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Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree: "A great rune has broken" explained

Elden Ring: "A great rune has broken" explained

An establishing shot of the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree during a sunset. Some text at the bottom reads "Somewhere, a great rune has broken... And so too has a powerful charm."
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
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Guide by Ollie Toms Guides Editor
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What does it mean when you see "Somewhere, a great rune has broken" in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? If you've played Elden Ring (or any of From Software's games), you'll know that mystery and opaqueness are very common. But few moments are more baffling and unexpected as when you progress a certain point through the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, and see the words "Somewhere, a great rune has broken" appear on-screen.

If you've just had this happen to you and you're wondering what the message means, you'll find the answer below. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to prompt the "a great rune has broken" message, what it means, and what to do once you see it.

Elden Ring: "A great rune has broken" explained

In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, the moment you progress beyond the western Scadu Altus region for the first time, you'll hear a great shattering sound and the words "Somewhere, a great rune has broken..." will appear on-screen. Once you press okay, another message will appear: "And so too has a powerful charm."

There are three ways to receive this message:

  • Enter the Shadow Keep for the first time.
  • Enter the Rauh Base for the first time.
  • Enter eastern Scadu Altus (beyond Bonny Village) for the first time.
While riding along a cliff on horseback, the player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree recieves a message: "Somewhere, a great rune has broken...".
This message can appear for you in various different locations beyond Scadu Altus. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

So, you know how to prompt the "A great rune has broken" message. This is a mandatory step in the story of Shadow Of The Erdtree, because you can't reach the end of the DLC without doing one of these three things. But what does the message mean, and whose Great Rune has been broken?

Warning: major story spoilers follow!

If you see "Somewhere, a great rune has broken", it means that Miquella has abandoned his Great Rune as part of his quest to divest himself of all his power in order to ascend to godhood. Whenever you interact with a Miquella's Cross in the DLC, it will tell you that Miquella is abandoning parts of himself - his flesh, his heart, his power - in order to follow in his mother Marika's footsteps to become the next god of the Lands Between.

The moment Miquella abandons his Great Rune has several immediate effects upon the Land Of Shadow. Here are the two things that happen as a result of Miquella's Great Rune being broken:

  1. Miquella's charm affecting Leda and her group of NPCs is lifted.
  2. The seal that previously prevented you from entering the Stone Coffin Fissure is removed.

What this means is that when you see the "A great rune has broken" message, your first priority if you care about side quests is to go and talk to the following NPCs, because they will all have new dialogue based on Miquella's charm being lifted:

  • Leda (Highroad Cross, Scadu Altus)
  • The Hornsent (Highroad Cross, Scadu Altus)
  • Thiollier (Pillar Path Cross, Gravesite Plain)
  • Ansbach (Main Gate Cross, Gravesite Plain)
  • Moore (Main Gate Cross, Gravesite Plain)
  • Freyja (Three-Path Cross, Gravesite Plain)
An establishing shot of all of Miquella's followers in the Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree story trailer. From left to right: Leda, Dryleaf Dane, the Hornsent, Freyja, Thiollier, Ansbach, and Moore.
Pretty much every NPC except for Dane, Ymir, and the Hornsent Grandam has new dialogue after the breaking of Miquella's Great Rune. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Leda will remain loyal to Miquella despite the lifting of his charm, but she begins to feel paranoid about whether the others in her band will feel the same way after essentially being brainwashed. Thus, she begins her quest to start weeding out the unworthy among her group. Consult our Leda questline guide for more details.

The Hornsent, while not loyal to the same extent as Leda, still believes Miquella's goal to align with his own needs. Mostly, he just wants revenge upon Marika and Messmer for the war they waged against the Hornsent's kind. To this end, he sets off to the Shadow Keep to kill Messmer.

Thiollier begins to be plagued with dreams and thoughts of St. Trina, the goddess of sleep and an alter-ego of Miquella's (of sorts). After a while, he sets off down to the Stone Coffin Fissure in search of St. Trina. For full details check out our Thiollier questline guide.

Ansbach, now that the charm is lifted, sets himself fully against Miquella. He reveals that Miquella had Mohg (Ansbach's master) under an enchantment, and when Ansbach challenged Miquella, he too was put under Miquella's spell. He later appears in the Shadow Keep Specimen Storehouse, pouring over manuscripts and trying to figure out why Miquella absconded with Mohg's body after Mohg was killed by the Tarnished.

Moore feels lost after the lifting of Miquella's charm, and asks the player what to do; whether to put it behind him or remain sad forever. You can learn more about the consequences of this choice in our Moore questline guide.

Freyja decides to strike out on her own, though she says she bears Miquella and Leda's band no ill will. She has decided that there is something more important to her at the moment. You later see her in the Shadow Keep Specimen Storehouse, attempting to find out the nature of the deal between Miquella and Radahn, Freyja's former leader.

Now that Miquella's Great Rune has been broken, you are also free to enter the Stone Coffin Fissure, a sub-region which is home to a Remembrance boss, a key character, and much of Thiollier's side quest. If you're not sure where to go, check out our guide on how to get to the Stone Coffin Fissure in Shadow Of The Erdtree.

Where is Miquella's Great Rune?

An establishing shot of the Scadutree Avatar boss in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, standing in a lake of nectar.
Miquella's Great Rune can still be found in Shadow Of The Erdtree, and this is the boss that's guarding it... | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Despite the news that Miquella's Great Rune has been broken, you can still find the Great Rune in the Land Of Shadow. To obtain Miquella's Great Rune, you must defeat the Scadutree Avatar at the Scadutree Base, an area which is only accessible via a passage in the Shadow Keep Church District. To get there, you must first enter the Church District via eastern Scadu Altus, then hop across the rooftops until you reach a wheel you can turn which drains the district of water.

After the Church District is drained, you can drop down inside the church itself, and open the door at the very end to reveal the Tree-Worship Passage which eventually leads to the Scadutree Avatar. This powerful Remembrance boss has three "lives", after which it will die permanently and you'll receive Miquella's Great Rune.

That wraps up this primer on what to do when you see the "Somewhere, a great rune has broken" message in Elden Ring's Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC. If you're looking to delve into more of the DLC's secrets, check out our guides on how to get to the Hinterland, the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Charo's Hidden Grave, or the Abyssal Woods. You can also prepare yourself for the future conflicts with our guides on all the Scadutree Fragment locations, the best weapons in Shadow Of The Erdtree, and all the DLC boss locations.

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