Elden Ring Great Runes: Where To Find And Activate All Great Runes

Defeating Elden Ring’s shard-bearing bosses rewards you with powerful Great Runes, but these legendary items remain inactive until you complete a crucial activation process. Many players experience frustration when they discover their hard-earned rewards provide no immediate benefits, requiring additional steps to unlock their full potential.

Each major demigod you conquer drops a unique Great Rune that offers substantial stat bonuses when properly activated. These enhancements range from attribute boosts to specialized abilities, but they share a common activation requirement: visiting the corresponding Divine Tower. Before these towers, your Great Runes function merely as inventory items with no gameplay impact.

To utilize an activated Great Rune, you must first equip it at any Site of Grace, then consume a Rune Arc—a limited consumable item that prevents permanent stat advantages. The activated benefits persist until your character dies or you switch to a different Great Rune, creating strategic decisions about when to deploy these powerful buffs.

Elden Ring’s world contains multiple Divine Towers scattered across different regions, each corresponding to specific Great Runes obtained from regional bosses. These imposing structures often require complex navigation through dangerous areas, with some towers becoming accessible only after meeting specific story progression milestones.

The Limgrave Divine Tower serves as your likely first activation point for Godrick’s Great Rune. This massive structure connects to Stormveil Castle via an enormous bridge, though reaching it demands careful route planning and enemy avoidance tactics.

Other significant towers include the Divine Tower of Liurnia for Rennala’s Great Rune, Caelid’s Divine Tower for Radahn’s reward, and the isolated Divine Tower of East Altus for Morgott’s rune. Each presents unique access challenges that test your exploration skills and combat avoidance capabilities.

Begin your journey to activate Godrick’s Great Rune at the Liftside Chamber Site of Grace in Stormveil Castle’s northwest section. This starting position places you strategically behind the castle’s defensive emplacements, including fire turrets and archer positions that guard the main gate approach.

From the Liftside Chamber, move past the defensive positions toward the left path leading to the main entrance. Rather than engaging the numerous enemies stationed here, employ sprinting tactics to conserve resources and avoid unnecessary combat encounters.

After passing through the initial gate, you’ll encounter a narrow pathway guarded by crossbow-wielding enemies firing explosive projectiles. Maintain your sprinting momentum through this hazardous section, as stopping to fight significantly increases danger without meaningful reward.

Upon clearing the second gate, identify the grassy area to your left that leads into a building structure. A formidable lion enemy patrols this area but won’t pursue you indoors, allowing safe passage. Navigate through the building and ascend the staircase to discover the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace—your checkpoint before the final approach.

The bridge ahead features three colossal golems: two axe-wielding guardians followed by a third armed with a massive bow. Behind the archer golem awaits a teleportation gate that transports you directly to the Divine Tower’s entrance.

The tower doors respond only to characters carrying inactive Great Runes. Once inside, ride the elevator upward, pass through the open archway, activate the interior Site of Grace for future access, then climb the stairs to the summit. At the peak, interact with the floating Great Rune above the two deceased fingers to permanently activate Godrick’s Great Rune, granting +5 to all attributes when active.

Mastering Great Rune usage involves strategic timing and resource management. Since Rune Arcs represent limited consumables, deploy them during particularly challenging boss fights, difficult area clears, or invasion scenarios where the stat advantages provide maximum impact. Avoid wasting them on routine exploration or areas you’ve already mastered.

Consider activating multiple Great Runes before embarking on extended play sessions. This preparation allows you to switch between different stat profiles without additional tower visits, adapting to varying combat situations. For comprehensive character development strategies, consult our Class Guide to optimize your build synergy.

Common activation mistakes include attempting tower access without the corresponding Great Rune, misunderstanding Rune Arc mechanics, or activating runes too late in your playthrough. Many players unnecessarily struggle through mid-game content without these valuable buffs, significantly increasing difficulty.

Advanced players should coordinate Great Rune activation with weapon upgrades and talisman selections. Godrick’s +5 all-attributes bonus particularly benefits hybrid builds using multiple damage stats, while other runes offer specialized advantages for specific playstyles. For weapon optimization alongside rune activation, explore our Weapons Unlock guide for complementary strategies.

Begin your journey to activate Morgott’s Great Rune by locating the eastern Site of Grace within the capital city. From this checkpoint, chart a northeastern course through the industrial district characterized by extensive earthworks and construction debris. Persist eastward until encountering an ancient spiral staircase carved from stone. Ascend to discover an elevator mechanism that transports you to an upper level.

Proceed directly forward to find a secondary structure housing another elevator. Ride this upward to reach a crucial Site of Grace—this serves as your preparation point for an imminent boss encounter. After activating this checkpoint, return downstairs and identify the alternate bridge structure. Commence your crossing while maintaining heightened awareness.

At the bridge’s midpoint, the environment will suddenly shift to complete darkness, triggering the Fell Twins boss battle. These dual adversaries present coordinated attacks—one brandishes a fiery axe while their counterpart wields a blazing sword. Overcoming this challenging duo requires strategic positioning and timing. Upon victory, continue toward the imposing Divine Tower structure.

Locate the Site of Grace positioned before the tower entrance. Enter the structure and utilize the internal elevator to reach the upper levels. At the summit, interact with the mystical sigil etched into the rooftop to awaken Morgott’s Great Rune. This powerful artifact substantially enhances your maximum health capacity by approximately one-quarter, providing significant survivability benefits throughout your journey.

Securing Rykard’s Great Rune necessitates defeating the formidable Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, who resides within Volcano Manor on Mt. Gelmir in western Altus Plateau. Players can approach this encounter through two distinct pathways, each with unique advantages and requirements.

The direct approach involves thorough exploration of Volcano Manor’s treacherous architecture. Navigate upward through the castle’s multiple tiers to eventually discover the Audience Pathway, which leads directly to the boss arena. This method demands exceptional combat skills and environmental navigation abilities.

Alternatively, engage with the manor’s inhabitants and accept membership into their organization. This initiates a sequential assassination mission series where you’ll receive three letters directing you to eliminate specific NPCs throughout the Lands Between. Successfully completing all three contracts prompts Lady Tanith to offer immediate teleportation to the Audience Pathway, bypassing much of the dungeon’s challenges.

Following Rykard’s defeat, transport his Great Rune to the Divine Tower of West Altus. This activation site lies south of Lyndell and is exclusively accessible via the Sealed Tunnel network situated just beyond the capital’s outer fortifications.

The Sealed Tunnel presents a mining complex filled with deceptive illusory walls that must be revealed through physical interaction—either weapon strikes or rolling maneuvers. The initial concealed passage appears immediately after entering the mine’s first chamber on the right flank, strategically positioned behind a treasure chest. Veteran explorers recommend attacking every suspicious wall section to ensure no hidden paths are overlooked.

After revealing the first illusion, descend deeper via elevator into the mine’s lower levels. Advance carefully across a natural tree bridge to encounter the subsequent false barrier. Dispel this obstruction and continue progression into an expansive cavern featuring an enormous tree branch spanning the space with a lower area containing valuable items.

Critical navigation tip: The primary route forward requires precise movement across the tree branches toward the left-side opening. Should you accidentally fall to the lower level, a conveniently placed ladder returns you to the chamber’s starting point, preventing complete progression loss.

The first tunnel is hidden by an illusory wall, behind this chest.

Beyond the next doorway lies a staircase obstructed by dense vegetation. Carefully drop from the platform to the right side and maintain straight-line advancement. This area contains dangerous stone cluster enemies that detonate upon proximity—maintain distance or eliminate them quickly. At the chamber’s extremity, you’ll discover a precipice with multiple descending branches. Use these as natural platforms to carefully descend to the pit’s base.

Proceed through the emerging opening to arrive at the dungeon’s boss entrance. If navigation becomes challenging, employ continuous wall attacks or seek guidance from other players’ messages indicating illusionary wall locations.

The Sealed Tunnel’s guardian is the formidable Onyx Lord—a towering, unarmored combatant wielding an enormous sword and commanding gravity-based sorcery. This enemy appears elsewhere as elite opposition, so learning its patterns here provides valuable combat experience. Upon defeating the Onyx Lord, progress through the rear archway leading to the exterior environment. Critical reminder: Avoid using the dungeon return entrance option as this would prevent accessing the Divine Tower.

Following the established pattern, enter the Divine Tower structure and ascend via the internal elevator mechanism. At the summit, follow the designated pathway to the tower’s peak where you can finally activate Rykard’s Great Rune. When properly equipped and activated, this rune provides continuous health restoration with each enemy elimination, creating sustainable combat momentum.

Morgott’s Great Rune delivers a substantial 25% maximum health increase, dramatically improving survivability against formidable bosses and challenging encounters. This benefit remains active until death or voluntary deactivation.

Strategic application of these runes significantly alters gameplay dynamics. Morgott’s enhancement allows more aggressive playstyles by providing larger health reserves, while Rykard’s restoration effect enables extended exploration and combat endurance. Many experienced players combine these runes with complementary talismans and armor sets to maximize their defensive capabilities.

For optimal results, activate Great Runes before engaging particularly difficult boss battles or exploring high-risk areas. The health benefits can mean the difference between victory and defeat when facing the game’s most challenging content. Remember that rune activation requires consuming a Rune Arc, so strategic timing of activation becomes crucial for resource management.

To acquire Malenia’s powerful Great Rune, you must first overcome one of Elden Ring’s most challenging encounters against Malenia, Blade of Miquella. This formidable boss resides deep within the Great Haligtree at the Haligtree Roots location, positioned in the northernmost region of the game world. Reaching this area demands completing the intricate puzzle sequence in Ordina, Liturgical Town, which becomes accessible only after utilizing both halves of the secret medallion at the Grand Lift of Rold.

Pro Tip: Before engaging Malenia, ensure you have equipment upgraded to maximum levels and consider bringing weapons with bleed or frost buildup, as she’s particularly vulnerable to these status effects. Many players underestimate her second phase transition, so maintain distance when her health drops below 75% to avoid the devastating Scarlet Aeonia bloom attack.

Once you’ve emerged victorious against Malenia, your next objective involves journeying to the Isolated Divine Tower for activation. This secluded structure connects to the Divine Bridge within Leyndell, Capital of Ash. If you haven’t previously unlocked this location, the most efficient approach utilizes a teleportation trap chest positioned at the summit of the Tower of Return, found in the Weeping Peninsula region.

The transportation chest at the Tower of Return’s peak provides direct conveyance to the Divine Bridge area. Upon arrival, you’ll notice an inactive golem resting on the ground surface. Positioned to the left of this dormant construct awaits a teleportation gateway that instantly transfers you to the Isolated Divine Tower’s entrance.

Common Mistake: Many players waste time attempting to reach the Divine Tower through conventional means when the teleporter offers immediate access. Additionally, ensure you’ve progressed Farum Azula sufficiently, as the Capital of Ash version of Leyndell only becomes available after specific story milestones.

After teleporting to the Isolated Divine Tower, proceed inside and locate the central elevator mechanism. Ride this lift to the upper levels, then follow the linear pathway until you reach the tower’s rooftop area. Here, at the activation altar, you can finally empower Malenia’s Great Rune, unlocking its unique combat capabilities.

Navigation Note: The path contains minimal resistance, but watch for environmental hazards near the edges. The activation process is instantaneous and doesn’t consume any resources, though you’ll need to equip the rune at a Site of Grace and use a Rune Arc to activate its effects during gameplay.

Malenia’s Great Rune introduces a transformative gameplay mechanic that enables health recovery through offensive actions. When activated, any damage you sustain creates a brief window during which attacking enemies converts a portion of that lost health back into recovered HP. However, this aggressive playstyle comes with strategic tradeoffs—your Flask of Crimson Tears becomes less efficient, restoring reduced amounts of health per consumption.

Advanced Strategy: This rune excels in builds focused on relentless aggression and sustained combat pressure. Pair it with fast-hitting weapons or abilities that allow you to maintain constant offensive output. The health recovery mechanic particularly shines against groups of weaker enemies where you can chain multiple attacks quickly. For maximum effectiveness, balance your flask usage timing and consider supplementing with additional healing options like incantations or talismans that enhance health regeneration.

For comprehensive gameplay optimization, consult our Weapons Unlock guide to discover armaments that synergize with this aggressive playstyle. Understanding proper Class Guide selections can further enhance your build’s compatibility with Malenia’s Great Rune mechanics.

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