Elden Ring Nightreign is a markedly different gameplay experience from the mainline title, with a focus on co-operative multiplayer in a rogue-lite experience. In the final showdown of each run, nothing matters as much as your level, and maximizing your time and effort to achieve that fast will be your primary focus.
This Elden Ring Nightreign guide has everything you can possibly do to level up to the maximum cap of 15 quickly and efficiently.
Relics
There are a number of Relic effects that you can acquire to both directly and indirectly earn runes for both you and your allies. Since the Relics are RNG-based and gained at the end of runs, whether successful or unsuccessful, it may be a while before you have the right combination in your Relic Vessel.
There are also Nightfarer-specific, quest-based Remembrance Relics such as Revenant’s Small Makeup Brush with ‘increased rune acquisition for self and allies’, and Ironeye’s Cracked Sealing Wax where ‘critical hits earn runes’.
Your earned Murk will come in handy in order to potentially buy the Relics you want from the Small Jar Bazaar in Roundtable Hold. There is even a Nightlord Relic to lower your expenditures at merchants: Night of the Demon (not to be confused with Dark Night of the Demon), which offers up a ‘huge rune discount for shop purchases while on expedition’. It is said to be ‘the night belonging to Libra, left upon its defeat’.
You will also want to upgrade your Vessels (Urns, Goblets, Chalices and Grails) there, in order to use more Relics in a variety of color combinations, via the Relic Rites Menu.
Talismans
Certain Talismans such as the Gold Scarab which grants an increase to the amount of runes obtained from defeating enemies by 15%, will come in handy. Two of the same type will not stack, though they can stack with the Symbol of Avarice. Talismans are primarily obtainable from Teardrop Scarabs, so farm those whenever you encounter them.
There is also the Sacrificial Twig, that ‘prevents rune loss upon death, and avoids levelling down, but the talisman itself will be lost in exchange’.
Talismans can also be earned as rewards, or purchased from Merchants.
Scale-Bearing Merchant
This NPC encounter at the arena of Libra, Creature of Night in Limveld has multiple options to choose from when interacting with him, including ‘Take runes’, which is a combination of buff and debuff in the form of a Talisman called Symbol of Avarice that ’increases runes obtained from defeated enemies as well as item discovery, but the curse of the branded also drains HP’. Fortunately, you can choose to get rid of the phantom Mimic it places on your head, if you find that the health draining debuff is untenable on your run. Do this via your inventory since it’s just a Talisman. Unfortunately, the choices themselves appear to be RNG and you may not necessarily even see the rune boost option on your run.
Consumables
Certain consumable items such as the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot can ‘boost the amount of runes obtained from defeating enemies for a certain duration’. Because their drops are not guaranteed and can be few and far between, it is recommended that you save these for use right before a major combat encounter where you expect to gain a large amount of runes, in order to best take advantage of their small window of effect.
The Twiggy Cracked Tear consumable ‘prevents one’s runes from being lost upon death, as well as levelling down. However, the effect lasts only for a short time’.
Stonesword Key
While this item does not grant runes in and of itself, it does put you in the path of receiving massive windfalls of them. Stonesword Keys drop from the chest secreted behind the altar, near the boss of the Great Church location. The key can then be used to access the locked Evergaols with their Field Boss challenge. Felling these great enemies grants a choice between multiple selectable Dormant Powers, including an immediate rune lumpsum in multiples of 10K, and another two that both grant a persistent increase in number of runes obtained by 10%.
Another potential location for a chest with a Stonesword Key is atop the tower of a Fort. An additional bonus to clearing the Fort is being able to view the locations of nearby Field Bosses and Scarabs, by interacting with the maps on the desk within the tower, which will inform you that you have ‘Acquired a local clue’.
There is a certain Relic effect that provides you with a free Stonesword Key at the beginning of your run.
Merchants are also a potential source for Stonesword Keys.
Maximize Your Time
At a certain point in your run, you may want to simply breeze right past low-level cannon fodder, and head straight for the major opponent in any given area. This is especially true once you achieve higher levels, as you really want to optimize for the limited time you have left before your final battle. Slay the mini boss, gather your loot and Dormant Power, and venture forward.
Consider using Spiritstreams and Spectral Hawks to travel quickly (but not teleport) to locations where you might farm for runes, or collect rewards, but be wary of being carried off into the Tide.
Shifting Earth
These unique world-changing events completely modify the open world of Limveld, which in turn open up opportunities for lots of rune acquisition. Take the map variations when offered them, and your run will significantly benefit from the bonus runes dropped by tougher enemies, as well as the primary reward and the secret buff from defeating the mini-boss.
Those are some of the best ways to boost your rune acquisition and level up quickly in Elden Ring Nightreign.
