You've seen the clips. Those satisfying, golden waves of light crashing through dozens of Albinaurics on a blood-red cliffside. It looks easy. It looks like free money. But honestly, if you're trying to put together an Elden Ring rune slayer build without understanding how the scaling actually hits the break points, you’re just wasting time. Most players think it's just about grabbing a big sword and swinging. It isn't.
Efficiency is the name of the game in Mohgwyn Palace. If you aren't one-shotting the mobs, you're doubling your farm time. That’s the difference between a mediocre session and gaining ten levels in twenty minutes.
The Core of the Elden Ring Rune Slayer Meta
The term "rune slayer" basically refers to any build optimized to wipe out high-value enemies in seconds. While there are a few ways to do this, the community generally agrees that the Sacred Relic Sword is the undisputed king. You get this from the Elden Remembrance after defeating the Elden Beast. Yeah, that means it’s a New Game Plus tool mostly, or something you use to prep for the DLC.
The weapon's skill, Wave of Gold, is the literal backbone of the rune slayer archetype. It sends out an expanding arc of holy damage that travels a ridiculous distance.
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But here is what people get wrong: they pump Strength because it’s a Greatsword. Stop doing that. The Wave of Gold damage scales almost exclusively off Faith. If you want to clear the entire hill at the Palace Approach Ledge-Road in one go, you need your Faith to be sitting at 50 minimum, though 80 is where the real magic happens.
Why the Albinaurics?
The reason everyone heads to Mohgwyn Palace isn't just because the enemies are worth a lot. It’s because they’re passive. Half of them are literally sleeping. It’s a slaughterhouse, not a battlefield. In a standard NG cycle, each of these gray, frog-like dudes drops around 2,000 runes. With the right buffs, that number jumps significantly.
If you use the Gold Scarab talisman, you get a 20% boost. Add a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot, and you’re looking at another 30% on top of that. Do the math. One swing can net you 40,000 to 70,000 runes in about six seconds.
Beyond the Sacred Relic Sword
Maybe you haven't beaten the game yet. Maybe the Elden Beast is currently kicking your teeth in. You can still be an Elden Ring rune slayer, but you have to be a bit more creative.
Starscourge Greatswords are the best mid-game alternative. Radahn’s weapons have a unique skill called Starcaller Cry. It pulls enemies in and then blasts them with a gravity explosion. It doesn’t have the range of the Wave of Gold, so you have to run into the middle of the pack, which is risky. If you don't kill them in the first blast, they will cartwheel you into oblivion.
There's also the Blasphemous Blade. It’s widely considered the best PvE weapon in the game. For rune farming, it’s a bit slow. Taker’s Flames travels in a straight line. It's great for sniping the Crow across the canyon, but it won't clear the hill efficiently.
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The Gear You Actually Need
Don't just look at the weapon. The "slayer" part of the build is an ecosystem of items.
- Shard of Alexander: This is non-negotiable. It boosts skill damage by 15%. If you killed Alexander early, well, you're stuck with the lesser Warrior Jar Shard.
- Sacred Scorpion Charm: This increases your holy damage but makes you take more physical damage. Since the Albinaurics shouldn't even be touching you, the trade-off is totally worth it.
- Flask of Wondrous Physick: Mix the Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear. This gives you a temporary 20% boost to holy attacks.
I’ve seen people try to use the Carian Filigreed Crest to lower FP cost. Honestly? Don't bother. Just put more points into Mind or carry more blue flasks. At the Palace Approach site of grace, you’re resetting every ten seconds anyway. Efficiency is about damage per second, not FP conservation.
Breaking Down the "Bird Farm"
If you’re low level and can’t kill the Albinaurics yet, you're the "Crow Slayer." This is the entry-level version of the Elden Ring rune slayer. You stand at the edge of the cliff, shoot a single arrow at the giant, mutated crow across the gap, and watch it run off the ledge in a fit of rage.
It’s 11,000 runes (base) for the cost of one thin beast bone arrow.
The trick here is positioning. If you stand too far back, the crow hits an invisible wall and turns around. You have to bait it right to the brink. Once you get the rhythm down, you can do this while watching a movie. It’s mindless. It’s boring. It’s the fastest way to get to level 100.
Soft Caps and Diminishing Returns
If you’re going for a dedicated Elden Ring rune slayer setup, you need to understand when to stop leveling certain stats.
For the Sacred Relic Sword:
- Strength/Dexterity: Only get these to the minimum requirements (14 Str, 24 Dex).
- Faith: This is your primary driver. The first soft cap is 50, but you’ll see significant gains all the way up to 80.
- Mind: Aim for 20-25. This allows you to cast Wave of Gold 3 or 4 times before needing a flask.
If you're using the Starscourge Greatswords, swap Faith for Strength. Those swords scale best when you're two-handing them, which gives you a 1.5x Strength bonus.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Speed
The biggest mistake? Greed.
I see players trying to run down the entire hill to kill every single enemy. Don't do that. The ones at the very bottom are spread out and take too long to reach. The most efficient route is to fire one or two Waves of Gold at the top cluster, then immediately sprint back to the Grace and sit down.
The time it takes to run to the bottom and back is longer than just resetting and killing the top group again. It’s about Runes Per Minute (RPM).
Another thing: the Silver Scarab does nothing for runes. It’s for item discovery. I still see people wearing it thinking it helps them level up. It doesn't. Stick to the Gold version.
Actionable Next Steps for Max Efficiency
If you want to optimize your Elden Ring rune slayer journey right now, follow this sequence. First, ensure you have completed White Mask Varre’s questline. This is the fastest way to get to Mohgwyn Palace early in the game. If you missed it, you have to wait until the Consecrated Snowfield, which is basically the end of the game.
Once you’re at the Palace Approach Ledge-Road, equip the Gold Scarab. You find this in the Abandoned Cave in Caelid. It’s a pain to get through because of the Scarlet Rot, but it’s the most important item in your inventory for leveling.
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If you have the Sacred Relic Sword, respec at Rennala to hit that 80 Faith mark. If you don't have it yet, use a Greatbow to farm the bird from the cliffside. Use the runes from the bird to level your Faith or Strength until you can comfortably AoE the Albinaurics.
Lastly, always keep a stack of Gold-Pickled Fowl Feet. You can craft these using Rowa Fruit, Four-Toed Fowl Feet, and Gold Fireflies. Spend thirty minutes gathering materials, and it will save you three hours of farming later.
Stop grinding harder and start grinding smarter. The Lands Between are unforgiving enough; you might as well have the levels to fight back.