In the massive world of Elden Ring, every rune counts—especially during the early hours when your character is fragile and options are limited. Making smart decisions with even a small amount of runes can set the tone for your entire build. Whether you’re looking to survive longer, hit harder, or just avoid dying to the same enemy over and over, how you spend your first few thousand runes is key.
Here’s how to make the most of 15,000 runes early in the game—and avoid wasting precious resources.
1. Prioritize Leveling Up Core Stats
If you’re starting fresh, put your first investment into the stat that scales with your intended weapon or spell type. For melee builds, that’s usually Strength or Dexterity. For spellcasters, Intelligence or Faith. Don’t spread your runes too thin—early specialization pays off.
Spend roughly 8,000 to 10,000 runes on 3 to 4 early level-ups. That boost in damage or spell power can make basic enemies much easier to handle, and it will also help with equipment requirements for new gear.
2. Buy the Crafting Kit from Kale
The Merchant Kale in the Church of Elleh sells a Crafting Kit for 300 runes. This is a must-have. It unlocks access to crafting arrows, firebombs, and status items using materials you pick up in the wild.
It’s cheap, functional, and expands your survival toolkit instantly.
3. Invest in Useful Early Gear
You’ll find early vendors scattered throughout Limgrave and beyond. A few small rune investments can unlock powerful tools:
Torch (200 runes): Crucial for dark caves and dungeons.
Arrows or Bolts: If you're using a bow or crossbow, stock up early for ranged flexibility.
Cookbooks: These unlock crafting recipes and usually cost between 500 to 1,000 runes. Focus on ones that support your build (e.g. fire pots for melee, poison darts for stealth).
For players looking to skip some of the item grind, some prefer to browse cheap Elden Ring Items to quickly gather these essentials and avoid early backtracking.
4. Upgrade Your Weapon at the Church of Elleh
The anvil at the Church of Elleh lets you upgrade weapons to +3 with Smithing Stones. If you’ve collected any, spend 1,000 to 2,000 runes on the process—it’s one of the best early damage boosts you can get.
Even a base weapon at +3 is significantly more effective than a higher-level, unupgraded one.
5. Buy a Summon Bell and Spirit Ashes
Talk to Renna at the Church of Elleh at night after getting Torrent. She gives you the Spirit Calling Bell and Lone Wolf Ashes for free. Still, you might find better Ashes soon that require modest upgrades or FP investment. Keep around 1,000 to 2,000 runes in reserve to adapt as you find new summons and scale your Mind stat as needed.
6. Don’t Ignore Armor and Shields
You don’t need to buy full sets, but a better shield or a chest piece with decent resistance can make a huge difference. Vendors like the Nomadic Merchants often carry solid starting gear for 1,000 to 3,000 runes.
7. Save a Small Reserve
Always keep at least 1,000 runes unspent if you’re about to enter a new dungeon or boss area. Dying with zero runes hurts less, and this small reserve lets you fast travel out, level up, or grab gear without panic-farming.
For players trying different early builds quickly, it's common to explore elden ring runes for sale to jump-start the process. While not for everyone, it can be a time-saver for repeat playthroughs or experimentation.
Sample Early Spend Plan (Total ≈ 15,000 Runes)
4 Level-Ups: ~8,000 runes
Crafting Kit, Torch, Basic Arrows: ~1,000 runes
Weapon Upgrades (to +3): ~2,000 runes
Armor or Shield Piece: ~2,000 runes
Cookbook or Summon Investment: ~1,500 runes
Reserve for emergencies: ~500 runes
Explore thoroughly—many rune items are hidden in ruins, caves, and enemy drops.
Don’t get too attached to early gear. Your main goal is survival and efficiency.
Plan your stat path to avoid wasting points on attributes you won’t use.
In Elden Ring, every rune can be the difference between success and frustration in the early game. Spend smart, build intentionally, and adapt quickly—and you'll find yourself gaining momentum far faster than you might expect.
