14 DAY TRIAL // Diablo III has received a number of changes to its core systems since early 2012 and it seems that the developers at Blizzard have managed to finally nail down the final form of the rune system, which will be one of the main elements linked to how loot and items work.
At launch Diablo III will have runes integrated into the skill system rather than being collectables taken from the game world, meaning that gamers will open up new customization options as they level up.
There are no more ranks for runes and opening up a new one means simply getting access to a new effect.
Speaking on an official blog linked to Diablo III Jay Wilson, who is the game director working on Diablo III, stated, “Runes have been by far the biggest design hurdle we’ve had in the game, and as you know we’ve been continually iterating on them.”
He added, “Diablo is all about the item drops. But with around 120 base skills, that meant there were around 600 rune variants; on top of that, each variant had five quality levels each, meaning ultimately there would be something like 3,000 different runes in the game… and we knew we were heading toward a problem.”
Runes will be opened up as the player advances to level 60, which means that some of the high rank ones will be very powerful and will significantly change the properties of the best weapons in the game.
It is not clear whether the changes to the rune system will also affect the trading mechanics for items that Blizzard is introducing for Diablo III.
The new system for rune use in Diablo III will be introduced to those engaged in the beta stage of the game in the next beta patch and they will have a chance to offer feedback to the development team and shape some of its aspects.
It’s not yet clear when exactly Diablo III will launch but the player base expects to see it during 2012.