bloodborne how to use runes

Here's a helpful guide to Bloodborne's Caryll Runes, what they mean, and how to unlock the fourth slot.

Hello, good hunters. Yes, our journey throughout Yharnam has been a fierce one. Our skills have grown, our foes have multiplied, and still we remain vigilant. We have searched and found the great Caryll Runes to which have heightened our abilities to prosper.

If you're ever in need, make sure to look here for tips and guides on your journey.

What are Caryll Runes?

For those of you unfamiliar, these are runes that add bonus upgrades to your character. In order to add runes to your character, you must:

Find the Rune Workshop Tool
Memorize the rune at the Memory Altar in the Hunter's Dream
There are 4 rune slots

Each rune comes in numerous forms of various strengths. These can be stacked for increased effect. The strongest runes have a star of light in the center.

Note: You can only have 1 rune of the same type and strength.

In order to find the Rune Workshop Tool, here's a helpful video on finding the location below.

Video courtesy of Tayman Gaming

You will need to go to Hemwick Charnel Lane and defeat the Witch of Hemwick Boss. Once she's defeated, in the back of the room, you'll need to proceed down the stairs. There you will find a highlighted corpse strapped to a chair--this is the Rune Workshop Tool.

Note: As I stated before there are 4 Rune slots, but in order to unlock the 4th slot you need to complete Eileen the Crow's Quest Line. Eileen the Crow is an NPC hunter who can be found in various areas throughout Yharnam.

Caryll Runes

Anti-Clockwise Metamorphosis

Effect	Location
Boosts Max Stamina (+10%)	Forbidden Woods on a corpse near the blue aliens.
Boosts Max Stamina (+15%)	Talk to Patches the Spider in Lecture Halls by using the ladder from the 2nd floor. Either option will produce the Rune.
Boosts Max Stamina (+20%)	Lower Ailing Loran Root Chalice

Arcane Lake

Effect	Location
Increases Arcane defense. Arcane Damage Reduction (+5%)	Yahar'gul, Unseen Village - On a corpse near the skeleton slugs.
Increases Arcane defense. Arcane Damage Reduction (+7%)	Byrgenwerth - right at beginning, to left of the lamp, near a tree.
Increases Arcane defense. Arcane Damage Reduction (+10%)	Isz Root Chalice

Beast

Effect	Location
Boosts effect from transformation. Temporary boost to transform (+20)	At the very bottom of the Healing Church Workshop Tower, dropped by the Beast-possessed Soul.
Boosts effect from transformation. Temporary boost to transform (+50)	Kill the bandaged NPC you meet in the Forbidden Woods, at the back of the building with 2 shortcut elevators. Sending the bandaged NPC to Iosefka will turn him into an alien that hangs out in the rear of Iosefka's clinic that also drops the rune.
Boosts effect from transformation. Temporary boost to transform (+100)	Chalice Dungeon

Blood Rapture

Effect	Location
Visceral attacks restore HP. V.ATKs restore HP (+200)	Dropped by the Shadow of Yharnam Boss
Visceral attacks restore HP. V.ATKs restore HP (+250)	Chalice Dungeon
Visceral attacks restore HP. V.ATKs restore HP (+300)	Dropped by the Cainhurst Hunter fought at the Completion of Eileen the Crow's Quest.

Clawmark

Effect	Location
Strengthens visceral attacks (+10%)	Drops from a hunter in the Hypogean Gaol Lamp room in Yahar'gul, Unseen Village, after killing Rom and entering the Nightmare version.
Strengthens visceral attacks (+20%)	Dropped by the transformed Gillbert at Central Yharnam at the lamp after killing Rom and entering the Nightmare version.
Strengthens visceral attacks (+30%)	Lower Ailing Loran Root Chalice

Clear Deep Sea

Effect	Location
Increases slow poison resistance (+100)	Forbidden Woods behind a big gravestone.
Increases slow poison resistance (+200)	Nightmare Frontier behind a rock thrower on top of a hill.
Increases slow poison resistance (+300)	Lower Ailing Loran Root Chalice

Clockwise Metamorphosis

Effect	Location
Boosts Max HP (+5%)	Forbidden Woods, behind a locked gate up the stairs from the Shadow of Yharnam Boss.
Boosts Max HP (+10%)	Nightmare Frontier, in a cave across the stone bridge.
Boosts Max HP (+15%)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Communion

Effect		Location
Higher Blood Vial Maximum (+1)		Found above the Cathedral Ward Lamp, through the door that opens after defeating the Blood-Starved Beast Boss. Take the elevator up and it's in a chest in the first room.
Higher Blood Vial Maximum (+2)		Lecture Building
Higher Blood Vial Maximum (+3)		Iosefka's Clinic
Higher Blood Vial Maximum (+4)	Dropped by the Celestial Emissary
Higher Blood Vial Maximum (+5)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Corruption

Effect	Location
Continuous health regeneration when near death. (+1)	Covenant: Cainhurst Vilebloods

Deep Sea

Effect	Location
Increases frenzy resistance +100	?
Increases frenzy resistance +200	Forbidden Woods - by 2 Viper Pits
Increases frenzy resistance +300	Isz Root Chalice

Dissipating Lake

Effect	Location
Increases Bolt defense. Bolt Damage Reduction (+5%)	Forbidden Woods under some huge entangled roots near a pig.
Increases Bolt defense. Bolt Damage Reduction (+10%)	Lower Ailing Loran Root Chalice

Eye

Effect	Location
More items from enemies (Item Discovery +50)	Obtained in Nightmare of Mensis, on a corpse next to the Mergo's Loft: Base Lamp.
More items from enemies (Item Discovery +70)	Drop from Master Willem
More items from enemies (Item Discovery +100)	Isz Root Chalice

Fading Lake

Effect	Location
Increases Fire defense. Fire DMG Reduction (+5%)	Nightmare Frontier
Increases Fire defense. Fire DMG Reduction (+10%)	Lower Ailing Loran Root Chalice

Formless Oedon

Effect	Location
Higher Quicksilver Bullet max (+3)	Dropped by the Oedon Chapel Dweller in the Cathedral Ward.
Higher Quicksilver Bullet max (+4)	Found in elevator leading to Healing Church Workshop in the Cathedral Ward. Enter the door that opened after defeating the Blood-starved Beast Boss, then exit the elevator through an exit between the floors.
Higher Quicksilver Bullet max (+5)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Great Deep Sea

Effect	Location
Increases all resistance types by 100.	Nightmare Frontier - There is a small cave with a hole by the Singing Eyeballs Brain on the cliff, drop down (another Singing Eyeballs Brain right after the drop) into the poison swamp and take a right. It's in one of the narrow passages guarded by few squids.
Increases all resistance types by 150.	Isz Root Chalice

Great Lake

Effect	Location
Increases all defense types. All DMG reduction (+4%)	Upper Cathedral Ward, take a right turn at the top of the stairs above the Lamp.
Increases all defense types. All DMG reduction (+5%)	Isz Root Chalice

Heir

Effect	Location
More Blood Echoes gained from visceral attacks (+20%)	Obtained as a drop from the hunter that fights with Eileen the Crow in Oedon's Tomb Lamp area (the same place where you fought Father Gascoigne).
More Blood Echoes gained from visceral attacks (+40%)	Obtained from a corpse in Yahar'gul, the Unseen Village. Found in a room with bell ringer that summons a werewolf and a wheelchair enemy, near a brick guy.
More Blood Echoes gained from visceral attacks (+60%)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Hunter

Effect	Location
Increases the hunter's stamina recovery speed	Complete Eileen the Crow's quest line and she'll reward you with it along with the Crow Hunter Badge.

Lake

Effect	Location
Increases defense. Physical DMG reduction (+3%)	Obtained from a corpse at Hemwick Charnel Lane.
Increases defense. Physical DMG reduction (+5%)	?
Increases defense. Physical DMG reduction (+7%)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Moon

Effect	Location
Gain more Blood Echoes (+10%)	Obtained just downstairs of the Hypogean Gaol Lamp Post. Guarded by two Snatchers.
Gain more Blood Echoes (+20%)	Obtained at the very bottom of the spiral staircase during the Micolash Boss fight in Nightmare of Mensis.
Gain even more Blood Echoes (+30%)	Obtained in Nightmare of Mensis. Stand in front of Mother Brain's eye (giant brain) in Mergo's Nightmare "abyss" and use the "Make Contact" gesture.

Oedon Writhe

Effect	Location
Visceral Attacks grant Quicksilver Bullets (+1)	Obtained by killing Adella in Hypogean Gaol, Oedon Chapel or Iosefka's Clinic.
Visceral Attacks grant Quicksilver Bullets (+2)	Found after killing Iosefka in Iosefka's Clinic. This must be done before killing Rom, the Vacuous Spider Boss as she'll no longer drop this rune after he is killed.
Visceral Attacks grant Quicksilver Bullets (+3)	Pthumeru Ihyll Root Chalice

Radiance

Effect	Location
Increases HP recovered by blood vials.	Covenant: Executioners. Received from Alfred corpse after he has gone and killed Annalise. You must return to the first place you met him at the altar and you will find his corpse there with the rune. Doesn't drop if Alfred is killed before he kills Annalise.

Stunning Deep Sea

Effect	Location
Increases rapid poison resistance. Adds rapid poison RES +200.	Nightmare Frontier
Increases rapid poison resistance +300	?

Eileen the Crow's Quest Line

This plague mask wearing NPC is a very skilled hunter in dual wielding weapons. She is also known as the Raven Hunter with unusual warped swords who uses bizarre swordsmanship. She can be friend or foe. I chose friend.

Gives the Crow Hunter Badge and Hunter Caryll Rune upon completion of her quest line
Drops: If killed, is said to give 5198 Blood Echoes (amount depends on phase in game?) and the Crow Hunter Badge
Crow Hunter Badge will unlock the Crowfeather Armor Set

and Blade of Mercy Weapon for purchase from those odd Messengers

Known as the Leader of the Hunter of Hunters Covenant (a covenant devoted to executing Hunters who have gone mad with bloodlust)
Gestures given during her quest:

"Shhh!"
"Approval"
"Shake Off Cape"
"Wait"

Where to find Eileen

Location 1: From the Central Yharnam Lamp

Exit the gate next to Gilbert, go down the stairs
Go left, down the next stairs, past the two brick trolls
Before the stairs going down to the elevator, turn right and head up the next stairs
Head left, around this corner, and down the stairs, towards the wolves in cages
Cross the bridge, and the lamp where the old lady is, down into the structure with a bunch of barrels
On the right side of the room, drop through the barrel blocked window onto a small walkway, and head right
Again, on the right wall, is a barrel blocked window
Enter through this window and head straight to meet with Eileen looking over the railing

Location 2: From the Cathedral Ward Lamp

Head straight out, (not the door next to the Old Woman, the locked door to Upper Cathedral Ward, or the Door to the Tomb of Oedon)
Immediately turn left when you exit the door, you'll see her standing next to the railing
If you have seen the Lesser Amygdala, she's standing in the same location
After exiting the doorway, turn left
You must have opened the two gates prior to this:

The large gate to the circular area, towards the Cathedral Square
Go up the stairs only a short way, and turn right

Pull lever to open the smaller gate, leading back to the Cathedral Ward

Location 3: Fighting Henryk's at the Tomb of Oedon

This Lamp won't be accessible and needs to be traveled to by using the Central Yharnam or Cathedral Ward Lamps

Location 4: Fighting at the Grand Cathedral

This event will only occur after slaying Rom, the Vacuous Spider Boss

Location 5: Where the top Chapel Giant stands

There is a pool of blood here normally, if you've failed, you may see a blood stain there

Quests

Eileen can initially be found in a side room accessed from the rafters, at the Central Yharnam Sewer entrance. This entrance is hidden behind boxes and barrels near a staircase and is very close to the old lady that you can send to a safe place
She will give you 4 Bold Hunter's Mark and the "Shake Off Cape" Gesture (speak with her twice)
If you miss her and complete Central Yharnam, she'll show up in Cathedral Ward
To progress her quest line, speak with her in Cathedral Ward
She can be found by exiting through the doorway directly in front of the Cathedral Ward Lamp and immediately looking left
She will teach you the "Shhh!" Gesture and tell you about the Tomb of Oedon encounter. She won't appear in this location until you have opened the shortcut gate leading to the Grand Cathedral. This is done by purchasing the Hunter Chief Emblem and clearing the Cathedral Ward.

Note: If you haven't purchase the Hunter Chief Emblem, you can still open the gate through the Abandoned Old Workshop

At the Tomb of Oedon Lamp you will have to help Eileen fight Henryk to receive "Approval" Gesture. You'll also receive the Heir Caryll Rune from Henryk's corpse. If she dies in this encounter, the quest line will not continue.

Warning: Accidentally hitting her too many times while trying to help can turn her hostile after the fight--so don't!

After defeating Rom, the Vacuous Spider Boss you'll find Eileen at the top of the steps to the Grand Cathedral. You must assist her with the hunter encounter inside the Grand Cathedral to complete her quest line.

Warning: This fight in the Grand Cathedral is quite difficult and can only be done solo.

Completing the quest line rewards you with the Crow Hunter Badge, the Hunter Caryll Rune (this will also unlock the 4th slot now), and the opportunity to join the Hunter of Hunters Covenant.

Warning: If you miss any of the first three steps, Eileen then becomes a foe, and hunts you at the Grand Cathedral after the death of Rom, the Vacuous Spider Boss--so please avoid it at all costs!

Hope this helps. Good luck and as always, happy hunting! Don't forget to look here for tips and guides on your journey.

Published Apr. 15th 2015