The 9 BEST Runewords In The Witcher 3

You’ve surely heard that phrase, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Whoever said if alive should save face and if not, then they must be rolling in their graves. The Witcher 3 with its Heart of Stone expansion made exactly that possible by introducing Runewords, and magical words or enchantments that give your weapons quirks that you, otherwise, can’t obtain normally. In this Witcher 3 best Runewords guide, we’ll list the best ones that’ll prove to be the most useful in-game. 

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What Are Runestones In Witcher 3?

Runestones in The Witcher 3 are special items that you can equip on your armor and weapons to give them specific buffs. Runestones are combined to make a specific Runeword. There are multiple ways in which you can get ahold of them. You have the option to loot monster nests, craft them, or go to weapons or armor smiths. There are a total of 10 Runestones with three different levels, Lesser, Regular and, Greater. We’ll quickly go over all of them so let’s jump right into it.

• Dazhbog Runestone: For all you pyromaniacs out there, this is it. This gives you a chance to cause burning. Particularly helpful against monsters who are weak to fire. The chance for burning ranges from 2% for the Lesser, 3% for the Regular and, 5% for the Greater level.
• Chernobog Runestone: This simply increases your damage output. 2% attack power is increased for the Lesser level Runestone, 3% for the Regular level, and 5% for the Greater level Runestone.
• Stribog Runestone: This has a similar effect as stun but is a bit different. 2%, 3% and, 5% are the chances for stagger for each respective Runestone level.
• Svarog Runestone: This gives your attacks more armor-piercing, effectively increasing the damage being dealt. It gives your +10 Armor-piercing for the Lesser level, +20 for the Regular level and, +30 for the Greater level Runestone. 
• Triglav Runestone: Using this, you have the chance to stun your enemies with your strikes. 2%, 3% and, 5% are the chances for stunning for each respective Runestone level.
• Perun Runestone: This increases the Adrenaline Points you gain. The AP gain is increased by 2% for the Lesser, 3% for the Regular and, 5% for the Greater Level.
• Veles Runestone: This increases the intensity of the Sign you’re using. Making them more effective and lethal in some cases. The intensity is increased by 2% for the Lesser, 3% for the Regular and, 5% for the Greater Level.
• Morana Runestone: Particularly helpful if you’re fighting against monsters who are weak to poison. This increases your chance to poison your opponent. 2% for the Lesser level Runestone, 3% for the Regular level and, 5% for the Greater level Runestone.
• Zoria Runestone: This increases your chances of freezing your opponent. 2%, 3% and, 5% are the chances for each respective Runestone level.
• Devana Runestone: Your chances to cause bleeding are increased by 2% for the Lesser, 3% for the Regular, and 5% for the Greater level.

How Do Runewords Work?

Using Runewords is pretty simple; however, there is a catch though; you can only use one Runeword per weapon. While applying Runewords to a sword, if you have upgrades on that weapon, you can say goodbye to them because the addition of a Runeword will nullify the upgrades already set. It also fills up all the upgrade slots on your weapons, effectively blocking the use of more than one Runeword on a single sword.

If you want more slots for upgrades after you use any Runeword because it destroys the existing three, you still can but it’ll cost you a lot. The effect of the Runeword will only be activated if the weapon you’ve applied it on is brought out for battle. Upon upgrading any weapon after the use of a Runeword will destroy the enchantment and free up the slots taken by it. 

Despite all of that, the advantage you gain by the use of Runewords is very substantial and worth the grind.

Best Runewords In The Witcher 3

We’ll mention some of the Witcher 3 best Runewords that you shouldn’t sleep on.

Rejuvenation

To make Rejuvenation Runeword you’ll need one Perun Runestone, one Stribog Runestone, and one Svarog Runestone. This will all be worth it because the advantage you’ll gain will make you feel like you can go on and on and on laying waste to your enemies.

Each fatal strike you deal on an enemy will recover 25% of your stamina. It’s as simple as that, more stamina means you can fight for longer and make moves that you couldn’t have with less stamina. So make sure to make your strikes count and make each one a fatal one.

Elation

The recipe for Elation Runestone is as follows, one Veles Runestone, one Dazhbog Runestone, and one Devana Runestone. Once again, you’ll benefit greatly from each fatal strike, because each fatal strike will grant you anywhere from between 0.1 to 0.25 Adrenaline points. This being a level 2 Runeword will take a good amount of time to get your hands on but it will very much be worth it. 

Dumpling

This is a very straightforward Runeword and you’ll see how in just a second. You’ll need one Pyerog Runestone, and one Tvarog Runestone to make this Runeword yours. It has a very simple functionality but one that may prove to be very useful. With the Dumpling Runeword equipped, any food consumed will regenerate your Vitality by 100%. There is a catch though, everything will taste like Pierogies, which are a type of, you guessed it, Dumplings. This seems like a cruel punishment given to sinners in the deepest levels of Purgatory. 

Preservation

Preservation Runeword is one of the absolute favorites in our Witcher 3 best Runewords list and is considered to be a must-have among the majority of the players. Being a level 1 Runeword doesn’t really suit this one because of the sheer advantage you gain by it. We’re sure you’ve confidently walked into a fight after getting your buffs from the Armorer’s Tables and Grindstones, only face a harsh reality that the buffs have already expired.

Well, with the use of this Preservation Runeword you can say Au Revoir to that problem. Boosts will never expire; I mean what more could you possibly ask for. To unlock this Runeword you’ll need one Lesser Devana Runestone, one Lesser Svarog Runestone and, one Lesser Morana Runestone. 

Invigoration

This being a level 3 Runeword means you’ll have to work overtime to acquire this. The Invigoration Runeword is another one in our Witcher 3 best Runewords list that’ll go really well with the combination of another Runeword equipped on the other weapon. With your Vitality at its maximum level, any additional regeneration of it will go towards added damage. That damage can be up to 50% on your next attack.

So it seems like pairing Invigoration and Dumpling Runewords together might be worth a shot. Dumpling keeps regenerating your Vitality and the additional points keep going in your attacks. To unlock this Runeword you’ll require one Greater Devana Runestone, one Greater Perun Runestone, and one Greater Zoria Runestone.

Prolongation

Prolongation Runeword is one of the hardest to acquire in our list because the requirements for this are much greater than normal. You’ll need one Greater Perun Runestone, one Greater Morana Runestone and, one Greater Svarog Runestone to unlock this. This is a level 3 Runeword so the harder the task the greater the reward. 

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To feel the true effect of this Runeword you’ll have to carefully time your attacks. Each unblocked attack that you manage to land on the opponent will give you an increase in the duration of your active potion by 0.5 seconds. Half a second might not feel a lot on paper but when you’re fighting a monster and it isn’t going down, each second feels like an eternity. This is particularly very effective if you’re fighting against a monster with a certain potion weakness. 

Replenishment

The last level 3 Runeword in the Witcher 3 best Runewords guide. As you might’ve already gotten an idea, level 3 Runewords are hard to acquire but that means they are just as beneficial. Signs are simple magic spells that Witchers use. They prove to be useful in combat as well as out-of-combat scenarios. The Replenishment Runeword embeds your weapon with the power of the sign you want to use. An Adrenaline Point is consumed for that to happen. This makes for a lot of fun possibilities. 

One Greater Morana Runestone, one Greater Dazhbog Runestone, and one Greater Triglav Runestone are required to unlock the Replenishment Runeword.

Severance

This is one of the most sought-after and recommended Runewords in The Witcher 3. The Severance Runeword basically increases the range of Whirl and Rend by 1.1 and 1.9 yards respectively. This is a huge boost in range. Using Whirl at the base level you can attack multiple enemies at the same time because it’s a spinning attack.

The added range means more carnage and you just have to keep spamming fast attack for easy mode. Rend on the other hand increases your damage output with respect to the stamina consumed. The chance for a critical hit is increased by 10% and you do 33% more damage with the help of Adrenaline Points. 

To get your hands on this you’ll need one Veles Runestone, one Perun Runestone, and one Zoria Runestone.

Placation

Last but not least in our Witcher 3 best Runewords list. Placation Runeword can be described by the phrase, “you gotta lose some, to win some”. This is how it works, your Adrenaline points upon reaching their full level will continue to decrease till they’re all spent. Doesn’t seem that good does it? This was the losing something part, what you’ll gain is pretty sweet. As long as your Adrenaline points are decreasing your Vitality and Stamina are regenerated are at an increased rate.

Along with that, any toxic effects from potions will also decrease at a faster rate. A recommended combination with this is the Elation Runeword on another weapon. Think about it, it’ll keep regenerating your Adrenaline points that will further fuel your Vitality and Stamina while decreasing toxicity, a match made in heaven. You’ll be a real force to be reckoned with that borderline unlimited stamina and vitality in The Witcher 3.

You’ll need one Lesser Devana Runestone, one Lesser Stribog Runestone and, one Lesser Morana Runestone to whip this bad boy up. 

Conclusion

This will be all for our Witcher 3 best Runewords guide. Hopefully, you’ve had a better understanding of how Runewords work, what they do, and which ones suit your build and playstyle. If you’re looking to change your hairdo to look more fly then be sure to check out our Witcher 3 Hairstyles Guide for complete information including all barbershop locations.