Elden Ring certainly isn’t the easiest game when it comes to its gameplay or even the flow of the story, but what we do know is that the demigods in the game are some of the central characters that you need to defeat in order to advance through the story. When you defeat a demigod, you get what is called a Great Rune, and there are seven in total of these Great Runes. So, in that regard, we are here to talk more about where you can find all seven of those Great Runes.
What Do Great Runes Do?
Some of the most underrated things that you can get in Elden Ring are the Great Runes. These are Runes that can be acquired from the seven demigods of the game and allow you to become stronger when you equip them. In that regard, you can equip one Great Rune at a time and then use a Rune Arc to obtain the effects of the Great Rune.
The catch here is that the Great Rune’s effects will only last until you die, and that means that you need to activate another Rune Arc for you to make use of the Great Rune that you equipped. And what’s trickier here is the fact that you need to activate or restore the Great Runes that you use so that you can actually take advantage of their properties.
But, first things first, let’s look at where you can get these Great Runes. It is also equally important that we get to understand more about how to restore them and what kind of effects they offer so that you’ll be able to choose which Great Rune to use in your next big fight.
Godrick’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Godrick’s Great Rune is likely the first Great Rune you will acquire in Elden Ring because Godrick is the very first demigod in the game, as far as the way the story was designed is concerned. However, it is entirely possible to skip Godrick and go straight to Liurnia to take on the other demigods. Most people think that the only way to Liurnia of the Lakes is through Godrick’s castle, but that isn’t necessarily true because you can take a shortcut.
Nevertheless, you still have to go through Godrick to complete the story, and that means that you should fight him first because he is the easiest out of all of the different demigods found in the game. It is only logical that you go through him first before you take on the others, who will most likely give you a challenge if you haven’t leveled up enough.
Godrick can be found in Stormveil Castle, which lies to the west side of Limgrave. Simply follow the paved path to the huge castle that you will see in the western portion of the area. You will also be greeted by Margit, the Fell Omen, on your way to Stormveil.
Stormveil Castle is a large and tricky area that is full of different enemies, and that’s why it is best to take it on when you’re at least level 30. From there, continue through the entire castle until you reach the heart. That is when you’ll be able to face Godrick.
Defeating Godrick can be tricky for beginner players who aren’t used to the usual tactics of evading attacks and counterattacking when there’s an opening. Godrick is a heavy hitter that may go for two or three-hit combos, and his axe has a good range as well. If you’ve summoned your cooperator, the fight becomes easier because someone will be distracting Godrick, and this will allow you to hit him whenever he isn’t looking at you.
Godrick will have a second phase where he will equip a dragon head in his other arm so that he can use it to perform fire attacks. The fire attacks will be able to reach a good range, and that means that it is best to run to the side to avoid him.
Defeating Godrick will reward you with his Great Rune and his Remembrance. Now, the only thing you need to do is to activate Godrick’s Great Rune so that you can use it.
Where to Activate
To activate the Great Rune, you need to go to the Divine Tower of Limgrave. If you look at your map, the bridge to the tower is destroyed. But there is a way for you to get to that tower, and you need to stay in Stormveil if you want to activate it immediately.
From where you fought Godrick, go back and go through the castle’s main hallway. It will be guarded by a Giant just close to Site of Grace that’ nearest to Godrick’s arena. You can kill your way through all of the enemies there, but it is possible to run through them as well.
Go through all of the enemies until you get to the point where you’re near the main entrance to the castle. But instead of going through the entrance, turn left to go through an entirely different area. This area should be a really long bridge with giant statutes in the way. These statues are incredibly tanky and are hard hitters. But the good news is that they are slow, and that means that you can run past them.
At the end of the bridge, there will be a portal that will take you to the Divine Tower of Limgrave. Make your way up the tower. At the top of the tower, you will be able to activate Godrick’s Great Rune.
What It Does
Godrick’s Great Rune, when equipped and activated, allows you to gain +5 in all of your stats. This means that you will get a good boost in all of your attributes, and that could play a good role in defeating enemies you couldn’t defeat in the past.
Great Rune Of The Unborn
Where To Get
The Great Rune of the Unborn comes from Rannala, Queen of the Full Moon. She is most likely the second demigod you’re going to face, and getting through her might be a bit trickier than going through Stormveil Castle.
Before you can enter Rannala’s area, which is the Raya Lucaria Academy, you need to get your hands on a Glintstone Key to access the gate of the academy. You can acquire a Glintstone Key in Liurnia of the Lakes, south from the Crystalline Woods site of grace, behind Glintstone Dragon Semarang. You don’t have to defeat the dragon, who is going to be a tough fight (although we recommend that you do so for those extra runes and for the experience). You can simply wake him up and then steal the Glintstone Key in the area where he was sleeping.
After getting the key, make your way to Raya Lucaria Academy, which will be full of hard-hitting mages that can kill you if you are weak to magic attacks. There are also strong non-magic enemies in this area and a few bosses that might be a bit tricky to handle.
The point is that, when you get through Raya Lucaria Academy, you will find yourself in a huge library that’s full of Rannala’s “children.” Rannala will be protected by a barrier that you won’t be able to penetrate. Your goal here is to find three children who are singing and then destroy their barriers so that you can destroy Rannala’s barrier and punish her.
After defeating Rannala in her first phase, her second phase will begin in an entirely different area. She will be spamming magic attacks in this phase, and that means your goal is to get close enough to her while avoiding her spells so that you can get a few good hits on her.
When her HP reaches a certain point, she will begin to summon spirits of different creatures to bother you. Just avoid the attacks of her spirits and focus your attention on Rannala because these spirits will disappear soon enough. Defeating Rannala will reward you with the Great Rune of the Unborn.
Where to Activate
The good news is that you don’t have to activate Rannala’s Great Rune. It has already been activated, and that means that you no longer have to make your way to the Divine Tower of Liurnia to activate it.
What It Does
Rannala’s Great Rune will allow you to reset your stats and then redistribute them until you reach your level before your rebirth. You can do so by giving a Larval Tear to Rannala, who will be in the Great Library the entire time. This is simply a way for you to rebuild your character in case you made a mistake. And, by the way, you won’t be able to equip this Great Rune.
Radahn’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Radahn’s Great Rune is probably the most straightforward out of all of the Great Runes to acquire. He is the first optional demigod in the game because there’s no need to defeat him to progress through the main story. However, defeating Starscourge Radahn is an essential part of finishing Ranni’s questline and acquiring amazing items.
You can simply begin Ranni’s questline and progress through it to know where you can get to Starscourge Radahn. However, you can still go to his location and defeat him even if you don’t trigger Ranni’s quest.
Radahn can be found in the Redmane Castle, which is located in the southern area of Caelid, which can be accessed through the eastern portion of northern Limgrave. Once in Caelid, follow the path south on your horse and make sure you head towards the castle. There will be enemies on your way to the castle, but there won’t be any enemies near the portal that will take you to the castle.
Once in the castle, there are only a few enemies that are entirely optional. You can make your way to the area where there will be a few warriors that are waiting for the “Festival” to happen. This is essentially an event where you and other NPC cooperators will fight Radahn.
Look for the elevator that will take you down to where the portal to Radahn is, and you will fight the creature widely regarded as the strongest fighter in the Lands Between. Radahn is an incredibly powerful boss that’s even tough for over-leveled players. But, if you make use of the different NPCs that you can summon, he is possible to take down, especially when you’re riding on horseback.
The fight begins with Radahn strafing you with his great bow. His shots are incredibly difficult to avoid, but you can do so by rolling at the last minute. Ride your horse only when he draws his swords.
Radahn can be quite speedy because he is also riding on a horse, but summoning the NPCs will allow you to have people who could distract him while you chip away at his health. Defeating him will award you his Great Rune.
Where to Activate
Radahn’s Great Rune can be activated in the north area of Caelid, specifically in the north part of the Dragonbarrow. You will be able to find the Divine Tower of Caelid in this area. All you need to do is to make your way up to the tower to activate the Great Rune. The only way you can get up there is through ledges, branches, and ladders.
There will be enemies along the way, but they won’t be too much of a problem because you were strong enough to defeat Radahn. Of course, the different ledges and ladders in this area can be tricky, and that means that you may end up making a few mistakes along the way.
After climbing the tower using the different things that the area allows you to hop on, head left to see a platform across the stone arch that is a part of the tower. Defeat the enemies around that area and then navigate your way through the arch to get to a ladder. Simply make your way up to find a Site of Grace on a balcony that you can jump on. From there, things will be easier for you to handle because getting to the top becomes pretty straightforward.
What It Does
Radahn’s Great Rune is great if you want to become tankier and more resilient because it allows you to have boosts of 15%, 12.5%, and 12.5% to your Health, FP, and Stamina, respectively.
Morgott’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Morgott’s Great Rune is likely the third Great Rune that you need to acquire because defeating Morgott is part of the story. The only way for you to get to Morgott is to get to the Altus Plateau, which can be accessed from the northeastern side of Liurnia of the Lakes.
Get to Leyndell, Royal Capital, to get to Morgott. It can be found east of the Altus Plateau. The problem here is that getting through the main gate will be difficult because it is heavily guarded by guards, knights, ballistas, and a pair of Tree Sentinel bosses. The easier way is to use the gate on the northeast side of the Altus Plateau.
Once you’re inside, make your way to the back of the fortress of Leyndell to get to the city itself. The city will be huge and full of different mini-bosses. This means that it’s going to be a very tough place for those who are under-leveled. The good news is that this area will be full of amazing items and treasures that can help improve your level.
Make your way up the Endree by climbing its branches. You will get to a spot where you’ll have to fight the spirit of the first Elden Lord. From there, make your way up to the top, where you can find the Elden Throne. That’s where you’ll find Morgott, the Omen King.
Morgott is basically the original version of Margit, and that means that they share the same attacks. However, Morgott is much more powerful and has a wider variety of attacks. But the good news here is that he isn’t as tough as the Radahn fight, and that means that you should be able to take him down as long as you are at least level 80.
Morgott’s attacks are easy to telegraph, but he will use magic that will hit hard from a distance if you don’t know how to avoid them. Nevertheless, just make use of the classic hit and run strategy that has been quite prominent among different Elden Ring players.
Where to Activate
Go to a Site of Grace that’s on the eastern side of Leyndell. Make your way through a gate until you see a dusty side of town that’s full of demi-humans. Continue your way to the end until you see a room with a large elevator. Use the elevator and head straight until you reach another building with an elevator. Use that elevator and then rest at the Site of Grace because there will be a boss fight.
As you travel through the bridge to get to the Divine Tower of East Altus, the entire bridge will darken. The Fell Twins will appear, but don’t worry because they are very slow to the point that you might even defeat the first twin before the second one gets close to you.
After defeating the Fell Twins, simply make your way to the tower. Make your way up the tower to find the symbol on the roof. This will activate Morgott’s Great Rune.
What It Does
Morgott’s Great Rune is best for those who want to beef up their HP because it increases your life by 25%.
Rykard’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, is an optional boss that you can fight in the game by completing the letter quests in the Volcano Manor or by working your way up to the castle where you can get to Ryakrd’s arena. However, we recommend that you go through the letter quests because there will be amazing items that you can acquire.
The Volcano Manor can be found on Mt. Gelmir on the western side of the Altus Plateau. You have to work your way up the volcano to get to the manor. Once there, you can take on the letter quests that Lady Tanith will give you.
After completing all of the letter quests, you will be allowed an audience with Rykard, who you should defeat to get his Great Rune. On top of that, you will also acquire the Blasphemous Blade, a powerful weapon, by trading in his Remembrance.
Where to Activate
The only way for you to activate Rykard’s Great Rune is through the Divine Tower of West Altus, which you can access through the Sealed Tunnel. You can enter the Sealed Tunnel south of Leyndell’s walls.
The tricky part about the Sealed Tunnel is the fact that this mine is full of illusory walls that you may have to attack to reveal the path. It isn’t necessarily a tough place to be in as far as the enemies are concerned, but it is quite tricky and may get you frustrated if you don’t know your way through it.
The first illusory wall can be found in the first section of the mine. It can be found on the right side behind a chest. Meanwhile, after taking an elevator that will take you down into the mine, go over a tree branch to reach the next illusory wall. After that, there will be a massive tree branch that you need to cross. Navigate your way through the tree branches in the opening to the left side of the area below the massive tree branch.
You will find a staircase that will be blocked by some branches after going through the different branches. Drop off from where you are and then go right to proceed through the tunnel. At the end of the room there, there will be a cliff with a few tree branches. Of course, you need to use the branches once again to get to the bottom, where you need to head your way to the boss’s door to finish the dungeon after defeating the boss.
The Sealed Tunnel’s boss is the Onyx lord, which shouldn’t be too hard to defeat if you’ve beaten Rykard. Once defeating him, don’t use the portal that will return you to the entrance. Instead, head through the archway found in the rear portion of the boss arena to get outside.
You will find the Divine Tower there. All you need to do is to take the elevator all the way to the top to activate Rykard’s Great Rune.
What It Does
Rykard’s Great Rune, when equipped and activated, is actually useful because it restores your health whenever you kill an enemy.
Mohg’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Mohg’s Great Rune can be acquired by defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood, who is one of the strongest bosses in the entire game. You can get to him in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, but getting your way to him can be a bit tough and tricky.
There are two ways you can get to this demigod. The first is to finish White-Faced Varre’s questline. This is the same guy you find at the very beginning of the game, right after you exit to Limgrave. You can find him in Rose Church after meeting him at the beginning of the game.
You would have to invade other players three times to get the Lord of Blood’s favor from Varre. You should soak it in the blood of a maiden by going to the Church of Inhibition in the northeastern section of Liurnia. Return to Varre to get the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, which will take you to Mohg.
The problem with this method is that you won’t be able to defeat Mohg if you did this mission early. As such, it might be better to use the second method to get to Mohg so that you can get his Great Rune.
Most people take the Grand Lift of Rold by using the Secret Haligtree Medallion. You can find the first half in the Village of the Albinaurics. Strike a large pot there to reveal a man who will give you the item.
Meanwhile, the second one can be found in Castle Sol in the northeast part of the Mountaintops of the Giants. Defeat Commander Niall to get the other half of the medallion. From there, use the Grand Lift of Rold to get to the western portion of the Mountaintops of the Giants. Go to the western cliff in the middle part of that area to find a portal that will take you to Mohg’s location.
Considering that Mohg is a demigod and is one of the most powerful beings in the entire game, it would be very tough to defeat him.
Where to Activate
Fun fact: Morgott and Mohg are actually twins. That means that you can activate Mohg’s Great Rune by using the Divine Tower of East Altus as well.
What It Does
When restored, equipped, and activated, Mohg’s Great Rune allows you to get HP from anything that your spirit summons will kill. This is great for ranged builds that allow their spirit summons to serve as their frontline attackers.
Malenia’s Great Rune
Where To Get
Malenia is pretty much one of the most straightforward demigods to reach as long as you already have access to her location. However, defeating her is easier said than done because she is quite possibly the toughest boss fight in the entire game.
That said, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, can be found in the Haligtree Roots at the Great Haligtree. This can be found in the northernmost part of the amp. You can only get to this area after you solve the puzzle found in Ordina, Liturgical Town, which you can access after using the Secret Haligtree Medallion on the Grand Lift of Rold.
Where to Activate
You can activate Malenia’s Great Rune by going to the Weeping Peninsula to find the Tower of Return. Climbing all the way to the top will allow you to find a chest that will teleport you to Leyndell, Royal Capital, where you will be able to access the Divine Bridge. Use the teleporter found on the bridge so that you can get to the Isolated Divine Tower, where you can restore Malenia’s Great Rune.
What It Does
When you equip and activate Malenia’s Great Rune, getting damaged by an opponent will allow you about five seconds to have a life-stealing effect up to the point of your HP where you were last damaged. That means that if your life was 400 and then your life got reduced to 100, your five-second life-stealing effect will allow you to only heal up to 400.