In Elden Ring, mastering the environment is just as crucial as perfecting your combat skills. While players often focus on farming enemies or clearing dungeons, the world itself holds hidden advantages that can drastically increase your rune income. Whether you’re looking to level faster or stock up before a boss fight, here are 26 environment-based strategies to maximize rune gain throughout your journey.

1. Lure Enemies into Environmental Hazards
From cliffs to lava pits, many areas are filled with hazards that can be used against enemies. Knock or bait foes into these traps for easy kills with no durability loss or FP usage.

2. Use Gravity and Elevation
Drop attacks from higher ground not only stagger enemies but can also be used to start fights on your terms. In some cases, they even allow you to wipe out groups before they can retaliate.

3. Guide Large Enemies Toward Smaller Mobs
In places like Liurnia or Altus Plateau, you can pit larger enemies against weaker ones. Let the big guys do the killing and then clean up for rune rewards.

4. Fight Near Sites of Grace
Farming near Sites of Grace saves travel time and allows instant resets. Look for high-density enemy zones close to fast travel points.

5. Use Narrow Terrain to Isolate Foes
Tight corridors or bridges force enemies into predictable lines. Use the terrain to funnel them for efficient takedowns with AoE skills or strong weapon arts.

6. Trigger Trap Mechanisms
Some dungeons contain traps that can damage or kill enemies. Lure them into flame towers, arrow volleys, or crushing columns for free rune gains.

7. Ambush Points for Stealth Builds
Environmentally advantageous ledges and corners can be used to chain stealth kills. This works especially well for builds focusing on light armor and fast weapons.

8. Use Mount Mobility in Open Fields
When mounted on Torrent, you can kite enemies across wide spaces, picking them off with hit-and-run tactics. This is excellent for farming rune drops with minimal risk.

9. Exploit Day-Night Cycle
Certain enemies only appear or drop more runes during nighttime. Adjusting the in-game clock at a Site of Grace can yield stronger enemies and better rune income.

10. Draw Agro Into Enemy Camps
Nearby roaming enemies can be led into camps. If they kill each other, you collect the runes without lifting a finger.

11. Use High Ground for Projectile Spells
Sorcerers can abuse elevation by casting spells downward with less risk of retaliation. This is especially useful in places like Mt. Gelmir.

12. Lead Enemies Off Cliffs
Classic but effective. Circle enemies near ledges until they fall to their doom. Runes earned with zero weapon swing.

13. Unlock Hidden Platforms and Paths
Hidden paths often lead to elite enemies guarding valuable rune drops. Keep an eye out for illusionary walls or alternate paths.

14. Use Scarab Hunting Zones Efficiently
Scarab beetles often drop rune-enhancing Ashes of War or consumables. Learn their patrols and routes to farm them quickly.

15. Trigger Enemy Infighting in Forts
Certain forts have different enemy factions within. Watch for fights between soldiers and beasts that leave you free to collect runes from the sidelines.

16. Ride Environmental Lifts to Spawn Upper-Level Enemies
Some areas repopulate stronger enemies above or below elevators. Reset and repeat for consistent rune gain.

17. Use Torrent to Chase Down Rune Beetles
Without Torrent, some rune beetles are near impossible to catch. Mastering mounted chases adds rare drops to your rune farming loop.

18. Utilize Fire Barrels and Explosives
Explosive barrels can be set off to take out tightly packed enemy groups. Look for areas like enemy camps or castles with flammable props.

19. Drop into Zones with Surprise Attacks
Use ledges and rooftops to drop into enemy patrols with a guaranteed first strike. One-hit kill potential increases with power builds.

20. Farm Near Teleport Traps
Some teleporters drop you into enemy-rich areas not normally accessible. Survive the initial ambush, and you’ll find high rune returns.

21. Take Advantage of Spirit Ashes in Narrow Spaces
Summoning Spirit Ashes in confined zones allows them to block enemies more effectively, creating safer combat and better farming.

22. Revisit Earlier Zones with Higher Stats
Returning to places like Limgrave at higher levels lets you clear enemies faster, especially with AoE or sweeping weapons, racking up runes effortlessly.

23. Equip Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot Before Environmental Exploits
Before luring enemies into traps or gravity deaths, pop a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot to boost rune rewards.

24. Use Terrain to Dodge Projectile Barrages
In regions like the Altus Plateau, trees and rocks can block long-range attacks, giving you time to isolate and defeat enemies safely.

25. Farm in Rune-Rich Weather Conditions
Fog and rain reduce visibility, letting stealth builds sneak around easier. Use these conditions to get rune-rich kills with minimal retaliation.

26. Chain Respawns with Fast Travel Loops
Combine farming spots that are close together with Sites of Grace to create loops. Efficient routing cuts down downtime between rune bursts.

Maximizing your rune gain is about more than just grinding—it’s about using every element of the game’s design to your advantage. Whether you’re preparing for New Game+ or experimenting with a new build, these methods will ensure your rune count stays high without repetitive farming. For players looking to skip the grind and jump into higher-level content, some even choose to source cheap Elden Ring runes to get a head start or buy Elden Ring Items to enhance their builds.