Can you get your lost Runes back in a boss arena in Elden Ring?

If there’s anything any Elden Ring player is more familiar with by now, it’s the sting of death. The frustration is somehow both encouraging and disheartening.

What stings more than death in a Souls-like game is losing thousands of Souls or, in the case of Elden Ring, losing Runes. Upon death, players drop all of their Runes and have to return to their point of death to retrieve them.

This can be particularly difficult if, say, the player dies in a boss arena. You are then seemingly stuck trying to defeat the boss to keep your Runes. But there’s an old Demon’s Souls trick you can use to keep your Runes and avoid the boss altogether.

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Use an old Dark Souls trick to retrieve your Runes from a boss arena in Elden Ring

The problem arises when you try to retrieve Runes in the midst of a boss that is likely swinging their arms at you and performing crazy feats. If you die attempting to collect your Runes, they are gone forever. It may seem like you’re locked into the fight—not unless you use this trick in Elden Ring.

You can find Melina Elden Ring here.

• Step 1: Run into the boss arena like you normally would, with every intention of ducking and weaving through their attacks.
• Step 2: Grab your dropped Runes
• Step 3: Create as much distance between you and the boss as possible. If you have summons, use them to distract the enemy.
• Step 4: Open the game menu and go to System
• Step 5: Open the Quit Game menu tab. It’s the last tab on the right.
• Step 6: Quit the game.

Upon loading up Elden Ring again, your character will be outside the boss arena and with Runes still in your possession. It’s a trick that’s been working since Demon’s Souls.

Alternatively, you can spend the Runes as soon as possible. If you don’t have enough Runes to increase your stats, then finding an easy way to farm Runes is the best path forward.

For example, the Missionary’s Cookbook (2) teaches how to craft a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot. This increases the number of Runes gained exponentially. The cookbook can be purchased from Patches if you choose to spare him.

Check out the Elden Ring PS4 here.