Summary
Runebears are notoriously tough inElden Ring, arguably moreso than some bosses, butShadow of the Erdtreefinally gives us a chance to even the score.
You’ll find an autumnal woods full of runebears in the North Ravine, scratching at trees like a housecat. But if you attempt to pet one of these monstrosities, you’ll just end up licking your wounds at the last site of grace.
Push forward through the horde of rampaging teddies and you’ll eventually find Rugalea, otherwise known as the “great red bear”. She’s a unique boss who drops an incredible new incantation that transforms you into a giant runebear head from which you can roar at enemies.
It’s Kind Of Like Dragon Magic, But For Bears
“An incantation of what is jokingly called ‘the bear communion.’ Channels the power of Rugalea, the great red bear,” the item description reads. “Transform oneself into a great red bear and emit a mighty roar […] An incantation that is more akin to the divine invocation of the hornsent than it is to the Dragon Communion. Only through desperate battle with the feral wild can one discover a god unique to oneself.”
What’s more, as discovered in 2022 by YouTuber Zullie the Witch, there was an out-of-bounds runebear in the base game’s network test that dropped a Dragon Heart when killed. While they don’t drop these in the release build, their eyes perfectly match the stone dragonsandthe Tarnished’s when they undergo Dragon Communion. So,runebears may be a crude relative of the dragons, which ties in nicely with this item description.
If you want to get to the North Ravine to find this item for yourself, head north of the Moorth ruins towards the two little lakes of water and you’ll find a path leading you beneath the Rauh Ancient Ruins.
To cast this spell, you need a mere 14 faith, so you can always pop back to Rennala at Raya Lucaria Grand Library and quickly respec to get those points if you fancy screaming like a runebear at your opponents. Something tells me it wouldn’t be all that viable given how slow and vulnerable you are when using it, but when players are beating the game with dance mats and bubbles, a bear roar doesn’t sound that far-fetched.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
