Top 5 Best Great Runes In Elden Ring

Great Runes significantly influence the main questline as they'll assist you in becoming Elden Lord. As you'll need at least two Great Runes to progress, you'll have to defeat two Demigods to acquire it before speaking with Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital.

While there are many Great Runes, each possessing unique buff effects, which five runes are the most valuable to acquire based on their usefulness and effects? This guide details the five best Great Runes to get, which Demigod Bosses to defeat, and their effects to gain in Elden Ring.

Five Best-Ranked Great Runes In Elden Ring

There are seven Great Runes to acquire through gameplay progression, with an eighth available by activating Mogh's Great Rune and using a Rune Arc; you can enter online play by invading other players. Doing so will help you acquire the Phantom Great Rune, which using it, grants you buffs to your attacks when inflicting Blood Loss on enemy players.

It's important to remember that after completing the main questline and successfully becoming Elden Lord, any Great Runes acquired will not carry over into New Game+ (NG+). This means you'll have to obtain any or all seven Great Runes once again, but only if you wish to play Elden Ring's NG+ mode.

So, which Great Runes are considered the best to have, and which Demigods must you defeat to get them? We've ranked the five best Great Runes based on effectiveness and utility and how to get them in Elden Ring:

5. Mohg's Great Rune

As mentioned earlier, the Phantom Great Rune requires Mogh's Great Rune to receive its buff effects but defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood, is challenging. Located at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum below Caelid, you must have found Mohg's Shackle, which allows you to bind him momentarily to unleash attacks, making the fight less frustrating.

Regarding the Great Rune itself, it will grant you "the Blessing of Blood" to your summoned Spirit Ashes or Legendary Spirit Ashes, allowing you to be healed for 10% of your max HP every time a Spirit defeats an enemy. Immensely powerful, especially if you're using the Mimic Tear Spirit Ashes when facing more challenging bosses, like Malenia, Blade of Miquella, this Rune can be activated at the Divine Tower of East Altus should you wish to use it.

4. Godrick's Great Rune

Godrick the Grafted is the first Demigod Boss most players would have encountered, as it sets the pace for future encounters. Hiding out at Stormveil Castle, his Great Rune is considered quite overpowered, given it can be used across any build and playstyle.

Activate Godrick's Great Rune at the Divine Tower of Limgrave, accessed using the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace. Once this has been achieved, all Attributes will gain a boost by five, which grants you a few levels but has a drawback: these levels can be lost when defeated by enemies or accidentally dying by other means.

3. Malenia's Great Rune

If defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood, was complicated enough, going toe-to-toe with Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is by far the most challenging Demigod to encounter in-game. While it will eventually take a few attempts to defeat Malenia, her Great Rune is akin to her passive ability to steal HP from enemies.

Malenia's Great Rune allows you to recover HP after taking damage from enemy attacks, which depends on the type of attack. To activate this Great Rune, head to the Isolated Divine Tower which can be accessed using the Divine Bridge way bridge in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

2. Radahn's Great Rune

Starscourge Radahn is a Demigod Boss many players have encountered in their playthroughs, and his boss battle encounter is entertaining yet legendary. His Great Rune is perhaps one of the most effective runes, as using it will grant you significant amounts of FP, HP, and Stamina, which you'll deplete quite frequently.

Defeating Radahn will grant you his Great Rune, which can be activated at the Divine Tower of Caelid in Dragonbarrow. After it's been consumed, your FP, HP, and Stamina levels will be increased by 15%, which will benefit tank and FP/Intelligence builds.

1. Morgott's Great Rune

During your time in The Lands Between, you will encounter Margit, the Fell Omen at Stormhill, before facing him as his true identity, Morgott, the Omen King in Leyndell. Often the final Demigod Boss you'll meet, his Great Rune is the most effective and valuable in-game.

After defeating him, head to the Divine Tower of East Altus and activate the Great Rune before using it to gain its effect. This Great Rune will significantly increase your max HP by 25%, and it can also be applied after using other items which increase HP, like equipment, spells, Talismans, and buffs.