How to get Runes in Diablo 4 - Best Runewords in D4

Welcome to our Runes and Runewords guide in Diablo 4! By reading all the sections of our article, you will learn everything about this new endgame system & how to use it to its full capacity while also understanding how this system can raise your fighting prowess tremendously.

Introduction

With their first appearance in Diablo II, Runewords quickly became a loved system. The Vessel of Hatred expansion in Diablo 4 seems to adapt this system, replacing up to four traditional gems.

This old system reinterpretation is bringing even more customization to your character, allowing you to obtain buffs, debuffs, and even skills from other classes, raising the power potential to a whole new level.

Here is a little breakdown of our Diablo IV Runes and Runewords Overview:

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

A Runeword combines two types of runes: the Rune of Ritual and the Rune of Invocation. Combining these two different runes will result in a generator and a passive or active spender skill.

What is a Rune?

Runes are small, magical inscribed stones that can be used together to raise a player's powers to a new level. They can be inserted into gear, just like traditional gems, with the only limitations being:

The item must have two sockets.
Only two Runes from each category can be used (Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation).
Each unique Rune can be used only once.

Runes of Ritual

This type of Rune is also known as the generator rune, granting a new type of resource called "Offering" once the condition presented is met. Once a certain amount of Offering is generated, the Rune of Invocation associated with the Rune of Ritual will be triggered without control of the timing.

The more demanding or difficult the condition of the Rune of Ritual is, the more Offering will be rewarded after the condition is met.

Runes of Invocation

The Rune of Invocation is also known as the spender part of the Runeword. Once the Offering requirement is met, the effect of this Rune will be triggered.

The effects of the Runes of Invocation are very diverse, ranging from increasing skill ranks and restoring life or resources to granting access to skills from other classes. Also, some of the Runes of Invocation may have Overflow effects, meaning additional effects may be triggered if more Offering is spent.

How do you obtain runes in D4?

Obtaining runes is unlocked by completing a quest in the Vessel of Hatred expansion campaign, after which Runes can be obtained virtually everywhere in the Sanctuary. Runes come in three rarities: Magic, Rare, and Legendary, and as usual, the higher the rarity, the stronger their effect is.

Runes can also be crafted, but more on that later in the guide.

Rune Drop Location

While they can drop everywhere, there are certain places where farming them will be more efficient, especially when looking for the Legendary runes, as follows:

Kurast Undercity - Advertised by the developers as the best place to farm gear for your character, it is also one of the best places for farming Runes. There is also speculation that the chance of Runes dropping is increased here.
Infernal Hordes - Considering the amount of Burning Aether that can realistically be constantly farmed is close to 1000, opening many chests will give you a good chance of obtaining Runes.
Dark Citadel - Being the pinnacle of the endgame activities, there is a good chance that Legendary Runes will drop here.
The Pit - Being a "stairway" through the world tiers, the pit is an excellent place to farm gear for your character, so it will also be a good place for farming runes.
Tormented Bosses - The providers of the rarest items in the game, Mythic Uniques, will also be a great place for farming Legendary Runes.
Seasonal Activities - As always, seasonal activities are one of the greatest places to farm the gear needed to progress further quickly and easily!

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Rune Drop Chance

The chances of obtaining Runes of different rarities will differ from place to place, depending on the number of enemies and their difficulty. Finding the best activity, containing a large number of mobs, while playing on the highest world tier, where you can kill them quickly, will surely raise the chances of dropping Runes.

Crafting Runes (Runecrafting)

Aside from obtaining the Runes as random drops, the option of Runecrafting at the Jeweler is also available. Three runes of the same type and name can be used to craft a random Rune. If crafted using non-legendary runes, you have a chance of creating a Rune of the next rarity. The crafted Runes are guaranteed to be different from the ones used.

Mythic Unique crafting with Runes

Runes can also be used to craft Mythic Unique items, requiring 10 Legendary Runes, 10 Rare Runes, 10 Magic Runes of the same name, and one Resplendent Spark.

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.

Rune Rarities

Runes come with the classic three rarities: Magic, Rare, and Legendary. But don't be fooled by that; their rarities do not reflect their power! While some Legendary Runes look too good to pass, some Magic and Rare Runes are great and can be used for extremely powerful synergies.

How do you use runes in D4?

Using Runes is pretty simple, having the same method of inserting as the gems we used to socket in items. Once you have selected the two items you want to socket your runes in, making sure they both have two empty sockets available, you simply drag the Runes from the Socketable tab onto the item.

When both a Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation have been socketed into an item, a Runeword is created.

Note: For example, by placing the Rune of Ritual - Tam and the Rune of Invocation - Wat, you have created the TamWat Runeword. Now, after every four non-channeled core skills used, necromancer's Horrid Decrepify will be cast, slowing enemies and reducing their damage while also letting you execute them.

Runeword Mechanics

The Runewords have two main mechanics: Offering and Overflow, and understanding how they work is imperative for choosing the proper Runes to push your build towards greatness and profit off of their immense power.

Offering and Overflow

While doing the action specified in the Rune of Ritual tooltip, it will generate Offering, which the Rune of Invocation uses to trigger its specific effect. The amount of Offering generated depends on the required action's difficulty. Furthermore, the more powerful the Rune of Invocation is, the more Offering it will require.

The amount of Offering generated can be seen on the buff bar above your skills, on the Rune of Invocation icon you have equipped. The purple part of the icon will indicate how much Offering you already have out of the required amount.

The overflow mechanic is when the Offering exceeds the amount required by the Rune of Invocation, but instead of wasting it, most of the Runes will use it to empower the effect triggered even further.

Cross-Class Skills

Just like their equivalent in Diablo II, Runewords can grant players access to a couple of skills and one legendary aspect from each class. These skills are automatically cast once their Offering requirement is fulfilled.

The cross-class skills and aspects available through Runewords are:

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 Suprise
Sorcerer: Frost Nova, Teleport, Aspect of Armageddon
Spiritborn: Concussive Stomp, Vortex, Pestilent Swarm Aspect

Can you trade Runes and Runewords?

Since the Runes are stored in the Socketable tab of the inventory, they are tradeable as long as they were not equipped. Furthermore, Runewords are tradeable too, since they are composed of two runes, which are tradeable.

Runes of Ritual List

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

Rune	Rarity	Offering Requirement	Effect	Overflow
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, dealing damage to enemies within.	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 damage from enemies and Healing you when they die.	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 dealing damage to enemies.	Increased Grenades Spawned.
Kry	Rare	500 Offering	Evoke the Spiritborn’s Vortex, dealing damage and Pulling In enemies.	None.
Lac	Rare	800 Offering	Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout, reducing your 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 Chance, Movement Speed, Unstoppable, and Stealth.	Increased Duration.
Qax	Rare	400 Offering	Your next non-Basic Skill cast spends all of your Primary Resource to deal up to 100% increased damage.	Further Increased Damage.
Que	Rare	800 Offering	Evoke the Druid’s Earthen Bulwark, granting yourself 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, inflicting Freeze and Vulnerable onto enemies.	Increased Size.
Tzic	Rare	250 Offering	Evoke the Spiritborn’s Concussive Stomp, dealing damage and Knocking Down enemies.	None.
Wat	Rare	100 Offering	Evoke the Necromancer’s Horrid Decrepify, Slowing enemies, reducing their damage, and letting you Execute them.	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, blinking further, dealing damage, and becoming Unstoppable.	None.
Ohm	Legendary	500 Offering	Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt.	Increased Duration.
Vex	Legendary	400 Offering	Gain +3 to all Skills for 5 seconds.	Increased Duration.
Xan	Legendary	700 Offering	Your next Skill cast will be a guaranteed Critical Strike and Overpower.	None.
Yom	Legendary	500 Offering	Evoke the Druid’s Petrify, Stunning enemies and increasing your Critical Strike Damage against them.	None.

Best Rune Combinations - Best Runewords

TamWat - Incredible choice for skill spamming builds, every four non-channeled core skills, Horrid Decrepify will be cast, slowing & reducing the damage of the enemies, while also having the opportunity to execute them. This Runeword has perfect synergy with Xol Rune.
XolYom - Is great in combination with another Runeword that casts an skill from one of the other classes, the Druid's Petrify will stun nemies every 5 seconds and increasing your Critical Strike damage.
YulXal - A very good choice for classes that need that extra survivability, the extra 20% Maximum Life can be held constantly, since the duration is 4 seconds and the cooldown 1 second.
YulOhm - Another spectacular choice, the Barbarian's Enhanced War Cry will increase your Movement Speed and damage dealt, offering an extra speedclearing potential to all classes.
BacZec - Insane choice for classes that benefit from spamming their ultimate skill, this combo will reduce the cooldown of the ultimate for every 5 meters travelled, enabling speedclearing potential.

Note: All the Runes of Ritual & Invocation can be combined with eachother to better suit your playstyle.

F.A.Q.

1. What is a Runeword in Diablo 4?
A Runeword is the combination of a Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation.

2. How do you combine Runes in D4?
You can combine Runes into Runewords by simply dragging one of each Rune onto an item with two sockets.

3. Where can you farm Runes in Diablo IV?
Runes can be farmed everywhere in the Sanctuary, but the best place to farm them is Kurast Undercity.

4. Can you craft Runes?
Yes, Runes can be crafted at the Jeweler.

5. What is the drop chance for Runes?
The drop chance of Runes is entirely dependant on the activity you are doing and the world tier you are playing on.

6. Can Runes be traded in Diablo 4?
Runes can definitely be traded, since they are stored in the normal inventory, on the Socketable tab.

Related Guides

Now that you have learned about the new Infernal Hordes game mode, how about you check out our guides about Best Classes, Builds & Currency Farming?

We update our articles with each and every update in the game, so keep an eye out on our guides.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the world of Diablo 4 is filled with constant changes and upgrades, and you have to be ready for them. By following our guide, you'll be well-prepared to create insane synergies that will boost your build's powers tremendously.

If this looks time-consuming or too hard, considering the drop chance of legendary Runes, why not check our Diablo 4 boosting services and let professional boosters take care of this grinding for you quickly and efficiently?

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