Quick Links
Great Runes are unique toElden Ringand are the Key Item reward gifted to the player upon the defeat of a Demigod. Demigods are the main Bosses ofElden Ring, and their power can be felt in these intense and difficult boss fights. However, the Great Rune reward iswell worth the challenge.
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 theirElden RingRune Level 1 run.
Updated August 06, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: One of the best sources for information about the Shardbearers in Elden Ring is the equipment and spells that each one unlocks upon defeat. For the most part, players will learn a lot about each boss from their gear and armaments, but each Elden Ring Great Rune also provides an in-depth description of each respective Shardbearer – often with information not present anywhere else in the game. Though the lore of each of these best Rune level 1 Great Runes in Elden Ring doesn’t matter too much for a RL1 playthrough, each description sheds interesting light on their former wielders and adds to its significance in the story. This guide to the best Elden Ring RL1 Great Runes has been updated to include these revelatory descriptions – except for the Phantom Great Rune, which is only granted temporarily during PvP and has an item description that just describes its mechanics.
How To Get Great Runes in Elden Ring
As useful as Great Runes are inElden Ring, they are very limited in number, and there’s only one way to acquire them. To getElden RingGreat Runes, you need to defeat Shardbearers. The Great Runes you can equip are quite literallypieces of the Elden Ring, and thus, it makes sense that the Shardbearers would bear the Shards of this fragmented, cosmic entity.
There are a total of eight Great Runes that you can get inElden Ring, but for players at Rune Level 1 Great Runes are much harder to acquire. Thankfully, the best Great Rune for Rune Level 1 playthroughs is made available first, but the other seven options have their uses in certain situations. As a level 1 player, focus on getting Godrick’s Great Rune first, then Rennala’s, for easy Stat Boosts and the ability to re-spec.
How To Use & Equip Great Runes in Elden Ring
Once you have acquired a Great RuneElden Ringplayers will need to Restore it. Each Great Rune is acquired in a dormant state, and its latent power must be awakened to make use of them. To do this, you will need to find the Isolated Tower that corresponds to each Great Rune, ascend it, and activate it at the very top. The only exception to this is Rennala’s Great Rune, as it doesn’t confer any active powers to the player.
After restoring the specific Great Rune inElden Ring, players will be wondering how to use the Great Rune they want for added power. First, players will need to equip a Great Rune from any Site of Grace. Once their Great Rune has been slotted, they will need to consume a Rune Arc, which is an uncommon item found around the Lands Between.
Rune Arcs work whilst the player is alive, but as soon as they die, they will need to consume another Rune Arc, or they will not see the activation of their Great Rune. Players can find Rune Arcs in many locations, but they can also be purchased for 4,000 runes. In terms of farming Rune Arcs, though, the most effective way to get Rune Arcs is to kill Rats.
Best Shadow of the Erdtree Level 1 Run Great Runes
AnElden RingRune Level 1 run is difficult enough – and now, with the release ofShadow of the Erdtree, a full Rune Level 1 playthrough of the game has become much, much more challenging. Not only are DLC bosses significantly more difficult than the base game bosses,Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduces no new Great Runes to give Rune Level 1 players new options.
However, doing anElden Ring DLCRL1 playthrough is made a little less daunting by the fact that a) Scadutree Fragments can greatly empower your character’s capabilities, and b) you only need to defeat three bosses to beat the DLC. Messmer, Romina, and the final DLC boss are the only three that technically stand in your path to beating the DLC at Rune Level 1.
These three bosses are difficult, but they aren’t without weaknesses, and if you spend time collecting as many Blessings as possible they become very manageable. These three Great Runes are the best Rune Level 1 Great Runes to use in the DLC, for their inherent stat bonuses that can make the difference in aShadow of the ErdtreeRL1 run.
Children born anew by Rennala are all frail and short-lived.
Imperfect beings, each and all.
Great Rune of the Unborn Effects
Allows players to re-allocate their skill levels with Rennala with Larval Tears.
Other Notes
Passive Great Rune effect with no use in a RL 1 run.
Afterdefeating 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 atRaya Lucaria AcademyinLiurnia 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.
The Great Rune Of The Unborn’s Uses
There’s no advantage to using the Great Rune of the Unborn. Players will be utilizing a level-1 run, meaning there are no levels to swap around. This is a passive Great Rune anyway, so players won’t have to worry about using Rune Arcs for this.
Useful In PvP – Which Level 1 Players Should Avoid
Phantom Great Rune Effects
After using the Mohg’s Great Rune, this lets player respawn somewhere else in the host player’s world, potentially closing distance or serving as an escape
Only usable, and only acquired temporarly, after using Mohg’s Great Rune for PvP.
Upon use of Mohg’s Great Rune, and invading another player’s world, Rune Level 1 players will travel through online play to that player’s world. When they spawn in, they will get three Phantom Great Runes, which can each be used once to re-set your position. This can help get closer to the host, or can be used in combat as a quick getaway.
To use this Rune, players need 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 who tries to invade another world. Level-1 runs should be reserved for those that want a challenge in the PvE content rather than the PvP content.
How To Get The Phantom Great Rune
To obtain the Phantom Great Rune, players will need to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, found at theMohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. After defeating this Demigod Boss, players will need to visit theDivine Tower of East Altus. Once activated at the fingers, players can invade other players for the PvP buffs to kick in.
Phantom Great Rune’s Uses
Level-scaling will prevent the Phantom Great Rune from being mostly effective, as the invader will not be able to invade and draw challenge to a player who has a rune level far higher than their own. Level-1 runs should be reserved for those that want a challenge in the PvE content rather than the PvP content.
Heal With Every Kill And Bleed… In PvP
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Mohg.
Mohg and Morgott are twin brothers, and their Great Runes are naturally similar.
But Mohg’s rune is soaked in accursed blood, from his devout love for the wretched mire that he was born into far below the earth.
Mohg’s Great Rune Effects
Player is healed for 10% of their HP when Blood Loss happens in nearby vicinity, or when a player using it kills an enemy.
This is most useful in PvP and in Blood Loss builds, and acquired from the late game boss Mohg, making it very difficult to build around
Traversing through the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum will have playersencounter 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 theDivine Tower of East Altus, which can be located by following theCapital Outskirtsramparts toward theForbidden 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.
Mohg’s Great Rune’s Uses
Another somewhat useless Great Rune inElden Ringis Mohg’s Great Rune. The specific use of this Great Rune is that summoned spirits, whether those are Spirit Ashes or Legendary Spirit Ashes, will help the player heal. Each kill from these Spirit Ashes grants the player 10% of their health. However, since areas are so open, and healing is so easy, it’s not effective, especially when boss rooms won’t spawn enemies to kill.
Theoretically Useful, Functionally Unimpressive
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Rykard.
Rykard was amongst the children of Rennala and Radagon, who became demigod stepchildren after Radagon’s union with Queen Marika.
But Rykard fed himself to the blasphemous serpent, Great Rune and all.
Rykard’s Great Rune Effects
The player gains HP when enemies are defeated when active. Enemies don’t have to be killed by the player.
Paired with other HP regain items, Rykard’s Great Rune can be phenomenal, but requires a dedicated build to take advantage of fully
Amongst the children ofRennala and Radagonlies 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.
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 throughMt. 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 theDivine Tower of West Altusthrough theSealed Tunnelto activate Rykard’s Great Rune.
Rykard’s Great Rune’s Uses
With Rykard’s Great Rune equipped, players will regain health for every enemy they have killed. It will help them through dungeons and other areas, as they will be rather alone and somewhat scared fighting the bosses ofElden Ringsolo, and it will save them from using their healing items.
An Endgame Gret Rune That Rewards Skilled Play
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Malenia.
Due to the infusion of Malenia’s spirit of resistance, attacks made immediately after receiving damage will partially recover HP.
Malenia is daughter to Queen Marika and Radagon, and her Great Rune should have been the most sacred of all.
Malenia’s Great Rune Effects
Allows players to regain HP with rapid attacks after losing Health, but reduces the effectiveness of Crimson Tears, while active
A difficult Rune to get, and only realistically acquirable near the end of the game
It is a reward in itself to obtain Malenia’s Great Rune. Some consider Malenia, Blade of Miquella, to bethe hardest bossin not justElden Ring, but in any of the FromSoftware titles. Some players have risen to fame for killing her with ease like theglorious pot-wearing Let Me Solo Her. Her Rune is nothing short of legendary.
To those that adored FromSoftware’sBloodborne, Malenia’s Great Rune may remind them of the very gameplay element fromBloodbornethat 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 atMiquella’s Haligtreein theHaligtree Roots. After multiple and inevitable failed attempts, the boss will drop Malenia’s Great Rune upon death. This can be activated at theIsolated Divine Tower, accessible through the waygate from the Divine bridge.
Malenia’s Great Rune’s Uses
After activating Malenia’s Great Rune, players will be able to steal health back after being hit. This is useful to players that expect to get injured during a fight, but it will only be the best Great RuneElden Ringif the player has a quick striking weapon to quickly get that health back before it is gone forever.
3Radahn’s Great Rune
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Radahn.
Radahn was amongst the children of Rennala and Radagon, who became demigod stepchildren after Radagon’s union with Queen Marika.
The Great Rune burns to resist the encroachment of the Scarlet Rot.
Radahn’s Great Rune Effects
Grants a total 15% bonus to HP, Stamina, and FP while active
Big gains in HP, Stamina, and FP are useful, but are outclassed by more direct improvements
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 theychoose to use magicat 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 throughRedmane Castlefor theRadahn Festival. Here, they will encounter Starscourge Radahn. Upon his defeat, Radahn’s Great Rune can be activated through theDivine Tower of Caelid.
Radahn’s Great Rune’s Uses
The total Health, Stamina, and FP of the player will be increased by 15% with the use of Radahn’s Great Rune. These increases will assist the player, and noticeably upgrade them considering their level-1 run will prevent them from just throwing Runes into attributes, Radahn’s Great Rune bypasses that.
A Big Boost To HP Can Make Or Break RL1 Runs
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Morgott.
This Great Rune is the anchor ring that houses the base, and proves two things: that the Omen King was born of the golden lineage, and that he was indeed the Lord of Leyndell.
Morgott’s Great Rune Effects
Raises the player’s HP by 25% (Max HP, does not heal the player) while active
More HP is everything in a RL 1 build, and this Great Rune offers it in spades about halfway through the game
If players are not entirely satisfied by the 15% increase in HP, Stamina, andFP 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 inElden 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 theDivine Tower of East Altus, which can be found in theCapital Outskirts, located after theForbidden Landselevator.
Morgott’s Great Rune’s Uses
Health is an important Attribute inElden Ring, perhaps one of the best. As players progress through the game, enemies will deal more damage, and it is inevitable that players will get themselves killed in one shot. Morgott’s Great Rune increases Health by 25%, giving them a much-needed boost to their health in case they mess up a roll or a block.
Basically, 40 Free Levels For Killing The First Major Boss
A Great Rune of the shardbearer Godrick.
This Great Rune is known as the anchor ring, found in the center of the Elden Ring.
The first demigods were The Elden Lord Godfrey and his offspring, the Golden Lineage.
Godrick’s Great Rune Effects
Increases all attributes by 5 when active. Effectively an extra free 40 levels across all 8 stats.
Can be used to cheat the system and raise Stats higher than what Level 1 would normally allow, unlocking new equipment options too.
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 enteringStormveil 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 theLimgrave Tower BridgeatStormveil Castle. Following the path will lead players to a lift, and then toThe Divine Tower of Limgrave, in which they can restore power tothe Great Rune.
Godrick’s Great Rune’s Uses
Godrick’s Great Rune is by far one of the bestElden RingGreat Runes. Not only is Godrick the first boss the player will fight to give them a Great Rune, but the addition of +5 levels in all of their attributes will help “cheat” their level-1 run, as these added attributes are only accessible whilst a Rune Arc is active.
