How To Get Runes in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Runes make a celebrated return in Diablo 4, drawing inspiration from Diablo 2’s beloved system. These powerful items can be inserted into gear sockets to form Runewords, which provide dynamic Trigger and Effect enchantments tailored by combining specific Ritual and Invocation Runes.

In the Vessel of Hatred expansion, players gain access to runes after completing the main campaign quest, “Fundament of Faith.” Diablo 4 boasts an extensive array of runes, offering numerous possibilities for crafting unique Runewords. To enhance their collection and maximize customization options, players are encouraged to engage in various activities across the game’s expansive world, each designed to yield these valuable components. This approach not only diversifies gameplay but also enriches the strategic depth of gear optimization.

#6: VoH Campaign Bosses Drop Runes

In Diablo 4, runes are essential for crafting powerful Runewords, and players can start gathering them by advancing through the Vessel of Hatred campaign. The Rune system unlocks after completing the “Fundament of Faith” quest, which occurs once you reach the Kurast Bazaar. Successfully finishing this quest not only introduces you to runes but also rewards you with your initial set.

As you continue through the Vessel of Hatred campaign, each major campaign boss you encounter will drop at least one rune upon defeat. However, since the campaign can only be completed once per character, this method doesn’t allow for traditional farming. Instead, it provides a one-time bounty of runes per playthrough.

To circumvent this limitation, consider utilizing multiple characters. Runes can be traded between characters within your account, so creating and playing alternate characters allows you to gather additional runes. This strategy enhances your rune collection and provides more flexibility in Runeword creation, making it an effective approach to optimizing your character builds across the game.

#5: Exploring Kurast Undercity

The Kurast Undercity presents a dynamic and repeatable activity in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, making it a prime destination for endgame progression in Diablo 4. This timed challenge offers players substantial control over the rewards they receive, with runes being among the valuable loot available for successful completions.

By beating the clock in the Kurast Undercity, players can secure the specific rewards they are targeting. To enhance the chances of acquiring runes, using the Tribute of Harmony before initiating a run is highly recommended. This special tribute, which players can find during their explorations of Sanctuary or within the Undercity itself, ensures that runes are included in the rewards, significantly increasing the likelihood of obtaining high-tier runes.

Participating in Kurast Undercity runs not only offers a reliable method to farm runes but also allows players to strategically target and enhance their rune collection, optimizing their ability to craft powerful Runewords and elevate their gameplay.

#4: Rune Collection through World Bosses and Realmwalker Events

In Diablo 4’s “Vessel of Hatred” and Season 6: “Hatred Rising,” players have excellent opportunities to farm runes by engaging in battles against World Bosses and hunting Realmwalkers. While World Bosses offer valuable rewards once weekly, the Realmwalkers introduced in Season 6 provide a continuous source of loot, making them a prolific rune farming method.

Realmwalkers appear randomly across Sanctuary minutes after the previous one has been defeated. These unique bosses are invulnerable initially; players must follow them along a predetermined path, battling waves of minions and elite enemies spawned in their wake. This pursuit culminates in the Seething Realm, where defeating bosses and their minions can yield runes.

Taking part in Realmwalker events not only provides chances to obtain runes but also contributes significantly to seasonal progression and leveling. This repeatable activity is ideal for players looking to enhance their builds and expand their rune collections in Diablo 4.

#3: Maximizing Rewards from First-Time Stronghold Clears

In Diablo 4, tackling Strongholds for the first time offers significant benefits, including a substantial XP boost and a variety of items. With the addition of runes to the game, the reward pool from first-time Stronghold clears has become even more lucrative, often including a high chance of rune drops.

Each new character you create and play in Season 6 has the opportunity to clear every Stronghold for the first time again, regardless of your completion status with other characters in previous seasons. This feature ensures that each season remains fresh and rewarding, allowing players to maximize their rune collection and gear enhancements uniquely with each character.

However, it’s important to note that once a Stronghold has been cleared for the first time by a character, it cannot be used repeatedly by the same character to farm runes. Each character has one opportunity per stronghold, emphasizing strategic planning and progression through the game’s seasonal structure.

#2: Leveraging Whisper Caches for Rune Acquisition

In the expansive world of Diablo 4, players can engage with Whisper challenges, which are marked by distinctive icons across Sanctuary. These tasks offer a chance to earn Grim Favors, and upon collecting 10 Grim Favors, players can visit the Tree of Whispers in Hawezar to select from various Reward Caches.

Although there are multiple caches to choose from at the Tree of Whispers, each cache holds a potential for dropping runes, adding a valuable element to this reward mechanism. The likelihood of finding runes in Whisper Caches varies, with some players experiencing consistent drops while others encounter more sporadic outcomes due to the RNG-based nature of these rewards.

Given this variability, it’s advisable to integrate Whisper challenges into your regular gameplay routine, such as during Helltides and other World Events, rather than prioritizing them solely for rune farming. This approach allows players to efficiently gather runes while also participating in the broader array of activities available throughout Sanctuary.

#1: Elite Enemies as a Source of Runes

In Diablo 4, an additional and pervasive method to acquire runes spans virtually all game content: defeating Elite enemies. Once you’ve unlocked the rune system, Elite enemies throughout the game have a small, yet noteworthy chance to drop runes upon their defeat.

Although the probability of a rune drop from an Elite is low, the frequency of encounters with these enemies in certain activities enhances your overall chances of obtaining runes. Engaging in activities dense with Elite opponents, such as Nightmare Dungeons, The Pit, Dark Citadel, or during Helltide events, can significantly increase your rune acquisition rate compared to general open-world farming. Therefore, it’s beneficial to focus on these Elite-rich environments and keep a vigilant eye for dropped runes during these challenging encounters.

Conclusion

Obtaining runes in Diablo 4’s “Vessel of Hatred” offers a diverse array of methods suited to different play styles and game progressions. Whether you’re tackling major campaign bosses, exploring the dynamics of the Kurast Undercity with a Tribute of Harmony, or engaging with world bosses and Realmwalkers, each method provides unique opportunities to enhance your rune collection. Additionally, first-time Stronghold clears, Whisper Caches, and encounters with Elite enemies across Sanctuary offer further chances to acquire these valuable items. By understanding and utilizing these various approaches, players can effectively gather runes to craft powerful Runewords, significantly boosting their capabilities in this expansive and engaging world.