God of War Ragnarok isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s got brutal bosses and complex combat that can confuse beginners without any tips to help them out. On the bright side, it encourages players to take advantage of its accessibility and make use of everything they can scavenge on their adventure. That includes a long list of items used as crafting ingredients, weapon upgrades, and other mysterious means.

Shattered Runes look like broken, donut-shaped stones. Along your Ragnarok journey, they’ll be one of the most common yet baffling items in the game, mainly because it’s not exactly clear how to get much use out of them. The item description doesn’t tell you much outside of one ominous line: “Shards that course with Runic energy, once capable of moving the land itself.” You would think that such an item would have a grand purpose of some sort, yet they don’t! Apparently, they were once magic Runes that have been rendered inert due to some catastrophic damage.

Here’s exactly where to find Shattered Runes and what to do with them once you have them.

Where can I find Shattered Runes in God of War Ragnarok?

Don’t worry about finding Shattered Runes. Because in the Nordic realms, Shattered Runes will find you.

These mysterious stones don’t come from one specific location. They can be found in multiple areas throughout the game, enough that it’s misleading to focus on one place as an ideal farming spot. You can collect them from corpses and slain enemies, from the occasional treasure chest, and other environmental stashes like barrels. Those are just a few examples out of many. In other words, Shattered Runes are simply generic, random loot that can pop up just about anywhere.

So just play like normal and it should be enough to gather a stash of them in your inventory. But then, what’s a god of war to do with all these runes?

What are Shattered Runes in God of War Ragnarok?

Shattered Runes might seem like they have some cosmic, otherworldly use because of their descriptions, but they really don’t. You don’t “use” Shattered Runes. You sell them for Hacksilver, the game’s basic currency.

Think like the Golden Nuggets or Star Pieces in Pokémon games, or even Bullions of all types in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Rather than hit you with more money, the game fabricates an extra step as an alternate form of cash flow. The only thing you can do with Shattered Runes is selling them for money, and they serve no other purpose. Sure, moneymaking is far from useless — it’s just that these Runes aren’t meant for anything spectacular like boosting stats or unlocking quests.

So don’t bother holding onto them. Open up that “Sell” menu and turn them into Hacksilver!

God of War Ragnarok is will be released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 9, 2022.