Weapons and armor drop from monsters, we don't craft them. We must remember that the core item mechanic of Diablo II is random item drop, not crafting. At a glance, they look like items in games where crafting is a core mechanic, like in Monster Hunter. Runewords are crafted items that follow known recipes. Runewords came late and got introduced only in the expansion Lord of Destruction, but it was enough to make it a game that can last for hundreds of hours, giving it an engaging loop in our search for the best items in the game. It's not very effective as a weapon anyway.Runewords are what separate Diablo II from all existing loot-based action RPG and elevate it to be the best hack and slash item collection game of all time. Rune Words will not work with Wirt's Leg. Likewise, Hammers means a War Hammer, Maul, Great Maul, or their Exceptional/Elite Versions, and Clubs means a Club or a Spiked Club, and their Exceptional/Elite Versions.īe careful when using Rune Words formula with the runes Io and Lo. When a Mace is called for in a Rune Word recipe, you can use a Mace, Morning Star, Flail and Exceptional/Elite versions. Maces doesn't mean all Mace class Weapons. This is common with staves, wands, and scepters, but Paladin Shields, Necromancer Shrunken Heads, Druid Pelts, and Barbarian Helms will work as well, provided they are not socketed via a magical prefix. Rune Words added to such items with the correct number of sockets and no magical attributes will provide stacking bonuses with the original bonuses. This exception works in non-magical Class-specific Items which sometimes have additional attributes linked to them. You can still have a Rune Word item with bonuses other than those provided by the Rune Word itself. For some rune words, finding the right socketable item can prove even more challenging than obtaining the specified runes. Rune Words don't work on magical, rare, set and unique items, only on normal socketed items. These items have sockets for magical reasons. Rune Words won't work in Mechanic's, Artisan's and Jeweler's items. Otherwise you will only get the effects of the individual runes without the bonus. The Runes socketed must also be arranged in the correct order. The player must use a shield for this rune word. The player cannot have an Ancient's Pledge Bardiche even if they have all 3 runes and a 3-socketed Bardiche. They also fail to work when the item they are socketed to is not valid. If this were so, then it could be possible that multiple runewords could be socketed in the same item, possibly making it overpowered. Rune Words do not work if the required number of sockets is not equal to the number present on the item. Scepters - Scepter, Grand Scepter, War Scepter, and exceptional and elite versions.Weapons - Melee Weapons, Missile Weapons, and Sorceress orbs.Melee Weapons - Any non-ranged weapon (Sorceress orbs are not considered melee weapons).Maces - Mace, Morning Star, Flail, and exceptional and elite versions.Hammers - War Hammer, Maul, Great Maul, and exceptional and elite versions.Shield - Any armor used to block including Necromancer Shrunken Heads and Paladin-specific Shields.Club - Clubs and exceptional and elite versions.Helm - Armor worn on the head including Barbarian Helms, Druid Pelts and Circlets.The Runes must be inserted in the right order -ĭoing so will grant the shield all of these bonuses:Īll players are able to complete this Rune Word after they complete the Act 5 Second Quest.
Mostly, effect of a Rune Word combines the normal effect of runes (even augments them), plus several other properties, which effectively turn the socketed item into a Unique Item, keeping the base attributes of the original item.įor example, the Rune Word Ancient's Pledge requires a 3 socketed shield and will not work on any other item even if there are more than 3 sockets.
Players must also have the right patch for Rune Words to work. When runes are not inserted into an item properly (in correct order), the item will only gain bonuses from the inserted individual runes. They do not work on socketed unique, magic, or rare items even if they have the required number of sockets, meaning players can only make Rune Words from items which have black-colored names. Rune Words keep the original properties of the socketed item. It appears in gold text, like Unique items. When a Rune Word is made, the item's name is changed to the Rune Word's name. Rune Words do not make a comeback in Diablo III. They were introduced in the Diablo II expansion, Lord of Destruction. Rune Words are specific combinations of runes that grant specific socketed items several new magical properties.