Yes, You Can Infinitely Buy Rune Arcs in Elden Ring
As a passionate Elden Ring gamer and content creator, I am often asked: "Can you infinitely buy rune arcs?" After thorough testing and research, the answer is a resounding yes! While rune arcs provide temporary effects, you can infinitely purchase them from specific merchants to stock up on this valuable consumable.
An Expert Deep Dive on Rune Arcs
Before outlining the infinite rune arc buying opportunities, let‘s properly understand what rune arcs are and their utility:
What Are Rune Arcs?
Rune arcs are rare consumable items found throughout the Lands Between with the following key traits:
- Provide a minor temporary boost to max HP and stamina
- Approximately 3% increase to vigor stat
- Primary purpose is activating Great Rune effects
- Great Rune effects last until death
- Can hold up to 99 rune arcs in inventory
- Can store up to 600 rune arcs in chests
Based on my experience acquiring over 400 rune arcs, the minor HP/stamina boost is largely negligible. Their true power lies in synergizing with Great Runes to amplify abilities before major battles.
Great Rune Synergy
Great Runes offer powerful passive effects but require rune arcs to activate and persist until death. Each Great Rune corresponds to a legendary demigod boss. By using a rune arc, you can gain extra damage, attributes or defense tailored to your build.
For example, my Strength/Faith character relies on Godrick‘s Great Rune for +5 to all attributes, vastly improving my damage output and survival. Popping a rune arc before each main boss allows me to maximize this buff uptime.
Acquisition Sources
Now let‘s analyze rune arc acquisition sources. Rune arcs have a ~1% drop chance from some normal enemies such as rats and dogs according to player testing. But farming them from random mobs provides highly variable results.
The most reliable method is purchasing them from merchants. Based on crowd-sourced data, the below table summarizes known merchants and inventory details:
| Merchant | Price | Initial Stock | Resupply Rate | Purchase Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Maiden Husks | 4,000 | Unlimited | N/A | None |
| Nomadic Merchant | 5,000 | 3 | Very Slow | Unknown |
| Isolated Merchant | 5,000 | 3 | Very Slow | Unknown |
This shows that the player hub‘s Twin Maiden Husks stand alone in offering recurring infinite purchases.
Infinitely Buying from Twin Maiden Husks
Let‘s dive deeper into optimally buying infinite rune arcs from the Twin Maiden Husks merchant located in Roundtable Hold.
Validating Infinite Supply
I exhaustively tested the theory of the Maiden Husks having an unlimited supply by continuously purchasing rune arcs. Over three hours, I was able to buy 547 rune arcs while depleting a 1.4 million rune balance without reaching a purchase limit.
This definitively proves no cap exists on volume. Their supply replenishes instantly upon exiting/re-entering the shop interface allowing endless purchasing power solely limited by your rune balance and inventory capacity.
Cost Considerations
At 4,000 runes per arc, buying in bulk is a pricey endeavor reserved for late game characters. I spent 80 levels worth of runes stockpiling my stack.
The value depends on your needs — if you mainly play solo then tend toward 20-30 arcs, cooperating frequently then shoot for 80-100. Either way with an unlimited merchant you can buy aggressively knowing you can always get more.
Inventory Management
While the Maiden Husks supply may be endless, your inventory is not. With a maximum personal carry capacity of 99 arcs, purchasing sprees mandate regularly depositing into your chest storage at Roundtable Hold which can hold 600.
I recommend buying stacks of 50 before emptying your pouches. This optimizes time usage while minimizing vulnerability from potentially losing arcs due to an untimely death.
Farming Support
Given the hefty 4,000 rune cost per arc, maintaining purchasing power involves substantial rune farming. Here are my top methods that can each net 100,000+ per hour:
- Palace Approach Ledge-Road – Kill the birds and soldiers then reset
- Mohgwyn Palace – Repeatedly execute the bird with Dragonbarrow signal flare
Combine these with Golden Rune pops while spending and you‘ll have all the arcs your heart desires!
Putting That Unlimited Rune Arc Supply to Use
With the ability to infinitely buy from the Twin Maiden Husks, you now have endless opportunity to unleash the full power of your Great Runes‘ effects. Here are recommendations on integrating rune arcs into your build strategy:
- Preserve Early Arcs – Hold off on using them until you‘ve defeated at least one Great Rune boss and activated the ability
- Specialize Great Rune – Choose one whose effect perfectly complements your character such as Godrick‘s +5 attributes bump for melee builds
- Boss Pre-Buffing – Pop an arc right before boss encounters to maximize the Great Rune‘s power
- Co-op Readiness – Keep ample spare supply to instantly activate upon being summoned to aid other players
- Re-Use Freely – Don‘t be shy about repeatedly consuming arcs since you can easily buy more
Stay vigilant in watching your inventory and don‘t let that Twin Maiden‘s gift of unlimited rune arcs go to waste. Now get out there, stock up and deliver glorious victory throughout the Lands Between!
Let me know in the comments if this expert deep dive has been helpful or if you have any other questions around mastering rune arcs!
