How to get and use Miquella’s Great Rune in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree has no shortage of secret items with an example being Miquella’s Great Rune. The entire DLC has players in pursuit of the demigod and at some point during their travels, they’ll receive a message stating, “Somewhere, a great rune has broken.”

The message is accompanied by FromSoftware’s signature opaqueness and golden flakes falling from the sky. This event is directly linked to the rune, and the item also comes in handy during the final boss fight of the expansion.

So, if you want to check it out for yourself, here’s how to get Miquella’s Great Rune.

How to get Miquella’s Great Rune

To get Miquella’s Great Rune, you’ll need to defeat the Scadutree Avatar boss found at Scadutree Base located near the Tree-Worship Passage site of grace. Before getting into the grueling boss fight, we’ll break down exactly how to arrive at this location.

The boss sits within Shadow Keep, more specifically in the Church District. To get here, go all the way down into the crater inside Moorth Ruins, then take the ladder heading up, which will bring you to Bonny Village.

Get to the other side of the village and head down the rope bridges. Keep heading straight and past Rabbath’s Rise until you arrive at a gateway leading to the Church District Entrance site of grace.

From here, you’ll need to hop from rooftop to rooftop until you reach the gaping hole that lets you jump onto the rafters. Carefully jump down and head into the corridor where you’ll find a Fire Knight patrolling the hallway. There will be a door leading back out again on the left, head towards it, then turn left after crossing the small bridge.

You can only go straight after turning left until you arrive at a door with a ladder placed beside it. Climb the ladder, then turn the wheel that sits right in front which will drain out the water flooding the streets of the Church District.

You’ll now be able to explore what’s past the door near the ladder. After entering it, jump down, and then turn right to trigger the Sunken Chapel site of grace. Once that’s done, head back out the way you came and past the rotunda towards the church area on the left. Keep heading straight until you spot a statue of Marika and then turn right into the adjoining hallway.

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Continue down this path and eventually, you’ll see locked double doors that can be opened to reveal a lift. Take the lift all the way down to arrive at the Tree-Worship Passage site of grace.

Now, it’s just a matter of running straight through the cave, crossing the small wooden bridge, and taking the stairs placed next to the unmissable statute. Follow these steps and you’ll find yourself right outside the boss room.

How to use

Miquella’s Great Rune is supposed to be used during the final boss fight of the DLC. For spoiler reasons, we won’t go into who the boss is but they have a unique grab attack where they attempt to charm you into surrender. You’ll survive their first grab attempt but getting caught twice is instant defeat as the boss will steal your heart.

To avoid this fate, use the Great Rune by heading into your inventory during the fight. This will make you resistant to their charms. It’s important to remember that, unlike other Great Runes, this item provides no buffs or boosts and cannot be attuned by visiting a Divine Tower.

Boss fight guide

The Scaudtree Avatar can be a pretty annoying enemy to take on. It’s massive in size but can still maneuver around the arena at decent pace. What makes it especially challenging is the fact that it has three phases.

No matter the phase, aim to attack its sunflower head as it deals a ton of damage. It’s also worth hacking away at the roots if you have an opening and can’t get to its head. The boss is weak to Fire and Magic so make use of Flame spells and apply Fire or Messmerfire Grease on your weapon.

In terms of move set, the first phase is fairly easy to get past. Close the distance on the avatar as quickly as possible but watch out for its Triple Tree Root attack where it will send two waves of tree roots in your direction. Once you’re near it, exercise some patience and wait for openings to strike its head.

For the second phase, there’s a new move you’ll need to be wary of. Right after spawning back in, the boss will thrust itself in your direction at lightning pace. It does this thrice so keep that in mind once you see the animation. To avoid it, roll through the attack.

Wear down its health bar once again and you’ll enter the third phase. For the final round, we recommend summoning a Spirt Ash since the Scadutree Avatar can spam a frankly infuriating AoE move that is almost impossible to roll away from if you’re caught in its range.

You’ll be able to spot it immediately since the boss raises its head and golden beams start radiating out from its body. It all culminates in a massive explosion that can one-hit you so run away as far as you can. If you’ve summoned a Spirt Ash, it can tank the damage while you look for an opportunity to attack. Once the boss is defeated you’ll receive Miquella’s Great Rune.

Shadow of the Erdtree is packed with secrets like these that can be easy to miss. So, make sure to check out how to get the Solitude set and the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword.