If you are wondering what the expression is “Somewhere, a large rune broke” means that in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC we have the answer. You can trigger this phrase in a few different ways when playing Shadow of the Erdtree, but at first it’s not entirely clear what it means, nor what the consequences of triggering it are.
We explain everything below, telling you what does “A large rune broke” meanwho the great rune actually is, and how this moment will impact your NPC questlines and nearby environments.
Watch on YouTube
“A large rune broke” explained
You will encounter the message “A large rune is broken” as part of the main storyline of Shadow of the Erdtree. You can trigger it in three different ways:
- Approaching the main entrance to Shadow Keep for the first time
- For the first time beyond the village of Bonny, east of Scadu Altus
- Entering Rauh’s base for the first time
We triggered it by heading to Shadow Keep for the first time. A loud bell rang out as we approached the main entrance, and the message: “Somewhere, a large rune has broken” appeared on the screen. It was then followed by another message: “And he also has powerful charm.”
This signals that Miquella gave up her Great Rune as part of his ongoing quest to strip himself of his body and powers in order to become a god. You will have seen similar posts about Miquella shedding parts of himself in the Miquella Cross locations you come across, and shedding his Great Rune is another step in this journey.
This has two important and immediate effects on the game:
- The seal at the entrance to Stone Coffin Fissure will disappear
- All NPC questlines will progress now that Miquella’s spell has been lifted.
The first thing you should do is revisit all the NPCs you’ve encountered, as they will all have new dialogue and things to say about destroying the Great Rune. Here’s where you can find them all, in case you forgot:
- Knight of the Needle Leda: Highroad cross (Scadu Altus)
- Hornent: Highroad cross (Scadu Altus)
- Ansbach: Cross of the main gate (plain of the tomb)
- Moore: Cross of the main gate (plain of the tomb)
- Thiollier: Pillar Path Cross (Plain of the Tomb)
- Freyja red hair: Three-way cross (plain of tombs)
Once you’ve spoken to them all, that’s when they will all start moving around the map, so in the case of Moore and Thiollier, make sure you buy what you need from these merchantsbecause it may take some time before you find them again.
Finally, this also means that you can now access Stone Coffin Fissure, the entrance to which is in the far south of the Cerulean Coast peninsula. You’ll need to head here as part of Thiollier’s questline, so it’s worth making the trip south to get to the Cerulean Coast once he leaves the Pillar Path Cross.
Where is the Great Rune of Miquella?
Even though Miquella’s Great Rune has been broken, you can still obtain it by following the following steps:
- Enter the Shadow Keep Church area, on the east side of Shadow Keep.
- Drain the area using the wheel mechanism located at the end of the roof area.
- Go down to the “Sunken Chapel” grace site and use the door at the end to reach the tree cult passage.
- Defeat the Scadutree avatar.
After defeating the Scadutree avatar, you will be able to collect the Great Rune of Miquella for yourself.
Need help? Here’s what to do first in Shadow of the Erdtree, plus our list of Shadow of the Erdtree bosses and all the Shadow of the Erdtree grace sites we’ve found so far.
