Elden Ring: 12 Runes Practices That Save Time in NG+ Playthroughs

VelvetFern

New Game Plus (NG+) in Elden Ring significantly raises the challenge, but it also offers an excellent opportunity to refine your character and tackle tougher enemies with your improved build. One of the biggest hurdles in NG+ is managing runes efficiently. The higher difficulty means enemies drop more runes, but it also takes longer to farm and spend them wisely. Over my time in NG+ runs, I’ve developed 12 practical rune-related strategies that save time and help you maximize progression without the usual grind.

Here’s how to manage your runes effectively in NG+ and maintain smooth progression.

1. Prioritize High-Value Rune Farming Spots
Identify and revisit areas with dense groups of enemies that drop significant runes. Prioritize zones where kills are fast and death risk is low, minimizing downtime.

2. Use Spirit Ashes to Speed Up Farming
Summoning Spirit Ashes can distract enemies and let you focus on efficient rune farming without taking damage, saving time spent on healing and retries.

3. Upgrade Your Flask for Sustained Runs
Maximize your Flask charges to reduce downtime between farming runs. A balanced Flask setup helps maintain your stamina and health during long sessions.

4. Focus on Weapon and Gear Upgrades Early
Upgrading your equipment early in NG+ boosts damage and survivability, making farming faster. Avoid spreading your runes too thinly across stats; focus on key areas first.

5. Use the Elden Shop Smartly
The Elden Shop often stocks useful items, including materials for weapon upgrades and resins. Keeping an eye on the shop can save you time farming rare materials elsewhere.

6. Don’t Hoard Runes Unnecessarily
Spend your runes regularly. Accumulating large amounts increases the risk of losing them upon death. Frequent spending keeps your progress steady and reduces stress.

7. Plan Your Build for Efficient Farming
Certain builds clear enemies faster. For example, area-of-effect weapons or spells help kill groups quickly, reducing farming time.

8. Consider Using Cheap Elden Ring Runes Methods
Some in-game methods allow you to acquire cheap Elden Ring runes quickly without extensive farming. Using these tactics strategically can cut down on tedious grinding.

9. Optimize Your Route
Map out a farming route that minimizes backtracking. Efficient routing saves minutes every run, which adds up significantly over NG+.

10. Utilize Multiplayer for Co-op Farming
Inviting friends for co-op play can speed up rune acquisition by taking down bosses and groups of enemies more quickly.

11. Be Mindful of Death Penalties
Avoid reckless play that leads to losing runes. Taking a cautious approach during farming saves time lost to running back and recovering your lost runes.

12. Track Your Rune Earnings
Keeping an eye on rune gains per run helps you adjust farming strategies. If a spot becomes less efficient, switch to a better one to maximize gains.

Managing runes efficiently in NG+ is essential to keep your momentum going. The combination of strategic farming, smart spending, and using tools like the Elden Shop will help you maintain an edge as the difficulty ramps up. While farming runes is part of the experience, using cheap Elden Ring runes tactics can help you save valuable time, allowing more focus on exploration and combat. Have you found any underrated rune farming spots or strategies in NG+? Sharing these tips can benefit everyone preparing for the challenges ahead.