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How to Use Great Runes in Elden Ring

By Noam Radcliffe

The Demi-Gods of Elden Ring drop Great Runes on death.
The Demi-Gods of Elden Ring drop Great Runes on death. / Courtesy of FromSoftware/Bandai Namco, Screenshot by Noam Radcliffe

Great Runes can be a massive boon to players, providing powerful benefits no other item in the game can mimic. Fair enough, as they can only be obtained through defeating the seven bosses central to completing the game's story: the Demi-Gods. Rewards for such difficult wins should be strong.

Unfortunately, Great Runes can't be used as soon as they've been obtained. Players have to take each through an activation process tied to a separate location in the same region. If you didn't figure that out on your own, you're not alone — Elden Ring isn't very clear about it. Regardless, if you want to take advantage of those Great Runes, you'll have to follow these steps.

How to Activate Great Runes

Once you've killed the Demi-God in a region — Godrick in Limgrave, Radahn in Caelid, and so on — you'll receive their Great Rune. Next you'll need to bring that Great Rune to the region's Divine Tower. These are in different locations for each region, and have different requirements for getting inside.

Godrick's is the easiest to access; it's attached to Stormveil Castle, and can be reached by porting to the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace, following the Divine Bridge to the waygate at its end, and climbing the tower on the other side. Once you reach the top, you'll be able to activate the Great Rune.

How to Use Rune Arcs in Elden Ring

Now that your Great Rune has been activated, you can equip it at a Site of Grace. To actually receive its benefits, however, you'll need to use a Rune Arc. Navigate over to the first page of your internet and scroll down until you see the Rune Arc. Select it, and select Use. This will proc the Great Rune, bestowing its benefits until you die.

Rune Arcs are rare drops from rats, but the most reliable way to farm these items up is through multiplayer. Killing a boss when summoned as a cooperator, or killing a host when invading as a Bloody Finger, will yield a Rune Arc. Repeat ad infinitum, and you'll never be short of Rune Arcs, making sure you enjoy maximum Great Rune benefits.