I really like the concept, but i already told you that there is an immersion problem with the ammount of sockets…
Like fitting 6 sockets into a small dagger seems like eh 
The problem i see is that 1 socket items seem completely redundant and there should be a minimum of 2 socket items for a runeword… unless you want runewords to be minimum 4 to max 6 sockets and just insert as many socket items into an item ignoring “tetris” and immersion.
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I know the item size can be a problem but giving the fact that in real life you actually COULD fit 6 runes onto a daggers grip and blade, its only a question of displaying the sockets on the item
Maybe just some very small dots on the top of the item and since you need the blacksmith menue to forge them, you don’t need them to be big in the inventory
You could also just display them on the item card
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Unless all runes when forged combine into one big rune with a new design fitting for that runeword and displaying the runes used with the runeword name.
That way it would work 
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I like the over all system, the way it’s letting you know what you can get from an item when you put the right rune in it’s place.
Themed gear will become possible, I have not played D2 in ages I expect you could just put the correct set of runes it to made the Runeword and or just try stuff so it would have been hard to balance.
Best of all the Devs have control of the affixes they want in items.
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Feel free to post your own ideas 
It might encourage them to think about it 
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Are those actually in the game or just your invention/imagination ?
Here’s mine:
- when killing a Demon with an ability from melee range, activate the next socketed rune (Gul)
- Increase your Angelic Power by 15 for 5 seconds (Io)
- Increase your Demonic Power by 15 for 5 seconds (Lum)
- Increase your Ancestral Power by 15 for 5 seconds (Fal)
I’d guess could call it “Demonic strength” and would be exclusively (probably) on 2 hand weapons… Same with Undead in the condition slot and the combination would be named “Unholy strength”
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Funny idea 
Well yea i made it up xD
ill make an other one
This warrior. I have never seen a human, so powerful, so sacred, so full of faith. He wasn’t a berserker. More of an unbreakable wall between us and hordes of demons. This man was the reason, that i stand here now. That this whole village still exists. To our advantage, there was only a small breach in the wall, so he didn’t have to cover a large field. He didn’t move a feet. The demons just hitting on him, like the sea on a huge cliff.
Bastion
Paladin shield
4 sockets
-
every second, without moving, increases your block rate, physical resistance and CC resistance by 1%, up to 50%
-
every 3 seconds, without moving, activate the next socketed rune.
-
when active, gain 500 damage barrier.
-
when active, break free of any imparing effect.
-
when active, gain +10% block rate for 5 seconds.
an other runeword weeeeeeeeee
It was a clear night, full of stars. I just went behind the house to take a piss, when i saw her. The woman that moved in to the tavern, 2 days before. She stood close to the river and she was surrounded by…nature? Fire, ice, lightning. Everything circled around her as if she was the most skills firedancer of all time. The air was hot, cold, charged. She just remained peacefully, her eyes closed and the elements, enlightening her body in all possible colors. She didn’t wear her armor. She didn’t wear too much, at all. But it was this pure, raw energy that kept me hypnotized. I could not turn away. I could only stand and watch. She might would have killed me if she saw me. But it was like a spell. I had no control over myself. When she stopped, i could manage to sneak away, back to my house. When she saw me in the tavern at the next day, she smiled. Did she recognize me in that night? I will never know.
Balance
Magic staff
4 sockets
- Whenever you attack with an element, the next attack with an other element will deal +10% damage.
- When dealing fire damage, activate the next socketed attack rune
- When dealing cold damage, activate the next socketed attack rune
- When dealing lightning damage, activate the next socketed attack rune
- When active, your next attack will deal +5% elemental damage
This would need some balancing and seperating runes into different categories. Like runes that will only activate runes that trigger on attack and not buff you for a certain time or give you a strong effect like a damage shield. Or give the activator rune a timer? Suggestions welcome.
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Frostbourne
2 handed melee weapons
4 sockets
(S) your attacks now trigger a cone of frost in front of you dealing 120% weapon damage as frost
(S) freeze the ground you walk on chilling enemies that walk on it.
(C tier1) when Freezing an enemy trigger effect rune or runes
(C tier3) when melee chilling 5 targets within 10 sec trigger effect rune or runes
(E tier3) Your next attack freezes enemy 3 sec (works on elites)
(E tier1) next 5 sec enemies hitting you takes (30*demonic power) frost damage
Two issues this implementation of rune words doesn’t adress are, one; that the abillity to etch a legendary affix onto a rare are supposed to make rares viable late game vs legendarys and two; that the rune words kinda compete with sets.
Do you agree with these issues and do you have any ideas on how to solv them?
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Its all about setting setting the right limit and categories
Something like…
WHITES = runewordable
MAGIC = 1 - 2 affixes no effect standard
RARES = 3 - 4 affixes no effect standard
RUNEWORD = no affixes but powerful effects.
SETS = Rares with effect or stat boost starting from 2 set colected…
UNIQUE = Rares with legendary effect
LEGENDARY = 4 Affixes with 1 - 2 effecs
MYSTIC = CAN ONLY CARY ONE super rare effect + affixes
And another ting concerning sets and runewords could be what slot they should be limited to. Like
RUNEWORD weapon(dmg effect). Armor ( char boost) Shield (def boost)
SETS. Rings. amulet. Helms. Belts. Gloves. Boots. Leggings. Shoulders (if they make them)
With this a combination of sets and runewords could den compete with uniques…
lemme think of an other one 
I wouldn’t be still alive if it wasn’t for this…shadow. I was carrying wares to the village. A short route leads through the forest. I wish i could avoid this part. Those damn bandits saw me and started chasing. But i didn’t want to just give up all my stuff. So i ran. Of course i didn’t get far. They catched me soon and blocked my way. Drew their weapons. I was unarmed. But they probably didn’t want any witness. And then, one of them fell to the ground. An arrow, right through his heart. I could only perceive a dark, hooded person, just for a second and then it vanished again. An other bandit fell to the ground. They split up to spot him. But one after an other got shot down, while i could see the dark shadow, always just for a short moment until he disappeared. When they were all dead, i wanted to thank him, pay him for my life. But he was gone.
Shadow
4 sockets
Leather armor
-
After not attacking for 5 seconds, become invisible to all enemies, for 5 seconds
-
After not attacking for 5 seconds, activate the next socketed rune
-
When active, increase evasion chance by 30%, for 5 seconds
-
When active, increase stamina regeneration by 30%, for 5 seconds
-
When active, increase movement speed by 30%, for 5 seconds
like this? 
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Nice 
Cool story, if you changed the time on the special effect to 2 sec not attacking and 3 sec stealth (Break if damaged or skill is used…
then all rune effects activate when you leave stealth
uh uh an add
(s) First attack after stealt break has 100% Crit
One more
an armor to heavy for normal people to bear, within it resides the spirit know only for its unstopable force
Juggernaut
3 Socket
Chain Armor
(s) adds Ferosios Charge skill. ( Charge 2000% Weapon dmg, after charging your Movement & Attack speed is reduced with 20% for 2 sec. Cooldown 2 sec)
(s) you take 20% Less physical damage
(s) reduce Movement speed 15%
- When Taking 15% damage of max life, activate the next Rune
- When Active, Increase physical Resistans with 10% for 5 sec
- When Active, Increase Resource Regen by 25% for 5 sec.
Pls D: those multipliers are making my head hurt xD
But didn’t you say, armor effects should only give character boost and no damage? I didn’t quite understand this one
Sry XD to much D3 I’ve become goods 
I wrote a post about
Power Progression
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d3/t/diablo-4-power-progression-your-oppinion
Would love to hear your take on this…
Hmm ya your right i meant more like it should be primary focused on char boosting 1 Crit every 5 sec doesnt make a diff it was just that it fit right in there with the Lore you made for the Runeword imho
Its also gonna be hard to create a good variati of Runewords if we cant mix it up but still keeping a primary focus…
we could also make a little list of effects that would be cool to se
That’s the thing atm, we don’t know all the combos and how they will or wont work will builds.
I see it as a great way to make builds different, I also expect that some odd combos could be a lot of fun, just poking fun at PoE, after drinking a Potion you gain the power to clear a screen of all mobs, Joking.
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They did mention that they are working on a progression system for runes. I would love to see rune words work a lot differently than D2.
Take their trigger rune words which isn’t a bad idea at all. You can add trigger effects to socketable magic and rare items that will have the trigger and the affect. But when it is put into a socketed white item it changes to become a definite rune word with a definite name that would have static affixes where only the numbers change in value each time you make the rune word. That rune word would also keep the trigger and affect of the runes used in making it.
Then in other rune words you can have all kinds of affects that are not trigger based. Maybe having a rune word that would give you a percentage chance of a shower of rocks level x (I am thinking of the unique belt from Diablo 2 Median XL Sigma called Deadfall)
There is so much potential for depth with rune words, legendaries and sets as long as they don’t keep with the MMO funnel players into only one item type at end game we will be fine.
I don’t understand how this mechanic is supposed to work. Is it simply having runes sitting in your inventory?
/confused
What do you mean?
Sitting in the inventory?
Runewords!
Hell YEAH!
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