Runes all look more or less like the samples you see to the left; are small gray objects with various symbols that, like gems and squiggles on them. It's unknown if the markings mean anything in any languagejewels, or if have no function until they are just whatever the Blizzard artists made upsocketed into an item. All 33 runes look differentRunes can be upgraded; 2 or 3 of one type, plus a particular gem type/quality, so can be combined in theory you could memorize them and not need the [[Horadric Cube]] to hover on one upgrade 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 likenext higher level rune. Runes have some very nice add different properties when socketedto shields or armor vs. A wide variety of propertiesweapons, and all 33 of them do different things in different item typessometimes shields and armor differ as well. 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 most powerful when combined into 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 [[Runewords]], so be sure you check the correct number of socketsrecipes for those.* And insert the Runes in the correct order
=Rune Scarcity=
* 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 and they've grown much longer since these are not exactnumbers, which were accurate for v1.07, but they give when D2X was first released. In v1.11 the curve is much longer; you an idea 'll find far, far more of each level rune than you will the very long odds of finding next higher level runes.
{|
| Mal = 115<br> Ist = 77<br> Gul = 48<br> Vex = 32<br> Ohm = 19<br> Lo = 13<br> Sur = 7.2<br> Ber = 4.8<br> Jo = 2.4<br> Cham = 1.6<br> 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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
|-
! colspan="2" | 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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
|-
! colspan="2" | 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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
|-
! colspan="2" | 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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%
|-
! colspan="2" | 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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
|-
! colspan="2" | 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.
{| width="50%"
! colspan="2" | 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
|-
! colspan="2" | 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=
==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?==
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 [[:Category:Class Specific Items| 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 [[Runewords#White|Runeword White]]. The various Paladin shields are very popular choices for Runewords as well, 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 thanks to the substantial damage or resistance bonuses from the RuneWord and you'd have a total of +7 Skeleton Mastery and +4 Bone Spear, along such shields may be found with all the rest. A couple of examples, such as this [[Runewords#Ancients Pledge| For example, here's Ancient's Pledge]] made in a Paladin Shield for more resistance, and or this [[Leaf| Leafstaff]] with huge skill bonuses. The bonuses don't need to stack, you could make a weapon one like [[Runewords#Silence| 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"?==
