Every demigod Shardbearer you kill drops a Great Rune, but picking it up does nothing on its own. Most of them must first be restored at a Divine Tower, then equipped at a Site of Grace and switched on with a Rune Arc. This guide covers all seven base-game Great Runes: who drops them, what they really do, where to restore each one and which is worth equipping for your build.
| Great Runes in the base game | 7 (6 equippable plus the Great Rune of the Unborn) |
| How to restore | Reach the top of the matching Divine Tower after beating its demigod |
| How to equip | At any Site of Grace, one Great Rune at a time |
| How to activate | Use a Rune Arc; the effect lasts until you die |
| Needed to enter Leyndell | 2 Great Runes |
| Best all-round pick | Radahn’s Great Rune (+15% HP, FP and Stamina) |
| Best early pick | Godrick’s Great Rune (+5 to every attribute) |
All Elden Ring Great Runes and what they do
| Great Rune | Dropped by | Effect when active | Restored at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godrick’s Great Rune | Godrick the Grafted | +5 to all attributes | Divine Tower of Limgrave |
| Radahn’s Great Rune | Starscourge Radahn | +15% maximum HP, FP and Stamina | Divine Tower of Caelid |
| Rykard’s Great Rune | Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy | Restores HP each time you defeat an enemy | Divine Tower of West Altus |
| Morgott’s Great Rune | Morgott, the Omen King | +25% maximum HP | Divine Tower of East Altus |
| Mohg’s Great Rune | Mohg, Lord of Blood | Gives the Blessing of Blood to your summoned spirits | Divine Tower of East Altus |
| Malenia’s Great Rune | Malenia, Blade of Miquella | Attacks recover HP for a short time after you take damage | Isolated Divine Tower |
| Great Rune of the Unborn | Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon | No combat effect; unlocks respec at Rennala | Not needed |
The Divine Tower of East Altus is the only tower that restores two Great Runes, Morgott’s and Mohg’s. To respec with the Great Rune of the Unborn you also need a Larval Tear for each reset.
How to activate a Great Rune
- Defeat the demigod and pick up their Great Rune.
- Climb the matching Divine Tower (see below) and touch the rune at the top to restore its power.
- Rest at any Site of Grace and equip the restored Great Rune. Only one can be equipped at a time.
- Use a Rune Arc. The bonus stays on until you die, then you need another Rune Arc.
A Rune Arc used with no Great Rune equipped still gives a small boost to maximum HP. Rune Arcs can only be used offline or as the host in multiplayer. Giant Rats have a small chance to drop them, and a few merchants sell a limited stock.
Where are the Divine Towers?
- Divine Tower of Limgrave (Godrick): start from the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace, cross the long bridge past the Giant Golems, take the waygate at the end and ride the lift up. The tower gate stays locked until Godrick is dead.
- Divine Tower of Caelid (Radahn): ride northeast from the Dragonbarrow West Site of Grace, jump onto the large root on the cliff edge, then follow the ledges and ladders up the outside of the tower.
- Divine Tower of West Altus (Rykard): go through the Sealed Tunnel in the Capital Outskirts, past a chain of illusory walls and an Onyx Lord. The door stays shut until Rykard is defeated.
- Divine Tower of East Altus (Morgott and Mohg): at the far east of the Capital Outskirts, past the Fell Twins. If you already reached the Forbidden Lands, warp there, take the elevator and leave its tower by the southern exit.
- Isolated Divine Tower (Malenia): take the waygate on the Divine Bridge in Leyndell. After you beat Maliketh, the only route left is the chest at the Tower of Return in the Weeping Peninsula.
Which Great Rune is best?
- Radahn’s Great Rune is the safest default for most of the game: a percentage boost to all three resource bars keeps getting better as your Vigor, Mind and Endurance grow.
- Godrick’s Great Rune is strongest early, when +5 to every stat is a big jump, and it can push you over a weapon or spell requirement.
- Morgott’s Great Rune suits players who want the most raw HP for hard bosses and do not need more FP or Stamina.
- Mohg’s Great Rune only pays off if you fight with Spirit Ashes or invade others; it does nothing for you alone, and the blessed spirits also hit harder when blood loss procs near them, which suits a bleed build that fights alongside Spirit Ashes.
- Rykard’s and Malenia’s Great Runes are niche: Rykard’s helps when clearing groups of enemies, and Malenia’s rewards aggressive players who hit back right after being hit.
FAQ
How many Great Runes do you need to enter Leyndell?
Two. Any two Shardbearers count, so most players carry Godrick’s plus Rennala’s or Radahn’s when they reach the Leyndell gate.
Do you have to restore Great Runes?
Only to use their effects. An unrestored Great Rune still counts toward entering Leyndell, but you cannot equip its bonus until you visit its Divine Tower. The Great Rune of the Unborn never needs a tower.
Does Mohg’s Great Rune buff the player?
No. The Blessing of Blood goes to your summoned spirits, not to you or other players. When a blessed spirit kills an enemy close to you, you heal 10% of your maximum HP.
Source: effects and tower locations checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki and the Elden Ring wiki.gg.
Further reading: Great Runes and Rune Arc on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.