Every Tarnished worth their salt knows that power in the Lands Between doesn’t come for free — it’s earned through blood, sweat, and more than a few \“You Died\” screens. One weapon, however, stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to turning the grind into child’s play: the Sacred Relic Sword. This beauty doesn’t just hit like a truck; its unique skill lets you farm over five million runes per hour, no joke. But grabbing it? That’s a whole saga.

The journey begins where all epic tales do — deep in the late game. By 2026, fresh-faced Tarnished still flock to this quest, and the route remains as thrilling as ever. To even lay eyes on the Sacred Relic Sword, you’ve got to go through the final boss, the Elden Beast. That means checking off a laundry list of tasks that would make a demigod weep.

First up, you muscle your way to the Mountaintops of the Giants. Freezing and unforgiving, this place separates the wheat from the chaff. After conquering the Fire Giant, you light the Forge of the Giants — a cinematic moment that sets the Erdtree ablaze. With the capital of Leyndell now a smoldering ruin, the path to Crumbling Farum Azula opens up, a floating temple city where dragons and beastmen call the shots. The real gut check? Facing Maliketh, the Black Blade. This wolf-knight wields the Rune of Death, and let me tell you, his attacks are the bane of many a playthrough. Beat him, though, and you finally earn the right to face what lies at the Elden Throne.

Transported to the smoldering heart of the capital, you climb those fateful steps and step through the golden fog. Cue the goosebumps. The first wall in your path is Radagon of the Golden Order, the champion-turned-vessel of the Elden Beast. Smashing him into the ground feels cathartic, but don’t pop the champagne yet — the Elden Beast emerges right after, a celestial swordfish-dragon-hydra mashup holding a colossal version of the Sacred Relic Sword. Its magic attacks can delete your health bar in the blink of an eye, so you’d better be on your A-game. Once the divine beast falls, you snag the Elden Remembrance, and the real prize is almost in hand.

Back at the Roundtable Hold, you saunter over to Enia, the Finger Reader. She’ll trade the remembrance for the Sacred Relic Sword, and suddenly all that suffering feels worth it. This greatsword scales primarily with Faith, with solid bonuses from Strength and Dexterity, and dishes out holy damage like candy. The pièce de résistance is its weapon skill, Wave of Gold. Charge it for a couple of seconds, and you unleash a wide, golden arc that travels the length of a football field, growing larger the farther it goes. And here’s the kicker — that damage scales entirely off Faith. If you’ve pumped your Faith stat, this becomes the ultimate lawnmower.

Now for the fun part — printing runes like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll want to upgrade the sword as much as your stones allow, then warp to the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace in Mohgwyn Palace. Slap on the Gold Scarab Talisman (a 20% rune boost, baby!) and turn to face the blood-soiled hill crawling with Albinaurics. These frog-faced misfits are packed together tighter than sardines. One fully charged Wave of Gold, and you’ll watch the kill-feed light up like a casino jackpot.

Rinse and repeat: blast the wave, rest at the grace, stand up, and do it again. Each cycle takes about 10-15 seconds netting anywhere from 40,000 to 70,000 runes depending on your NG+ cycle and talisman setup. Do the math — that’s over five million runes per hour, easy. It’s downright obscene and the most efficient grind in the Lands Between, even in 2026 after countless patches. The devs never nerfed this golden goose; they probably knew we earned it by beating the Elden Beast.

A few pro tips to make the run smoother:

• If you’re on NG+ or beyond, the rune yield skyrockets, so consider a quick second playthrough.

• Use a Sacred Scorpion Charm to boost holy damage, and the Ritual Sword Talisman for extra oomph at full HP.

• Respec into Faith at Rennala if needed — even a hybrid build can clean house with soft-capped Faith.

• The Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot consumable stacks with the talisman for an extra temporary boost when you need a few extra levels.

With the Sacred Relic Sword in your loadout, the late-game grind transforms from a slog into a victory lap. It’s the ultimate power trip — you’ve slain a god, looted its weapon, and now you use it to make millions while the Albinaurics regret their life choices. So go ahead, level Vigor to 60, max out that Strength build, or horde smithing stones like a dragon. You’ve earned it, champ! 🗡️✨💰

As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, late-game “god-slaying” rewards in Elden Ring often double as practical tools for smoothing out the endgame economy, and the Sacred Relic Sword is a prime example: once you’ve cleared the Elden Beast and unlocked Wave of Gold, the weapon’s wide, Faith-scaling sweep turns dense enemy packs into a repeatable rune pipeline, especially when paired with classic multipliers like Gold Scarab and timed consumables for burst farming sessions.