Elden Ring: 13 Ways To Level Up Quickly

Elden Ring presents a challenge that few other games offer, but you don't have to be a masochist to enjoy the game to the fullest. There are several ways to level up early in Elden Ring, putting you in an advantageous position over the many enemies with fixed levels.

What Order To Fight The Main Bosses In Elden Ring

A guided tour through the main bosses in Elden Ring. Perfect for a first time player, or someone returning for the DLC!

With a little traveling, you can amass thousands – or even millions – of Runes quickly without much fear of dying in the process. Of course, some Rune farms are easier than others.

Updated June 21, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: With the Shadow of the Erdtree upon us, you'll need to know how to level up fast in Elden Ring if you want to advance through the DLC with Messmer's Kindling. To level up fast in Elden Ring, you should find a farming spot that you enjoy. With a dozen options to choose from, these are the best ways to level up quickly in Elden Ring before playing the DLC.

13 Dishonorable Mention: Console Commands

Firstly, let's acknowledge that if you play on PC, you don't even have to play the game to level up quickly in Elden Ring; that's what console command mods are for.

This is cheating and takes away the satisfaction of progressing normally, but it is an option.

Whether you're short on time, bored after hundreds of hours, or just abysmal at the game, you can pull up console commands using a cheat mod. Using cheats, you can set your levels in each attribute to whatever you wish.

Be warned that you are downloading cheat mods at your own risk and should never attempt to use them online unless you're speedrunning 'how to get banned in Elden Ring.

12 Equip The Gold Scarab Talisman

Before beginning anything, it's a great idea to track down the Gold Scarab Talisman, which boosts Runes earned by 20 percent. The Golden Scarab is essential for how to level up fast in Elden Ring; it will save you a significant amount of time, no matter how you choose to earn Runes.

To acquire this Talisman, head over to Caelid, one of the more difficult late-game areas.

Steer clear of enemies, head to the Smoldering Wall Site of Grace, and then go east to reach the Abandoned Cave.

Once you defeat the boss there, you'll receive the Golden Scarab Talisman. There's much more to discover in Caelid, so this won't be the only reason to trek to this area.

11 Farm The Ball Trap At Lenne's Rise

The ball trap at Lenne's Rise is a classic easy Elden Ring rune farming spot to check out, and you won't even need to kill any enemies yourself. The goal is to let the enemy that spawns here launch itself off the cliff, so you can collect the runes.

To start your Elden Ring rune farming, head to the Lenne's Rise Site of Grace in Caelid, south of the Bestial Sanctum. Go down the path toward the edge of the cliff and turn your camera to see a large sentient ball spawn behind you. Avoid the ball at the last second and let it continue off the cliff, rinsing and repeating to collect runes.

10 Clear Out Your Favorite Dungeon

Now that you have the Gold Scarab Talisman, you can head over to your favorite area of the Lands Between and choose a dungeon you like to repeatedly clear out. If you're in a New Game+ playthrough, you can head to any Dungeon you like, from Raya Lucaria to Crumbling Farum Azula.

Efficiency is important, but your farming will feel much faster and more fun if you enjoy the area you're spending time in and constantly refreshing the enemy spawns.

Given that legacy dungeons conveniently have a Site of Grace placed near their entrance, they provide unique opportunities to level up without much risk. If you're not sure how to level up fast in Elden Ring, then find a cave or any location with a Grace nearby, and you can make it your farming spot.

9 Stormveil Sites Of Grace

Stormveil Castle offers one of the best early-game locations to respawn enemies while you're trying to level up. You can head to either the Liftside Chamber or Secluded Cell Sites of Grace in Limgrave and clear out the enemies nearby before resting and respawning them.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree - Every Map Fragment Location

Reaching some of the map fragments in Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring can be challenging. Here's how you can find all of them.

There is a troll and a few other enemies directly adjacent to the Secluded Cell, in the opposite direction of the fog gate to Godrick the Grafted.

This spot is a great location to bump up your levels to wield a certain weapon to fight Godrick or to increase your Vigor if you're having difficulty staying alive.

8 Head To The Windmill Village

Dominula, Windmill Village is another excellent spot to farm rune quickly in Elden Ring, capped off by a boss fight if you haven't already completed it. Head to the Outer Wall Battleground Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau, then head north to pass through the gate toward the village.

Once you reach the village, you'll be greeted by the terrifying laughter of the villagers. Clear them out while moving up the path toward the windmill where you can fight a Godskin Apostle. If you've already beaten the boss, you can still clear out the villagers for about 3,000–6,000 runes per clear, depending on if you clear all groups of just the first one.

7 Hunt Down Easy Side Bosses

While you may have different reasons for starting Elden Ring, many of you are probably in it for the epic boss fights. If standing around is too boring, feel free to roam the map looking for easy bosses to take down for big chunks of Runes.

While there are a plethora of difficult bosses you'll want to avoid, there are several easier ones that offer a less daunting challenge. The Night's Cavalry variations are all fairly straightforward, and there is one just a bit north of Castle Redmane that you can defeat without lifting a finger.

You'll find the Night's Cavalry patrolling the bridge in the evening.

If you tiptoe the ledge on the outer side of the bridge and bait a jump attack, the Night's Cavalry will miss you, jump over the ledge, and plunge to its death for some easy Runes.

6 Watch Enemies Fight

If you want to do a little multitasking and have no interest in fighting for your Runes, then you can always find a spot where enemies are fighting. As they're busy slaughtering each other, you'll notice the satisfying sound of Runes absorbing into your body with a small foggy wisp.

Since you're presumably already in Caelid, Castle Redmane in the southeastern part of the area offers a ripe opportunity to put your controller down and enjoy free Runes as an all-out war transpires. Luckily, if you keep your distance, you should remain unnoticed.

Once all the enemies are dead, rest at the nearby Site of Grace to reset the spawns and start the process again.

5 A Field Of Vulgar Militiamen

In the northeastern area of Caelid, you'll come across a large open field in Dragonbarrow, just southwest of a Minor Erdtree. In this field, there will be around ten Vulgar Militiamen that should drop over 1,000 Runes each.

It's easy to get overwhelmed, so try to take them one by one to avoid dying.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree - How To Access The Cathedral Of Manus Metyr

Manus... sounds very familiar?

Using a weapon that has a ranged attack is ideal here, as your would-be attackers won't notice you if you sneak around behind them. This might be a better spot to use once you have a powerful Katana or similar weapon, so you can slice through the Militiamen faster, thus optimizing your time.

4 Let Sleeping Dragons Die

If you push further north through the field where the Vulgar Militiamen are, you'll see a massive gray dragon sleeping in the distance. Move to the back without alerting it, or you'll have to deal with many mobile dragons who want to murder you.

Once you're behind it, start swinging your weapon at the dragon's back leg and get ready for an uneventful 15 minutes, as it will likely take this long if not longer, to deplete the dragon's large health bar.

Your reward will be a fat chunk of Runes – 75,000 to be exact – which is more than worth the time to acquire them, especially considering you're not in any real danger, as the dragon cannot hurt you unless you approach it head-on.