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Defeating a shardbearer gives you its Great Rune, but it does not automatically activate its benefit. For each standard Great Rune, travel to its corresponding Divine Tower and restore it, equip it from a Site of Grace, then use a Rune Arc. The effect lasts until you die. The Great Rune of the Unborn is the exception: it enables Rebirth with Rennala and does not need a tower or Rune Arc.
All Great Rune locations at a glance
The six standard shardbearer Great Runes are restored at five towers: Morgott’s and Mohg’s share the Divine Tower of East Altus. The Great Rune of the Unborn is a separate respec-related reward, not a tower-activated combat buff. The Phantom Great Rune is a multiplayer-related item, not another standard boss reward.
| Great Rune | Boss or source | Restoration location | Route cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godrick’s Great Rune | Godrick the Grafted | Divine Tower of Limgrave | From Stormveil Castle, go east across the bridge and use the teleport gate beyond the bridge golems. A route from the Liftside Chamber heads toward the main gate. |
| Radahn’s Great Rune | Starscourge Radahn | Divine Tower of Caelid | On Caelid’s northern side in Dragonbarrow; climb the tower exterior using branches, ladders and broken arches. |
| Rykard’s Great Rune | Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy | Divine Tower of West Altus | Reach the tower through the Sealed Tunnel south of Leyndell. The tunnel contains illusory walls. |
| Morgott’s Great Rune | Morgott, the Omen King | Divine Tower of East Altus | Take the elevator route toward the Forbidden Lands, then cross the bridge. The route includes the Fell Twins encounter. |
| Mohg’s Great Rune | Mohg, Lord of Blood | Divine Tower of East Altus | Use the same tower as Morgott’s Rune. Mohg’s boss arena is in Mohgwyn Palace; that is not where the Rune is restored. |
| Malenia’s Great Rune | Malenia, Blade of Miquella | Isolated Divine Tower | Use the teleporter at the Divine Bridge. A trap chest at the Tower of Return can provide access to the Divine Bridge. |
| Great Rune of the Unborn | Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon | No tower restoration | Use it for Rebirth with Rennala; GameSpot’s guide notes that a Larval Tear is required. |
Routes and locations are described in the base-game guides from Gamer Guides (updated May 18, 2026) and GameSpot (June 25, 2024).
How to use a Great Rune
- Defeat the relevant shardbearer to obtain its Great Rune.
- For a standard shardbearer Rune, travel to its listed Divine Tower and interact with the restoration point at the top. This restores the Rune; it does not activate its effect by itself.
- Rest at a Site of Grace, choose the Great Runes option, and equip the restored Rune.
- Use a Rune Arc to activate the equipped Rune’s effect. The effect ends when you die, so you need another Rune Arc to activate it again.
The Great Rune of the Unborn follows a different path: it enables Rebirth with Rennala instead of being equipped and powered at a Divine Tower. See Push Square’s Great Rune use guide for the equip-and-activate sequence; it was updated August 26, 2026.
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Which Great Rune should you use?
Choose based on what your character needs, rather than assuming one Rune is best for every build. These are the practical distinctions described by the guides; check each in-game description for its precise behavior.
- Godrick’s: raises all attributes by five, making it a broad option for many builds.
- Radahn’s: increases HP, FP and stamina, supporting characters that need larger resource pools.
- Morgott’s: increases HP.
- Rykard’s: restores health after enemy kills, favoring play where you can keep defeating enemies.
- Malenia’s: lets attacks recover some recently lost health, but reduces Flask healing.
- Mohg’s: grants summoned spirits a Blessing of Blood, so its benefit is tied to spirit summons.
- Unborn: enables Rebirth with Rennala; it is for changing your build rather than gaining a Rune Arc-powered combat effect.
For Radahn’s Rune, published guide figures differ, so this guide describes its effect in general terms rather than giving a percentage. The location guides are base-game references; no patch-specific location change is identified in those sources.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What counts as “all” Great Runes?
For ordinary tower restoration and Rune Arc use, “all” means the six standard shardbearer Runes listed above. Include the Great Rune of the Unborn when counting the special Rune tied to Rennala’s Rebirth feature. Gamer Guides counts eight by also including the Phantom Great Rune, a multiplayer-related item associated with using Mohg’s Rune and invading. It should not be mistaken for a standard shardbearer boss drop.
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