Runes 101

Barinthus

Barinthus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2005

California

(TRUE)

R/Me

How does runes work on armor?

From what I understood -

If you use two runes of same type but of different levels (i.e. minor fire magic rune and major fire magic rune), those do not stack. Major will cancel out minor.

This applies to vigor as well?

Will runes for a class which I have as my secondary will benefit me? I've heard that only runes for my primary class will benefit me.

Can runes be added to shields or foci?

Anything else I should knwo?

Thanks!

Asrial

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2005

Centurion Guard

Mo/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barinthus

1) If you use two runes of same type but of different levels (i.e. minor fire magic rune and major fire magic rune), those do not stack. Major will cancel out minor.

2) This applies to vigor as well?

3) Will runes for a class which I have as my secondary will benefit me? I've heard that only runes for my primary class will benefit me.

4) Can runes be added to shields or foci?

5) Anything else I should knwo?
1) Yes, for the most part. I think only absorption allows stacking but I'm iffy in that department because I don't have any rune experience as a warrior yet.

2) Yes.

3) No. You can't even equip them so don't sweat the secondaries.

4) No. Armor only.

5) Nope, you got the basics covered.

Savio

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

1) Absorption is the same as any other rune in that it does not stack. FYI Absorption is also global, you only need one.

Kamatsu

Kamatsu

Moderator

Join Date: May 2005

Australia

1. I believe Asrial is confusing the fact that Absorbtion runes stack with knights/ascalon armor . the runes themselves don't stack with each other, but they do stack with knights/ascalon damage absorbtion.

Barinthus

Barinthus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2005

California

(TRUE)

R/Me

Thanks, folks

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Update:::

Just curious.. b/c I'm not at my console (working.. actually).. but can't you stack runes?

IE: I have Blood on my scar and my tunic. Kinda have a bet with a friend, but I'm not home to prove it.

N E Rate...
By having it on 2 armor items, doesn't it raise my blood by +2?

Also, are there penalties for doing this?


(I'm only asking this b/c I noticed that this was posted a while ago before more recent patches)

FalconDance

FalconDance

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Sep 2005

...deep within the sylvan splendor...

Order of the Migrating Coconuts [ALBA]

The only way they stack is if inherent to the armor (like the scar or the ranger's mask)....otherwise, runes don't/can't stack.

Savio

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

It still hasn't changed. Runes of the same type don't stack in their benefits; still, the -health penalties do stack.

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Huh....
I'll have to check when I get home b/c I"m 99.999% sure having a Blood Rune on my Tunic and Scar gave me a +2. Might've been a glitch.

Thanks though.

BrandonIT

BrandonIT

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Dallas, TX

Tribal Instincts

R/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by xenoranger
Huh....
I'll have to check when I get home b/c I"m 99.999% sure having a Blood Rune on my Tunic and Scar gave me a +2. Might've been a glitch.
You are correct, and that is what FalconDance was trying to say.

A Hat of any kind (Scar, Mask, Helmet, Eye, Tatto) that gives a +1 to an attribute is NOT a rune. It is a Hat/Mask.

You can then apply a rune of any kind to that Hat/Mask OR to ANY OTHER piece of armor, and they WILL stack.

(ie., A scar of +1 Curses, plus a Major Rune of Curses on the scar, will give you a total of +3 to curses. A monk scalp tatoo of +1 Healing Prayers, plus a Superior Rune of Healing Prayers on your leggings, will give you a total of +4 to Healing Prayers.)

Sir Edri

Sir Edri

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

McAllen, Texas

Black Metal Clan

W/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by xenoranger
Huh....
I'll have to check when I get home b/c I"m 99.999% sure having a Blood Rune on my Tunic and Scar gave me a +2. Might've been a glitch.

Thanks though.
Xenon, check your head gear..might have one that gives +1 to Blood magic.

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Edri
Xenon, check your head gear..might have one that gives +1 to Blood magic.
Nope... it's the starting one (I know b/c I've been saving up to either buy the materials or just afford the upgrade).

Since I put a Rune on my starting scar, it's now Blood +1.
But the key is that I put the rune on there. It wasn't something I just started the game with.

As for my tunic, that I put the +1 rune on (myself). So.. it's probably a glitch since none of y'all have been able to do it.

LIke I said.. I'll verify when I get home.

Mainly, I'm just glad I had the $ to do all this fooling around.
Noobs & Black Dye are soo great. I bought Black Dye from a noob for $200, then sold it for $6,000 and used the money to upgrade to the best equipment in Ascalon.

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

oh yeah, you can PUT it on the armour. But if you take both pieces of armour off, your total in blood magic should only go down by 1.

Theres nothing to stop you putting 5 Superior Blood Magic runes on your armour, but you'll only ever get the base +3 (plus any inherent effect that your scar may have at a later date).

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pevil Lihatuh
oh yeah, you can PUT it on the armour. But if you take both pieces of armour off, your total in blood magic should only go down by 1.

Theres nothing to stop you putting 5 Superior Blood Magic runes on your armour, but you'll only ever get the base +3 (plus any inherent effect that your scar may have at a later date).

...???? Huh?

Are you saying that it is possible that I have a +2 to Blood Magic b/c I used the Blood Rune on both Tunic and Scar?
Is this not a glitch? Or am I misreading?

Kamatsu

Kamatsu

Moderator

Join Date: May 2005

Australia

Did you put in 2 minor runes or a minor and a major? Maybe you put a minor blood in your scar and a major blood rune in yor tunic? This would explain why you get +2 blood since major runes are +2 to an attribute... and a major would override a minor's effect..

What Pevil Lihatuh is saying is you could put 5 superior Runes of Blood in your armor pieces but you would only get +3 Blood since the positive effect's of runes don't stack. However the negative effects do - thus the -75 health from those 5 runes would stack, giving you -375 health.

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

lol quite so Kamatsu.

Basically, from what I understand of your armour xenoranger, it looks like this:
Scar: nothing on the scar, but a +1 BM rune
Gloves/Legs/Boots: just the normal stuff
Body: +1 BM rune

So if you yourself manually add that up, it gives you +2 Blood magic.

However if you look at your attributes, if you take one of those pieces of equipment off, the blood magic will not go down at all. If you take both off, it will go down by 1 (or 2 if as Kamatsu suggests, you have a minor and a major in there). If you DO happen to get a +2 bonus from the runes, you're one lucky person with a nice glitch

AncientPC

AncientPC

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2005

Ascalon 1

W/R

Before when I didn't realise runes didn't stack I would put 4-5 minors of the same rune across my armor.

If you put 4 minor healing runes, it will actually increase your healing prayers by +2 instead of +1.

Eldrig

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Shiverpeaks

Knights of Deldrimor

R/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by AncientPC
Before when I didn't realise runes didn't stack I would put 4-5 minors of the same rune across my armor.

If you put 4 minor healing runes, it will actually increase your healing prayers by +2 instead of +1.
can someone confirm this?
does this work in pvp?

darkMishkin

darkMishkin

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

UK

Servants of Fortuna [SoF]

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldrig
can someone confirm this?
does this work in pvp?
considering runes ar FREE in pvp, why not try it yourself, an then come back and tell us. tyty

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

OK... I tried it again, but I can't reproduce it.
I had applied 1 minor blood rune to my scar and 1 minor blood rune to my tunic. It sucks b/c I know it worked. Must've just been a glitch in the game for that play session. Still, having a +2 while just using a minor rune was pretty sweet.

1 more thing.
I know you can only apply runes that match your character's primary class. But can you have another character apply runes to your armor?

IE: If I had a mesmer friend I trusted, could I loan him my armor and have him apply a Domination Rune to it?

Or will the runes only work for the same class armor as the base for the rune (IE: Necromancer stat boost can only be used by a necromancer on necromancer armor, & Mesmer stat boosts can only be used by a Mesmer on Mesmer armor)

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

no, you can only have the primary runes. I've never tried, but I dont think a secondary rune would even apply to your armour, no matter who tried it. If you can find a friend to try it with, feel free, but i doubt it.

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Doh.... I have some nice Domination skills, but I guess I'll have to build them the old fashion way

darkMishkin

darkMishkin

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

UK

Servants of Fortuna [SoF]

Mo/

er... your friend can still 'loan' you the rune for you to put on your armour yourself. I can't see why you want your friend to do it for you.

EDIT: just worked out what you meant - no you can NOT apply runes to armour of a different profession.

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

The thought is that if I have my friend do it, it might be possible for him to add a Dom Rune to my Necro armor. Or are the Runes bound by armor type?

IE: Necro Runes can only go on Necro Armor

I was hoping it was by class...
IE: A Necro can apply Necro Runes to any class's armor.

AncientPC

AncientPC

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2005

Ascalon 1

W/R

Did you apply a total of 4 minor runes or 2?

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

I had 4 minor runes.
Blood
Death
Curses
Soul Reaping

(actually it was 5 b/c I had blood on my tunic and scar)

I just bought a new scar that naturally had a +1 to Death, so now I'm getting a +2 between the Rune I applied to my armor and the new scar.

Either way...
I got it figured out.

Thanks though

AncientPC

AncientPC

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2005

Ascalon 1

W/R

I mean +4 minor runes of the same type. +4 minor healing runes will net you +2 healing.

xenoranger

xenoranger

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by AncientPC
I mean +4 minor runes of the same type. +4 minor healing runes will net you +2 healing.
NO.. I have

Minor Runes:
1 curse
1 blood
1 soul reaving
1 death


Armor Inherent:
+1 Death (Scar)

That's how I got my current stats.

Kamatsu

Kamatsu

Moderator

Join Date: May 2005

Australia

Quote:
Originally Posted by AncientPC
I mean +4 minor runes of the same type. +4 minor healing runes will net you +2 healing.
Why do you persist is posting such blatent garbage? You do know that runes do *NOT* stack - 4 minor runes of whatever will still only net you +1 to that attribute., not +2 to that attribute. Runes don't stack with runes of the same attribute in any way, shape or form, whether the runes are of the same "type" (ie all minor, all major's, all sup's) or all different.. so please stop posting and saying they do.

4 Minor Runes of Healing = +1 Healing, not +2 or +3 or +4 Healing.

If the OP was getting Runes of the same attribute to stack, thats a bug and not how it's designed to be.