What Is the Elden Ring Bird Farm
At its core, the bird farm is a simple trick. You stand on a safe cliffside ledge overlooking a canyon in Moghwyn Palace, shoot a large crow-like enemy across the blood lake, and watch it sprint toward you. The bird’s pathfinding AI can’t handle the terrain – it leaps straight off the cliff and dies, instantly rewarding you with a large amount of runes.
Unlike most farming methods, there’s no combat, no risk, and no preparation required beyond a ranged attack. It’s efficient, repeatable, and strangely satisfying to watch. One arrow or spell cast equals a free level’s worth of progress in seconds. That’s why the Elden Ring Bird Farm became a permanent part of the community’s vocabulary.
Where to Find the Elden Ring Bird Farm
The bird farm is located in Moghwyn Palace, the haunting underground realm of blood and crimson skies. It’s tied to the Lord of Blood himself – Mohg – but you don’t need to beat him to access the area. There are two main routes to reach it:
- Varre’s Questline: After defeating Godrick the Grafted, find White Mask Varre at the Rose Church in Liurnia of the Lakes. Complete his dialogue and invasions until he rewards you with the Pureblood Knight’s Medal. Use it to teleport directly to Moghwyn Palace.
- Consecrated Snowfield Teleporter: If you skipped Varre’s quest, you can use a hidden portal located in the Consecrated Snowfield near the western cliffs. This is late-game content, so it’s riskier but always available.
Once inside the region, unlock the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace. This is your home base for farming. It overlooks a deep blood-red canyon – and your target lives right across that canyon.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Bird Farm
You’ll see a huge bird wandering on the opposite cliff. It’s large, black, and easy to spot even from afar. All you have to do is hit it once, then wait for gravity to do the rest. Follow this exact loop:
- Rest at the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace.
- Walk to the cliff’s edge but don’t go too far – falling off will kill you.
- Equip any ranged weapon or spell (Longbow, Shortbow, Glintstone Pebble, Rock Sling – anything works).
- Lock onto the bird and shoot it once.
- As soon as it starts running, step back slightly.
- The bird will sprint toward you and fall into the abyss.
- You’ll instantly earn around 13,000-15,000 runes.
- Sit at the Site of Grace to reset, and repeat.
Each cycle takes about ten seconds. Once you get into rhythm, you’ll be making 600,000+ runes per hour with almost no effort. Many players keep this spot open on a second monitor while watching Netflix – that’s how mindless it becomes.
Recommended Equipment and Buffs
You don’t need a special setup to use the Elden Ring Bird Farm, but the right gear will speed things up and multiply your rune gains.
| Type | Item | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talisman | Golden Scarab | Increases rune gain by 20% | Found in the Abandoned Cave (Caelid) |
| Consumable | Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot | Boosts rune gain by 30% for 3 minutes | Can be crafted or looted in Limgrave |
| Helmet | Silver Tear Mask | Minor boost to rune gain | Optional but stacks with other buffs |
| Ranged Weapon | Longbow or Light Crossbow | Triggers bird aggression safely | Use Arrow’s Reach Talisman to improve range |
| Spell Option | Rock Sling or Glintstone Pebble | Reliable casting for mages | Requires line of sight and timing |
Stacking the Scarab, Fowl Foot, and Silver Tear Mask gives you roughly a 60% bonus – turning 13,000 runes into over 20,000 per run. Multiply that by dozens of cycles per minute, and you’ll understand why this method remains unbeatable.
Maximizing Rune Efficiency
If you want to squeeze every drop of profit out of this method, follow a few optimization tricks:
- Stay consistent: The less downtime between resets, the more efficient your grind. Keep your bow equipped at all times.
- Use lightweight gear: Avoid heavy armor that slows movement; all you need is defense against fall damage if you slip.
- Bind fast actions: Set “Rest” on a quick button. The less time spent navigating menus, the better.
- Farm during Gold Fowl Foot buffs: The item only lasts 3 minutes, so time your resets carefully to maximize its duration.
- Use multiplayer off: Turning off online mode speeds up loading and prevents disconnect interruptions.
With discipline, you can easily exceed a million runes per hour – especially in New Game Plus, where rewards scale higher.
Why the Bird Farm Still Works
FromSoftware patched several rune exploits since launch, but the bird farm remains untouched. The reason is simple: it’s not technically an exploit. The bird’s AI genuinely reacts to being provoked, and the environment’s geometry does the rest. It’s a natural quirk of the game’s open-world design.
Developers rarely fix these “organic farms” because they don’t break balance – they just reward creative exploration. The Elden Ring Bird Farm has become so iconic that it’s almost a community tradition. Every new player eventually finds their way to Moghwyn Palace, hears about the bird, and spends a lazy hour watching it leap to its doom.
Alternative Rune Farms
If you want to change things up or if the bird gets boring, there are a few other good farming locations:
- Albinauric Soldiers: Located right below the Palace Approach Grace. They respawn quickly and drop 2,000-3,000 runes each. Using AoE spells like Fire’s Deadly Sin can clear them in seconds.
- Stormveil Soldiers: Early-game option for beginners before Moghwyn Palace. Slower, but safer for low levels.
- Windmill Village: Mid-game zone where passive enemies dance around the arena. Great for early rune collection.
- Ordina, Liturgical Town: Endgame farm with high rune payout for players who prefer combat over idle grinding.
Still, none of these match the sheer efficiency of the bird farm. It remains the king of AFK rune generation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even such a simple farm can go wrong if you’re careless. Here are common pitfalls to avoid:
- Standing too close to the ledge: If you’re not careful, you can fall and lose all your runes. Stay at least a step back from the cliff.
- Shooting twice: One shot is enough. Extra hits can break the AI reaction and stop the bird from running off.
- Resetting too early: Wait for the rune gain animation to finish before resting, or the death won’t register.
- Running out of arrows: Always keep 100+ arrows in your inventory; restocking mid-session breaks rhythm.
- Ignoring your buffs: Forgetting to reapply Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot drastically lowers your gains.
If you stay disciplined, the loop runs perfectly every time – 10 seconds per reset, zero danger, all reward.
How Many Runes You Actually Earn
Base reward per bird kill averages between 13,000 and 15,000 runes. With buffs, that skyrockets:
| Buff Combination | Rune Gain per Kill | Per Hour (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| No Buffs | 13,000 | 450,000-500,000 |
| Golden Scarab Only | 15,600 | 550,000-600,000 |
| Scarab + Fowl Foot | 20,000+ | 800,000-1,000,000 |
| Full Stack (Scarab + Fowl Foot + Mask) | 21,500+ | Over 1 Million |
For comparison, beating a major boss like Morgott grants around 100,000 runes once. The bird gives you that much in ten minutes – no deaths, no frustration, no summons required.
Advanced Optimization Tips
Once you’ve mastered the rhythm, here are a few high-efficiency tricks:
- Play offline: Removes lag spikes and improves loading speed between rests.
- Adjust brightness: Boost brightness slightly – easier to see the bird’s position in dark mode.
- Use manual aim: Switch to first-person bow aiming and aim slightly above its head for accuracy.
- Bind quick reset: Use the “Y+B” (Xbox) or “Triangle+Circle” (PlayStation) shortcut to speed up resting cycles.
- Queue background tasks: Players often combine farming with crafting, watching videos, or managing inventory on another monitor.
Efficiency is all about rhythm: shoot, wait, reset, repeat. Once you lock into the loop, your runes will skyrocket.
Why Players Love the Bird Farm
It’s not just about numbers. The Elden Ring Bird Farm represents something uniquely FromSoftware: a quiet space amid chaos. After hours of brutal fights, getting to Moghwyn Palace and finding a spot where you can simply breathe – and still progress – feels like poetic relief.
Many players use it after losing 100,000 runes to a boss or when they need a small boost before upgrading their weapon. Others treat it as a mental cooldown – a way to grind levels while watching a movie, drinking coffee, or chatting with friends. It’s the perfect blend of reward and relaxation in a game known for relentless challenge.
Can the Bird Farm Be Patched?
Unlikely. Because it’s caused by natural AI behavior rather than a programming error, it’s not considered an exploit. The bird’s pathing simply doesn’t account for the cliff’s geometry. Even if patched, similar spots would appear elsewhere. The developers tend to leave such harmless discoveries intact since they don’t affect PvP balance or story progression.
Extra Secrets in Moghwyn Palace
While you’re there, explore the surrounding area – Moghwyn Palace is full of secrets worth checking between farming sessions:
- Hidden cave systems behind waterfalls with rare crafting items.
- Blood-touched Albinaurics that drop Larval Tears for respecs.
- Unique sceneries for screenshots – the blood-red sky is stunning with ray tracing on.
- Shortcut routes to Mohg’s boss arena if you’re progressing his questline.
Farming here doesn’t mean you have to ignore the beauty around you – take a break, explore, and enjoy the atmosphere that made this area one of Elden Ring’s most iconic zones.
FAQ
How do I get to Moghwyn Palace early?
Complete White Mask Varre’s questline to receive the Pureblood Knight’s Medal. Use it after Godrick’s defeat to teleport directly to Moghwyn Palace without exploring the endgame regions.
How many runes can I earn per hour?
With buffs and good rhythm, around one million runes per hour. Without buffs, roughly half that.
What if the bird doesn’t fall?
Try adjusting your aim – if the projectile hits too far left or right, it might not trigger the chase path correctly. Aim for the upper torso.
Can I use spells instead of arrows?
Yes. Any ranged spell that damages or alerts the bird works fine. Sorceries like Glintstone Pebble or Rock Sling are perfect.
Does this farm still work in the latest patch?
Yes. As of the most recent updates, the AI behavior remains unchanged. It’s been tested across multiple versions.
Can I AFK the farm?
Not fully – you still need to shoot and reset manually. However, some players use macros to semi-automate it on PC.
What’s the safest way to avoid falling?
Always stop just before the faded red edge of the cliff. Use a small marker like a dropped rune to remind yourself where to stand safely.
Final Thoughts
The Elden Ring Bird Farm is proof that sometimes the simplest discoveries become the most beloved. It’s not flashy or complex – just a clever little AI quirk that rewards patience and precision. Whether you’re grinding your first few levels or fine-tuning your build in New Game Plus, this spot guarantees progress with zero frustration.
So grab your bow, equip your Golden Scarab, and let the bird do the hard work. In a world filled with endless danger and bosses that test your patience, this one peaceful ledge in Moghwyn Palace reminds you that even in Elden Ring, rest and reward can coexist.