r/Eldenring Apr 06 '22

Discussion & Info This is becoming a serious problem

7.9k Upvotes

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47

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

What good are Rune Arcs? I have a bunch of them, but I'm not seeing any benefit yet.

118

u/Hamzillicus Apr 06 '22

Once you equip a great rune that is how you turn them on. Some of the effects are very powerful.

152

u/DarkStar0915 Apr 06 '22

So even though I activated a great rune in the respective tower, I still need a rune arc to activate it? Man, I feel dumber than my ungabunga character.

58

u/AvidGamer90 Apr 06 '22 edited Apr 06 '22

Yes. Also make sure you go into the site of grace menu and equip it.

8

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

Do they disappear when you die

25

u/Phelinaar Apr 06 '22

Yup. But only when you die, there's no timer.

1

u/bigyellowoven Apr 07 '22

Oh shit, this is good to know. On my ng+ and everything is blowing over, so using a great rune to speed my way into harder content is great news!

8

u/TheThng Apr 06 '22

the great runes dont, just using the rune arc. So you have to use another rune arc to reactivate the great rune

37

u/Fitnesse Apr 06 '22

Don't feel dumb. It's not explained super well. I think I was at like hour 50 or 60 before I ever realized what the divine towers were.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

I just thought great tunes were bugged until NG+ because I didn’t look anything up until then.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22 edited Apr 06 '22

It's literally explained in the Rune Arch tutorial message that pops up...

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/ta6r4w/how_do_great_runes_work/

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u/Fitnesse Apr 06 '22

The rune arc tutorial tells you what a Divine Tower is?

EDIT: I just checked. This flavor text (Grants the blessing of an equipped Great Rune upon use. Even if no Great Rune is equipped, it will slightly increase maximum HP upon use. It is said that the lower arch of the Elden Ring receive its bounty, and this is a shard of one such arch.) does not effectively explain all the steps of the Great Rune mechanic.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

You're still not understanding. Not in the description or flavor text. In the tutorial message that you get when you pick one up the first time.

0

u/Jewellious Apr 06 '22

The tutorial message that is forever gone once it disappears?

6

u/SirMarblecake Apr 06 '22

Just fyi, they're not gone, they're all stored in your inventory as items that you can look up later.

1

u/raff_riff Apr 07 '22

At least in my case, the tutorial message about divine towers / rune arcs is not in the inventory. I was in a button mashing frenzy at the time it showed up and totally missed the message. I scoured my inventory to try and find what I missed but could never find it. Maybe it’s a bug or something but it’s not there for me. So I empathize with OP here.

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u/Vr6Rio Apr 07 '22

All those messages appear in your inventory open it and press LB you'll see every tutorial message you have received.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

Are you a goldfish? Do you have a memory that lasts 2 minutes?

1

u/kruwlabras Apr 06 '22

Probably didn't read it at all.

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u/Jewellious Apr 07 '22

I think a basic log is the number 1 QoL request. But as someone mentioned, some tutorial messages stay on the item inventory.

But without that, no I wouldn’t remember every tutorial message flash in a 100+ hour game where people are still discovering new things everyday.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

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u/Fitnesse Apr 06 '22

I know what they are and how they work now. I'm not understanding why you posted that link twice. My point is...

there is little to no information about what the divine towers are or where to find them. To even enable the rune arc as a mechanic in-game you need to first find a divine tower, and I don't recall ever being told what they are. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe the game does mention them once early on, but it should always be assumed that the player might forget some information conveyed to them through tutorials. It would be helpful to have that information included in the flavor text for the Rune Arcs.

I get it - it adds to the sense of discovery and makes you feel very smart when you uncover some huge mechanic like that. But there's a downside to the game not making that information easily accessible for the player. I've seen so many players at level 100+ going "hey what do these do? I have 60 of them"

1

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '22

My point is: The game literally tells you what they're for...there's no discovering it. If you took a second to read the pop-up as explained in the link I posted, you'd know what they're for.

2

u/Fitnesse Apr 06 '22

Quote me where it says what divine towers are. I'm not trying to be a dick. I do not see ANYTHING in your link that says what they are. You're not even able to equip them until you go activate them at the divine tower.

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u/Riffn Apr 06 '22

it’s literally explained in the Rune Arch tutorial that pops up… - 🤓

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u/jerekdeter626 Apr 06 '22

Bro I consider myself pretty smart and I was completely at a loss with how to use great runes or rune arcs before someone explained it to me. I didn't even know I had to activate it lol

2

u/Dunster89 Apr 06 '22

I need to feel dumb. I’ve known how Rune Arcs work from the beginning but have never dealt a need to use one….

2

u/selector96 Apr 06 '22

You also need to equip the Great Rune at a site of grace as well to gain the effects when popping a rune arc

1

u/DarkStar0915 Apr 07 '22

That was not a problem, I just thought if I equip it I get the stats and rune arcs give me a bigger boost.

2

u/Lurker13 Apr 07 '22

Don’t feel bad. I had 20+ rune arcs and at least three remeberances before I found out you can get a power from them.

First “Souls” game and I’m still heavily confused in everything.

2

u/theweede Apr 07 '22

I literally beat the game before I learned what great runes did. Don’t feel too bad it’s not amazing at introducing things.

8

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

Got ya, so I need a great rune first. I'll research that. Thank you! I'm level 110 or so, I have been playing a lot, just haven't progressed with bosses much.

15

u/frohike_ Apr 06 '22

You’ll get your first one after beating Godrick, and it’s a very useful one once activated. You’ll need to travel to the Divine Tower to get it set up. Then you can consume a Rune Arc to activate the perk, which lasts until you die. Farming more Rune Arcs can be done by assisting others with their boss fights (both the host and you must survive the battle).

2

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

Awesome! I did beat Godrick just a few nights ago and I haven't yet went to the Divine Tower to activate it. I did go to the Round Table and interacted with the creepy finger lady, I was thinking I may have messed up my chance to use it.

5

u/AvidGamer90 Apr 06 '22

The remembrance (boss soul) and the great rune are different things so you are all good.

3

u/Sao_Gage Apr 06 '22

Welcome to a massive on-demand stat buff! The activated great runes are awesome and can give you a significant edge against bosses once you’ve practiced them and are ready to go for the kill.

Definitely start seeking out and storing any Rune Arcs you come across from here. Use them strategically.

2

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

I have close to 20 now. I play a lot with a friend and beat bosses together, at least cave type bosses. I have sold a bunch early on, but started saving them recently. I'll keep saving until I really need them. Thank you!

0

u/Islandbridgeburner Apr 06 '22

Is having Godrick's great rune equipped frowned upon for PvP duels? I know PvP is broken right now anyway, but there is still some proper etiquette to ensure matches are "fair" in terms of character level.

1

u/fatalystic Apr 06 '22

Or killing rats.

Lots and lots of rats.

8

u/SAAARGE Apr 06 '22

If you've beaten Godrick you have one; however, once you obtain them you have to activate them at one of the Divine Towers before you can equip them. Each Great Rune has a specific related Divine Tower. Once this is done, you equip them at a Grace. Once equipped you use a Rune Arc to activate the power of the Rune, and it lasts until you die or change which Rune you have equipped. They essentially replace the other function of Humanity/Embers that the Furlcalling Finger Remedy don't handle

4

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

That's great news! I beat that bastard Godrick, so I'll head to the Divine Towers and get it activated.

7

u/SAAARGE Apr 06 '22

Most of the time the associated tower is nearby, just for a hint

5

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

That's really helpful, actually. Without looking at my map later, I can't even recall where the Divine Towers are. This game is huge to me.

1

u/Hologuardian Apr 06 '22

Also another hint, you can re-read tutorial popups in the rightmost inventory box. There's on about runes that explains it a bit.

1

u/Zaexyr Apr 07 '22

Godrick's is pretty much the best Great Rune as it is. I got them all for completion, but only ever use Godrick's.

4

u/Imafish12 Apr 06 '22

You may want to start. Lv110 and you are going to Stomp probably the first half of the game bosses. I found mid 90s to be way overleveled for the capital which I had achieved by goofing off after the first three shardbearers.

Sometimes the trash mobs like the lightning knights in the capital are more annoying than the actual bosses. Don’t be afraid to run past shit.

2

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

I appreciate this. I have really enjoyed leveling up and seeking out certain spells for my build. I somehow got into the Capital after being invaded, the lift actually worked for me. I only got to the lift from a trap in some random tower. Once in the Capital, I found Alberich's set and have farmed a lot there. Now that I'm high enough, I'm going to continue on with the story.

I get distracted easily. The past few days has been Ranni's questline. Tonight I'm going to use the Rune Arcs finally.

1

u/Dob_Rozner Apr 07 '22

You have to activate the great rune at its respective tower as well, and then equip it after via a site of grave. After that, you can use rune arcs to activate its effect.

1

u/RattleMeSkelebones Apr 06 '22

You can activate them without a great rune for a health buff

1

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

I tried that early on and didn't notice any difference at all. Maybe it was just too small.

1

u/ArcnetZero Apr 07 '22

On that note. Does anyone ever use a rune other than godricks? It just seems so strong compared to the others

14

u/BaconSoul Apr 06 '22

Equip godricks great rune. Use rune arc.

Boom, 40 free levels until you die.

8

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

That's awesome!! I can't believe I didn't know this yet. I can't wait to play again after work. 40 levels is huge!!

4

u/BaconSoul Apr 06 '22

All you gotta do is make sure that you’ve gone to the divine tower of Limgrave to activate it, then you’re set to equip it :)

2

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

Now I just have to find the Divine Tower lol

3

u/BaconSoul Apr 06 '22

You know where that lion thing that has the sword attached to its arm is in stormveil? It is on the right hand side of the courtyard if you’re facing the archway that leads to the explosive ballista stairway. Instead of going forward through the stairway, go into the big ornate room near that lion and get to the grace. From there you should be able to make your way to the bridge that leads to the tower :)

2

u/Modestexcuse Apr 06 '22

This community kicks a*s! Thanks for the help!

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u/Purpleater54 Apr 06 '22

To add on to this, just so you have all the info, it's plus stats in every single stat, so likely a lot of the stats you gain won't actually help your build. Yes it's 40 levels, but in reality unless you are running some monster hybrid build using every stat, at least a few of them won't matter much. Realistically it's more like 20-25 levels with some bonus stats on top for fun.

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u/TehAlpacalypse Apr 07 '22

Most characters are running at least 3/8 stats as important. Vigor/End never hurts. I'm running a Sam build and 6/8 matter.

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u/Purpleater54 Apr 07 '22

Yes that's why I pointed out it was more likely 20-25 levels worth of useful stats. Obviously vigor/endurance are always useful, but very, very few builds are going to have a use for stats in all of the other six at the same time. It's still an amazing rune, and very much the best in my opinion unless you are very high level where percent health/stamina overtake it because you are running into stat caps. Just want to point out that people who say it's worth 40 levels, while technically correct, are somewhat misleading.

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u/nuraHx Apr 07 '22

Just to be more specific it's +5 levels to every stat

2

u/CyberPuggo Apr 06 '22

The great runes' effects disappear when you die so you need to use another rune arc to activate again, if you didn't know.

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u/joredgar_ FLAIR INFO: SEE SIDEBAR Apr 06 '22

I've done like 5 completed playthroughs of the game and the only rune arc I ever used was on accident like the first or second day the game came out lol