D2R Ladder Runes , together with Runewords, are among the best innovations of Diablo II in its loot game mechanics. They were added to the game during the release of the expansion Lord of Destruction. Until today, there are no similar mechanics or as interesting that you can find in other loot-based action RPG.

Runes are items that you can socket on armor or weapons, to which they add a special bonus attribute. However, when you place a certain set of runes based on a recipe, that is when the magic happens. In addition to giving each rune's bonus attribute, they transform the socketable item into something else more powerful than the sum of each rune. They produce a synergy and create a new item, called a runeword.

Diablo II Runes

Runes are a kind of item that you can encounter anywhere in Diablo 2: Resurrected, no matter if you are playing on Normal, Nightmare or Hell difficulty. However, some places are more effective for farming runes than others, and we will tell you more about them later in this guide.

Runes can be placed into socketed items to enhance them with different benefits and attributes. However, the best way to use runes is to combine them in a certain unique sequence to create a runeword. A runeword is a special combination that gives certain properties to your item.

Runes also have another use, they can also be used in the Horadric Cube and combined with gear to make repairs. If you're struggling for gold and cannot afford a vendor repair, this can be a great substitute. To do this, you need to put a Ral rune and your broken gear in the Horadric Cube and transmute them. This will fix your gear and make it usable again.

Runes can also be upgraded in the Horadric Cube by combining three runes of the same type to get one rune of the next higher level. This is often called