Are you still playing Elden Ring in 2026? For new and returning players, tons of runes are required to level up characters and unlock powerful abilities. In this article, let's get straight to the updated 2026 Elden Ring rune farming guide for the base game and DLC (early to late game), covering the best working glitches, locations/spots, methods, items/gear, and tips.
Elden Ring Best Rune Farm 2026 Guide
In 2026, Elden Ring still has amazing rune farming options—whether you want to use glitches for fast millions, farm efficiently for PvP, or just have fun killing hated enemies. The best part is that most methods are solo-friendly, so you don’t need to rely on other players.
Best Elden Ring Items for Rune Farm
To get the most Elden Ring runes from every farm, you need a few key items. These tools boost your rune gain by significant percentages—they’re simple to get and make a huge difference.
1. Golden Scarab Talisman
What it does: Increases the runes you earn by 20%. This is the most important rune-boosting item—you should get it as early as possible.
How to get it: Head to the Abandoned Cave in Caelid (a region in the southeast of the map). Complete the cave, defeat the boss at the end (two Cleanrot Knights), and you’ll get the Golden Scarab. You can do this early in the game, no high-level gear needed!
Pro tip: If you don’t want to fight the boss yet, you can still use glitches/farms—you’ll just miss out on the 20% boost. Players in forums note that pairing this with other boosts can drastically increase gains: for example, the Mohgwyn bird farm goes from 11k to 13.1k runes per kill with just the Golden Scarab, and up to 17k when combined with a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot.
2. Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot
What it does: Boosts rune gain by 20% (or more with combinations) for a short time. It’s a consumable, so you’ll need to craft more once it runs out.
How to get it: Craft it using three ingredients: 3 Rowa Fruit, 1 Four-Toed Fowl Foot, and 1 Gold Firefly
Pro tip: Keep a stack of these—use one right before starting a farm or glitch to maximize runes. Players recommend farming ingredients in batches to avoid interrupting farming sessions; this lets you maintain consistent boosts for 30–45 minutes of grinding.
3. Golden Horn Tender
What it does: Another rune booster (adds 20%+ to rune gain). It’s a DLC item, so you need the Elden Ring DLC to get it.
How to get it: It drops from enemies in the DLC area. Fight enemies there, and you’ll eventually get it as a loot drop.
4. Golden Vow Incantation
What it does: Boosts your attack power and rune gain (when used with glitches). It’s not just for runes—this incantation also helps in fights!
How to get it: Go to the shack near the top-left of the map (next to the volcano). You’ll find the Golden Vow spell there.
What you need to use it: A Seal (like the Erdtree Seal, which you can buy from a merchant early on) to cast incantations.
Elden Ring Rune Farming Glitches 2026
Glitches are the fastest way to get unlimited runes in 2026. These methods are solo-friendly, work on all platforms, and haven’t been patched yet.
Glitch 1: Underground Dynasty Area Mid-Air Incantation Glitch
This is the best solo rune farm glitch in 2026. It lets you get over 100,000 runes per try, even more with rune-boosting items. You can also get Spirit Ashes (which give extra runes) if you’ve defeated certain bosses.
Advantages
Solo-friendly (no multiplayer needed)
Fast results (100k+ runes per attempt)
Works early or late game
Keeps your runes even if you die
Unlocks extra rewards
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Unlock the Underground Dynasty Area: First, you need to access this area. Complete the early-game quest from the NPC who calls you “Maidenless”—this will unlock the underground map.
2. Spawn at the Grace Site: Teleport to the Grace Site in the Underground Dynasty Area (this is your starting point).
3. Summon Your Horse: Call Torrent (your horse) to move faster.
4. Reach the Rock Wall: Ride to the opposite side of the grace site—you’re heading for a rock wall (not the tree from older glitches). You won’t fall off accidentally here, so don’t worry!
5. Climb the Rocks with Double Jumps:
Jump onto the small rock ledge in the center of the wall (use a double jump: jump once, then jump again while holding the jump button).
From there, double jump to your right onto a higher rock.Note: This jump is the trickiest—you might slide off a few times. Keep trying until you land safely.
Turn around and double jump again to reach the next rock.
Finally, double jump onto the top rock cluster—you’re now in position!
6. Activate Rune Boosts: Use your Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot (or Golden Horn Tender) and equip the Golden Scarab.
7. Cast Golden Vow Mid-Air:
Walk forward toward the edge.
As you start to fall, cast the Golden Vow incantation (hold the incantation button—don’t let go).
Casting mid-air stops you from dying immediately.
8. Collect Runes: Keep holding the incantation button as you fall. The map above you will despawn, and all enemies will drop their runes.
9. Teleport Back Quickly: As soon as you get the runes, fast-travel back to the grace site. If you don’t, you’ll die—but you’ll still keep your runes!
10. Rinse and Repeat: Ride back to the rocks, climb again, and do the glitch over. You’ll get millions of runes in minutes!
What to Do If You Die
- If you die before teleporting, your runes will be where you fell. Just go back, pick them up, and try again.
- The glitch still works even if you mess up the jumps a few times—patience is key!
Glitch 2: Mohgwyn Palace Bird & AoE Farm (Solo Exploit)
This is another solo-friendly method that’s more of an exploit than a glitch. It uses a bird and AoE attacks to farm unlimited runes fast. It’s the most recommended farm by forum users, with thousands of upvotes for its simplicity and efficiency.
Advantages
Super easy to learn (no tricky jumps)
Uses common gear (bow and AoE weapon)
Fast respawns (rinse and repeat in 5–7 seconds per run)
High efficiency: 11k runes per kill (no boosts), 13.1k with Golden Scarab, 17k with Scarab + Pickled Fowl Foot—up to 7 million runes per hour
Great for mid-game players (level 50+) and PvP level grinding
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Get Required Gear:
A Bow: Buy one from any merchant (you can get one near the starting area). You only need 1 arrow per kill.
An AoE Weapon (optional): A weapon with area damage (like the Relic Sword or Blasphemous Blade) to clear nearby Albinauric enemies for extra runes. The Marika Sword’s Ash of War is also popular for quick group clears.
2. Teleport to Mohgwyn Palace Grace: Go to the grace site at the higher point of Mohgwyn Palace (this spot is still working in 2026—no patches!). To unlock it, complete Varre’s quest.
3. Shoot the Bird: In front of the grace site, you’ll see a large bird. Shoot it with your bow—this makes the bird chase you, and it will fall off the edge (dying instantly).
4. Fight the Mobs with AoE (Optional): Immediately turn right after shooting the bird. Use your AoE weapon to spam attacks at the group of Albinauric enemies nearby. You don’t need to kill all of them, but they add extra runes (6–7 million per hour total with group clears).
5. Rest at the Grace: After killing the enemies, go back to the grace site and rest. This respawns the bird and the mobs.
6. Repeat: Shoot the bird, kill the mobs (if you want), rest, and do it again. Players love this farm for multitasking—you can do a few runs every 5–10 minutes while doing chores.
Top Elden Ring Rune Farming Spots 2026 (Early, Mid & Late Game)
If you don’t want to use glitches, these farming spots are reliable and still work in 2026.
1. Mohgwyn Palace Albinauric Farm (Best Overall Farm)
This is the most popular farm in 2026—still unpatched! You can get 6–7 million runes per hour (NG) without boosts; 10 million per hour with Golden Scarab + Pickled Fowl Foot. Each Albinauric gives ~1k runes, and you can clear groups quickly with AoE.
How to farm: Teleport to the Palace Approach Ledge-Road. Run across the blood pond and up the hill—you’ll see dense groups of Albinauric enemies. Use an AoE weapon to clear groups at once.Rest at the grace to respawn enemies and repeat. Pair with rune boosts for maximum gains. This farm is great for post-game or PvP level grinding.
2. Greyoll Sleeping Dragon (Early Game)
Perfect for new players—gives 50k runes in one kill. You can get 50k–80k runes per 5 minutes (with cheese); 1.2 million runes per hour if you master the cheese method.
How to farm: Equip a bleed weapon (bleed damage works best here). Attack the dragon’s legs—it won’t fight back. Keep attacking until it dies. You’ll get 50k runes instantly (one-time per playthrough without cheese). After attacking Greyoll until she twitches (signaling she’s about to die), ride Torrent as fast as you can to the nearby grace site. Rest at the grace before she fully dies—she’ll respawn, and you’ll keep the runes! Repeat this to farm her indefinitely. Players note this takes ~3–5 minutes per run (faster with high bleed damage). This farm can be done within the first 6 minutes of the game. Killing Greyoll early puts you at a level where you can easily defeat Godrick.
3. Lenne's Rise Giant Sphere (Early-Mid Game)
Easy for low-level players (level 20+). The giant rolling sphere kills enemies for you—low effort, low risk. You can get 10k–15k runes per run (30–60 seconds per run); faster than the Divine Tower guards for early-game grinding.
How to farm: Climb the tower and activate the switch to make the giant sphere roll down. The sphere crushes all enemies in its path—run down to collect runes. Rest at the tower’s grace to respawn the sphere and enemies. Some players claim this farm was patched, but others confirm it still works if you aggro the sphere correctly (ride Torrent past it to make it roll off the cliff).
4. Divine Tower of Caelid Guard (Early Game)
Simple for new players—no complex mechanics. Accessible as soon as you can wield a greatshield with shield bash. The efficiency is about 1,194 runes per guard (2 guards per run), ~45 seconds per run → 191,000 runes per hour.
How to farm: Fight the two guards outside the tower—use a greatshield to block and bash for easy kills. Rest at the nearby grace to respawn them. New players love this farm for its accessibility, but veterans mock its inefficiency. It’s great for small rune boosts without overleveling.
5. Vulgar Militiamen Near Bestial Sanctum (Early-Mid Game)
High enemy density, 1k+ runes per kill. You also get a stylish armor set while farming. The efficiency is better than Divine Tower guards—faster kills and higher rune density.
How to farm: Sneak around and backstab the small Vulgar Militiamen enemies—they’re weak and easy to one-shot with a dagger. Rest at the grace to respawn and repeat. A popular in-between farm for players not ready for Mohgwyn Palace.
6. Claymen in Ainsel River (Mid Game)
Herdable groups of Claymen yield decent runes. A fun alternative to Albinauric farming.
How to farm: Herd the Claymen into a group using Torrent. Use AoE attacks to clear them all at once. Rest at the nearby grace to respawn.
7. Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree (Mid-Late Game)
Good for testing new weapons while farming runes. Soldiers give ~2k runes each; you can make 50k+ runes in 2–3 minutes.
How to farm: From the grace, go to the first walkway—you’ll find groups of soldiers. Use Rivers of Blood or another bleed weapon to clear them (you can hit some through walls). Rest at the grace to respawn.
Elden Ring Rune Farming Tips 2026
Level Vigor Early: No matter how many runes you have, low health will make the game hard. Level Vigor to at least 30 before focusing on other stats.
Avoid Heavy Rolling: Wear light or medium armor so you can roll quickly. Heavy rolling makes it hard to dodge attacks (and waste runes if you die).
Don’t Fight Everything: Elden Ring rewards exploration—you don’t have to kill every enemy. If a fight is too hard, go around and come back later.
Use Fast Travel Smartly: After farming, fast-travel to a grace site to save runes. If you die, your runes drop where you fell—go back to pick them up!
Craft Lots of Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot: Keep a stack of these consumables. Farm ingredients in batches to avoid interrupting grinding sessions.
Summon for Bosses (and Earn Runes): If you’re high-level, get summoned to help other players beat bosses. You’ll earn runes and have fun!
Don’t Rush the Castle: Leyndell (the main castle) is tough—explore Limgrave, Liurnia, and Caelid first to farm runes and level up.
Take Notes for Quests: Elden Ring doesn’t have a quest log. Write down NPC conversations so you don’t miss quest rewards (which can include runes or powerful gear).
Farming Isn’t Always Necessary: Many players say you earn enough runes just playing the game normally. Farming is only needed if you want to quick-level for PvP or get a specific weapon/gear early.
Use Light Load for Farming: Wearing light armor (or going naked) lets you roll faster and move quicker, which speeds up runs.
Which One to Choose?
For new players: Start with the Divine Tower guards, Vulgar Militiamen, or Greyoll Sleeping Dragon. Once you complete Varre’s quest, unlock Mohgwyn Palace for the bird or Albinauric farm.
For veterans: The Underground Dynasty glitch or Mohgwyn Albinauric farm will get you max level in no time.