Runes give your gear powerful moves that players can and should use in No Rest for the Wicked. Fortunately, if you’re struggling to find some, we have you covered on how to get and use them.
No Rest for the Wicked is an action role-playing game that’s looking to shake things up the genre with some unique twists. The game allows players to purchase a house, decide their builds around class weight, and so much more. However, its biggest feature is combat, which is more soulslike than ARPG. Players have a number of different options when it comes to improving their chances in combat, including Runes. These can be equipped to your weapons to give them strong attacks that you can use in combat to turn the tables in a tough fight. Of course, considering how powerful they are, they can be a little tricky to find. Fortunately, we have the details on how to get Runes and how to use them below.
How to Get Runes in No Rest for the Wicked
Players can either purchase Runes or extract them from weapons they own at Eleanor’s stand in the market at Sacrament. You can find Runes already equipped to a weapon from any chest while exploring. However, if you want a specific one or want to add one to a weapon you already have, you’ll need to head to Eleanor’s.
Eleanor only has a limited amount of purchasable Runes when you first encounter her. However, you can increase it by upgrading her station in the Sacrament building projects menu. Alternatively, you can extract a Rune from one of your weapons. However, if you choose to do this, you will destroy the weapon from which you extracted the Rune.
Sacrament is the main hub area in No Rest for the Wicked. Players will encounter it as they progress through the game’s main quest early on. Additionally, finding Eleanor’s stand is easy as the market square has various other stands with merchants. You can interact with Eleanor and start getting Runes immediately after first getting to Sacrament.
What Do Runes Do in No Rest for the Wicked?
When you equip a Rune to a piece of gear, there is no way of seeing what effect or ability it will add to it. The community has already begun requesting that Moon Studios add Rune descriptions into the game. Hopefully, it will appear in a future update during the Early Access phase. However, for now, there are a handful that we know of:
- Channel –Â This casts a spell that increases the strength of your next attack
- Repair –Â This recovers a small amount of durability to your weapons and tools
- Pulse of Health –Â This takes a small amount of your Focus meter to heal you slightly
- Heal Aura –Â This takes a portion of your Focus meter to create a ring around you that heals you over time
- Return –Â This teleports you back to a Cerim Whisper
Difference Between Runes and Gems in No Rest for the Wicked
Gems give your weapons and armor a small passive buff, such as an increase to your stats, whereas Runes equip your weapon or armor with an ability. Gems are, therefore, less significant but nevertheless quite useful. You equip Gems from the Infuse tab in Eleanor’s shop, whereas Runes are equipped in the Rune tab. We have listed the effects of some of the gems in No Rest for the Wicked below:
- Chipped Ruby – This gives your attacks between 4-15% extra heat damage
- Chipped Saphire – This gives your attacks between 4-15% extra cold damage
- Chipped Quartz – This gives your attacks between 4-15% extra electric damage
- Chipped Amethyst – This gives your attacks between 4-15% extra plague damage
- Chipped Blood Stone –Â This restores between 3-10% of your health per kill
How to Use Runes in No Rest for the Wicked
To use Runes in No Rest for the Wicked, hold down the right trigger on a controller and choose the Rune you want to activate. If you use a mouse and keyboard, the Runes are activated using the number keys of 1 to 4. You can only have up to 4 Runes equipped at any one time.
Like the abilities in the Diablo series using Mana, Runes in No Rest for the Wicked use Focus. Therefore, players will need to plan ahead and consider Focus limits when selecting Runes. If your build has a low amount of Focus, you can only take in less taxing runes that, in turn, will be less powerful than those that take more to activate.
The Best Runes in No Rest for the Wicked
Which Runes to use depends on your gameplay approach in No Rest for the Wicked. Purchasing the Pulse of Health or Heal Aura Runes from Eleanor is a good bet if you wish to have more options for healing yourself in combat.
Additionally, the game has a Rune similar to the Homeward Bone from Dark Souls. In No Rest for the Wicked, purchasing the Rune called “Return” immediately takes you to a Cerim Whisper. Interacting with a Cerim Whisper allows players to regain all health and save their game. Choosing the appropriate Runes is up to you and how you wish to tackle the world of No Rest for the Wicked.
That is everything to know about how to use and get Runes in No Rest for the Wicked. If you want to learn more about the game, visit our Guide Hub for helpful information.