One thing I haven’t seen a lot of discussion about after BlizzCon is over, and that’s what they’re testing in Season 3.

With BlizzCon, it gave us a kind of roadmap. It shows the new content we got in Season 2 and a bunch of upcoming content in Season 3.

Runes Are Coming To Season 3？

In addition to the actual images of Season 3, we also checked a lot of related information. If you really look at the symbols with Season 3 names edited out, you’ll see that they look very similar to Runes from previous Diablo games. In fact, if you look up all of Diablo I’s runes, many of them are very similar to these.

Now they’re not accurate copies, but if you took these symbols from Season 3’s graphics and placed them next to Diablo, none of them would be noticeable. Regardless, they do look like a bunch of new Runes.

Now you could say Rune, Rune Words and Runestone are just elements of Diablo game. Even though it’s not a direct game system, I actually think it’s a test. One reason is because I discovered this information a week before BlizzCon. This information is either true or very close to the truth.

One thing mentioned in a bunch of leaks is Runestone, and not just Runestone. We’re not sure if this is an expansion pack or Season 3 feature. But this likely indicates that it will reintroduce Rune system in Season 3.

Rune System Explanation

This isn’t actually the first time we’ve mentioned Rune in Diablo I. If you really go back to when Diablo I debuted, those first season update runes were actually systems designed for Diablo I. They’ve now actually shown how different it is from other Rune systems.

Rune was also the first system they had demonstrated. You have two different slots on your gear where you would place a Condition Rune and an Effect Rune. 

Condition Rune is when you freeze an enemy, you activate the next slot rune. And Effect Rune that can be combined with it is that when activated, you can reduce the skill cooldown by 15%. The effects it brings become more powerful as you invest in Diablo 4 Gold to re-roll Rune.

Of course, this was the early days of Diablo 4’s release, and they ended up scrapping the system entirely. But in fact, they still hope to add Rune to Diablo I, whether in future seasons or future expansion packs. Because they want to make sure their system is correct.

But with Rune, I’m very aware that this is a seasonal system or a new seasonal progression system. So in my opinion, I do think we have a good chance of getting Rune in Season 3.

Why Won’t Runes Be Added To The Expansion?

But I think there’s some additional information that points to that as well. So first, when we look back at Runes shown in Diablo 4, they scrapped it.

Because the developers feel that their Rune system or Rune concept is not good enough. They want to make sure those players enjoy whatever Rune system they add. And they may not want to completely change the system and just give it a name to make it something completely different.

I think it would be perfect to add Runes during a season so they can add them as a test. If players like it, they can say this system is now permanent. If they get it wrong, they’ll get a lot of negative feedback.

Just because of what Runes mean to the history of Diablo. So they want to add it right into future seasons, but there’s no guarantee it will be an evergreen system. This is one reason I think it would actually add a system like this to seasons rather than expansions.

Because with expansion, any new systems that come with the expansion are now more permanent. But if not, they can always change those systems in the future. It’s just a free testing ground as the season goes on.

I do think this might be a good way to help with itemizing without having to completely overhaul the system. This might just be one more step toward making itemizing more fun. This will change your build or give you a bunch of new powers that can make you make more interesting decisions when choosing a piece of gear than just these stats.

So I’m curious to know what exactly Season 3’s new system is, and whether it will ultimately be Rune. That’s all I want to discuss. Good luck!