Diablo IV
Runewords Guide & Tier List

The Runeworlds in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred is a complete overhaul of the famous Runeword system known from the Diablo 2 series. It shares the same idea of socketing certain Runes into your gear to achieve specific results, but their effect and expected usage are completely different now. In this Guide, you can find all you need to know about the new Runeword system and its ranking! 

Runes

To use a Rune you will have to Socket it in your Gear. Doing so takes up the Sockets you would typically use for Gems. Additionally, you can use only two Runewords at once, so there are not that many combinations available to use. To create a Runeword you will need a combination of one Rune of Ritual and one Rune of Invocation, which works on the basis of Generator and Spender. The Rune of Ritual generates an Offering when you meet certain criteria or perform a specific action, such as Spending your Resources or casting specific Skills. If you accumulate enough Offering you will trigger the Rune of Invocation to activate its effect. In some cases, you can Overflow the Rune, which can cause additional effects. To do so you will have to generate more Offering than it needs. 

As mentioned, you can only use two Runewords combinations at once. On top of that, each Rune can be used only once, so you will have to get creative with your ways to generate Offerings. One popular method is to use ‍a Rune of Invocation called Que to trigger a very useful Barrier of the Druid Class. The other Runeword should consist of the Rune of Ritual Xol which requires you to evoke a Skill from another Class. With this combination you effectively only need to trigger the Que Runeword, and the other one will be used automatically right after. Of course, this is only one example of many possible combinations, so feel free to experiment and discover which combination is the perfect fit for your playstyle! 

Runecrafting

The Runes can not only be used to create Runewords, but you can also combine them in various crafting recipes. Firstly, you can combine 3 Runes of the same name to create a random Rune, with a chance of obtaining the higher Rarity. You can also trade your Runes with other players, so it might be a smart move to sell a few Runes for Gold and buy the exact Rune you need, instead of gambling in hopes of getting it randomly. 

The Runes are also used to Craft Mythic Uniques. Each Unique requires two Sparks and 6 specific Runes of each Rarity. It creates a lot of demand for almost every Rune, so don't skip on those even if you have multiple duplicates of them, as you will never know which Rune you will need next time. 

Best Ritual Runes

When picking the right Rune of Invocation for your Build you should consider many aspects. You will have to figure out the best way to meet the condition criteria without going too much out of the way of your usual gameplay. Typically, the best Runewords are the ones that can activate passively, without the need to track certain Buffs or Skill Cooldowns. Below you can find our Tier list for the Runes of Invocation. 

Best Runes of Invocation

All your Runewords are only as strong as the Rune of Invocation is. Their usefulness varies a lot, especially as you have to consider how well they fit your specific Build. They can grant you access to specific Skills, boost your Damage, or apply a Crowd Control Effect to your Enemies. Usually the more generic the Effect the better, as it can be helpful in any situation. 

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