In October, Diablo will get 4 runewords, which many players have been hoping for since the release. However, you will need to purchase the first expansion, “Vessel of Hatred”.
What are rune words?
In the last “Campfire Chat” livestream on August 29th, the developers announced that Diablo 4 is getting rune words. Expert game designer Jeevun Sidhu explains that with the “Diablo 4 version” of the rune words, they want to bring something into the game that feels fresh and new – and at the same time is unique.
Lead Live Game Designer Colin Finer adds that rune words in Diablo 2 made it possible to get rule-breaking “god items” with a certain combination of runes. They want to take that up here without requiring players to play with specific items (via YouTube).
When will the rune words come? The runewords will be coming to Diablo 4 on October 8th, with the release of the Vessel of Hatred expansion. You’ll have the opportunity to try out the runewords on the PTR, which runs next week.
After that, only players who purchase a version of the expansion will have access to the feature. Blizzard wrote on the website on August 29: “Outside of PTR 2.0, Runewords are a feature that you can only access with the Vessel of Hatred expansion.”
Vessel of Hatred brings new features, a new class and a new region to Diablo 4:
What does the community say about the new feature? The rune words are well received by many players. Users are discussing the topic in a thread on Reddit. “Sauceboss_Senpai” writes: “Shoutout to the rune words, that looks great.” And “greenchair11” praises the fact that the runes are tradable. That is “a great addition to the game.”
In the comment, “DaddySanctus” writes: “I think this is the best possible way to add runewords. It doesn’t devalue current items/uniques/mythics and adds another layer of customization to builds.”
The user “DoggoCentipede” notes that he missed this aspect of Diablo 2. After the announcement of the rune words, he still hopes that an armory will be included in the game. A Diablo expert has analyzed various clips and screenshots and suspects that the feature could come into the game. When it will come is unclear, but Blizzard said that they are working on it.
In another thread on Reddit, “YaDodzh” writes: “It’s important to note that this is only available if you buy the DLC.” “Deidarac5” comments: “That’s exactly how it worked in Diablo 2, lol.” And “starlightequilibrium” also reminds us: “Just like rune words only came with the Diablo 2 expansion.”
The user “patrincs” is even sure that there is no reality “in which you like Diablo 4 and continue playing without getting the expansion.”
One day after the release of the expansion “Vessel of Hatred”, Season 6 in Diablo 4 will also start. In October, you can expect a number of new features and fundamental changes to the game. The developers are making a major overhaul to the difficulty system. This will revise something that has long been criticized. You can read more about it here: Diablo 4: The world levels are a major point of criticism, but with Season 6, Blizzard is throwing them out the window