Elden Ring: Great Rune Locations & Interactive Tracking Guide

A Great Rune in Elden Ring is the foundation of your ascending power, and the reward for defeating the demigod Shardbearers.

Great Runes are found at the heart of the Lands Between’s most fortified legacy dungeons. They provide massive character buffs that can only be activated by visiting their respective Divine Towers and consuming a Rune Arc.

The Shardbearers: Base Game Great Runes

To use these, you must first defeat the associated boss and then travel to a specific Divine Tower to restore the rune’s power.

• Godrick’s Great Rune: Dropped by Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle. This is the requirement for early-game builds, providing a +5 boost to all attributes.
• Radahn’s Great Rune: Dropped by Starscourge Radahn in Redmane Castle (Caelid). It provides massive increases to maximum HP, FP, and Stamina.
• Morgott’s Great Rune: Dropped by Morgott, the Omen King, in Leyndell. This is the standard method for maximizing HP, offering a 25% health boost.
• Rykard’s Great Rune: Dropped by Rykard in Volcano Manor. It restores HP upon defeating enemies, essential for long dungeon expeditions.
• Mohg’s Great Rune: Dropped by Mohg, Lord of Blood, in Mohgwyn Palace. It grants a "Blessing of Blood" to your summoned spirits, causing them to heal you when they inflict bleed.
• Malenia’s Great Rune: Dropped by Malenia in the Haligtree. It allows you to recover HP by attacking immediately after taking damage, mimicking the "Rally" mechanic.

2026 Nightreign: Limveld Shattered Runes

The 2026 Nightreign expansion introduces Shattered Runes within the Limveld region, which act as character-specific anchors for the new Scholar and Undertaker classes.

• The Nightlord’s Shatter: This unique rune is the key requirement for stabilizing your build during Nightreign Storms. It is secured by completing the Tricephalos Expedition and is mandatory for the "Shadow-Aspect" damage buff.
• Spectral Activation: In 2026, these runes do not require Divine Towers in the traditional sense. Instead, you must use the Hawk Trees to reach the "High Altars" in the Forsaken Hollows during a Shifting Earth event.
• Wylder’s Rune: As part of the 2026 character quest, securing Wylder's rune is the best method for unlocking his advanced Greatsword follow-up attacks.

In 2026, you should prioritize Godrick’s Great Rune immediately to meet the stat requirements for high-tier Weapon Skills without over-leveling.

For those tackling the Nightreign Castle, Rykard’s Great Rune is recommended for the randomized "Gauntlet" layouts, as the HP-on-kill effect offsets the lack of Sites of Grace in the Castle Sewers.

To help you track your kills and activate your divinity, we have pinned every boss arena and tower on our Elden Ring interactive game maps.