Craft, activity and play ideas

If you’ve spent any time wandering through the Lands Between, you know how important runes are in Elden Ring. They’re more than just currency — they’re the foundation of your progression, whether you're leveling up, buying gear, or upgrading weapons. For new players and veterans alike, managing runes efficiently can make the difference between barely surviving and absolutely dominating.

Here are 11 smart tips for making the most of your runes, whether you’re farming for your next stat boost or looking to build a more optimized character.

1. Leveling Up Wisely

The most obvious use of runes is leveling, but it’s important not to rush your stats blindly. Focus first on core survivability: Vigor, Endurance, and Mind (depending on your build). Once your basic defenses are solid, expand into damage stats like Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, or Faith.

2. Don’t Hoard — Spend Before Bosses

Losing 20,000 runes to a surprise ambush or boss fight can be frustrating. Always bank your runes before high-risk areas. Visit a Site of Grace, level up, or invest in items. You can always farm again if needed.

3. Upgrade Your Gear Early

Many players underestimate how much of a difference +1 or +2 weapon upgrades make early on. Consider using cheap elden ring runes to get a jumpstart on upgrading your favorite weapons or spirit ashes. These improvements can carry you further than raw stats alone.

4. Buy from Merchants Often

Merchants across the map sell useful gear, consumables, and crafting materials. Whether you’re looking for a better shield, specific arrows, or unique spells, don't forget to spend runes on shopping trips. To keep up, it's smart to buy Elden Ring Items when you hit key progression points.

5. Invest in Crafting Cookbooks

Crafting isn’t just fluff — items like sleep pots, fire bombs, and status-curing boluses can make encounters far easier. Use your runes to gather cookbooks from vendors and dungeons so you can craft what you need on the go.

6. Boost Rune Farming with Talismans

The Gold Scarab talisman significantly increases rune gain from defeated enemies. Equip it when farming, especially in places like Mohgwyn Palace or the Caelid bird farm. A good farming route with the right gear can multiply your rune income.

7. Mind the Soft Caps

Each stat in Elden Ring has diminishing returns after certain thresholds (known as soft caps). For example, Vigor is most effective up to 40, while Strength and Dexterity begin to flatten after 55. Understanding these can help you allocate runes more efficiently.

8. Use Rune Items Thoughtfully

Golden Runes and other consumable rune items are great emergency funds. Don’t pop them all at once unless you know exactly what you're buying. Use them just before leveling or major purchases to avoid losing large amounts on death.

9. Plan for Weapon Requirements

If there’s a weapon you’re aiming to use — like Moonveil, Rivers of Blood, or Greatsword — plan your stats around their requirements. This prevents wasting runes on stats that don’t support your intended build.

10. Don’t Ignore Spirit Ash Upgrades

Spirit summons can tank, distract, or finish off enemies. Their damage and survivability scale with upgrades, so spending runes (and Gloveworts) to level them up with Roderika at Roundtable Hold is a great investment.

11. Reroll If You Hit a Wall

Feeling stuck? You may have misallocated stats or overleveled inefficiently. Once you unlock Rennala’s respec system at Raya Lucaria, you can use a Larval Tear to reset your build. It’s a second chance to reassign runes in a smarter way and realign your build with better synergy.

Runes are the core of progression in Elden Ring — but knowing how and when to spend them is what separates a floundering Tarnished from a confident conqueror. Whether you're focusing on leveling, crafting, or gear upgrades, managing runes smartly is key to survival and success.

Using cheap elden ring runes as a way to fund upgrades early on can help accelerate your build without excessive grinding. And if you're looking to specialize quickly, many players opt to buy Elden Ring Items for early access to powerful weapons, talismans, or gear that might otherwise take hours to find.