What are Diablo 4 runes and runewords? The feature is one Diablo fans will recognize, the idea being that you could combine individual runes into runewords and insert them into socketed items, adding to their powers and abilities. Over a year after the ARPG game’s release, the iconic mechanic is finally back – but it’s not quite the same.

We know that D2’s beloved runeword system was not available in Diablo 4 at launch, but the Vessel of Hatred DLC finally brings the feature to D4 players. Hopefully, it will be added as free content in the future. For now, with the DLC, whichever of the five Diablo 4 classes you choose, runes can be combined and added to your items, just like D4 gems, to allow for spell casting boosts and powerful skill buffs. Here’s everything we know about Diablo 4 runewords so far.

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