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Elden Ring: How to Level Up Fast With Rune Farming

Find a rune farm that fits your Elden Ring progress: the Mohgwyn Palace bird lure, Bestial Sanctum, and safer alternatives, with access and risk explained.
Length5 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team

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The fastest practical rune farm depends on where you are in Elden Ring. If you can reach Mohgwyn Palace, the Palace Approach Ledge-Road bird lure is a simple repeatable option; if not, Bestial Sanctum and a couple of lower-yield alternatives are available earlier. Pick a route you can survive, bank runes before taking risks, and spend them at a Site of Grace once Melina has unlocked leveling.

How rune farming and leveling work

Runes come from defeating enemies or using rune items. You can spend them to level up, buy items, and strengthen weapons and armor, as Bandai Namco’s starter guide explains. Leveling is available from the Level Up option at a Site of Grace after Melina has visited; Push Square describes this as happening after resting at a third grace. Each new stat point costs more runes than the previous one.

Resting at a Site of Grace revives most nearby enemies, which makes a short route between a grace and a group of targets repeatable. But carried runes are at risk: when you die, they drop where you fell, and a second death before you recover them loses them. If a route is dangerous, spend your runes first or recover a dropped pile before starting another run.

Best route if you can reach Mohgwyn Palace: lure the bird

Palace Approach Ledge-Road is the strongest quick recommendation for players who have access to Mohgwyn Palace and a bow or crossbow. You can get there through White-Faced Varre’s quest and the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, or by a later route from Consecrated Snowfield. Access is the main barrier; once there, the bird loop itself is straightforward.

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  1. Travel to the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace.
  2. Equip a bow or crossbow and aim at the large bird across the ledge.
  3. Hit it once with an arrow or bolt to draw it toward you. Stay near the grace-side ledge rather than trying to fight it.
  4. Return to the grace and wait for the rune reward to register. Rest to reset the area, then repeat.

Push Square reports over 11,000 runes per bird kill, depending on build. PC Gamer reports 13,245 runes for the method described in its guide. These are guide figures under different conditions, not guaranteed payouts or independently tested rates; the amount you receive can vary.

Optional: clear the nearby Albinaurics

The sleeping Albinaurics beside the grace can be attacked in groups as an extra target, but this is a different risk profile from the bird lure. Other enemies nearby are more dangerous and may engage once you attack the docile group. Skip the group clear if it puts a large carried rune balance in danger.

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Earlier option: Bestial Sanctum

If Mohgwyn Palace is not yet accessible, Bestial Sanctum can be reached relatively early using the portal near the Third Church of Marika, after the relevant early interaction with D, Hunter of the Dead. At the sanctum, sneak toward the small robed enemies, defeat only as many as you can handle safely, and return to the Site of Grace to reset.

Push Square estimates around 1,000 runes per robed enemy and about 5,000 after four or five kills. Those enemies are dangerous despite their small size, so this is an option for a character who can dispatch them reliably—not a safe target for every new character. If you are taking repeated hits or risking a large pile of runes, leave and use a safer route.

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Other routes when the main options do not fit

Northern Dragonbarrow enemies

PC Gamer describes small enemies in Northern Dragonbarrow reached through the portal near the Third Church of Marika, reporting 1,094 runes per kill as the writer’s tested figure. The guide warns that these high-level enemies can kill a low-level character quickly. Treat the payout as that guide’s report, not a universal result, and avoid this route if you cannot survive an encounter.

Lenne’s Rise boulder loop

At Lenne’s Rise, bait the boulder, dodge it, collect the rune reward, then reset at the nearby grace and repeat. PC Gamer reports 1,952 runes for the loop. This is a guide-reported amount, not independently verified, and the route is useful chiefly when you want to avoid fighting groups of enemies.

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Endgame option: clear Albinaurics with Wave of Gold

After defeating the final boss, you can obtain the Sacred Relic Sword and use its Wave of Gold skill to clear several Albinaurics near Palace Approach in one cast or a small number of casts. Rest at the grace to reset the enemies and repeat. This is an endgame route that depends on having the weapon; it is not a prerequisite for efficient rune farming earlier in the game.

Optional ways to increase rune gains

  • Golden Scarab talisman: PC Gamer recommends it as a rune-gain boost. It is obtained by defeating the pair of bosses in Caelid’s Abandoned Cave.
  • Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot: PC Gamer describes it as another boost. The guide says it can be obtained from Patches or Twin Maiden Husks under the stated bell-bearing condition, found in the world, or crafted after obtaining Missionary’s Cookbook [2].

These are optimizers, not requirements. You can start with a route you can access and survive rather than delaying a farm to collect a boost.

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Which rune farm should you choose?

Route Access and equipment Guide-reported reward Risk and best fit
Palace Approach bird lure Mohgwyn Palace access; bow or crossbow Over 11,000 per kill depending on build (Push Square); 13,245 in PC Gamer’s described conditions Simple repeat loop once reached; best quick option for players who have access and can use ranged equipment.
Bestial Sanctum robed enemies Portal near Third Church of Marika after the relevant interaction with D Around 1,000 per enemy; about 5,000 for four or five (Push Square estimate) Enemies can be dangerous; suitable only if you can defeat them reliably.
Northern Dragonbarrow enemies Portal near Third Church of Marika 1,094 per kill (PC Gamer’s reported test) High-level enemies can quickly kill low-level characters.
Lenne’s Rise boulder Lenne’s Rise and nearby grace 1,952 (PC Gamer guide report) Avoids fighting a group, but requires dodging the boulder and resetting the loop.
Palace Approach Albinaurics with Wave of Gold Final boss defeated; Sacred Relic Sword Not stated in the cited guide Endgame group-clear option; not available as an early-game method.

The official version 1.17 patch notes identify App Ver. and Regulation Ver. 1.17 and list balance adjustments and bug fixes. The official 1.17 notes reviewed do not announce a rune-farming change; that does not establish that every guide payout remains identical across all builds or later updates.

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