Diablo 4: Runes and Runewords in Vessel of Hatred
Diablo 4 has introduced a new expansion called Vessel of Hatred, which brings exciting features to the game, including a fresh class, additional endgame activities, Runes, and Runewords. These additions enrich the character customization options for players within the action RPG.
Understanding Runes in Diablo 4
Runes are consumable items that can be slotted into your gear to provide specific powers and abilities. They serve as a new layer of customization, allowing players to tailor their characters’ skills more precisely. Each Rune has a unique effect and rarity, classified into Magic (blue), Rare (yellow), and Legendary (orange).
What Are Runewords?
Runewords are created by combining two types of Runes: Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation. To craft a Runeword, you need to slot one of each type into a piece of gear with at least two available slots. Notably, helms in the game now have two slots as part of the Vessel of Hatred expansion.
The mechanics of Runes revolve around a resource system known as Offering. Runes of Ritual generate Offering by meeting specific conditions. In contrast, Runes of Invocation consume Offering to activate their effects. The more challenging the requirement, the more Offering a Rune of Ritual generates. Similarly, the Offering needed to activate a Rune of Invocation scales with the potency of its effect. Exceeding the Offering required results in Overflow, enhancing a Rune of Invocation’s effects.
Currently, Diablo 4 offers 15 Runes of Ritual and 26 Runes of Invocation, with expectations for more to be added in the future. Rune crafting is available at any Jeweler NPC, and Runes can be obtained as rewards for completing various activities.
Runes of Ritual
The Runes of Ritual are categorized by their rarity and the Offering they generate:
- Cem (Magic): Cast Evade; generates 75 Offering.
- Cir (Magic): Cast the same non-Channeled Skill three times consecutively; generates 50 Offering.
- Moni (Magic): Cast a Skill after moving with a cooldown of 0.25 seconds; generates 25 Offering.
- Yax (Magic): Drink a Healing Potion; generates 200 Offering.
- Zan (Magic): Cast an Ultimate Skill; generates 150 Offering.
- Feo (Rare): Become Injured or Crowd Controlled with a cooldown of 10 seconds; generates 1,000 Offering.
- Neo (Rare): Deal damage after not taking any within two seconds; generates 200 Offering.
- Noc (Rare): Inflict a Crowd Control that isn’t Slow or Chill; generates 10 Offering.
- Poc (Rare): Spend five percent of your Maximum Resource; generates five Offering.
- Ahu (Legendary): Lucky Hit with up to a 100 percent chance against Injured enemies; generates 10 Offering.
- Bac (Legendary): Travel five meters; generates 50 Offering.
- Lith (Legendary): Stand still while fighting for 0.3 seconds; generates 25 Offering.
- Tam (Legendary): Cast a non-Channeled Core Skill; generates 25 Offering.
- Xol (Legendary): Evoke power from another Class; generates 150 Offering.
- Yul (Legendary): Cast a Skill with a Cooldown; generates 50 Offering.
Runes of Invocation
The Runes of Invocation work by consuming Offering to trigger abilities:
- Cah (Magic): Summon a Spirit Wolf to attack enemies for eight seconds; requires 100 Offering, with Overflow summoning multiple wolves. Cooldown: one second.
- Gar (Magic): Gain 2.5 percent Critical Strike Chance for five seconds, up to 25 percent; requires 25 Offering
