Diablo 4 Season 6: Season of Hatred Rising - Master All Runes and Runewords
04.10.2024 - 12:28:17
Diablo 4 , Game Guides , Gameplay Guides , Items
Have you played Diablo II or Diablo II Resurrected and thought to yourself if the Rune Word system will ever come back? Well, Blizzard has some good news for you! With the upcoming release of Diablo 4 Season 6: Season of Hatred Rising, Runes and Runewords are back!
Season 6 will launch on October 7 complete with new mechanics, challenges, and the ever-beloved Runes System, similar to the previous installments in the Diablo franchise.
Whether you’re a seasoned Diablo veteran or a new player looking to craft the most powerful builds, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Diablo 4 Runes and Runewords and how to master this essential system come Season 6. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Diablo 4 Runes and Runewords: An Overview
Runes, items that grant powerful bonuses that were first introduced in Diablo II, have now returned to Diablo 4 in Season of Hatred Rising. Unlike in the past, however, there are some notable differences in their implementation this time around.
Runes in Diablo 4 are divided into two types—Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation. Certain Runes can be combined to form Runewords, which grant better and more powerful effects. This system builds on the legendary mechanics of Diablo II but adds a new layer of complexity with the new Offering System that ties effects to specific in-game actions.
How the Rune System Works
- Runes of Ritual: These are the triggers that will grant bonuses via the Runes of Invocation. You will need to do something specific in order to activate the rune. Examples include Bac (Travel 5 Meters) and Zan (Cast an Ultimate Skill).
- Runes of Invocation: These runes grant bonuses once the trigger requirements of the Runes of Ritual are satisfied. For example, the Vex Rune raises the level of all your skills by three for five seconds.
When combined, these runes form Runewords, which can drastically enhance your build's power. To activate a Runeword’s effects, you must meet the Offering requirement depending on the Rune of Invocation you have chosen.
Full Runes List for Diablo 4 Season 6
Runes of Ritual
Rune | Offering | Trigger | Tips |
Moni | 10 Offering | Cast a skill after moving (Cooldown of 0.2 seconds) | A good rune to use for highly mobile builds |
Cir | 25 Offering | Cast the same non-channeled skill 3 times in a row | Amazing for active skill-intensive builds |
Cem | 50 Offering | Cast Evade | A good rune for most D4 builds |
Yax | 100 Offering | Drink a Healing Potion | Useful for squishy builds that need a constant use of healing potions to survive |
Zan | 150 Offering | Cast an Ultimate Skill | Good for most D4 builds |
Poc | 2 Offering | Spend 5% of your Maximum Resource | Perfect for skill-spamming builds |
Noc | 5 Offering | Inflict any crowd control effect other than slow or chill | Choose this if your build relies on CC |
Neo | 300 Offering | Deal damage after not taking any within five seconds (resets when you are invulnerable) | Builds that have impeccable dodge can benefit from this |
Feo | 1000 Offering | Become injured or crowd-controlled (20-second cooldown) | Use this whenever you fight enemies with CC abilities |
Ahu | 10 Offering | Up to a 100% chance against injured enemies | Good for builds that deal burst damage |
Lith | 25 Offering | Stand still for 0.3 seconds | Great for most builds |
Tam | 25 Offering | Cast a non-channeled Core Skill | Incredible for builds that do not rely on channeled abilities |
Yul | 50 Offering | Cast a skill with a cooldown | Good for most builds |
Bac | 50 Offering | Travel 5 meters | Good for builds, even more so for highly mobile ones |
Xol | 150 Offering | Evoke power from another class | Good for most builds |
Runes of Invocation
Rune | Offering | Cool Down | Power | Overflow | Tips |
Lum | 5 Offering | 1 sec | Restore 1 Primary Resource | Gain multiple stacks | Good for builds that rely on spamming skills |
Ton | 25 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Sorcerer’s Meteorites dealing damage to enemies | Increased Meteorites spawned | Great for high magic builds |
Gar | 25 Offering | 1 sec | Gain 2.5% critical strike chance for 5 seconds up to 25% | Gain multiple stacks | Best for builds that have a relatively high critical strike chance |
Met | 100 Offering | 1 sec | You leave the Necromancer’s Desecrated Ground behind you for 3 seconds dealing damage to enemies within | Increased duration | Good for builds that utilize AoE abilities |
Tal | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Spiritborn’s Pestilent Swarm dealing damage to enemies | Increased Swarms spawned | Good for clearing crowds |
Teb | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Necromancer’s Abhorrent Iron Maiden counterattacking damage from enemies and healing you when they die | None | Great for survivability |
Tec | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Barbarian’s Earthquake ability dealing damage to enemies within | Increased Size | Amazing when your build relies on AoE abilities |
Tun | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Rogue’s Stun Grenades stunning and dealing damage to enemies | Increased Grenades spawned | Good for dealing with high-damage monsters |
Wat | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Necromancer’s Horrid Decrepify slowing enemies down, reducing their damage, and letting you “Execute” them | None | Amazing for any build |
Mot | 150 Offering | 1 sec | Gain a shadow from the Rogue’s Dark Shroud reducing damage taken per shadow | Gain multiple Shadows | Great for builds that have low survivability |
Zec | 200 Offering | 2 secs | Reduce your active Ultimate cooldown by 4 seconds | Further reduced cooldown | Use if you rely heavily on your character’s ultimate ability |
Xal | 200 Offering | 1 sec | Gain 20% maximum life for 4 seconds | Increased Duration | Good for squishy builds |
Tzic | 250 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Spiritborn’s Concussive Stomp ability dealing damage and knocking enemies down | None | Incredible for dealing with large packs of monsters |
Thul | 400 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Sorcerer’s Mystical Frost Nova inflicting Freeze and Vulnerable onto enemies | Increased AoE | Amazing for clearing big groups of monsters |
Qua | 400 Offering | 1 sec | Restore an Evade charge and gain 6% movement speed for 5 seconds up to 30% | Increased duration | Good for most builds even more so for Rogues |
Qax | 400 Offering | 1 sec | Your next non-Basic Skill cast spends all of your Primary Resource to deal up to 100% increased damage | Further increased damage | Great for builds that utilize Core Skills frequently |
Kry | 500 Offering | 3 secs | Evoke the Spiritborn’s Vortex dealing damage and pulling enemies in | None | Incredible for HotA Barbs and builds that use AoE to kill enemies |
Ner | 700 Offering | 6 secs | Evoke the Rogue’s Countering Concealment ability gaining increased dodge chance, movement speed, Unstoppable, and Stealth | Increased Duration | Great for squishy yet highly mobile builds |
Lac | 800 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout reducing your damage taken | Increased duration | Good for builds with low survivability |
Que | 800 Offering | 1 sec | Evoke the Druid’s Earthen Bulwark granting yourself a Barrier | Increased duration | Good for all builds, especially squishy ones |
Eom | 100 Offering | 1 sec | Reduce your active cooldowns by 0.25 seconds | Further reduced cooldowns | Very useful for builds that rely on abilities with cooldowns |
Vex | 400 Offering | 1 sec | Gain +3 to all Skills for 5 seconds | Increased duration | Amazing for all builds |
Yom | 500 Offering | 5 secs | Evoke the Druid’s Petrify stunning enemies and increasing your critical strike damage against them | None | Great for crit-based builds |
Jah | 500 Offering | 2 secs | Replace your next Evade with the Sorcerer’s Teleport, blinking further, dealing damage, and becoming “Unstoppable” | None | Amazing for all builds, particularly the squishy ones |
Ohm | 500 Offering | 2 secs | Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry increasing your movement speed and damage dealt | Increased duration | Good for all builds |
Xan | 700 Offering | 1 sec | Your next Skill cast will be a guaranteed critical strike and Overpower | None | Good for all builds, especially those with low critical strike chance |
How to Get Runes in Diablo 4 Season 6
Now that you know what the runes do, how exactly do you get your hands on them?
- Tormented Bosses: Some of the best chances to acquire runes are from Tormented Bosses, which are high-level enemies that can only be summoned on World Tier 4: Torment.
- World Events and Rune Caches: Participating in world events can reward you with Rune Caches.
- Trading: Runes are fully tradeable, so keep an eye out for trading opportunities if you’re short on a particular rune for your ideal Rune Word combination.
- Runecrafting: You can combine three of the same runes to create a random rune. It is possible to gain a rune of higher rarity via Runecrafting.
How to Create and Use Runewords
Once you’ve gathered your Runes, crafting a Runeword is the next step. Here’s how to do it:
- Check Your Gear: Make sure that your chosen item has two sockets as runewords require exactly two runes—one Ritual Rune and one Invocation Rune.
- Combine Runes: Place one Ritual Rune and one Invocation Rune into your item’s sockets to form a runeword.
- Meet Offering Requirements: To activate the runeword’s effect, you must meet its Offering condition, such as using a cooldown ability, dealing critical damage, or evading an attack.
Best Runewords for Diablo 4 Classes in Season 6
Class | Best Runeword Strategy | Recommended Runes |
Barbarian | Boost raw damage and survivability | Moni + Qax |
Sorcerer | Maximize cooldown reduction | Yul + Zec |
Rogue | Increase burst damage and mobility | Cem + Gar |
Druid | Enhance shapeshifting and sustain | Ur + Lac |
Necromancer | Amplify summon damage and survivability | Ur + Wat |
Expert Tips on How to Unlock the Runes’ Full Potential
- Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment: There are a total of 45 runes in Patch 2.0, so find the combination that works best for your build.
- Take Advantage of Offerings: Remember that you only get bonuses when you get enough Offerings. Make sure that the Rune of Ritual and Rune of Invocation you use complement your playstyle.
- Utilize Unsocketing: Unlike Diablo II where socketing was permanent, Diablo 4 allows you to remove runes from your items without destroying them, giving you the freedom to experiment with various combinations and fine-tune your gear!
- Use Runes to Get Highly Coveted Items: You can use runes to craft Mythic Unique items. Some of these items include the Harlequin Crest and Tyrael’s Might! Check out the table below:
Item | Runes | Effects |
Harlequin Crest | 10x Eom Rune 10x Lac Rune 10x Ton Rune | 20% Cooldown Reduction +1850 Maximum Life +18 Maximum Resistance +2500 Armor Gain 20% Damage Reduction +4 Ranks to All Skills |
Tyrael’s Might | 10x Lith Rune 10x Feo Rune 10x Met Rune | 20% Damage Reduction +16.5% Movement Speed +60% Resistance to All Elements +7.5% Maximum Resistance to All Elements While at full life your skills unleash a divine barrage dealing 1% weapon damage to nearby enemies |
The Grandfather | 10x Xol Rune 10x Kaa Rune 10x Yax Rune | +75 to All Stats +150% Damage +1679 Maximum Life +10 Maximum Resource Increases your critical strike damage by 100% |
Doombringer | 10x Ahu Rune 10x Neo Rune 10x Lum Rune | +114 to All Stats 10% Damage Reduction 35% Maximum Life Lucky Hit: Up to a 25% chance to deal 6% of weapon damage as shadow damage to surrounding enemies and reduce their damage dealt by 20% for 5 seconds Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Heal +2687 Life |
Melted Heart of Selig | 10x Vex Rune 10x Thul Rune 10x Tun Rune | 15% Damage Reduction while Healthy +15% Lucky Hit Chance +25% Movement Speed 15% Resource Generation Gain 60 Maximum Resource When taking damage, 75% is drained as 2 Resource for every 1% of Maximum Life you would have lost |
Ring of Starless Skies | 10x Ohm Rune 10x Tzic Rune 10x Cem Rune | +17.5% Attack Speed +12.5% Critical Strike Chance +12.5% Lucky Hit Chance +2 to Core Skills Spending your Primary Resource reduces the resource cost of your skills and increases your damage by 10% for 3 seconds up to 50% |
Andariel’s Visage | 10x Tam Rune 10x Qax Rune 10x Zan Rune | +30% Attack Speed +77 to All Stats +437 Life on Hit +10% Maximum Resistance Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to trigger a poison nova that applies 30% of weapon damage as poisoning damage over 5 seconds to enemies in the area |
Ahavarion Spear of Lycander | 10x Yom Rune 10x Poc Rune 10x Cir Rune | +9% to All Stats +16.5% Movement Speed +33% Resistance to All Elements Gain a random Shrine effect for 20 seconds after killing an Elite enemy. Can only occur once every 30 seconds Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore +33% Primary Resource |
Heir of Perdition | 10x Jah Rune 10x Que Rune 10x Gar Rune | +200% Damage to angels and demons +20% Critical Strike Chance +20% Lucky Hit Chance 20% Movement Speed +2 to Core Skills |
Shroud of False Death | 10x Bac Rune 10x Kry Rune 10x Ur Rune | +111 to All Stats +333% Damage on next attack after entering Stealth +222 Maximum Life 11.1% Resource Generation If you haven’t attacked in the last 2 seconds, gain Stealth and 40% movement speed |
Shattered Vow | 10x Xan Rune 10x Ner Rune 10x Teb Rune | +29.6% Attack Speed while Berserking +444.4% Damage over time +444 Maximum Life Lucky Hit: Up to a +44.4% chance to become Berserking Execute enemies afflicted by more damage over time than remaining life |
Unleash Your Full Potential in the Vessel of Hatred Expansion
As Season 6: Season of Hatred Rising introduces new mechanics and the highly anticipated Vessel of Hatred expansion, there’s never been a better time to develop your strategies and experiment with what works best for you. From new zones and bosses to crafting unbeatable runewords, the massive changes that are coming to the game will truly shake things up. Are you ready to vanquish the forces of Mephisto on October 7?
Season and Expansion Release Dates & Times
Diablo 4 Season 6: Season of Hatred Rising and the Vessel of Hatred expansion will launch on October 7, 2024, at 16:00 PDT across all platforms—PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The global release times by region are as follows:
- North America: 07 October 2024 16:00 PDT (4 PM), 07 October 2024 19:00 EDT (7 PM)
- Europe: 08 October 2024 00:00 BST (12 MN), 08 October 2024 01:00 CEST (1 AM)
- Asia: 08 October 2024 08:00 KST (8 AM), 08 October 2024 09:00 AEST (9 AM)
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