Runes

Runes
Runes are items exclusive to Deadman Dungeons. Each rune possesses a unique, infused ability.

How to Obtain:
Runes can only be obtained by killing mobs. All mobs drop runes, including neutral and friendly ones. Lastly, only Soldier, Life, Earth, and Fire Runes drop from mobs; the other 5 runes do not drop at all. They must be crafted from lower level runes or obtained from specific events or areas.

Soldier Runes are common drops, Life Runes are uncommon, Earth Runes are rare, and Fire Runes are very rare. Their specific drop rates are unknown.

Combining Runes:
Since Runes above Fire do not drop from mobs, the only method of obtaining higher-level runes is to combine lower-level ones. Three runes of the same kind can be combined in a crafting table to make one of the next level. For example, 3 Solar Runes can be crafted to make 1 Nova Rune, as seen below.

This pattern of 3 lower-level runes to 1 higher-level one applies to all runes. For example, 3 Soldier Runes = 1 Life Rune, 3 Life Runes = 1 Earth Rune, etc. The only exception is 3 Nova Runes. You cannot combine 3 Nova Runes since Nova is the highest level rune in the game.



Types of Runes:
There are 9 types of runes. These nine runes are ordered, from lowest to highest:

Soldier
Soldier runes are the runes with the lowest value, as they are relatively common mob drops and can be obtained from certain chests. Their ability is described on the Rune Swords page. They are valued on the player market at about $700, though supply and demand laws can change their value.

The Soldier rune sword looks like a normal medieval sword, straight, narrow, and long.

Life
Life runes are the next tier up from Soldier runes, and are slightly uncommon mob drops. Fewer and harder to reach chests may contain them. They are one of the least popular runes in terms of usage, as they tend to only be useful when fighting alongside someone else. They are valued on the player market at about $2,100 and can be obtained by combining 3 Soldier runes.

The Life rune sword looks like a curved, heavy sword that has a different color at the tip of the blade than at the hilt.

Earth
Earth runes are very rare mob drops and can be obtained from very few chests, and as such are seen as a medium-tier rune. They are not often used to make swords because of their ability's low speed and high cooldown, as well as their more common use in crafting higher-level runes. They are valued on the player market at about $6,300 and are bought by more players than the low-level runes. They can be obtained by combining 9 Soldier runes and then their resulting Life runes.

The Earth rune sword looks like a massive cleaver, with a serrated edge and glowing green gemstone embedded within.

Fire
Fire runes are the first high-tier rune you are likely to come across and are much more sought-after than any previous ones. They are incredibly rare mob drops and are often used on swords for their own ability's sake, rather than for further combinations. They are valued on the player market at any price from $18,900 to $20,000. As such, two Fire runes are worth enough money to rank up past the entire Pits complex area, to the Sewers. They can be crafted from 27 Soldier runes, 9 Life runes, or 3 Earth runes.

Fire rune swords have a barrel as well as a short, curved blade and look rather short compared to other swords.

Aero
Aero runes are extremely difficult to acquire and are found in only two chests (in the basement of the Dorin Island house warp, in the Free World, and in a Cobweb Cloud in Gladiator). They are often used to make swords, and are almost always being bought and sought after. They are worth enough money in the player economy to leave the entire Sewers complex. In the player economy they typically are sold or bought for $55,000 to $56,000. They can be crafted from 81 Soldier runes, 27 Life runes, 9 Earth runes, or 3 Fire runes.

Aero rune swords are curved like scimitars, with a blue gemstone in the hilt and a dangling thread on the pommel.

Frost
Frost runes are given away for free in the winter time, one per person, as a reward for completing the holiday ice maze puzzle. The chest restocks every 300 days. They are only found in the chest at the end of the maze, along with donation points, cake, and other cold-themed items. They are valued at $170,000 to $176,000, enough to rank up from the Pits to the Ruins and be halfway to Bogs. Frost rune swords have a sharp, fang-like blade with a serrated projection around the grip and an ice-blue gemstone.

Due to any new player being able to beat the ice maze puzzle, veteran players often use them to acquire free frost runes for very low amounts of money. Sometimes also included in these trades are the illegal-to-trade donation points. Frost runes are usually not used to make swords but instead as ingredients for higher-tier runes. They can be made from 243 Soldier runes, 81 Life runes, 27 Earth runes, 9 Fire runes, or 3 Aero runes.

Blood
Blood runes are incredibly difficult to acquire, and have a unique ability that makes them the only sword that can heal the holder. Due to the range and power of the ability, they are highly sought after and are known for being very dangerous in PvP. They are the strangest-looking of the swords, with a split middle that separates the blade into two distinct segments. The twisted, demonic appearance is enhanced by a blood-red gemstone in the sword, and diamond Blood rune swords have a gilt appearance.

They are worth $510,000 apiece on the player market, and are greedily hunted, as it only takes 9 to make a Nova rune, by far the most valuable. Their price is enough to get all the way to Bogs and about halfway through it from Pits A. They can be crafted from 729 Soldier runes, 243 Life runes, 81 Earth runes, 27 Fire runes, 9 Aero runes, or 3 Frost runes.

Solar
Solar runes are incredibly valuable, found in no chests and dropped by no mobs. They are hoarded, crafted, collected, or striven toward by nearly every Free player. Solar rune swords look like enhanced, more warlike versions of Life swords, with a skeletal appearance and a knightly ambiance.

Due to their very effective ability and their value as a component to Nova runes, they are worth $1,500,000 among players, enough to rank up through all the Pits levels, the Sewers, the Ruins, the Bogs, the Inferno, and to the Gladiator rank, and most people would readily pay that much for one. They can be crafted from upwards of 2,100 Soldier runes, 729 Life runes, 243 Earth runes, 81 Fire runes, 27 Aero runes, 9 Frost runes, or 3 Blood runes.

Nova
The Nova rune, the rarest and most legendary rune of them all, has the ability to create and smother a star on command, and is worth enough to rank up from Pits A to Free and have money left over. They are worth $4,500,000, but it is unknown whether one has ever been sold. Due to the infamous Fake Rune Glitch, Fake Nova runes are in circulation, and can be used through illegal means to make a massive profit off of two Fire runes. Nova runes are well-known as unbelievably rare and expensive, and most players, when Free, immediately begin working toward one. The appearance as well as the nature of the Nova sword is majestic, with crackling lightning shifting up and down its blade and its curiously skeletal frame ominously fixed to a sharp, mysterious grip and hilt complex.

One was once offered by Weasel_Squeezer, the head admin, in return for decoding a cipher that he created. After he gave several hints, he lowered the reward to a Blood rune, which was received by Nahtanojrepus. The infamous decrypted cipher, written in base 64, was the following: "You win!"