In the vast and treacherous world of Elden Ring Nightreign, runes serve as the lifeblood of your journey. They are the currency that fuels your growth, allowing you to level up, purchase essential items, and enhance your gear. Whether you’re a seasoned Tarnished or a newcomer to the Lands Between, understanding how to efficiently gather runes can significantly impact your adventure.
One of the most effective methods to amass runes is by unlocking Evergaols using Stonesword Keys. These keys are rare consumable items that grant access to Evergaols—mysterious arenas housing formidable foes. Defeating the bosses within these arenas can yield substantial rune rewards, often around 20,000 runes, along with rare weapons or passive abilities.
Stonesword Keys can be found in chests, boxes, or purchased from merchants, albeit at a steep price of 6,000 runes each. Given their single-use nature and the fact that they don’t carry over between matches, it’s crucial to use them wisely. To locate an Evergaol, look for filled gray circles on your map. Upon reaching one, interact with the nearby Imp Statue to summon a boss. Remember, each Evergaol can only be accessed once, so plan your battles strategically to maximize your rune gains.
Enhancing Rune Acquisition with Key Items
To further boost your rune farming efficiency, certain items can be invaluable:
- Golden Scarab Talisman: This talisman increases the number of runes earned from defeated enemies by approximately 20%. It’s obtained by defeating the Cleanrot Knights in the Abandoned Cave located in the Caelid region. While the journey to acquire it is perilous, the benefits it provides make it a worthy endeavor.
- Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot: A consumable item that boosts rune acquisition by 30% for three minutes. You can craft it using the Missionary Cookbook, which is available for purchase from a certain vendor. Combining this with the Golden Scarab Talisman can significantly enhance your rune farming sessions.
Optimal Rune Farming Locations
Selecting the right location is paramount for efficient rune farming. Here are some of the best spots:
- Mohgwyn Palace: Accessible in the late game, this area is renowned for its high rune yields. By utilizing the Sacred Relic Sword’s Wave of Gold skill, you can swiftly eliminate groups of Albinaurics, earning over 5 million runes per hour. This is one of the most efficient methods in the game for endgame farming.
- Zamor Ruins: Located in the Mountaintops of the Giants, this area features Zamor Knights that drop over 5,000 runes each. With the right equipment and strategy, you can accumulate approximately 500,000 runes per hour here. The enemies are strong, but the rewards are well worth the risk.
- Bestial Sanctum: For early to mid-game players, this location offers a steady rune income. By defeating the Vulgar Militiamen, each dropping around 1,000 runes, you can easily earn up to 14,000 runes per run with minimal danger. The route is short and efficient, making it a great starting grind spot.
- Redmane Castle: A unique and creative strategy here involves simply observing the ongoing battle between knights and beasts. From a safe distance, let them fight it out. As they kill each other, you collect the runes without lifting a finger. It’s slow, but risk-free and oddly satisfying.
Additional Tips for Maximizing Rune Gains
- Time Your Battles: Sometimes enemies will spawn with glowing golden eyes. These special variants drop five times the usual amount of runes when defeated. Keeping an eye out for them, especially at night, can lead to huge gains with little extra effort.
- Weather Effects: Occasionally, a special golden-leaf weather event may occur. During this time, you gain an extra 5% rune bonus from all enemies. It’s subtle, but when combined with other buffs, it makes a noticeable difference.
- Chain Kill Bonuses: Defeating multiple enemies in quick succession can trigger a bonus where each kill adds more runes to the next. Maintaining your momentum in high-density areas is a great way to maximize this effect.
- Utilize Rune Arches: Scattered across the Lands Between, passing under certain rune arches grants a temporary bonus to rune acquisition. These effects stack with consumables and talismans, making it worthwhile to memorize their locations.
