Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred offers various new mechanics and crafting resources exclusive to the DLC that allow players to enhance their character with dominant powers. One such exclusive resource is Runes, an essential material used for creating Runewords and crafting Mythics. Runewords is a newly added mechanic in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred that allows certain passive bonuses to the character corresponding to the equipped Rune Words.
If you have played Diablo 2, then you will be familiar with the Runewords mechanic in Vessel of Hatred and how much can it make a difference to your build by creating unique skills. However, powerful Runes don’t come easily and that is why we bring you this farming Runes guide. It will highlight all the best ways to farm Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred and allow you to acquire the best Runes for your items to create Runewords.
What are Runes & How they Work in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Runes are the newly added resource in Diablo 4 exclusive to the Vessel of Hatred expansion. They are used for creating Runewords by socketing any two Runes and also used for crafting Mythics. If you analyze them closely, they work similarly to Gems to grant a certain boost to your equipment item by socketing them in the slots.
To create Runewords using the Runes, you need two different types of Runes, one Rune of Ritual and the other Rune of Invocation. Once done, attach the Runeword to your equipment to gain a unique skill for your character. There are numerous Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, but all the Legendary Runes are hard to come by so you might have to do some farming runs.
Best Ways to Farm Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
There are six different ways through which you can get Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, but three of them are efficient methods to farm them. You can find all of the farming methods for Runes below.
1. Run Kursat Undercity Dungeon with Tribute of Harmony
The most efficient method to get guaranteed Runes is completing the Kursat Undercity. It is an end-game dungeon in Vessel of Hatred that players will access after completing the Reunion campaign quest. After unlocking the Kursat Undercity, you need to pursue its questline containing four quests in total. Speak to Ormus in the Council Chambers in Kursat Reaches to initiate the questline.
Complete all of the quests to acquire all Tributes including the Tribute of Harmony. The Tribute of Harmony is necessary for attaining guaranteed Runes. Now, complete the Kursat Undercity dungeon at least with Attunement Rank 1, and then offer the Tribute of Harmony at the Spirit Brazier to get Runes drop.
2. Defeat Uber Bosses
Another efficient method to acquire Runes is by defeating the Uber Bosses in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. Every Uber Boss guarantee drops a certain number of Runes upon defeat. However, summoning each Uber Boss will require a certain number of resources at the appropriate dungeon altar which is a difficult task in itself. Here are all the Uber Bosses and the required materials to summon them.
- Lord Zir – 12x Exquisite Blood
- Echo of Varshan – 4x Malignant Heart
- Grigoire – 12x Living Steel
- The Beast in the Ice – 12x Distilled Fear
- Duriel – 2x Mucus-Slick Egg, 2x Shard of Agony
- Andariel – 2x Sandscorched Shackles, 2x Pincushioned Doll
3. Craft Runes Yourself at a Jeweler
The last method to acquire better Runes is by crafting them on your own at the Jeweller vendor. As jewelers help you modify item sockets, and gems, and upgrade jewelry, they will also allow you to craft a new random Rune using three of the same Runes at a cost of 4,000 Gold.
During your Kursat Undercity dungeon runs and Uber Boss encounters, you will come across many Runes of the same type. It is best to use the same Runes to turn them into a unique one, instead of keeping them in your inventory.
In addition to these three efficient methods to farm Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred you can also acquire Runes by defeating World Bosses, completing The Pit and Nightmare Dungeons, and trading with other players. However, all of these methods have a lower rate of dropping Runes than the farming methods mentioned above.