Best Great Runes to use in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Using Great Runes is one of the many ways to balance the difficulty scales of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Great Runes are Key Items that you can acquire by defeating the main boss enemies in the game. There are seven that players can hunt down excluding Miquella's, which is more of a reusable tool.

Depending on where you are in the DLC, these Great Runes can be used to achieve great results. However, selecting the right one for you and your playstyle can be tricky.

We've got you covered, though, as this article lists some of the best Great Runes in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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What are the best Great Runes to use in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree?

Great Runes provide some of the best buffs in Elden Ring (Image via FromSoftware)

Enemies in Elden Ring's Realm of Shadow hit hard, so the amount of Vigor you have might end up being the difference between life and death. You can always collect Scadutree Fragments in Shadow of the Erdtree to boost your damage negation. However, the amount of damage you take in the DLC can still feel daunting.

This means you must be well-equipped with Great Runes that either boost HP or provide you with a way to recover some for yourself. With that in mind, here are the best Great Runes to use in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Rykard's Great Rune

Rykard's Great Rune in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

Rykard's Great Rune restores your HP by 80 and heals you for 7% of your maximum health every time you defeat an opponent.

Since you need to defeat enemies to continue gaining HP, this Great Rune isn't all that effective against bosses. However, you can breeze through most areas in the Land of Shadow with it as long as you're not expecting any bosses along the way.

To activate this Great Rune, you need to pay a visit to the Divine Tower of West Altus.

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Morgott's Great Rune

Morgott's Great Rune in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

Morgott's Great Rune also boosts your HP. While you have this equipped, your maximum HP will get a 25% boost. This isn't a normal boost and will be applied after accounting for all your Talismans and HP buffs. While your base HP might be 900, you could have the Crimson Amber Medallion equipped, which would take it to over 900.

In this case, Morgott's Great Rune will apply the 25% boost to your buffed HP instead of your base HP of 900. If you combine it with the right items, you can add a ton of health to your Tarnished.

Do note that you will have to visit the Divine Tower of East Altus to activate Morgott's Great Rune.

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Radahn's Great Rune

Radahn's Great Rune in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Radahn's Great Rune is one of the best in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. It provides you with a 15% increase in your HP, stamina, and FP. Unlike Morgott's Great Rune, Radahn's will only increase the base value of your stars when used.

If you find yourself relying on a lot of FP and need to tank hits, you cannot go wrong with Radahn's Great Rune. To activate this, you need to make your way over to the Divine Tower of Caelid.

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Check out our other articles covering Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

• All Elden Ring weapon buffs and nerfs for Shadow of the Erdtree
• Best Great Katana build in ER Shadow of the Erdtree
• Best Reverse-hand Sword build in ER Shadow of the Erdtree
• ER Shadow of the Erdtree ending explained