'''Runewords''' were a feature added to [[Diablo II]] in the expansion pack, which used a combination of runes in [[socket]]ed items to "craft" a completely new set of stats for it. This feature will not return in [[Diablo III]], though there will be many other types of item crafting and creation. There are [[rune]]s now have in Diablo 3, but they are socketed into [[skill]]s rather than items. ==Removed from Diablo 3== The [[D3 Team]]'s rationale for not bringing runewords back is based on several factors. The designers thought that RWs were overpowered and led to a lack of equipment variety, but more fundamentally, they think they've got better ideas for items in Diablo 3. Better item variety, and better forms of item crafting. Here's [[skillJay Wilson]]speaking in December 2008.[http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=2&cId=3172030&p=]-related functionality ::...we took a few things out, like Rune Words, essentially because Rune Words is a very simple crafting system, and we're planning to do something different there.

These {{iw|Runewords runewords}} allowed players to socket certain sequences of runes into weapons, armor, helms, or shields, to create new items with massive impressive lists of stats, unique-style statsmaking them much like Uniques. More powerful, higher Thanks to the new very high levelrunewords that were added in the v1.10 and v1.11 patches, rarer runes made items with better stats, and over time runewords became the most powerful type of the best equipment in the game became runewords, thanks to item. This caused some [[mudflation]] and various , especially due to all of the rune [[duping]] exploits making that went on to provide the ultra-rare {{iw|runes runes}} common enough for most players extremely hard to obtain them. See a full listing of {{iw|Runewords Runewords}} in the Diablo II wing of the DiabloWikihigh level runes.

* See a full listing of {{iw|Runewords will '''not''' be returning Runewords}} in the Diablo III, since II wing of the [[D3 Team]] thought they were overpowered and resulted in lacking character equipment variety. The designers have promised that we'll see a wide array of item variety, and that there will be new ways to customize and craft items, but details have not yet been released. All that's known about [[Items#Item Sockets|item socketing]] so far is that gems are returningDiabloWiki.