devastating with right build
Cooperative Phantoms
- 2+ coop players speed clears & boost safety
- Distribute aggro across team rather than solo
- Share site access for more farming worlds
- Combine rewards and share hauls!
Just beware overconfidence with buffers. Stay focused as any death loses all runes farmed!
I highly recommend rotating different farm locations too. This reduces boredom while allowing periodic rune spending to secure progress.
Becoming Elden Lord Through Efficient Farming
While rune grinding may feel monotonous or exploitative at times, it undeniably prepares your Tarnished for the relentless trials ahead.
If you wish to conquer Malenia, Slave Knight Gael, Red Wolf of Radagon and more, obtaining the power needed requires mastering various farms.
I hope my guide has revealed efficient, rewarding and sustainable approaches. Optimizing your farms based on current progress and acceptable risk results in a smooth ascent to lordship.
Tread carefully, learn enemy movesets, fight courageously and you shall become Elden Lord!
Please let me know which strategies worked best in your journey below. And if you discover any superb new locations, I‘d be thrilled to test them!
