Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion may have not nailed the Mephisto story on its head, but it came with a plethora of additions and changes to the core gameplay loop that make the game much better than it was on launch. While this was a year-long project from Blizzard after Diablo 4's poor reception, Vessel of Hatred's new Spiritborn class, endgame content like Kurast Undercity and Dark Citadel, and additional skills for the base game classes all arguably make the game more enjoyable. The Spiritborn's OP Evade build is already catching a nerf, or rather a fix, but there are plenty of other powerful builds and items to look forward to - namely, Runewords.
With the release of Diablo 4, Blizzard added Gems as socketable items that would improve stats for characters in various ways, essentially making good builds better when choosing the right loadout. Gems were never meant to be full-fledged buildcrafting options for players, though, and instead, they provided small bonuses that could round out builds in need of some extra stats. Vessel of Hatred turns this concept on its head with the introduction of Runes and Runewords, essentially giving players a new way to transform their characters and what they can achieve.
Diablo 4's Runes and Runewords Explained
Diablo 4's Runes and Runewords Offer a New Creative Outlet For Builds
The concept of Runes and Runewords is not new in and of itself, as Diablo 2 already introduced it to the series many years ago. However, the new Runes and Runewords completely change what some builds can achieve in various ways. This system functions based on the combination of two Runes, which combined produce a Runeword. One Rune should always be a trigger, whereas the other should always be a "spender," as some Runes generate Offering and others consume it to activate powerful and unique abilities. For example, Diablo 4's Druid can use the Sorcerer's Teleportation Skill in order to partially fix its mobility problem.
Runes that generate Offering are called Runes of Ritual, and spenders are referred to as Runes of Invocation.
This is not limited to utility powers, though, as some of the spender Runes feature powerful abilities for players to take advantage of. An example is the Sorcerer's Meteorite skill, which can deal a decent amount of damage when triggered. Another would be the Ohm Rune, which activates the Barbarian's War Cry skill in Diablo 4 as well as its Enhanced node, granting players an incredible boost to damage and movement speed. This changes the way Diablo 4 builds work on a fundamental level, and it's a great addition for replayability.
Why Diablo 4 Players Shouldn't Sleep on Runes and Runewords
For these reasons, Runes and Runewords in Diablo 4 completely take over Gems in terms of utility and power, even though there's a catch: players can only ever have two sets of Runewords on a given character. Considering what these items do, it's only a fair tradeoff since some Runewords can make or break a build or, more likely, take it to the next level. For example, Runes like Vex and Xan will be overall great in most builds, with the former providing +3 to all skill levels and the latter granting the user's next attack to be both a critical hit and to overpower.
Another incredibly strong effect comes from the Rune of Invocation by the name of Eom, which reduces all of the players' active cooldowns by 0.25 seconds. This may not seem like much, but the Rune has an Offering requirement of 100, and then an additional mechanic called Overflow - this repeats the effect of the Rune multiple times based on how much Offering players generated before spending it, dramatically improving the effect. These items are a great feature to include in the game, and future Diablo 4 expansions can capitalize on them by adding new ones and possibly increasing the current limit of two Runewords per character.
Diablo 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action-RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot.
Embark on the epic campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through a gripping story in a beautifully dark world, or explore an expansive end game: battle iconic bosses for powerful loot, fight back the encroaching onslaught of Hell in Helltides, master the Forge to create your ultimate weapons and progress powerful characters, with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
Discover the critically acclaimed franchise that defined the Action RPG genre. As the battle between the High Heavens and Burning Hells rages on, hatred devours Sanctuary as evil spreads and a new wave of cultists and worshippers arise to embrace Lilith’s coming. Only a brave few dare to face this threat and bring light to the all-consuming darkness.
Expansive Open WorldForge your own path through the corrupted lands of Sanctuary, an ever-growing, fully explorable world teeming with challenges, quests, enemies, and loot. Join your fellow adventurers, rescue and retake besieged towns, delve into nightmarish dungeons and uncover lost secrets as you fight back evil. The many zones of Sanctuary are yours to explore, and with rotating areas of extreme peril like World Bosses and Helltide, danger lurks at every turn.
Immersive Character DevelopmentCreate and customize your character to face the encroaching darkness. Choose from one of five classes and build your hero with skills, abilities and cosmetics, creating a champion that is uniquely your own. Grow stronger as you progress through powerful Skill Trees and develop even more unique end game specializations with Paragon Boards.
Legendary Gear, Epic BattlesDiscover and experiment with a vast arsenal of powerful weapons, armor and more to fight back against the demons threatening Sanctuary. Explore unique combinations, create your own upgrades and collect a plethora of powerful tools to battle in immersive, action-packed combat against the deadliest of enemies.
Seasons & EventsThe tales of Sanctuary continue to unfold. Create Seasonal Characters and join in fresh adventures - master new mechanics and take on the latest threats in each new Season. Complete harrowing feats of the Season Journey and earn new Battle Pass rewards. Plus, sharpen your swords and get in the spirit of the seasons when Limited-Time Events sweep through Sanctuary.
End Game UndertakingsThere’s even more Diablo® IV to explore as you reach higher levels and more fearsome World Tiers. Face the greatest challenge yet as you take on the most powerful demons in The Pit, steel yourself against Uber Bosses to reap uber unique rewards, fight back overflowing armies of Hell as Helltides emerge across Sanctuary, battle larger-than-life World Bosses, and master the Forge to create the mightiest weapons fit for a hero.
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Diablo
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 158.25 GB
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 players (console only)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
