The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone introduces the all new Runewords and Glyphwords mechanic to the game through a brand new craftsman; the runewright. This fellow is able to enchant your weapons and armor in ways that a basic runestone or glyph couldn’t hope to do. There are a lot to choose from, and some only become available once the runewright has reached a certain level.
To acquire the runewright you must complete his questline. After that you can increase his level up to Master Craftsman by investing in his shop. 10,000 Crowns gets him to advanced, and an additional 15,000 makes him a master.
The enchantments are broken down into two categories. Runewords are for weapons, and Glyphwords are for armor.
Runewords
There are three levels for enchantments in Hearts of Stone. Each level is determined by the runewright’s tools (novice, journeyman, master). So if you want access to all, make sure to invest heavily into his shop.
Level 1
- Preservation- The bonuses granted by the Armorer’s Table and Grindstone never expire.
- Dumpling- Food items restore 100% more of your health.
- Placation- When your adrenaline points reach their max, they will begin to decline. As this happens Geralt’s Vitality and Stamina will recover more quickly and his Toxicity will be relieved faster.
Level 2
- Rejuvenation- Each kill will restore 25% of Geralt’s Stamina.
- Elation- Each Kill with the enchanted sword will grant 0.1-0.25 Adrenaline points
- Severance- Increases the range of Whirl by 1.1 yards and the rang of Rend by 1.9 yards.
Level 3
- Replenishment- After Geralt uses a sign an Adrenaline Point is used. This charges your next sword attack with that sign, greatly increasing its damage.
- Invigoration- When health is full, and Vitality regeneration is instead converted to increased damage on your next strike (up to 50% extra damage).
- Prolongation- Each unblocked blow increases potion duration time by 0.5 seconds.
Glyphwords
Glyphwords are great at changing the way Geralt reacts to attacks in Hearts of Stone. Some come with a price, but they are all useful when used correctly. These should be chosen based heavily on your play-style.
Level 1
- Deflection- Your armor now deflects all arrows. Ranged enemies everywhere cry.
- Heft- All equipped armor is treated as heavy. This allows you to apply any armor type specif skills at all times.
- Depletion- Using Aard on enemies reduces their Stamina by 50%.
- Usurpation- When an enemy affected Axii dies, the effect transfers to another. This is especially useful when the Puppet modifier is in effect.
- Ignitiation- Enemies set alight by Igni have a 25% chance of igniting other enemies within 2 yards.
Level 2
- Rotation- Igni’s basic cast now attacks in a 360 degree radius but no longer applies the Burning effect. Good for crowds, but Burning is very useful against certain contracts. Choose wisely.
- Entanglement- When a trap set by Yrden hits an enemy, an Yrden glyph is paced at that position.
- Beguilement- Enemies affected by Axii will be affected for 2 seconds longer each time they land a blow. Perfect when combined with Puppet and used on a stronger enemy.
- Protection- Geralt is granted an automatic Quen shield when entering combat at no cost to his Stamina.
- Balance- All equipped armor is treated as Medium armor.
Level 3
- Retribution- Gives a 30% chance of returning a portion of damage received to the attacker.
- Levity- All equipped armor is treated as Light armor.
- Possession- When an opponent influenced by Axii dies, the effect transfers to a nearby enemy. The effect’s duration is increased by 2 seconds for each blow the affected enemy lands. This is a combination of both Beguilement and Usurpation making it one of the most useful Glyphwords in Hearts of Stone.
- Eruption- Enemies set alight by Igni explode igniting nearby enemies.
Each of these enchantments can make the difference between success and defeat when used properly. So make sure to consider how you want to play before applying any of them. This will give you the ultimate edge in battle within The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone.
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