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Obtaining these Great Runes, and activating them, can be a challenge in and of itself, especially when embarking on a journey through The Lands Between at Rune Level 1. Through the use of a consumable Rune Arc, players will know true power to assist their Rune Level 1 adventure.
Updated November 23, 2022, by Jake Fillery: In the punishing Elden Ring, many might ask what is the best Great Rune in Elden Ring? Or, how many great runes are in Elden Ring? There are 8 Great Runes in Elden Ring, and the best Great Rune in Elden Ring depends on how the player likes their challenging experience. Playing the game as a Level 1 means the bare minimum stats, and a unique challenge awaits. The genius and skill of some players are frightening, but their skill increases withthe Great Runes Elden Ring. These best great runes Elden Ringwill be the perfect selection to stay at Level 1, whilst also improving the stats and abilities of their character.
8 Great Rune Of The Unborn
After defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, players will acquire the Great Rune of the Unborn. For a level 1, this rune is almost entirely useless and seeks no reward or advantage to the player. This is due to the rune allowing players to reset their Rune Level and swap around levels that they have obtained.
Since the player is embarking on a Rune Level 1 playthrough, this Great Rune will serve no use. It can be used for a sidequest or two, but none that are of complete importance, unless the player is also seeking a 100% playthrough of the game, adding an even greater challenge.
How To Get The Great Rune of The Unborn
To obtain the Great Rune of the Unborn, players will need to find and defeat Rennala Queen of the Full Moon. She is located at Raya Lucaria Academy in Liurnia of the Lakes. She can be a difficult boss, considering she is a Demigod Boss. However, the use of this Great Rune doesn’t have anything for a Level 1 player.
7 Phantom Great Rune
Upon use of Mohg’s Great Rune, and invading another player’s world, Rune Level 1 players will travel through online play to invade and conquer another player. This is also a rather useless rune, as the game’s matchmaking won’t allow for a Rune Level 1 player to invade a player with a higher Rune Level.
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Not only this, but it will require an online connection the entire time. Most online players can only be invaded if they have friends, which means it’s more than likely that a ‘Gank Squad’ will be awaiting the Level 1 player. This rune does allow for enemies to have boosted attack power upon blood loss occurring nearby, as well as the player’s HP recovering if an enemy defeats one of the other players.
How To Get The Phantom Great Rune
To obtain the Phantom Great Rune, players will need to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, found at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. After defeating this Demigod Boss, players will need to visit the Divine Tower of East Altus. Once activated at the fingers, players can invade other players for the PvP buffs to kick in.
6 Godrick’s Great Rune
With Godrick defeated, players can travel to Limgrave Tower Bridge to battle their way to The Divine Tower of Limgrave. Here, they will be able to restore the power of Godrick’s Great Rune and utilize its powerful ability with a Rune Arc.
Some may well consider Godrick’s Great Rune as cheating, as it will raise all attributes of the player by +5. Therefore, they have gained plenty of levels, but not at the expense of their own Rune investment. Players also lose these levels upon death and will be required to consume another Rune Arc.
How To Get Godrick’s Great Rune
Upon entering Stormveil Castle, players will need to reach its final room to find Godrick the Grafted. Once defeated, Godrick’s Great Rune will need to be activated. This can be achieved at the Limgrave Tower Bridge at Stormveil Castle. Following the path will lead players to a lift, and then to The Divine Tower of Limgrave, in which they can restore power to the Great Rune.
5 Mohg’s Great Rune
Traversing through the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum will have players encounter the demigod Mohg, Lord of Blood. Upon his death, Mohg’s Great Rune will be the latest treasure available to the player. This Great Rune grants The Blessing of Blood to phantoms.
This rune can be used alongside summoned spirits found from Spirit Ashes or Legendary Spirit Ashes. The effectiveness of these Great Runes makes it so that the player will heal 10% of health for every enemy killed by a blessed ally. Its usefulness isn’t great but can be an eager substitute if need be.
How To Get Mohg’s Great Rune
In the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, players will defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood. After this encounter, players need to reach the Divine Tower of East Altus, which can be located by following the Capital Outskirts ramparts toward the Forbidden Lands. Going southeast will lead players to the Divine Tower they seek, where they will encounter the Fell Twins, and then be able to activate Mohg’s Great Rune.
4 Rykard’s Great Rune
Amongst the children of Rennala and Radagon lies Rykard. This monstrous being fed himself to the blasphemous serpent to seek greater power than what was available. Once the player slays him, the Great Rune that the blasphemous serpent consumed will be for The Tarnished.
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Rykard’s Great Rune has the passive ability to grant the player HP upon the defeat of enemies. This is a useful Great Rune toward the start of the game, as enemy hits won’t immediately kill the player, and this Great Rune will allow their health to return without the use of healing items. However, toward the endgame, enemy hits will be far too powerful for this Great Rune to be of any use.
How To Get Rykard’s Great Rune
Players that want Rykard’s Great Rune will have to traverse through Mt. Gelmir. Here, they will encounter a powerful Demigod Boss known as Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy. Upon defeating this boss, players will need to travel to the Divine Tower of West Altus through the Sealed Tunnel to activate Rykard’s Great Rune.
3 Radahn’s Great Rune
Something that players will be in constant need of whilst venturing into The Lands Between is HP and Stamina. They will also need a great deal of FP if they choose to use magic at Rune Level 1. Thanks to the mighty demigod boss, Radahn, players can receive a Great Rune that increases maximum HP, FP, and Stamina.
At the top of the Divine Tower of Caelid, players can activate the power within this Great Rune, and take a step back, knowing that they have acquired more Health, Stamina, and FP. These increases are by 15%, which is a rather large portion, considering the player is unable to level up naturally.
How To Get Radahn’s Great Rune
In Caelid, players will go through Redmane Castle for the Radahn Festival. Here, they will encounter Starscourge Radahn. Upon his defeat, Radahn’s Great Rune can be activated through the Divine Tower of Caelid.
2 Morgott’s Great Rune
If players are not entirely satisfied by the 15% increase in HP, Stamina and FP found within Radahn’s rune, then Morgott’s will certainly fill that void. This Great Rune increases only HP, but at the benefit of 25%. That increase could well end up saving the life of the player by acting as a spare hit, and avoiding that much-hated ‘YOU DIED’ game over screen.
This multiplier is also applied after all other health bonuses, be that from rings buffs or other assortments of equipment and spells. Sometimes, it’s hard to avoid getting hit in Elden Ring, especially in a barrage of frantic panic. Morgott’s Great Rune allows for minor slip-ups from the player’s intimidation.
How To Get Morgott’s Great Rune
At Leyndell, Royal Capital, players will have the challenge of fighting Morgott, the Omen King. Defeating this Demigod Boss will grant them the deactivated rune. To empower it and use it, they must bring said rune to the Divine Tower of East Altus, which can be found in the Capital Outskirts, located after the Forbidden Lands elevator.
1 Malenia’s Great Rune
It is a reward in itself to obtain Malenia’s Great Rune. Some consider Malenia, Blade of Miquella, to be the hardest boss in not just Elden Ring, but in any of the FromSoftware titles. Some players have risen to fame for killing her with ease, like the glorious pot-wearing Let Me Solo Her. Her Rune is nothing short of legendary.
To those that adored FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, Malenia’s Great Rune may remind them of the very gameplay element from Bloodborne that was different from other titles. When the player is attacked, they can steal their health back by quickly attacking anything with a health bar. This Great Rune is perfect for regaining lost HP, but at the cost of reduced healing power in the Flask of Crimson Tears.
How To Get Malenia’s Great Rune
This challenging boss can be found at Miquella’s Haligtree in the Haligtree Roots. After multiple and inevitable failed attempts, the boss will drop Malenia’s Great Rune upon death. This can be activated at the Isolated Divine Tower, accessible through the waygate from the Divine bridge.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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