Elden Ring is more accessible than previous FromSoftware titles in a number of ways; namely, the open-world aspect makes it a lot easier to take a break from Elden Ring's legacy dungeons if players get stuck. Sometimes, the key to defeating a boss is as simple as leveling up a few times, and in a game this massive, there’s no shame in wanting to find some quick and easy runes to upgrade your equipment when you're in a pinch.

Related: The Best Elden Ring Rune Farming Locations in Each Region

One place that many players get stuck early in the game is the Raya Lucaria Academy, which requires traversing a large portion of Liurnia of the Lakes. Luckily, if players are looking to level up to bridge that difficulty gap, there are a lot of places to explore and farm runes right there in Liurnia.

Updated June 4, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: When it comes to Rune farming Liurnia has a lot of options for players to take advantage of. The marionette balloons floating above the marsh, for example, give a whopping 2000 Runes each and can be easily destroyed with a simple bow. The usefulness of Liurnia for Rune farming extends past the zone, too, as it's a gateway to Mohgwyn Palace, site of the best Rune farming site in Elden Ring. No matter what location you choose to Rune farm Liurnia of the Lakes, it's a good idea to stock up on Gold-Pickled Fowl Foots if you intend to power level in this zone, as they increase Rune acquisition significantly for three minutes. In addition to this consumable, there are a few other tricks players can use to increase their Runes acquired.

6 Tips For Increasing Runes Gained

gold pickled fowl foot in elden ring

Elden Ring has several items that can increase Runes gained, and by the time most players reach Liurnia of the Lakes they are strong enough (and skilled enough) to reach some of these out-of-the-way items. The Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot is one such item, a consumable that increases Runes gained by a whopping 30% for 3 minutes. The Gold Scarab Talisman increases Runes by 20%, and the two can be equipped and used in unison for a total 50% increase to Rune acquisition.

It's a good idea to be in a Multiplayer group of some kind because every time a member beats a major boss or becomes Elden Lord the entire group gets a 5% boost to Rune acquisition for 5 minutes. In some particularly large groups, like the /r/EldenRing group for example, this effect almost never goes away. To keep the Runes you acquire in Liurnia, be sure to have a Sacrificial Twig Talisman on hand or the Twiggy Cracked Tear equipped to your Wondrous Physick - if you know how to get it without fighting enemies, that is.

5 Hot Air Balloons & Marionette Soldiers

Elden Ring: Marionette Soldiers and Hot Air Balloon
  • Location: Academy Gate Town, Liurnia Highway South
  • Flat Rune Amount: 2,000 per balloon
  • ​​​Recommended Weapon(s): Bow

This might not technically count as farming because the hot air balloons do not respawn, but considering the number of runes on the table, it’s worth noting regardless. While exploring Liurnia, players might have noticed some hot air balloons in the distance, and a closer look will reveal that there are Marionette Soldiers attached to each balloon.

Facing multiple Marionettes at once can be tough, but luckily, popping the balloons while the Marionettes are still attached will cause them to plunge to their death (or at least be severely injured). In addition to the souls gained from the Marionettes, each balloon a player pops will reward them with a Rune (6), which are worth 2000 runes each. There are at least five or so of these balloons scattered around Liunaria of the Lakes.

4 Ghost Battle

Elden Ring Liurnia Highway Battle
  • Location: North of Liurnia Highway North Site of Grace
  • Flat Rune Amount: 2,400
  • Recommended Weapon(s): None

Compared to some of the other options, this doesn’t net all that many runes, but it’s still worth noting because it’s one of the safest options. Gaining runes here doesn’t require any combat—all players need to do is get close to the battle without entering the fray, and then they can simply sit back and watch the fight unfold while collecting the runes from fallen enemies fighting each other.

RELATED: Clever Elden Ring Trick Makes Best Rune Farming Spot Even Better

In order to speed up the process, players can also ride Torrent toward the cave to spawn a ghost giant that will join the battle and quickly defeat most of the enemies. Defeating the giant will also net players 1320 runes, but be warned, the giant is fast and powerful with a long reach, so getting in some long-range attacks while the giant is fighting other enemies is highly recommended.

3 Giant Ants

Elden Ring Giant Ants in Ainsel River Well
  • Location: Ainsel River Well Depths Site of Grace
  • Flat Rune Amount: 3,000
  • Recommended Weapon(s): Great Glintstone Shard

Though perhaps not technically part of Liurnia as it is part of the underworld below, the lift to Ainsel River Well is still in Liurnia, just northeast of the Eastern Tabeland Site of Grace. As soon as you get to the bottom of the lift, you will see a bunch of large ants on the wall and ceiling in the distance.

The ants can pack quite a punch—especially when they're swarming—but luckily it's simple to defeat them one-by-one by knocking them off the wall with a long-range attack. The underground well's pathway is fairly straightforward, just be careful to move slowly and carefully, so the giant ants do not have a chance to swarm.

2 Claymen

Elden Ring Ainsel River Well Throne Room
  • Location: Ainsel River Sluice Gate Site of Grace
  • Flat Rune Amount: 7,000
  • Recommended weapon(s): Glintstone Arc

Ainsel River Well is also home to another group of enemies called Claymen that can net players a decent amount of runes. Claymen are durable and powerful, but they're also extremely slow moving. Still, players should not let their guard down, as the Claymen can quickly roll forward to close the gap.

Claymen are only worth 113 runes each, but there are a lot of them. The best strategy is to run through the mobs to aggravate them and get them moving toward the player en masse. Once they have clustered together, using sorcery like Glintstone Arc that allows attacks to travel through a number of enemies at once makes it simple to defeat five or six of the Claymen at the same time.

1 Mohgwyn Palace, Varre, And The Rose ChurchElden Ring Rose Church

  • Location: North of Folly on the Lake Site of Grace (southwest of the Academy)
  • Approx. number of runes: 30,000

Although the actual farming in this method does not take place in Liurnia, it can only be accessed by completing a questline here - White Mask Varre's questline, to be precise. After talking to him at the start of the game, head to The Rose Church just southwest of the Academy of Raya Lucaria to find him again. Here, as long as the Two Fingers have been met, he will ask your impression - say that something felt off, and he will reveal an alternative: serving the Lord of Blood. He gives the player five Festering Bloody Fingers to test their mettle against fellow Tarnished as an invader.

Players only need to complete three of these Invasions, though, before heading back to Varre. Then, he tasks the player with soaking a rag in a Maiden's blood. Head to the Four Belfries and use the Imbued Stonesword Key on the Belfry titled "the precipice of anticipation". Take the portal, soak the rag in this familiar location, then head back for the final time to receive the Pureblood Knight's Medal. This item teleports you to Mohgwyn Palace, where the infamous Albinauric farming spot can be found after a short journey through a winding canyon.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

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