Elden Ring Rune Farm: Get 80K Runes For Killing A Defenseless Dragon, You Monsters (2024)

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Taking down the Fort Faroth dragon will net you a huge pile of Runes, but it can only be done once--and requires some morally questionable behavior.

By Mark Delaney on

46 Comments

Staying ahead of the many horrors that want you dead in Elden Ring means that you'll need to be adequetly prepared and sufficiently leveled, the latter of which will require you to farm runes. Pumping your levels by farming this currency can make the game much more manageable, especially if you're finding that you're underperforming against enemies. We've covered several great early rune farming locations in Elden Ring already, but there's one particular spot that ranks among the best for gaining a massive chunk of runes. With that in mind, head to Fort Faroth in Caelid to slay a very generous dragon. Here's how to nab 80,000 Runes by being morally questionable.

Elden Ring rune farm - Fort Faroth dragon

Typically in a From Software game, everything wants you dead. Sure, some human NPCs may be friendly (or at least they appear that way), but if it looks like a beast, it's probably content to kill you. That's not the case with the Fort Faroth dragon, however. This apparent mother dragon is surrounded by her babies, and strangely puts up no fight when you go to kill her.

Click To Unmute

  1. Shadow of the Erdtree - First 20 Minutes w/ Commentary
  2. Tomba! Special Edition | LRG3 2024 Trailer
  3. Tomba! 2 | LRG 2024 Reveal Trailer
  4. GEX Trilogy | LRG 2024 Gameplay Trailer
  5. Fear Effect | LRG3 Reveal Trailer
  6. Clock Tower: Rewind | LRG3 Gameplay Trailer
  7. Modern Warfare III - New Season 4 Reloaded COD Zombies Update Trailer
  8. Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds | Official Spear Preview: Mesmer, Revenant, and Elementalist Trailer
  9. LEGO Islands in Fortnite - LEGO Tycoon: Tilted Towers
  10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate – Official Release Date Trailer
  11. Dune: Awakening – Character Creation Walkthrough Trailer

Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

Sign up or Sign in now!

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

00:00:00

Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Now Playing: 20 Minutes of Elden Ring | Liurnia of the Lakes Gameplay

Doing so will net you 80,000 Runes, though she won't respawn like most other enemies after you rest at a Site of Grace. Still, a bounty of 80,000 Runes is massive at any point, especially early in the game. That's good for several character levels. What's more, if you elect not to harm the mother dragon and instead focus on the offspring, they each net you 3,500 Runes and they do respawn after resting at a Site of Grace. They will, however, stop spawning if you kill their mother.

This setup gives you two options:

  1. Kill the mother dragon once for 80,000 Runes
  2. Repeatedly farm the babies for 3,500 Runes per dragon

Really a third option would be to walk away and leave these creatures be--they didn't do anything to you!--but if you've made it this far, I imagine you're hellbent on slaying the group in some fashion. Truth be told, assuming this simple Rune farm isn't bugged, it may very well prove that killing this dragon alters or even prematurely ends a questline players have yet to discover. Therefore, slay the dragons at your own risk--and for potentially greater consequences than just seeming ethically bankrupt.

How to get to Fort Faroth

So you've decided to kill dragon mommy. Okay then, for that, you'll first need to get to Caelid, which is east of Limgrave, the game's opening area. You can find Fort Faroth by taking the road out of Summonwater Village and through the following areas:

  • Northeast to Smoldering Church
  • East-by-southeast to Caelum Ruins
  • South to Caelid Waypoint Ruins
  • East to Sellia Gateway
  • Northeast to Fort Faroth

This path largely follows a designed road, so it's easy enough to stay on target, even as the enemies might not be as helpful. If you're not willing to trek this distance, you can also take a teleporter that rests slightly northeast of the Third Church of Marika. In the map below, the blue markers indicate your on-foot path through Caelid, while the red markers indicate where the teleporter starts (left) and transports you to (right), followed by the shorter, safer path south to the dragons' location outside of Fort Faroth (purple).

However you get there, a Site of Grace rests right outside the fort, which makes resetting nice and easy should you elect to spare the mother and repeatedly target the offspring instead.

Eventually, you'll slay the dragon and pocket a heavy 80,000 Runes. Her apparent disinterest in defending herself means getting there is the only hard part, though also note that if you elect to target the smaller dragons, they'll be a tough fight for a low-level player.

There's a lot to consider when embarking on this dragon-slaying quest. Do you spare the dragon for now in case it irreversibly changes a questline later? Do you only target the small dragons--assuming you can reliably defeat them on repeat? Do you rush in and get your 80,000 Runes before this possibly bugged encounter is patched out of the game forever? While the moral implications may sway very few players, more tangible but so far unseen consequences likely await. The choice is yours, Rune farmer!

For more Rune farming opportunities--without destroying families--try our Elden Ring rune farming guide.

Elden Ring Guides

  • What Happens In Elden Ring? The Game's Story, Part 1: Limgrave
  • Elden Ring Rune Farming: The Best Early Areas To Level Up Fast
  • What To Do First In Elden Ring: Best Route, Weapons, And Important Map Locations
  • + Show More Elden Ring Guides Links (7)
  • Elden Ring: Best Weapons You Can Find Early In Limgrave
  • Elden Ring Margit The Fell Omen Guide - Recommended Level And How To Beat The First Boss
  • Elden Ring: How To Upgrade Weapons - Smithing Stones Explained
  • Elden Ring Tips For Beginners: Learning The Ways Of The Lands Between
  • How To Level Up In Elden Ring, Stats Explained
  • Elden Ring: Best Keepsakes To Pick During Character Creation
  • Elden Ring Map: Where To Find Your First Map Fragment
Mark Delaney on Google+

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

View Comments (46)

Elden Ring

Xbox Series X

Xbox One

PlayStation 5

PlayStation 4

PC

Elden Ring Rune Farm: Get 80K Runes For Killing A Defenseless Dragon, You Monsters (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Delena Feil

Last Updated:

Views: 5750

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Delena Feil

Birthday: 1998-08-29

Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543

Phone: +99513241752844

Job: Design Supervisor

Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles

Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.