U4GM - Elden Ring: Why You Shouldn’t Save Too Many Runes
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 7:43 am
In Elden Ring runes are everything. They are your currency, your experience, and your ticket to survival in the Lands Between. However, while collecting runes is essential, hoarding them can become a dangerous habit that leads to frustration, lost progress, and missed opportunities. This guide explains why you shouldn’t save too many runes and offers some practical tips to help players, especially those on PS4, make the most of their Elden Ring experience.The Role of Runes in Elden RingRunes in Elden Ring are the backbone of your progression system. You use them to level up your character, purchase items, and upgrade your gear. Every time you defeat an enemy or sell an item, you earn runes. This makes them feel precious, especially in the early hours of the game when leveling up even once can significantly change your combat effectiveness.However, the temptation to stockpile runes for a big spending spree or future upgrades can backfire. Elden Ring is notoriously unforgiving, and players are always just one ambush or boss fight away from losing everything they’ve collected.Why Hoarding Runes Is Risky
- The Danger of Death Loops: When you die in Elden Ring, you drop all your runes at the location of your death. You have one chance to recover them, but if you die again before reaching that spot, they're gone forever. Saving too many runes increases the pressure—and the pain—when you die unexpectedly.
- Missed Progress: Holding onto a large number of runes instead of spending them means you’re delaying your character’s growth. That’s progress left on the table. A single level-up can boost your survivability, increase your damage, or unlock new equipment. Spending runes promptly ensures you’re always getting stronger.
- Economic Inefficiency: The in-game economy fluctuates depending on your progress and needs. Saving runes for later can mean you miss timely opportunities to buy rare items, upgrade materials, or important gear when they’re most beneficial.