Runes all look more or less like the samples you see to the left; small gray objects with various symbols and squiggles on them. It's unknown if the markings mean anything in any language, or if they are just whatever the Blizzard artists made up. All 33 runes look different, so in theory you could memorize them and not need to hover on one to know what it was. Impress your friends! They also have a weird squishy sound when dropped or placed in Inventory, as though they were organic items, rather than the rocks they look like.
Runes have some very nice properties when socketed. A wide variety of properties, and all 33 of them do different things in different item types. We have every rune listed with their properties on the Runes Stats page, in the top left navigation table.
So glorified gems? Not hardly. The real power of Runes comes in the Rune Words. These are special combinations of Runes that create Unique-like items with enormous bonuses. Making a Rune Word is tricky though. You must have:
- The exact Runes
- The correct item type.
- With the correct number of sockets.
- And insert the Runes in the correct order
Rune Scarcity
Runes are not like gems, they are not dropped in equal amounts. They are more like items, there are common runes, and there are runes that you'll find once in your character's life, if that often. Runes drop pretty regularly, you'll often find several a game, but only the common ones. The less common runes are very hard to find, and the rarest of them all are virtually imaginary.
So how do Runes generate? A quick overview of how the game decides which items to drop when is needed.
- When you kill a monster, the game picks a treasure class based on the monster's level.
- A random roll takes place, and the game either drops an item from that treasure class, drops nothing, or goes down to a lower treasure class.
- Once in the next lower treasure class it can again drop an item from that treasure class, drop nothing, or move to the next lower treasure class.
- It will continue calculating what to drop until selected an item, or selecting to drop nothing at all.
Here's a quick list of comparative Rune scarcity. These figures change with balances in each patch, so these are not exact, but they give you an idea of the very long odds of finding higher level runes.
| El = 144,238 Eld = 96,159 Tir = 69,209 Nef = 46,139 Eth = 43,530 Ith = 29,020 Tal = 32,998 Ral = 21,999 Ort = 21,133 Thul = 14,088 Amn = 11,822 | Sol = 7881 Shael = 6028 Dol = 4019 Hel = 2899 Io/Po = 1933 Lum = 1343 Ko = 895 Fal = 606 Lem = 404 Pul = 267 Um = 178 | Mal = 115 Ist = 77 Gul = 48 Vex = 32 Ohm = 19 Lo = 13 Sur = 7.2 Ber = 4.8 Jo = 2.4 Cham = 1.6 Zod = 1 |
Which Runes are Best?
This is a certainly open to debate. Runewords are very large and complicated animals, and you have to compare one of those to a magical socketed or Rare or Unique or Set item of the same type. But how about the individual Runes, which of them is best in a given item type? It depends on what sort of bonus you want. There are 33 Runes, all do different things in different types of items, and they can possibly stack up to give very impressive totals in multi-socketed items.
This section doesn't cover RuneWords; those are better compared to top quality Rares or Uniques or Set Items. This is about the individual Runes, and which are best to socket in a good item (Rare, Magical, Set, Unique) to make it great, and which are best to put a bunch of into a plain multi-socketed item.
The best runes are generally the most powerful, and while everyone would like a Zod in their Ethereal weapon, they're virtually impossible to find. Prior to v1.09, runes 1-9 were very common, since those could be upgraded. Three of any rune made one of the next quality. This only worked up through Ort though, so runes beyond Thul were much less common. In v1.10 and v1.11, rune drops were increased, and recipes were added to upgrade runes all the way to Zod, making the higher level ones far more attainable. Wise or persistent players pick up every rune, knowing that they'll eventually upgrade to something useful.
Damage Weapons
When considering how to upgrade an item with a socket, consider the options, and what bonuses other equipment can provide. For instance, it's quite easy to obtain mana or life leech from other equipment, so using a rune for that purpose isn't the best choice, even though leech is a very useful property. Adding attack speed from other equipment is more difficult, so Shael is a very popular weapon socket. Adding damage is also difficult, so Ohm is popular as well. Each adds slightly more than a jewel can (40% ED/15% IAS), but one jewel that adds a good amount of both is generally more valuable than a rune that adds just one or the other.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Nef (#4) | Knockback |
| Amn (#11) | 7% Life Steal |
| Shael (#13) | 20% Increased Attack Speed |
| Hel (#15) | -20% Item Requirements |
| Vex (#26) | 7% Mana Steal |
| Ohm (#27) | +50% Damage |
| Gul (#25) | +20% Attack Rating |
| Lo (#28) | 20% chance of Deadly Strike |
| Ber (#30) | 20% chance of Crushing Blow |
| Cham (#32) | Ignores Target Defense |
| Also Useful | |
| Ith (#6) | +9 to Maximum Damage |
| Tal (#7) | 75 Poison Damage over 5 seconds |
| Ral (#8) | +5-30 Fire Damage |
| Ort(#9) | +1-50 Lightning Damage |
| Thul (#10) | 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 second chill time |
| Sol (#12) | +9 to Minimum Damage |
| Pul (#21) | +75% damage, +100 AR vs. Demons |
| Um (#22) | 25% chance of Open Wounds |
| Mal (#23) | Prevents Monster Healing |
| Sur (#29) | 20% chance of Hit Blinds Target |
| Jo (#31) | 32% chance of freezing target for 3 seconds |
| Zod (#33) | Indestructible |
Spell-Caster Weapons
There aren't a lot of real good options for Rune socketing into spell-caster weapons. No faster cast or mana regeneration or +skills or even +mana. There are some exceptional runeword caster weapons, however.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Tir (#2) | +2 Mana per kill |
| Dol (#14) | Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25% |
| Ist (#24) | 30% Magic Find |
| Cham (#32) | Ignores Target Defense |
| Also Useful | |
| Nef (#4) | Knockback |
| Hel (#15) | -20% Item Requirements |
| Lem (#20) | 50% Extra Gold from Monsters |
| Gul (#25) | +20% Bonus to Attack Rating |
| Sur (#29) | 20% Chance of Hit Blinds Target |
| Zod (#33) | Indestructible |
Armor and Helms for Combat Characters
The most common sockets in armor and helms add resistance (jewels or Um runes) or magic find (topazes or Vex runes). Other characters can benefit from additional hit points, hit recovery speed, and other useful bonuses.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Shael (#13) | 20% Faster Hit Recovery |
| Pul (#21) | +30% Enhanced Defense |
| Um (#22) | 15% Resist All |
| Ist (#24) | +25% chance to find Magical Items |
| Ber (#30) | Damage Reduced by 8% |
| Jo (#31) | +5% of Total Hit Points |
| Cham (#32) | Cannot be frozen |
| Also Useful | |
| Tal (#7) | +35% Poison Resistance |
| Ral (#8) | +35% Fire Resistance |
| Ort (#9) | +35% Lightning Resistance |
| Thul (#10) | +35% Cold Resistance |
| Amn (#11) | Attacker Takes 14 Damage |
| Sol (#12) | -7 Damage Taken |
| Hel (#15) | -15% Item Requirements |
| Io (#16) | +10 Vitality |
| Ko (#17) | +10 Energy |
| Lum (#18) | +10 Dexterity |
| Fal (#19) | +10 Strength |
| Mal (#23) | Reduces Magical Damage by 7 |
| Gul (#25) | +5% to Max Poison Resistance |
| Vex (#26) | +5% to Max Fire Resistance |
| Um (#27) | +5% to Max Cold Resistance |
| Lo (#28) | +5% to Max Lightning Resistance |
| Zod (#33) | Indestructible |
Armor and Helms for Spell-Casters
No awesome socketing for helms/armor for spell-casters, but there are generally better options than they get with weapons. No fast cast or bonus skills, but you can improve your regeneration rate, resistances, mana, and more.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Tir (#2) | +2 Mana per kill |
| Eth (#5) | 15% Mana Regeneration |
| Ith (#6) | 15% Melee Damage Goes to Mana |
| Shael (#13) | 20% Faster Hit Recovery |
| Um (#22) | 15% Resist All |
| Ist (#24) | +25% chance to find Magical Items |
| Sur (#29) | +5% to Total Mana |
| Ber (#30) | Damage Reduced by 8% |
| Also Useful | |
| Tal (#7) | +35% Poison Resistance |
| Ral (#8) | +35% Fire Resistance |
| Ort (#9) | +35% Lightning Resistance |
| Thul (#10) | +35% Cold Resistance |
| Amn (#11) | Attacker Takes 14 Damage |
| Sol (#12) | -7 Damage Taken |
| Hel (#15) | -15% Item Requirements |
| Io (#16) | +10 Vitality |
| Ko (#17) | +10 Energy |
| Lum (#18) | +10 Dexterity |
| Fal (#19) | +10 Strength |
| Mal (#23) | Reduces Magical Damage by 7 |
| Gul (#25) | +5% to Max Poison Resistance |
| Vex (#26) | +5% to Max Fire Resistance |
| Um (#27) | +5% to Max Cold Resistance |
| Lo (#28) | +5% to Max Lightning Resistance |
| Jo (#31) | +5% of Total Hit Points |
| Cham (#32) | Can not be frozen |
Shields for Combat Characters
The options for shields for combat characters are ok, but most of the good runes are up the rare end of the scale, so are more likely to be used in crafting or in RuneWords.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Eld (#2) | +7% Blocking |
| Ith (#6) | 15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana |
| Sol (#12) | -7 Damage Taken |
| Shael (#13) | 20% Increased Blocking Speed |
| Pul (#21) | +30% Enhanced Defense |
| Um (#22) | +22% Resist All |
| Mal (#23) | -7 Magical Damage Taken |
| Ber (#30) | -8% Damage Taken |
| Jo (#31) | +50 Life |
| Cham (#32) | Cannot Be Frozen |
| Also Useful | |
| Nef (#4) | +30 Defense vs Missiles |
| Tal (#7) | +35% Resist Poison |
| Ral (#8) | +35% Resist Fire |
| Ort (#9) | +35% Resist Lightning |
| Thul (#10) | +35% Resist Cold |
| Amn (#11) | Attacker Takes 14 Damage |
| Dol (#14) | +7 Replenish Life |
| Hel (#15) | -15% Item Requirements |
| Io (#16) | +10 Vitality |
| Ko (#18) | +10 Dexterity |
| Fal (#19) | +10 Strength |
| Lem (#20) | +50% Extra Gold from Monsters |
| Ist (#25) | +25% Chance of finding magical items |
| Zod (#33) | Indestructible |
Shields for Spell-Casters
No particularly great socketing for shields for spell-casters, but there are better options than they get with weapons. Again like the combat shields mthe good runes are too rare to really be feasible to use this way.
| Best Choices | |
|---|---|
| Rune | Bonus |
| Tir (#3) | +2 Mana After Each Kill |
| Eth (#5) | +15% Regenerate Mana |
| Hel (#15) | -15% Item Requirements |
| Io (#16) | +10 Vitality |
| lum (#17) | +10 Energy |
| Lem (#20) | +50% Extra Gold From Monsters |
| Um (#22) | +22% Resist All |
| Ist (#25) | +25% Chance of finding magical items |
| Sur (#29) | +50 Mana |
| Jo (#31) | +50 Life |
| Cham (#32) | Cannot Be Frozen |
| Also Useful | |
| Eld (#2) | +7% Blocking |
| Ith (#6) | 15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana |
| Tal (#7) | +35% Resist Poison |
| Ral (#8) | +35% Resist Fire |
| Ort (#9) | +35% Resist Lightning |
| Thul (#10) | +35% Resist Cold |
| Shael (#13) | 20% Increased Blocking Speed |
| Dol (#14) | +7 Replenish Life |
| Hel (#15) | -15% Item Requirements |
| Fal (#19) | +10 Strength |
| Ber (#30) | -8% Damage Taken |
| Zod (#33) | Indestructible |
Runewords
This is where Runes really become awesome. A "RuneWord" is the term for an item that has been socketed with special Runes in the correct order. Runewords can only be fashioned in regular (gray name) socketed items, with the precise number of sockets required for that recipe. No more and no less.
The most powerful weapons and armor in the game are runewords, though they can be difficult to obtain, since the powerful ones require very scarce, high level runes. In addition to the runes, a suitable item must be found to create the runeword in. It makes no sense to create a high damage runeword in a weapon with a low base damage, so expert players search long and hard for just the right item with just the right number of sockets, while working to store up the runes they'll need to fill them.
Runeword Categories
The runewords are listed in separate categories also.
FAQ
What are the most common errors in making a RuneWord?
Most players have gotten the hang of runewords by now, but we saw a lot of errors in the early days/months after Diablo II's release. Of those mistakes, 99% were:
- Tried to make it in a magical/unique/set item.
- Tried to make it in an item with more than the required sockets.
- Tried a weapon recipe in armor, helm recipe in shield, sword recipe in bow, etc. The recipes work only for the items that they are listed to work for.
Do RuneWords work in single player or over Open Battle.net?
Yes, for the most part. In v1.10 and later, some runewords were added that only worked for characters on the ladders; not on the open realms. Some of these ladder-only runewords work for single player, but not all. See the full listing for more details.
Do RuneWords work on Mercs?
Yes. There were some bugs with this in early versions of D2X, but they're long since fixed.
Does +Magic Find gear work to find more or better Runes?
No, +MF% doesn't make more Runes or higher quality Runes drop. It doesn't hurt your odds either though. Playing in games with more players is the best way to find more runes, since monsters drop more of all types of items in larger games.
How do I make a RuneWord?
You must be sure you follow all of these steps exactly:
- The item must be a low quality, normal, or superior normal item. The name should be in grey. You can not use Set, Unique, Rare, or Magical items, even if they have the correct number of sockets!
- The item must be of the correct type. If the recipe says "swords only" it means it, maces, axes, etc won't work.
- The item must have exactly the correct number of sockets. This means no more and no less than the number of Runes. You can't put a three-socket RuneWord into a 5 socket item, it won't work, you'll just get the bonuses from the individual Runes.
- You must insert the Runes in the correct sequence.
- You must use a recipe that works for the realm, ladder, or single player mode, depending on which you are playing.
Can I personalize a Runic Item?
Yes, via the quest reward in Act Five. Personalized Runewords now display correctly in all gold, but in some earlier versions of D2X they showed up in odd mixed colors. See it here.
Can I make a RuneWord in Wirt's Leg?
No. Wirt's leg is classified as a special item, and will gain bonuses from socketed runes, but will not turn into a runeword. Example here.
Can I make a RuneWord from an Ethereal Item?
Yes, and it will keep the Ethereal property, greatly boosting the damage or defense of the item. This can be very useful for mercenary weapons or armor, since the durability will not run out. A few runewords include invulnerability or repairs over time bonuses, and they can be good choices for ethereal items too. Example here.
Do items with inherent bonuses keep them once they become RuneWords?
Yes, as long as the item is a normal item with bonus skills, and not a magical item. The items allowed are wands, staves, scepters, and all seven types of the class specific items.
These are the best types of items to use for RuneWords, since they keep their inherent bonuses, and stack them with the RuneWord bonus. You can get huge bonuses to individual skills this way, such as the wand Runeword White, which has these bonuses, amongst others:
- +3 to Bone and Poison Skills
- +4 to Skeleton Mastery
- +2 to Bone Spear
- +3 to Bone Armor
If you made this recipe with a 2-socket wand that already had +3 to Skeleton Mastery and +2 to Bone Spear, those would add to the bonuses from the RuneWord and you'd have a total of +7 Skeleton Mastery and +4 Bone Spear, along with all the rest. A couple of examples, such as this Ancient's Pledge made in a Paladin Shield for more resistance, and this Leaf with huge skill bonuses.
The bonuses don't need to stack, you could make a weapon one like Silence in an Amazon bow with 6 sockets, and you'd get all the huge Silence bonus as well as +1-3 to Bow Skills from the bow.
What's a "Runic Item"?
A term for an item with a RuneWord combo in it. Once you get a three-socket shield and stick RalOrtTal into it, you have a Runic Item. This term was the official one created by Blizzard North, but it's largely fallen from common use over time.
Are RuneWords better in Superior Items?
Yes, the bonus to durability or defense or damage from an item being Superior is preserved with the RuneWord bonuses once it becomes a Runic Item.
Can I make a RuneWord out of a magical or Unique, Set, Rare, Crafted, or Magical items?
No, items must be normal or superior socketed items, (grey colored-text names) to make a RuneWord from them. You can find or make the socketed items with the socket-adding quest in Act Five. Note that some Uniques and all the items in Griswold's Set have two or more sockets in them as inherent properties, but none of these can become a runeword. Neither can magical or rare items with two or more sockets.
Is there any way to take a Rune or Runes out of a socket?
Not prior to v1.10. In later versions there is a Horadric Cube recipe (Hel rune + scroll of town portal) that will empty the sockets in an item, though the runes (or jewels, or gems) in the sockets are destroyed in the process.
Can I make two RuneWords in the same item?
No, RuneWords can only be made in an item with the exact number of sockets the recipe calls for. If you try to put two two-rune recipes into one four-socket item, you'll just get the bonuses for the 4 runes.
Can I socket a Runic Item and add another RuneWord to it?
No, there's no way to add sockets to a Runeword. Even if there were, it would still be a magical-type item and ineligible for a further runeword bonus.