Complete Guide to the Best Rune Combinations and Runewords in Diablo 4
Welcome to Our Runes and Runewords Guide in Diablo 4!
By reading through this guide, you will learn everything about the new Runes and Runewords system in Diablo 4, introduced with the Vessel of Hatred expansion. This endgame system brings an additional layer of customization, significantly increasing your combat potential.
Introduction
First introduced in Diablo II, Runewords quickly became one of the most beloved features of the game. The Vessel of Hatred expansion in Diablo 4 reintroduces this system, replacing up to four traditional gems with runes for even greater versatility. This revamped system allows for deeper character customization by providing powerful buffs, debuffs, and even skills from other classes, elevating your character's power to unprecedented levels.
Table of Contents
Below is a breakdown of what this guide will cover in our Runes and Runewords Overview for Diablo IV:
- General Overview
- Rune Drop Location & Chances
- Crafting Runes – Runecrafting
- Rune Mechanics
- Runes of Ritual List
- Runes of Invocation List
- Best Runeword Combinations
What are Runewords in Diablo 4?
In Diablo 4, a Runeword is formed by combining two types of runes: the Rune of Ritual and the Rune of Invocation. When these two different runes are combined, they generate a unique effect and provide either a passive or active spender skill, creating a powerful synergy between runes.
What is a Rune?
Runes are small, magical inscribed stones that drastically boost a player’s abilities when combined. Similar to gems, they can be inserted into gear, with the following restrictions:
- The item must have two sockets.
- Only two runes, one from each category (Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation), can be used.
- Each unique rune can be used only once.
Runes of Ritual
Runes of Ritual are commonly referred to as generator runes. When the specific conditions of the Rune of Ritual are fulfilled, they generate a new resource called Offering. Once a certain amount of Offering has been accumulated, it will automatically trigger the associated Rune of Invocation, without any control over when it happens.
The harder or more complex the condition for the Rune of Ritual, the larger the Offering reward will be once that condition is satisfied.
Runes of Invocation
Runes of Invocation are often referred to as the spender part of the Runeword. Once the required amount of Offering has been accumulated, the effect of the Rune of Invocation will automatically activate.
The effects of Runes of Invocation are highly varied. They can increase skill ranks, restore life or resources, or even grant players access to skills from other classes. Some Runes of Invocation also feature Overflow effects, meaning that additional effects may trigger if more Offering is spent beyond the requirement.
How Do You Obtain Runes in Diablo 4?
To start obtaining runes, players must first complete a quest in the Vessel of Hatred expansion campaign. Once this quest is completed, runes can be found throughout the Sanctuary. Runes come in three rarities: Magic, Rare, and Legendary. As expected, the higher the rarity, the stronger the rune’s effect.
In addition to finding them in the world, runes can also be crafted, but we will explore that more later in the guide.
Rune Drop Location
While runes can drop almost anywhere in Diablo 4, there are certain locations where farming for runes, particularly Legendary Runes, is much more efficient. Here are the best places to farm for them:
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Kurast Undercity: This zone has been touted by developers as one of the best locations to farm gear, and it’s also ideal for rune farming. There is speculation that the chance for rune drops is higher in this area.
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Infernal Hordes: With the large amount of Burning Aether you can consistently farm (around 1000), opening numerous chests here offers a great chance of finding runes.
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Dark Citadel: Being one of the top endgame activities, the Dark Citadel is another excellent spot to hunt for Legendary Runes.
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The Pit: Known as the "stairway" through world tiers, The Pit is a great place to farm both gear and runes, making it ideal for progression.
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Tormented Bosses: These bosses drop some of the rarest items in the game, including Mythic Uniques, and are also a prime source for farming Legendary Runes.
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Seasonal Activities: Seasonal events are consistently one of the best ways to farm high-quality gear, making them excellent for acquiring runes as well.
Rune Drop Chance
The chances of obtaining Runes of various rarities will vary depending on the location, the number of enemies, and the difficulty of those enemies. To maximize your chances of getting Runes, it's best to focus on activities that involve fighting a large number of mobs in the highest world tier you can handle. Efficiently defeating enemies in such environments will significantly increase the likelihood of Rune drops, especially for rarer ones.
Crafting Runes (Runecrafting)
In addition to obtaining Runes as random drops, players also have the option of Runecrafting at the Jeweler. To craft a Rune, players can combine three runes of the same type and name to produce a random rune. If non-legendary runes are used in the process, there is a chance that the resulting rune will be of a higher rarity. The newly crafted rune is guaranteed to be different from the ones used in the crafting process, offering a valuable method of upgrading and diversifying your rune collection.
Mythic Unique Crafting with Runes
Runes can also be used to craft Mythic Unique items, one of the most powerful item types in Diablo 4. Crafting these Mythic Uniques requires a combination of 10 Legendary Runes, 10 Rare Runes, 10 Magic Runes (all of the same name), and one Resplendent Spark.
Below is a list of some of the Mythic Unique items and the materials required to craft them:
| Mythic Unique | Crafting Materials |
|---|---|
| Ring of Starless Skies | 1 Resplendent Spark, Ohm x10, Tzic x10, Cem x10. |
| Heir of Perdition | 1 Resplendent Spark, Jah x10, Que x10, Gar x10. |
| Harlequin Crest | 1 Resplendent Spark, Eom x10, Lac x10, Ton x10. |
| Andariel’s Visage | 1 Resplendent Spark, Tam x10, Qax x10, Zan x10. |
| Tyrael’s Might | 1 Resplendent Spark, Lith x10, Feo x10, Met x10. |
| Shroud of False Death | 1 Resplendent Spark, Bac x10, Kry x10, Ur x10. |
| Melted Heart of Selig | 1 Resplendent Spark, Vex x10, Thul x10, Tun x10. |
| The Grandfather | 1 Resplendent Spark, Xol x10, Kaa x10, Yax x10. |
| Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander | 1 Resplendent Spark, Yom x10, Poc x10, Cir x10. |
| Shattered Vow | 1 Resplendent Spark, Xan x10, Ner x10, Teb x10. |
| Doombringer | 1 Resplendent Spark, Ahu x10, Neo x10, Lum x10. |
Crafting Mythic Uniques is a significant investment of resources, but the rewards are unparalleled in terms of power and versatility.
Rune Rarities
Runes in Diablo 4 come in three classic rarities: Magic, Rare, and Legendary. However, don't be misled by the rarity labels; their rarity doesn't always correlate with their power. While some Legendary Runes may appear incredibly strong, certain Magic and Rare Runes can create powerful synergies that should not be overlooked.
How Do You Use Runes in Diablo 4?
Using Runes in Diablo 4 is simple and follows a method similar to socketing gems in items. Once you've selected two items with two available sockets each, simply drag the Runes from the Socketable tab in your inventory and place them into the gear.
When both a Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation are inserted into the item, a Runeword is created.
Note: For example, by placing the Rune of Ritual - Tam and the Rune of Invocation - Wat, you create the TamWat Runeword. Now, after every four non-channeled core skills used, the necromancer’s Horrid Decrepify will automatically cast, slowing enemies, reducing their damage, and letting you execute them.
Runeword Mechanics
Runewords in Diablo 4 have two key mechanics: Offering and Overflow. Understanding these mechanics is crucial to unlocking the full potential of Runewords and maximizing their power to enhance your build.
Offering and Overflow
When performing the action specified in the Rune of Ritual tooltip, it generates Offering, which is required by the Rune of Invocation to trigger its specific effect. The amount of Offering generated depends on the difficulty of the action, while more powerful Runes of Invocation require more Offering to activate.
You can monitor the amount of Offering generated by looking at the buff bar above your skills. On the Rune of Invocation icon, the purple part will indicate how much Offering you have out of the required amount.
The Overflow mechanic occurs when you generate more Offering than required for the Rune of Invocation. Instead of wasting the excess, many runes use the extra Offering to amplify the triggered effect.
Cross-Class Skills
Just like in Diablo II, Runewords can grant access to skills and one legendary aspect from each class. These skills automatically trigger once the Offering requirement is fulfilled. Here is a list of Cross-Class Skills available through Runewords:
- Barbarian: Challenging Shout, War Cry, Earthquake Aspect
- Druid: Earthen Bulwark, Petrify, Lightning Dancer's Aspect
- Necromancer: Decrepify, Iron Maiden, Blood-soaked Aspect
- Rogue: Concealment, Dark Shroud, Aspect of Surprise
- Sorcerer: Frost Nova, Teleport, Aspect of Armageddon
- Spiritborn: Concussive Stomp, Vortex, Pestilent Swarm Aspect
Can You Trade Runes and Runewords?
Yes, Runes are tradeable as long as they haven't been socketed into an item. Since Runewords are composed of two tradeable runes, they are also tradeable. You can find and trade Runes through the Socketable tab of your inventory.
Runes of Ritual List
Here’s a detailed list of Runes of Ritual in Diablo 4, along with their rarity, the Offering required, and their triggers:
| Rune | Rarity | Offering | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cem | Magic | 50 Offering | Cast Evade. |
| Cir | Magic | 25 Offering | Cast the same non-Channeled Skill 3 times in a row. |
| Moni | Magic | 10 Offering | Cast a Skill after moving. (Cooldown: 0.2 seconds). |
| Ur | Magic | 10 Offering | Your Minion or Companion kills an enemy or dies. |
| Yax | Magic | 100 Offering | Drink a Healing Potion. |
| Zan | Magic | 150 Offering | Cast an Ultimate Skill. |
| Feo | Rare | 1000 Offering | Become Injured or Crowd Controlled (Cooldown: 20 seconds). |
| Kaa | Rare | 2 Offering | Lose 1% of your Maximum Life. |
| Neo | Rare | 300 Offering | Deal damage after not taking any within 5 seconds. (Resets if Invulnerable.) |
| Noc | Rare | 5 Offering | Inflict a Crowd Control that isn’t Slow or Chill. |
| Poc | Rare | 2 Offering | Spend 5% of your Maximum Resource. |
| Ahu | Legendary | 10 Offering | Up to a 100% chance against Injured enemies. |
| Bac | Legendary | 50 Offering | Travel 5 meters. |
| Lith | Legendary | 25 Offering | Stand still for 0.3 seconds. |
| Tam | Legendary | 25 Offering | Cast a non-Channeled Core Skill. |
| Xol | Legendary | 150 Offering | Evoke power from another Class. |
| Yul | Legendary | 50 Offering | Cast a Skill with a Cooldown. |
Runes of Invocation List
Here’s a detailed list of Runes of Invocation in Diablo 4, along with their rarity, Offering requirement, effects, and overflow effects:
| Rune | Rarity | Offering Requirement | Effect | Overflow Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceh | Magic | 100 Offering | Summon a Spirit Wolf to attack enemies for 8 seconds. | Summon Multiple Wolves. |
| Gar | Magic | 25 Offering | Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%. | Gain Multiple Stacks. |
| Lum | Magic | 5 Offering | Restore 1 Primary Resource. | Increased Resource Restored. |
| Met | Magic | 100 Offering | You leave the Necromancer’s Desecrated Ground behind you for 3 seconds. | Increased Duration. |
| Ono | Magic | 25 Offering | Evoke the Druid’s Dancing Bolts, seeking and dealing damage to enemies. | Increased Bolts Spawned. |
| Tal | Magic | 100 Offering | Evoke the Spiritborn‘s Pestilent Swarm, dealing damage to enemies. | Increased Swarms Spawned. |
| Teb | Magic | 100 Offering | Evoke the Necromancer‘s Abhorrent Iron Maiden, counterattacking and healing. | None. |
| Tec | Magic | 100 Offering | Evoke the Barbarian’s Earthquake, dealing damage to enemies within. | Increased Size. |
| Ton | Magic | 25 Offering | Evoke the Sorcerer’s Meteorites, dealing damage to enemies. | Increased Meteorites Spawned. |
| Tun | Magic | 100 Offering | Evoke the Rogue’s Stun Grenades, Stunning and damaging enemies. | Increased Grenades Spawned. |
| Kry | Rare | 500 Offering | Evoke the Spiritborn’s Vortex, dealing damage and pulling enemies in. | None. |
| Lac | Rare | 800 Offering | Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout, reducing damage taken. | Increased Duration. |
| Mot | Rare | 150 Offering | Gain a shadow from the Rogue’s Dark Shroud, reducing damage taken per shadow. | Gain Multiple Shadows. |
| Ner | Rare | 700 Offering | Evoke the Rogue’s Countering Concealment, gaining Dodge, Speed, Unstoppable. | Increased Duration. |
| Qax | Rare | 400 Offering | Your next non-Basic Skill deals up to 100% increased damage. | Further Increased Damage. |
| Que | Rare | 800 Offering | Evoke the Druid’s Earthen Bulwark, granting a Barrier. | Increased Duration. |
| Qua | Rare | 400 Offering | Restore an Evade charge and gain 6% Movement Speed for 5 seconds, up to 30%. | Increased Duration. |
| Thul | Rare | 400 Offering | Evoke the Sorcerer’s Mystical Frost Nova, freezing enemies. | Increased Size. |
| Tzic | Rare | 250 Offering | Evoke the Spiritborn’s Concussive Stomp, dealing damage and knocking down. | None. |
| Wat | Rare | 100 Offering | Evoke the Necromancer’s Horrid Decrepify, slowing enemies and reducing damage. | None. |
| Xal | Rare | 200 Offering | Gain 20% Maximum Life for 4 seconds. | Increased Duration. |
| Zec | Rare | 200 Offering | Reduce your active Ultimate Cooldown by 4 seconds. | Further Reduced Cooldown. |
| Eom | Legendary | 100 Offering | Reduce your active Cooldowns by 0.25 seconds. | Further Reduced Cooldown. |
| Jah | Legendary | 500 Offering | Replace your next Evade with the Sorcerer’s Teleport, becoming Unstoppable. | None. |
| Ohm | Legendary | 500 Offering | Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Speed and Damage. | Increased Duration. |
| Vex | Legendary | 400 Offering | Gain +3 to all Skills for 5 seconds. | Increased Duration. |
| Xan | Legendary | 700 Offering | Your next Skill will be a guaranteed Critical Strike and Overpower. | None. |
| Yom | Legendary | 500 Offering | Evoke the Druid’s Petrify, stunning enemies and boosting critical damage. | None. |
Best Rune Combinations - Best Runewords
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TamWat: This is an incredible choice for skill spamming builds. After every four non-channeled core skills, Horrid Decrepify will be cast, which slows enemies, reduces their damage, and provides an opportunity to execute them. This Runeword works in perfect synergy with the Xol Rune.
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XolYom: This combination is fantastic when paired with another Runeword that casts a skill from a different class. Druid's Petrify will stun enemies every 5 seconds and increase your Critical Strike Damage, making this a powerful crowd control and damage-enhancing Runeword.
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YulXal: A very good option for classes that need extra survivability. The extra 20% Maximum Life can be sustained continuously, as the buff lasts for 4 seconds with a cooldown of just 1 second, offering near-constant uptime.
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YulOhm: Another spectacular choice. Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry increases your Movement Speed and damage, giving all classes enhanced speed-clearing potential.
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BacZec: This is an insane combination for classes that benefit from spamming their Ultimate Skill. It reduces the cooldown of the ultimate for every 5 meters traveled, enabling greater speed-clearing potential.
Note: All Runes of Ritual and Invocation can be combined with each other to suit your preferred playstyle.
F.A.Q.
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What is a Runeword in Diablo 4?
A Runeword is the combination of a Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation. -
How do you combine Runes in Diablo 4?
You can combine Runes by dragging one of each type (Ritual and Invocation) onto an item with two sockets. -
Where can you farm Runes in Diablo IV?
Runes can drop everywhere in Sanctuary, but the best farming location is Kurast Undercity. -
Can you craft Runes?
Yes, Runes can be crafted at the Jeweler. -
What is the drop chance for Runes?
The drop chance depends on the activity and the World Tier you're playing on. -
Can Runes be traded in Diablo 4?
Yes, Runes can be traded since they are stored in the Socketable tab of your inventory.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the world of Diablo 4 constantly evolves, and staying prepared for changes and upgrades is essential. By following this guide, you’ll be ready to create powerful synergies that will enhance your build significantly.
If the grind for Legendary Runes feels too time-consuming or challenging, consider checking out our Diablo 4 boosting services, where professional boosters can handle the grind for you quickly and efficiently.