Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Guide to Runes and Runewords
Runewords are back in Diablo, but how do you use them in Diablo 4?
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Diablo 4’s first-ever expansion, Vessel of Hatred doesn’t simply expand the game with a new story campaign. We are also getting anew level cap, new difficulty levels, and Runewordsmaking a comeback to the franchise.Runewords, haven’t been in a Diablo title since Diablo 2: Resurrected, and the community loves this so much they have already dissected the Patch 2.0.2 notes and figured out all of the possible combinations of Runewords we’ll be able to use in the game. Here’s everything we know following PTR and the looming release of Vessel of Hatred.
How do Runes and Runewords work in Diablo 4?
Runewords are feature only accessible for those that purchase theVessel of Hatred expansion. This makes sense as the same approach was made when Diablo 2 added the Lord of Destruction expansion which bought runewords to the game. However, if you play the expansion on one platform (Xbox for example), and then play Diablo 4 on another platform where you do not own the expansion (Steam for example), your Runes and Runewords will still be equipped and usable on your items.Runewords are a way to make your own abilities, and even use abilities from other classes. There are two kinds of Runes:
Having both the Bac and Jah Runes equipped to an item you’re wearing created the BacJah Runeword. It also means that every time your character travels 5 meters, they will generate 50 Offering. Once they have generated at least 500 Offering, their next Evade is replaced with the Sorcerer’s Teleport.
What is Offering?
Runes use a resource system called Offering, which is created by Runes of Ritual when their conditions are met. Runes of Invocation then use this Offering to trigger their effects. The harder the condition, the more Offering the Rune of Ritual generates. Similarly, the stronger the effect of a Rune of Invocation, the more Offering it needs.
Sometimes, you might generate more Offering than needed to activate a Rune of Invocation. This is where Overflow comes in—extra Offering can boost the effects of many Runes of Invocation for a short time.
To make a Runeword, you need to place both a Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation into an item with two Sockets, like those in Chest, Leg, and Two-Handed weapon slots. The Helm slot now has an extra Socket, so it can also hold a Runeword. Any Rune of Ritual can work with any Rune of Invocation. Runes come in three rarities: Magic, Rare, and Legendary, with higher rarities offering stronger effects.
What are all the Runes in Diablo 4?
You can craft Runes from unwanted Runes
You’ll be able to use 3 Runes with the same name to craft a new Rune. When non-Legendary Runes are used to craft in this way, there is a chance to make a Rune of a higher rarity.We’ll also be able to craftMythic Uniquesat the Jeweler by combining the following:
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What skills can I make with Runewords
The community at large has already diligently compiled list after list of skills that we’ll be able to make using combinations of these Runes. If you’re already looking at builds ahead ofVessel of Hatredlaunch and want to do some theory crafting, there’s ahuge database here at Diablo4.lifewhere you can narrow down to Skill combinations using Magic, Rare, or Legendary Runes. There are too many combinations to list here but here are a few examples:
Time will tell which of all these hundreds of combinations will actually get used, as with anything in Diablo 4 some items come out on top and make their way into the meta. Four runes were already removed as a result of theDiablo 4 Patch 2.0 PTRand we anticipate more changes as the expansion goes live.
How do I find and farm Runes?
Runes drop from pretty much anywhere in the game, but the most efficient place to farm them will be theKurast Undercityusing yourRune Tributesto increase the drop rate. However other activities such as Whisper Caches, World Bosses and Strongholds all have guaranteed Rune drops.
Jen is a News Writer for Windows Central, focused on all things gaming and Microsoft. Anything slaying monsters with magical weapons will get a thumbs up such as Dark Souls, Dragon Age, Diablo, and Monster Hunter. When not playing games, she’ll be watching a horror or trash reality TV show, she hasn’t decided which of those categories the Kardashians fit into. You can follow Jen on Twitter@Jenbox360for more Diablo fangirling and general moaning about British weather.
