All Runes and how they work in No Rest for the Wicked

There are all kinds of Runes you can add to your weapons in No Rest for the Wicked, but how do they work? Currently, you can’t inspect their abilities and are forced to try them out yourself.

While you can acquire Runes through random loot drops (since they’re attached to weapons already), you can also purchase Runes from Eleanor in Sacrament. Activating a Rune uses up some Focus in your Focus bar, and there are a plethora of Rune types depending on your weapon. For example, certain dagger Runes wouldn’t be able to be slotted onto hammers.

But did you know you could also extract Runes? This is why you shouldn’t sell your extra weapons in No Rest for the Wicked, you can speak to Eleanor to extract them. As a reminder, extracting a Rune will destroy the weapon, and if a weapon has more than one Rune you’ll have to choose wisely.

This method is how you acquire unique Runes that are typically tied to your weapon type, but Eleanor sells some basic Runes that can slot onto any weapon:

• Pulse of Health: Heals you a portion of your health.
• Channel: Fortifies your upcoming attacks.
• Heal Aura: Heals you over time.
• Repair: Repairs some of your items’ durability.
• Return: Immediately transports you to a Cerim Whisper.

For now, we only know what these basic Runes can do, but players are still lost on how every other Rune works. Currently, there’s no way in NRFTW to inspect the Rune’s ability, you just have to figure it out for yourself. Once Moon Studios implements an update in the future that allows us to analyze all Runes, we’ll let you know what all Runes do.

But for now, at least you know which Runes you should purchase from Eleanor. I purchased Heal Aura, and although I have to hold down the Rune activation button to trigger it, it’s great for when you’re still waiting to use a healing item.

Other than Runes, you can add gems to your weapons, but which are the best ones? Gems can give you an extra stat bonus or ability to your weapons and armor.

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