'''Runestones''' are small items that can be applied - one each - to any is the old name for [[skillSkill Runes]], which provide five different functions for every skill in Diablo III. All rune forms offer some sort of upgrade over the original skill, and there are virtually no scenarios when a character is better off using the base skill than one of the rune effects. The rune effects become available gradually, as a character levels up. All of the basic skills are available by level 30, but a character must reach level 60 to gain access to all of the rune effects, with at least 1, and usually 2 or 3 added each level up from 6 to 60. There is no set pattern or regular system to when the rune effects become available. Characters do not to [[passives]] get another rune effect in a skill every 6 or [[item]]s8 levels, for instance. Diablo III The name "runes" is something of a remnant, as there's no real reason the final game system should use that term at all, since the different "runes" are simply graphical icons attached to each of the five different forms of each skill. Originally, the skill runes were called "runestones" which were small items that characters found and socketed into their skills to grant special bonuses to the skills with which they are usedbonus effects. The item style of runes evolved repeatedly during development, and was eventually removed in early 2012, altering when skill runes lost their random effects and generally enhancing themrune levels, although and were integrated completely into the changes that a rune makes to a skill may dramatically alter its utilityinterface.

* [[Rune Archive]] -- Runes evolved greatly during the development of Diablo III. See the archive page for a detailed history lesson. Players once assumed that a sixth rune would be added in the [[Diablo III expansion]], but with the final game system this seems unlikely, as all the rune effects are now customized to each skill, rather than each runestome type adding a semi-predictable effect to any skill it was added to. 

The runes changed drastically after the final game rune system was introduced in early 2012 in [[Beta Patch 13]], where players were first able to try them out for themselves<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/video-journal-3-new-skill-interface-rune-system New Skill Interface and Rune System] -Diablo.incgamers, 20/2/2012</ref>. Runes are now effects in skills, can be switched between freely, and are entirely divorced in organization from the old runestone items system.

Runes are now a component of the [[skill]] system that allows a player to alter a skill, whether that alteration is major or minor. Some runes, such as the [[Bash]] rune [[Unleashed (rune effect)|Unleashed]], won't do not change the basic functionality of the skill, and offer a bonus such as increased [[resource]] generationsimply increasing the damage or duration, or increased damagelowering the resource cost. HoweverOther rune effects do much more, other runes can drastically change entirely changing the function of skills from offensive to defensive, or changing the way a skill operatesfunction greatly, such as the [[Witch Doctor]]'s [[Rain of Toads]] rune for [[Plague of Toads]]. That rune takes a short range, slow, which instead of having erratically-moving projectile attack and changes it to a few frogs hop across the ground in an erratic pattern, the frogs then fall from the sky in ranged attack with almost full screen range that deals heavy damage to a directed assaulttargeted location.

The five runesrune effects lost their individual, currentlyunifying names during development, do not have individual names. This can make communication with other and there is no longer any way for players somewhat confusing. Howeverto refer to something like, each rune's "the [[Crimson Rune]] effect on a skill is namedin [[Cleave]]. For example changing " All the Barbarianrune effects are simply referred to by their own names now, such as Cleave's skill rune effects, [[CleaveBroad Sweep]] into Broad Sweep, [[Gathering Storm]], [[Scattering Blast]], [[Reaping Swing or ]], and [[Rupture by activating the appropriate rune will apply additional bonuses]].

Runes are automatically unlocked upon a pre-determined levelat predetermined levels. Each skill will list lists what levels each rune will unlock unlocks at, and after players receive notification of the new runes that have become available each time they level requirement is met, the skill can then be altered by activating the runeup. Runes can be changed at any time, but changing a skill or rune while not in [[town]] will trigger a 1510-second [[cooldown]], during which time the skill or spell will not be available for use.    ===D3 Runestones vs. D2 Runes=== [[Diablo III]]'s Runes are nothing like the '{{iw|runes runes}}' found in [[Diablo II]]. In D2 there are thirty-three kinds of runes, which are small items that have no use on their own, but can be placed in item sockets to add various bonuses to those items, and in certain combinations produce {{iw|Runeword RuneWords}}, which add powerful, predetermined sets of bonuses, provided that the item has precisely the right number of sockets. Diablo III's runes are "socketed" into [[skills]], not items. See the [[Gem]]s and [[Socket]]s articles for more details about [[item]] socketing in Diablo III.