If you want to make the most of your demigod spoils, you’ll need to brave their challenges. Divine Towers are the only way to activate Great Runes. These are completely separate from Remembrances, so even if you opt to consume a Remembrance and ignore the weapons and spells they offer, you can still activate Great Runes. It’s also a one-time process. While you can swap Great Runes at Sites of Grace, you only need to activate them once.
How do you activate Great Runes in Elden Ring?
Each Great Rune needs to be activated at the Divine Tower in the region where you defeated the demigod in question, with a few exceptions. Activating Malenia’s Great Rune takes you to the Isolated Tower in the middle of the ocean, and Rennala’s Great Rune doesn’t need activating. Its power is granting you rebirth (respeccing) and is always active. The trouble is, Elden Ring is pretty happy not telling you much about Divine Towers and how they work. Divine Towers are massive structures visible from anywhere in their respective regions, though getting inside is often a much more complicated matter. Most Divine Towers are relatively straightforward once you gain access – except Caelid’s, which is fittingly hellish.
Where is Limgrave’s Divine Tower?
If you want to activate Godrick’s Great Rune – and you should, since it’s among the best – you’ll need to venture back inside Stormveil Castle. The route to Limgrave’s tower is just inside the front gate. If you took the long way around, head back south through the courtyard from the Liftside Site of Grace. You’ll still have to contend with the deadly ballistae and fire bombs, but the pacing is slightly better than storming the front gate. Take a left under the portcullis, and just run. There’s a deadly sword-wielding lion that attacks, and unless you’ve cleared out the enemies in the courtyard, fighting this is more trouble than it’s worth. Activate the Site of Grace beyond the statues – these don’t come to life, no matter how threatening they look – and move ahead onto the bridge. You’ll eventually reach two giant golems, an axe-wielding one and a greatbow golem. You can defeat them if you want or just run past them and activate the teleportal. From there, it’s just a matter of following the staircase up to the tower’s roof and activating the Rune next to the dead Fingers.
Where is Liurnia’s Divine Tower?
Liurnia’s Divine Tower is the Carian Study Hall, east of the Church of Vows. You can access it from the north, at the end of the road opposite the Ainsel Well elevator. It’s required for Ranni’s quest, and Ranni’s ending subsequently, but not for Rennala’s Rune. Inside is a host of ghostly Carian knights and scholars, along with the miniboss Preceptor Miriam. She fires Glintstone Comet and uses the Glinstone greatbow spell, and she also vanishes after taking a certain amount of damage. You’ll fight her for most of your trip up the tower. Bolster your magic defenses to make this easier. Again, it’s not a necessary trip until Ranni asks you to invert the tower, so feel free to ignore it until then.
Where is Caelid’s Divine Tower?
Caelid’s Divine Tower is in Dragonbarrow, south of the Bestial Sanctum and east of the Isolated Merchant’s Shack. It’s also a bit of a trial to enter. Approach it from the west, and use the giant roots to reach the platform with a campfire. There is also a slope on the other side of the tower that takes you down to a circle of dead people in a chair, where you can grab some Somber Smithing Stones and a few other rare items. Once you’re ready to start climbing, head toward the platform with the campfire. Defeat the soldier, and climb the ladder. Walk across the buttress to the other side, defeat the soldier there, and climb the ladder. Use the buttress to cross the gap to your left, and continue making your way around the tower counterclockwise. You’ll need Torrent’s double jump for a few of these areas. Just take care to hug the wall as you jump, since Elden Ring likes to have you bounce off the edges of ledges at times. Activate the tower Site of Grace, and head up the stairs to your right. Heading left takes you into the tower basement, a complicated platforming maze with Godskin Monks and a Godskin Apostle at the bottom. If you don’t feel like taking that route, you’re free to skip it. The elevator at the top of the stairs takes you to the top of the tower, where you can activate Radahn’s Rune. This one boosts your HP, FP, and max Stamina.
Where are the Altus Plateau Divine Towers?
The Divine Tower of East Altus is east of Leyndell, on the road to the Mountaintops of the Giants, and it’s one of the easier ones to reach. You have to defeat Morgott before the path opens. After that, it’s just a matter of taking the capital outskirts road east until you reach the Grand Lift of Rold.
Where is the Divine Tower of West Altus?
The Divine Tower of West Altus is where you’ll activate Rykard’s Great Rune. Enter the Sealed Tunnels outside Leyndell – accessed by descending to the moat – and defeat Onyx at the end of it. The path that opens after him leads to the tower.
How do you activate Malenia’s Great Rune?
Malenia’s Great Rune is a bit different. You’ll need to access the Isolated Tower, which is in the middle of the ocean. There’s a teleportal in the capital that takes you there, though. Head towards the Fortified Manor, but in the large hall where you normally turn right, take the first doorway instead of the second. Follow the pathway until you reach a gate in the metal fence. Turn left, and there’s an elevator at the far end. There’s also a giant iron maiden with two Ghiza’s Wheels in the courtyard. Deal with it first, or at least distract it so you can reach the elevator without it joining you. Follow the path once the elevator stops, and take the teleportal. It transports you to the tower, where you can activate the Rune at the dead Fingers like usual. If you’re looking for more help in The Lands Between, check out our extensive collection of Elden Ring guides, including how to defeat Maliketh and how many endings Elden Ring has.
