Elden Ring’s massive open world offers countless opportunities to gather runes, but many players stick to the well-trodden paths, missing out on some of the highest-yield rune farming routes available. If you’re looking to level up faster and equip your character with powerful gear, exploring these 14 lesser-known rune routes can give you a significant advantage.

1. Abandoned Cave Enemies
Located in the eastern part of the map, the Abandoned Cave is filled with tough enemies that drop a generous amount of runes. The area is accessible early enough for mid-level farming and offers decent rewards for relatively low risk.

2. Night’s Cavalry Patrols
The elusive Night’s Cavalry can be found patrolling at night in multiple locations. These knights drop valuable runes and provide a good challenge for players looking to test their combat skills.

3. Dragonbarrow’s Lesser Dragons
While most focus on the big dragons, smaller dragon enemies in Dragonbarrow also yield a high amount of runes and are easier to farm repeatedly.

4. Caelid’s Rotten Strays
Caelid is notorious for its dangerous terrain, but the Rotten Strays that roam here drop a large number of runes, making them an underrated farming option.

5. Sellia Hideaway Basement
This dungeon area is packed with enemies that respawn quickly, offering a steady rune income if you can clear the space efficiently.

6. Farron Keep’s Undead Soldiers
Not just a Dark Souls staple, Farron Keep has undead enemies that, when farmed correctly, provide solid rune gains with minimal investment.

7. Raya Lucaria Grand Library Enemies
Raya Lucaria’s enemies are not just obstacles to the story — many drop valuable runes that can be farmed if you clear certain rooms methodically.

8. Minor Erdtree Sites
These smaller Erdtree locations are often overlooked but contain clusters of enemies with high rune drops and relatively safe farming zones.

9. Stormhill’s Knight Patrols
Knights patrolling Stormhill drop a respectable amount of runes and can be fought repeatedly due to the area’s accessibility and safe rest points.

10. Limgrave’s Tree Sentinel Patrols at Night
While intimidating, defeating these armored foes at night rewards you with a substantial rune payout, great for players confident in their combat abilities.

11. Sellia Crystal Tunnel Enemies
The crystal-based enemies here have a high rune drop rate and can be farmed with ranged attacks to minimize risk.

12. Volcano Manor’s Flame Snakes
These enemies are weak to frost but drop large rune amounts, making them an effective target if you have the right gear.

13. Cathedral of Manus Crows
The swarms of crows in this area give a decent rune yield, especially when defeated in groups with AoE attacks.

14. Abandoned Cave’s Mimic Chests
Mimics here are tough but drop significant runes and unique loot, offering a high-risk, high-reward farming option.

For players wanting to speed up the leveling process, some consider the option to buy Elden Ring runes, though mastering these routes combined with the right Elden Ring Items that boost rune gain is often more rewarding in the long run. Using rune-boosting talismans and consumables will maximize your earnings along these routes.

Exploring these 14 high-damage rune farming routes will help you grow stronger faster and prepare for Elden Ring’s toughest challenges. Give these spots a try to level efficiently and gather the resources you need for powerful upgrades.