How to Use Great Runes in Elden Ring

Restore the Great Rune at its corresponding Divine Tower, equip it at a Site of Grace, and use a Rune Arc to activate its effect. Those are three separate actions. If you have a Great Rune in your inventory but see no change, find out which action you have left. Godrick's Great Rune is a useful first example because its tower is connected to Stormveil Castle.

1. Check which Great Rune you have

After defeating a shardbearer, inspect the Great Rune and read its description. For a rune that needs restoration, the description can point you toward the relevant tower. Different Great Runes use different locations, so the route for Godrick will not restore every other rune you find later.

Keep the Great Rune of the Unborn separate in your plans. It is tied to rebirth with Rennala. It does not follow the normal sequence of tower restoration, equipping a combat Great Rune, and consuming a Rune Arc. For this walkthrough, start with Godrick's rune after defeating him at Stormveil.

2. Restore Godrick's rune at the Divine Tower of Limgrave

1. Return to the route through Stormveil Castle that leads onto the bridge east of the castle.
2. Reach the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace and use it as your starting point.
3. Cross the bridge past the stone golems. You can keep moving toward the far end if you do not want to stop and fight them.
4. Use the waygate at the end of the accessible bridge to reach the tower.
5. Go up the tower and interact at the top to restore the rune.

The broken part of the bridge is why the waygate matters. Look for it when you reach the end rather than trying to jump the gap. Once you have restored the rune at the top, you can move on to equipping it. You do not have to repeat the tower route every time you want to use the rune.

3. Equip the restored rune and use an Arc

Rest at a Site of Grace and open Great Runes. Select the restored rune you want to equip. After leaving the Grace menu, use a Rune Arc from your inventory or item slots. Once activated, Godrick's Great Rune raises your attributes by five points each. You can check your character status to confirm that the effect is active.

Equip the correct rune before spending the Arc if you have more than one. For a boss attempt, prepare the rest of your equipment first and use the Arc once you are ready. That way you do not spend it while still working through a route you have not learned or changing gear for another encounter.

4. Know what happens after you die

Dying ends the active bonus. The restored Great Rune itself is still available. Check that it is equipped and consume another Rune Arc when you want the effect again. You do not need to defeat the shardbearer again or restore the rune a second time.

If you are learning a difficult boss, consider doing your first attempts before spending an Arc. Once you can reach the later part of the fight consistently, use one when its effect is likely to help. This keeps you from consuming several Arcs while learning the same opening attacks.

5. Fix a rune that is missing or inactive

If the rune does not appear in the Grace menu, check whether you restored it at the correct tower. If it is equipped but your stats did not change, confirm that you used a Rune Arc after equipping it and that you have not died since then. If it is a special rune tied to a different system, check its description rather than assuming it will appear with the combat runes.

Before changing your equipment to rely on the bonus, compare your stats with the effect inactive. A weapon or spell that depends on the extra attributes may stop meeting its requirements after a death. Keep a backup setup you can still use while deciding whether to spend another Arc.

Keep one Rune Arc in a quick slot if you intend to use it just before a boss. Check your selected slot before pressing the button so you do not consume an Arc when you meant to use a healing flask.