Diablo 2 Remaster

Runes are one of the most valuable „currencies” in Diablo, serving as the foundation for crafting powerful Runewords and upgrading gear. While some runes are relatively easy to find, others are extremely rare and require strategic farming. This guide is designed to help you understand where and how to farm runes efficiently while maximizing your time and effort.

What Are Runes?
Runes are special items that can be socketed into equipment to provide bonuses or combined in specific orders to create Runewords. Runewords are among the most powerful items in the game, often surpassing even unique or set items. Lower-tier runes are essential for leveling gear, while higher-tier runes are necessary for endgame builds.

How to Obtain Runes
Runes can drop from:

- Monster kills
- Chests
- interactive objects like logs or corpses and chests
While rune drops are random, their frequency and type depend on factors such as:
Difficulty Level: Higher difficulties provide better chances for high-tier runes.
Area and Monster Levels: Some areas and monsters are more likely to drop specific runes.
Player Count: More players in the game increase the chance of drops.
It's important to note that Magic Find does not affect rune drop rates. Unlike item rarity, runes belong to their own drop category.

Runes drop by Difficulty
As you progress through the game, the pool of possible runes expands. Here's a breakdown of rune tiers by act and difficulty:

Normal Difficulty:

Act 1: No rune drops
Act 2: El, Eld, Tir, Nef
Act 3: Eth, Ith, Tal, Ral
Act 4: Ort, Thul, Amn, Sol
Act 5: Shael, Dol
Nightmare Difficulty:

Act 1: Hel, Io
Act 2: Lum, Ko
Act 3: Fal, Lem
Act 4: Pul, Um
Act 5: Mal, Ist
Hell Difficulty:

Act 1: Gul, Vex
Act 2: Ohm, Lo
Act 3: Sur, Ber
Act 4: Jah, Cham
Act 5: Zod
Best Locations for Farming Runes
1. The Countess (Act 1, Forgotten Tower)
The Countess is an unique monster located in the fifth level of the Forgotten Tower in Black Marsh. She is the best source for low- to mid-tier runes because of her unique rune drop mechanics.

Difficulty Breakdown

Normal: Drops up to Ral
Nightmare: Drops up to Io
Hell: Drops up to Ist
Why Farm the Countess?

She has a significantly higher chance to drop runes compared to other monsters.
Her rune drop table guarantees runes up to a specific tier.
You can Combine runes from her drops using Horadric Cube recipes to craft higher-tier runes.

2. Lower Kurast (Act 3) Hell difficuly
Lower Kurast is one of the most popular farming spots for high runes due to the Super Chests found in this area. These chests have a much higher chance of dropping high-tier runes compared to regular chests or monsters.

What to Look For

The huts containing Super Chests are marked by a rectangular layout with a bonfire nearby.
These chests can drop rare runes like Ber, Sur, and Jah.
Tips for Efficient Farming:

Farm on Players 7 for better drop rates without overly increasing monster difficulty at player 8.
Use a character with high mobility to quickly navigate between the huts, in the start we are suggest to use Sorceress for this purpose.
3. The Secret Cow Level
This iconic area, unlocked by combining a Wirt's Leg with a Tome of Town Portal, is densely packed with monsters. It's one of the best places to farm high runes due to the sheer number of enemies.

Why Farm Here?

Hundreds of Hell Bovines spawn in each run, providing more chances for rune drops.
Bosses in this area also have higher chances of dropping high-tier runes.
Best Builds:

Focus on characters with strong area-of-effect damage, such as a Sorceress with Blizzard or or Necromancer with corpse explosion.
4. Travincal (Act 3)
Travincal is home to the Council Members, a group of enemies with excellent drop rates for mid- to high-tier runes.

What Makes It Special?

The Council Members drop valuable runes and other high-tier loot like unique items, charms, and jewels.
Challenges:

Many Council Members have elemental immunities and can heal themselves.
Use builds with immunity-breaking gear like Infinity or rely on melee/magic attacks like magic hammer (Paladin) OR Whirlwind Barbarian.
5. High-Level Areas in Hell Difficulty
Some areas in Hell difficulty allow any rune to drop, making them perfect for general farming:

Act 1: The Pit, The Mausoleum, The Secret Cow Level
Act 2: The Ancient Tunnels, The Maggot Lair
Act 3: The Ruined Fane, Forgotten Temple, Disused Reliquary
Act 4: The Chaos Sanctuary, River of Flame
Act 5: The Worldstone Keep, Throne of Destruction
These areas also contain high-level monsters, offering a chance for other rare drops.

Special Tips for Farming Runes
Complete the Hellforge Quest (Act 4):

Rewards:
Normal: Up to Amn
Nightmare: Sol to Um
Hell: Hel to Gul
The quest is a guaranteed source of mid-tier runes.
Optimize Player Settings:

Farming on Players 7 reduces the nodrop chance without making enemies unecessary strong at player 8.
Higher player counts increase rune drop chances from monsters and chests.
Use the Horadric Cube:

Combine lower-tier runes to create higher-tier ones using crafting recipes.
Rune farming is a test of patience, but with the right strategies and locations, you can maximize your success. Whether you're farming The Countess for reliable mid-tier runes or grinding Lower Kurast and the Secret Cow Level for high-tier treasures, each method brings its own rewards. Plan your runs, optimize your builds, and let the grind begin—your powerful runewords await!