Elden Ring: What is a rune arc?

In a game as vast as Elden Ring, difficult challenges seem to be around every corner, making every advantage no matter big or small the crucial difference between life and death.

That's where several items that help come into play. From Smithing Stones to Ashes of War, there are plenty of ways for players to gain advantages in order to kill the pesky boss they've been on for hours. The same can be said about Rune Arcs.

With that being said, here's what a Rune Arc is in Elden Ring and how it can help you along in your journey.

What is a Rune Arc in Elden Ring?

Rune Arcs are special consumable items that activate the effects of your equipped Great Rune - if the player has no Great Rune equipped, they will get a temporary increase in their maximum health instead.

Additionally, if players don't use their Rune Arcs, their Rune will become dormant, meaning that its effects won't be applied to players' characters. The boost given by a Rune Arc is lost upon death.

There are several ways players can earn Rune Arcs. Here are a couple:

• Successfully defeating a boss when summoned during multiplayer.
• Successfully defeating a Host of Fingers as a Bloody Finger during multiplayer.
• Rare drop from Rats.
• Zones such as the Academy Crystal Cave, Unsightly Catacombs, Village of the Albinaurics, Road's End Catacombs, Altus Tunnel, Cliffbottom Catacombs and manu more.
• They also can be purchased from four different merchants.
  • Nomadic Merchant in Lirunia of the Lakes.
  • Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold.
  • Nomadic Merchant at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
  • Hermit Merchant at Hermit Menchant's Shack.

READ MORE: How to Level Up in Elden Ring

What are Great Runes in Elden Ring?

Great Runes are unique items that grant buffs and are dropped by the main bosses in Elden Ring. Each Great Rune has a specific buff, differing from boss to boss.

They can be equipped at a Site of Grace once activated. Players can find out how to activate Great Runes by looking at the items' descriptions. It's worth noting that the only Great Rune that players earn that is already activated is earned from Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, at the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

There are others such as the one from Godrick the Grafted near Stormveil Castle that must be activated at one of the Divine Towers found around the world. Players can find which specific tower their Great Rune activates by reading the item's description in their inventory.

READ MORE: Elden Ring: Where to buy Smithing Stones