What do you do with Golden Runes? And other Elden Ring item questions you’re afraid to ask

polygon.com:

If you’re anything like me, you have been picking up buckets full of items in Elden Ring and leaving them to languish in your inventory. Maybe that’s because you forgot you had them, overwhelmed by the number of weird mysteries in the world. Or maybe you simply have no idea what to do with them — this, of course, is why I’ve been hoarding Ruin Fragments and Golden Runes, unclear on how to use them.

I’ve learned a lot from my colleagues about these weird and under-explained items found around the world in Elden Ring. Let me be the one to ask — and answer — the questions you’re too afraid to ask.

It feels like everything in Elden Ring is a rune, and that runes are used for everything. This is all partially true. Runes are both currency and experience points in Elden Ring. Golden Runes don’t automatically add to those tallies: After you pick up a Golden Rune and add it to your inventory, it just stays there.

It’s actually a consumable item that gives you different amounts of runes once you click the “use” button on it in your inventory. Using up your Golden Runes is a nice way to level up fast, since you’re gaining a bunch of runes all at once. If you don’t cash them in, Golden Runes stay with you even if you die, almost like a backup wallet of runes that you haven’t “spent” yet.

Hot tip: You can find Golden Runes inside the glowing skulls scattered around the world of Elden Ring. To get the Golden Rune out of the skull, you can crush it with your weapon or under Torrent’s hooves.

OK. Ruin Fragments aren’t runes at all. These are basically rocks that you find around Elden Ring, which are necessary in crafting certain stone-related items, like the Glowstone or Rainbow Stone. (By the way, you’ll need to get a Crafting Kit to