A returning fan-favorite mechanic from Diablo 2, Runes in Diablo 4 can be socketed into gear to create Runewords. Runewords in Diablo 4 are essentially highly customizable Trigger and Effect enchantments that change depending on which Ritual and Invocation Rune is currently slotted.
Diablo 4 DLC: How Long to Beat Vessel of Hatred
Players who have questions about the length of Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion can find the answers that they seek in this guide.
Once you have completed the Vessel of Hatred main campaign quest "Fundament of Faith", you will unlock the ability to get Runes in Diablo 4. There are a lot of Runes in Diablo 4, and a lot of ways to mix and match them to create countless Runewords. But to expand your Rune collection and open up more options, Diablo 4 players must participate in specific activities throughout the game.
You can only get Runes if you have the Vessel of Hatred DLC installed. The system is unlocked during the main DLC story, which you cannot complete with only the base version of Diablo 4.
How To Get Runes in Diablo 4
The Best D4 Rune Sources & D4 Rune Farms
All Major D4: VoH Campaign Bosses Drop Runes
When you progress the Vessel of Hatred campaign until you get to the Kurast Bazaar, and complete the "Fundament of Faith" main quest, you will unlock the Rune system and get a bounty of your first Runes at the same time. From this point onward, you are able to get Runes using any of the methods listed here.
After this point in the Vessel of Hatred campaign, you will face a number of mandatory story bosses. Each of these bosses is guaranteed to drop at least one Rune on defeat, but you can only complete the VoH campaign once on each character.
Though this is a guaranteed source of Runes, Diablo 4 players can't exactly farm it – not on one character, at least. Every character can only complete the campaign once, but you can trade Runes between characters. So if you complete the campaign on an alt you can potentially earn new Runes to share amongst your characters.
Complete Kurast Undercity Activities (With A Tribute of Harmony)
The Kurast Undercity is a repeatable new feature in Vessel of Hatred that's amazing for endgame progression because it gives players a lot of control over their rewards for successful runs. The Kurast Undercity is timed, and if you beat the timer you will earn the rewards you are targeting. In the Kurast Undercity, Runes are one of the many additional rewards you can expect to receive for a successful run.
Diablo 4: How To Get The Loyalty's Mantle Unique
Players of the new Spiritborn class will want to track down Loyalty's Mantle for some fantastic late-game builds. This article explains how to find it
Using Tributes before a run (which can be found during runs and randomly throughout Sanctuary), you can target specific rewards. One of these Tributes is the Tribute of Harmony, which specifically guarantees Runes at the end of your Kurast Undercity run.
You will have a chance to get Runes during every Kurast Undercity run, but with the Tribute of Harmony you will both be guaranteed Runes and have a high chance for high-tier Runes to drop.
Kill World Bosses & Participate In The Hatred Rising Event
Two other great ways to farm Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred and Season 6: Hatred Rising are to kill World Bosses and hunt down the S6 bosses, the Realmwalkers. The classic World Bosses still spawn and grant rewards once each week, but in Season 6, the Realmwalkers can be farmed over and over again.
Realmwalkers will spawn a few minutes after the last was defeated in a random zone throughout all of Sanctuary. Initially, you can't damage it, and have to follow the Realmwalker as it wanders on a pre-determined path across the zone, spawning waves of enemies and elites along the way.
Completing each Realmwalker event has a chance to yield Runes, both from bosses in the Seething Realm at the end, and by killing Hollows and Elites along the way. Because these Runes Diablo 4 players can farm from the Realmwalkers are repeatable, this is one of the best ways to level up, get some Season 6 progression, and earn Runes at the same time.
Clear Strongholds For The First Time
When you clear a Stronghold in Diablo 4 for the first time, your character will get a huge XP boost and a bunch of items. With the introduction of Runes, Strongholds are even more rewarding than ever as there is a high chance for Runes to be among your first clear rewards.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred - All Tenets of Akarat Locations
Across Nahantu, you will find 30 Tenets of Akarat in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, and here is where they can be found.
Because of the game's seasonal structure, your Season 6 character should be able to clear every Stronghold for the first time, even if you have completed them on other characters in previous seasons. This works for every character, but you can't repeat the same Stronghold on one character to farm Runes in Diablo 4.
Whisper Caches Can Contain Runes, Too
Throughout Sanctuary you will see icons representing Whispers, special objectives you can take on to earn Grim Favors. Once you earn 10x Grim Favors, head to the Tree of Whispers in Hawezar to get a choice of Reward Cache. There are a lot of Tree of Whispers choices, but no matter which Cache you choose as your Whisper reward, there is a chance for Runes to drop.
Some players have found that Whisper Caches are a reliable source of Runes while others haven't received a single Rune among their rewards. It's a bit more RNG-based than other options to get Runes in Diablo 4, so instead of focusing on completing Whispers as a priority, complete Whispers passively during Helltides and other World Events.
All Elites Have A Chance To Drop Runes
In addition to all of these other Rune-farming methods in Diablo 4, there is another way to get Runes that spans all content in the game. No matter what activity you are engaged in, Elite enemies have a small chance to drop Runes upon defeat after unlocking the system.
The chance is very small, but make sure to keep a keep eye out on the ground when taking part in activities that have lots of Elites. If you are consistently killing Elites in Nightmare Dungeons, farming The Pit, trying out the Dark Citadel, or Helltide events, you are more likely to find Runes faster thank just farming the open world as there are more Elites to kill.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Base Game
- Diablo 4
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Diablo
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
