Even if you haven’t beaten the main game or accessed the DLC, we’ve got early-game, mid-game, late-game, and DLC-specific spots ranked by efficiency, complete with exact rune counts, step-by-step farming routes, and a full checklist you can follow to farm at any stage of your playthrough.

We also cover all the hidden items and buffs that multiply your rune gain, including the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot, Gold Scarab Talisman, and the new Cerulean Seed Talisman combo that extends your farming time before needing to rest at a Site of Grace.

\nTL;DR Key Takeaways:\n

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1. S Tier (best overall): Palace Approach Ledge-Road (Mohgwyn Palace) = 1.2–2.2M runes/hour, works for all levels 100+
\li>A Tier (best early-game): Third Church of Marika (Limgrave) = 10k–40k runes/hour, unlocked 10 minutes into a new game\li>A Tier (best mid-game): Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel = 50k–150k runes/hour, easy to farm with low stats\li>S Tier (DLC): Enir-Ilim Upper Levels = 2.5–3.2M runes/hour, highest raw gain in the entire game\li>Always stack a Gold Scarab + Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot for 38% extra runes per kill – that adds up to hundreds of thousands of extra runes per hour.\n

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Overview: Total Rune Buff Items You Need First

Before you even set foot in a farming spot, you need to collect all rune-boosting collectibles to maximize your gain. There are 2 permanent buff items and 1 consumable buff that you should always stack for maximum efficiency. Find all of these first to cut your total grinding time by a third:

Pro Tip: You can farm 99 Gold-Pickled Fowl Feet in 15 minutes at the starting beach in Limgrave. Just kill the waterfowl between the First Step Site of Grace and the Church of Elleh – they drop a foot 25% of the time, and you just rest and repeat. I’ve done this hundreds of times, and you’ll never run out if you stock up once.

Stacking both the Gold Scarab and Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot gives you a total of 38% extra runes per kill – that’s not a trivial buff. If you’re getting 100,000 runes per run at Mohgwyn, that’s an extra 38,000 runes for free. Don’t skip this step.

See also: Elden Ring All Talisman Locations Guide

Rune Farming Location Tier Ranking (By Efficiency 2025)

We ranked every viable location by runes per hour (RPH), unlock difficulty, and accessibility for players at different levels. This tier list is updated for 2025 after all patches, including the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC changes:

Note: All RPH numbers are tested with a max-level character with full buffs. Lower-level characters will get slightly lower RPH, but the relative ranking stays the same.

Region-by-Region Breakdown: Step-by-Step Guide to Every Top Location

Below is a complete, numbered checklist of every top rune farming location, including how to unlock them, how to farm them, and what level you should be to farm efficiently.

1. Limgrave: Early Game Rune Farming (Level 1–40)

The best early game rune farming location is also the most accessible, and you can reach it 10 minutes after starting a new game. No boss kills required.

Location 1: Third Church of Marika Portal (S Tier for Early Game)

Map Reference: Eastern Limgrave, east of the Mistwood Ruins. The Third Church of Marika is a small church tucked into the forest east of the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace.

Rune Per Clear: 1,100–1,300 runes (with buffs)

Time Per Clear: 20–30 seconds

Average RPH: 10,000–40,000 runes per hour, enough to get from level 1 to 30 in 45 minutes.

Step-by-Step Farming Route:

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1. Start at the First Step Site of Grace after picking up your first flasks.
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2. Follow the road east past Agheel Lake, then turn north into the forest. You’ll find the Third Church of Marika with a Site of Grace inside.
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3. Pick up the Whetblade and the Flask of Wondrous Physick from the chest inside.
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4. Exit the church and go behind the big tree to the east. You’ll find a hidden teleporter portal in the bushes.
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5. Step into the portal – it takes you straight to the Bestial Sanctum in Caelid.
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6. Once you spawn, turn left and run down the cliff path. You’ll find 8–10 Vulgar Militiamen spread along the cliff.
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7. Each Vulgar Militiaman drops ~130 runes without buffs, ~180 runes with buffs. Kill all of them.
\li>Once all are dead, teleport back to the Third Church of Marika Site of Grace, rest to respawn all enemies, and repeat.\n

Common Mistakes: Most new players aggro the Black Blade Kindred that guards the entrance to the Bestial Sanctum. Don’t fight him – you don’t need to. Just run past him to the left cliff – he’ll stop chasing you after 10 seconds. If you fight him at level 5, he’ll one-shot you. Just ignore him.

Pro Tip: If you have a starting class with a bow, you can pull each Vulgar Militiaman one at a time. If you’re a Wretch or Samurai with a bleed weapon, they die in 1–2 hits even at level 1.

Missable Warning: The hidden portal behind the tree is extremely easy to miss if you’re just exploring normally. The game doesn’t mark it on your map, so make sure you check behind the large tree behind the church.

Location 2: Stormveil Castle Ramparts (A Tier Early Game)

Map Reference: Ramparts Site of Grace, Stormveil Castle, Limgrave. This is available after you enter Stormveil Castle and unlock the Ramparts Site of Grace, before fighting Godrick.

Rune Per Clear: 2,100 runes with buffs

Time Per Clear: 90 seconds

Average RPH: ~85,000 for level 20+ characters

Step-by-Step Route:

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1. Spawn at the Ramparts Site of Grace.
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2. Drop off the rampart to the south into the courtyard.
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3. Kill the 5 common soldiers and 1 knight that patrol here. Total 1,500 runes without buffs.
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4. Fast travel back to the Ramparts Site of Grace, rest, and repeat.
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This spot is solid if you’re stuck on Godrick and need a few levels to beat him, but it’s less efficient than the Third Church of Marika spot because it takes longer per clear. Only farm here if you don’t want to leave Limgrave yet.

2. Liurnia: Mid Game Rune Farming (Level 40–100)

Once you beat Godrick and move into Liurnia, you can unlock one of the best mid-game rune farming spots in the game.

Location: Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel (A Tier Mid Game)

Map Reference: Northern Liurnia, east of the Caria Manor entrance. The Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel is a hidden cave in the cliffs east of the Main Academy Gate Site of Grace.

Rune Per Clear: 1,400 runes without buffs, ~1,930 runes with full buffs

Time Per Clear: 2 minutes

Average RPH: 50,000–150,000 runes per hour

How to Unlock: You just need to beat the two Crystalians that guard the end of the tunnel. Once you beat them, you get the Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing (1) and unlock the Site of Grace at the end of the cave.

Step-by-Step Farming Route:

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1. Spawn at the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel Site of Grace at the entrance of the cave.
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2. Run through the cave killing all the miners and the Crystalians are already dead, so all you have to kill are the 8 common crystal miners.
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3. Each miner drops ~175 runes without buffs. Pick up all the smithing stones along the way (you’ll get 3–5 smithing stones [1] and [2] per clear, which you can sell for an extra 300–500 runes per run).
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4. Once you reach the end of the cave, kill the sleeping miners, pick up the loot, rest at the end Site of Grace, and teleport back to the entrance to repeat.
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Pro Tip: If you have a bleed weapon, the miners are extremely weak to bleed. They have high defense against most damage, so bleed procs in one hit and takes them out instantly. A +1 Uchigatana at level 40 will proc bleed in one hit on every miner.

Bonus: You’re also farming smithing stones at the same time as runes. You can use the stones to upgrade your weapons, or sell extra stones for more runes after you’ve upgraded everything. This is one of the only farming spots that gives you two valuable resources at once.

3. Caelid: Mid-Late Game Rune Farming (Level 50–150)

Before you can get to Mohgwyn Palace, Caelid has one major farming spots, and also where you get the Gold Scarab talisman that boosts your rune gain permanently.

Location: Abandoned Cave (Collectible: Gold Scarab Talisman)

Map Reference: West Caelid, south of the Smoldering Wall Site of Grace, along the Siofra River bank. The cave entrance is hidden behind a poison flower patch near the river.

You have to clear this cave to get the Gold Scarab, so it’s a mandatory collectible for maximum rune farming. The boss is two Cleanrot Knights. Once you beat them, you get the Gold Scarab (+20% runes). You cannot miss this item if you’re serious about leveling fast. I’ve tested it before farming.