Feeling the heat in Elden Ring Nightreign? Trying to forge a powerful hero in just two short days before facing the dreaded Nightlord can feel like a frantic scramble. Between hunting down a killer weapon, upgrading it, nabbing crucial passive bonuses, and stocking up on consumables and talismans, squeezing in effective rune farming is a true challenge. It’s a far cry from the original Elden Ring, where you could often find a cozy spot to repeatedly fell hapless Albinaurics with a legendary sword skill. In Nightreign, every minute counts, and strategy is paramount.
But don’t despair, Nightfarer! The good news is we’ve dived deep into the trenches, spending countless hours perfecting the art of the Nightreign rune hustle. We’ve got some game-changing tips to supercharge your rune acquisition and, even better, a meticulously crafted route to help you gather a hoard of runes while still ticking off all those other vital pre-Nightlord objectives.
Before You Dash: Pro Tips to Maximize Rune Acquisition in Nightreign
Unlike its predecessor, Nightreign throws a wrench in traditional rune farming. Enemies don’t respawn after resting at a Site of Grace, so “rinse and repeat” is out. Your priorities are split: leveling up is crucial, but so is gearing up with the right weapon (especially one exploiting the Nightlord’s weakness!), passive-boosting gear, talismans, and life-saving consumables.
To get the most runes out of your limited time, always keep these tips in mind:
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Relic Power-Up: Equip a relic with the “Increased rune acquisition for self and allies” effect. If you’re squad-deep with friends on comms, make sure everyone has one equipped in the Roundtable Hold before starting a run. These often stack, meaning you might be able to equip multiple on your individual Nightfarer for an even bigger boost!
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Golden Feast Before Bosses: Always use a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot right before a boss (or any high-value enemy group) goes down.
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Pro-Tip: If you snag a relic with “Items confer effect to all nearby allies,” one Fowl Foot can benefit the whole team!
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Chase the Golden Glow: Interact with bushes surrounded by golden fireflies. These fleeting flora grant a temporary buff to rune acquisition and are well worth a detour while clearing out enemies.
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Scarab Luck & Bonus Buffs: While rare, defeating scarabs around the map could drop a Gold Scarab talisman, passively boosting your rune gain. Also, after defeating certain bosses, you’ll sometimes be offered a choice of temporary buffs – keep an eye out for one that increases rune acquisition!
The Ultimate Nightreign Rune Farm: Your 2-Day Power-Up Plan
With those tips locked and loaded, and after extensive testing, here’s our champion route for maximizing rune gains while ensuring you’re prepped for any Nightlord:
Day One: Building Your Foundation & Early Wins
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Fort Assault First (if available): Prioritize heading to a fort (castle icon on the map). Clearing it and defeating its boss will grant you early levels. Crucially, check the chest at the top (behind the boss) for a potential Stonesword Key, and scout the upstairs corner room for a map revealing nearby talisman scarabs.
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Church Pilgrimage: If a church is nearby, make a pit stop. You’ll likely find a flask upgrade, valuable Gold-Pickled Fowl Feet, and potentially useful consumables like Boiled Crab, Prawn, or Exalted Flesh.
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Boss Blitz: Now, systematically clear as many nearby bosses as possible. Focus on encampments, cathedrals, and ruins.
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Strategic Targeting: If possible, target locations marked with the symbol matching the upcoming Nightlord’s weakness – you’re more likely to find a weapon with that affinity there.
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Cathedral Secrets: When visiting a cathedral, always check behind the altar for weapons and sometimes another Stonesword Key. Don’t forget to explore basements if present, as they can hide Sacred Seals with handy healing spells.
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Evergaol Riches: As Day One winds down, use your collected Stonesword Keys on Evergaols. Remember to pop a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot before the Evergaol boss falls! These optional challenges can grant an extra 10,000, 20,000, or even 30,000 runes, making them incredibly lucrative.
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Night One Showdown: Before you defeat the Night One boss, ensure you save one Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot and use it just before landing the final blow for a sweet rune bonus.
Day Two: Hunting Big Game & Final Prep
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Great Enemy Safari: Day Two is prime time for hunting Great Enemy roaming bosses (marked with little monster face icons on the map) for maximum rune payouts. These encounters will also likely drop some high-quality weapons if you’re still searching for the perfect one.
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Warning: These are tough encounters! Aim to be around level 7 or higher, though this can vary depending on the specific boss.
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Hotspots: Shifting Earth event regions, like The Crater, are goldmines for Great Enemy bosses such as the Fallingstar Beast and Valiant Gargoyle, both offering massive rune rewards.
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Final Resource Run: While hunting Great Enemies, mop up any remaining churches for more Gold-Pickled Fowl Feet (to use on the Great Enemies) and additional flask charges crucial for the final Nightlord battle. Use up any leftover Stonesword Keys on remaining Evergaols.
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Night Two Grand Finale: Just like the previous night, save one last Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot. Use it shortly before you defeat the Night Two boss to maximize your final rune injection before facing the ultimate challenge.
While the exact path you take will always depend on the procedurally generated map layout, focusing on this general boss-clearing priority—forts, encampments, ruins, and cathedrals on Day One, followed by Evergaols and roaming Great Enemies on Day Two—will net you a significant rune advantage. Combine this with timely Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot usage, and you’ll not only be swimming in runes but also gathering a wealth of passive buffs and weapon options to conquer any Nightlord that stands in your way!
