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Rune
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{{Item navbox|{{runes}}}}'''Runes''' are small objects that, like [[gems]] and [[jewels]], have no function until they are socketed [[socket]]ed into an [[item]]. See a [[Runes ScarcityRune list|full runes listing]]. Runes can be upgraded; 2 or 3 of one type, plus a particular gem type/quality, can be combined in the [[Horadric Cube]] to upgrade to the next higher level rune. Runes add different properties to [[shield]]s or [[armor]] vs. [[weapon]]s, and sometimes shields and armor differ as well. Runes are most powerful when combined into special [[runewords]], so be sure you check the recipes for those.
==Diablo II Rune ScarcityItem Generation==Runes are not like gems, they are not dropped in equal amounts. They , they are more like items, there [[item]]s. 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([[Mlvl]]).
* 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, and they've grown much longer since these numbers, which were accurate for [[v1.07]], when D2X was first released. [[In v1.11 ]] the curve is much longer; you'll find far, far more of each level rune than you will the next higher level.
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==Runewords==
{{runewords}}This is where Runes really become awesome. A "[[RuneWord]]" is the term for an item that has been socketed [[socket]]ed with special Runes in the correct order. Runewords can only be fashioned in regular (gray name, '[normal]') 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.