Death Penalty: What Happens When You Die?

Dying in Elden Ring means that you drop all your Runes and respawn at a checkpoint. Read on to learn more about Elden Ring death penalties, what you lose, where you can revive, and what steps to can take if you die.

What Happens When You Die?

All Runes Are Dropped Where You Died

When you die, you leave behind a mark and drop all the Runes that you have been carrying. You can recover a portion of your dropped Runes by heading back to the place where you died, looking for your mark, which appears to have shimmering branches sprouting from the ground, and interacting with it.

If you die once more, without retrieving your Runes, you will create a new mark, and the previous sign will disappear, losing all the Runes it held.

How to Use Runes

Respawn at a Site of Grace or Stake of Marika

There are two types of checkpoints where you can respawn in Elden Ring. These are Sites of Grace and Stakes of Marika.

Sites of Grace

Sites of Grace are your main checkpoint and function almost exactly like bonfires in the Dark Souls games. Resting at a Site of Grace will allow you to respawn at that particular checkpoint no matter where you die.
All Site of Grace Features

Stakes of Marika

Stakes of Marika are secondary checkpoints that you don't need to interact with. So long as you die within the vicinity of a Stake of Marika, you will be given the choice to respawn there instead of your last Site of Grace.
How to Use Stakes of Marika

How to Retrieve Runes Without Dying

Tips for Retrieving Runes Safely
Avoid All Enemies
Ride on Your Mount
Use Stealth
Put Tough Enemies to Sleep

Avoid All Enemies

Running past enemies will get you to your bloodstain quicker and reduces the risk of you dying to another enemy. Don't be reckless, though. If you see an enemy preparing for a swing, try to dodge away from the strike and continue running away.

Ride on Your Mount

Riding on your mount, Torrent, will improve your chances of surviving until you reach your mark. Torrent is extremely agile and can survive jumps from high places. If you need to gain back a large amount of Runes, use Torrent to get in and get out quickly.
How to Find and Ride the Mount

Use Stealth

For the careful, stealth is also an option. Crouching around and staying out of sight will make sure you avoid aggro-ing enemies entirely.

Put Tough Enemies to Sleep

Useful items such as Sleep Pots and sleep-inducing arrows exist in Elden Ring to help with tricky situations. If you don't want to deal with a tricky enemy on the way to your bloodstain, you can simply put them to sleep with these items.

Elden Ring Related Guides

Beginner's Guide: All Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks