How to get God of War Ragnarok Shattered Runes and use them

The God of War Ragnarok Shattered Runes are a special resource you can find at certain locations and throughout the game, and use to obtain Hacksilver (aka, the main currency of God of War Ragnarok). Still, it's worth understanding how Shattered Runes function, and where you can find them. Below we'll cover anything you need to know about this strange resource, and how you can use them in God of War Ragnarok to best effect.

What are Shattered Runes in God of War Ragnarok?

God of War Ragnarok Shattered Runes sold for Hacksilver — (Image credit: Sony)

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God of War Ragnarok mine puzzles in the jarnsmida pitmines of Svartalfheim — (Image credit: Sony)

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Shattered Runes have no other purpose other than to be converted into Hacksilver. There's no great mystery to them. Once you have any just head over to any of the Dwarf smiths’ shops and navigate to the ‘Sell’ section. Then, under resources, you’ll find you can exchange 50 Shattered Runes for 5,000 Hacksilver at a time. 5,000 Hacksilver is a decent amount that can easily help you afford your next upgrade, but you likely won’t have that many Shattered Runes until quite a few hours into God of War Ragnarok.

There are no other uses for Shattered Runes that we’ve been able to find. They have no uses in crafting, and we’ve checked through the upgrades for every weapon attachment, armor piece, and other upgrade in the game - none of which need them. So they're no use when it comes to best armor in God of War Ragnarok, other than generating cash to pay for things.

How to get Shattered Runes in God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok Shattered Runes from treasure map — (Image credit: Sony)

Shattered Runes, like Hacksilver, are one of the resources in God of War Ragnarok that you tend to accumulate by simply exploring - opening chests, and defeating enemies will turn up plenty of Shattered Runes and you’ll practically be swimming in them by the end of the game.

Here are all the ways of acquiring Shattered Runes that we’ve found:

Breaking objects: Hanging pots, vases, floating barrels, and partially buried containers usually drop small amounts of Hacksilver when you roll or bash into them, but they do have a chance to drop a few Shattered Runes too. Look out for them on your travels, whether you’re on foot, in a boat, or riding a sled.
Defeating bosses: Many boss enemies drop some Shattered Runes as part of their rewards. Make sure you collect them after the fight.
Treasure Maps: Finding Treasure Maps and then digging up their buried loot will also get you some Shattered Runes. Check out the Treasure Maps in God of War Ragnarok to see where they all are.

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Will Sawyer is a Guides Editor at GamesRadar+ with over five years of experience in writing online guides, news, and features, and has a BA (Hons) in Journalism. Starting as a freelancer, Will contributed to startmenu and Game Rant before joining the GamesRadar+ team in August 2021. Since then, he has written hundreds of guides about a huge range of games, with shooters and action games being his areas of expertise. Outside of writing about games, Will hops between multiplayer shooters with friends, such as Darktide and Helldivers 2, and delves into whatever has been on his backlog for far too long. He also tries to get through his never-ending Warhammer pile of shame of grey Tyranids, Aeldari, and Chaos Space Marines.