While you might currently be looking forward to the second Diablo 4 expansion, which set to launch in a month, the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, introduced many new mechanics that remain highly valuable and relevant today.

Chief among these are the rune and Runeword systems. By socketing these into your weapons and armor, you can gain exclusive buffs and benefits that are simply unobtainable through any other game mechanic!

However, the amount of gear you can equip and the number of runes or Runewords you can socket into that gear is limited. Consequently, you might be unsure which runes are the most worthwhile choices for Season 12.

With this in mind, we will focus this guide on recommending Bac and Ohm runes, detailing their specific effects and explaining how to farm them.

Rune system overview

This feature was introduced alongside the launch of Vessel of Hatred DLC and Season 6; therefore, if you wish to utilize runes today, you must first own this DLC.

All runes fall into one of three rarity tiers and belong to one of two categories: Runes of Ritual or Runes of Invocation. The former features a yellow icon, while the latter features a purple one; combining one of each type allows you to form a Runeword.

It is important to note that individual runes are inert on their own; they only become active and trigger their synergistic effects when combined in pairs and socketed into a piece of gear that possesses two sockets.

In essence, runes only become functional once they have been assembled into a Runeword.

More specifically, a Rune of Ritual generates offerings during combat. These offerings serve to empower the corresponding Rune of Invocation and trigger the combined effect of the Runewords. Your objective is simply to fulfill the specific requirements needed to generate these offerings.

What is Bac rune?

In Diablo 4, Bac rune is classified as a yellow Rune of Ritual. It generates 50 offerings, and its activation condition requires you to move a distance of 5 meters from your current location.

The most common application for this rune is to pair it with a Rune of Invocation, such as Ohm or Vex, to leverage their combined synergy and significantly boost your character's mobility.

Additionally, Diablo 4 Bac rune is one of the essential crafting materials required to create Mythic item known as Shroud of False Death.

How to craft Shroud of False Death?

Once you have unlocked Torment I difficulty or higher, you can acquire Mythic items by farming lair bosses or participating in other endgame events within the game; however, the specific rewards obtained through these methods are entirely random.

Therefore, if you wish to specifically obtain Shroud of False Death, crafting is your best option. To do so, you will need to gather the following materials:

• 2 Resplendent Sparks
• 6 Bac runes
• 6 Kry runes
• 6 Moni runes

We will cover the general methods for acquiring runes shortly; however, since Resplendent Spark is a rare item, its primary acquisition methods are as follows:

• Salvaging unwanted or duplicate Mythic items
• Progressing through Seasonal Journey and Reputation tracks to earn rewards
• Defeating Echo of Lilith (drops one upon defeat - one time only)

What is Ohm rune?

As a rune designed exclusively for Barbarian players, Diablo 4 Ohm rune requires its paired Rune of Ritual to provide 600 offerings to activate; it has a cooldown of two seconds.

The rune's sole bonus effect is to evoke Barbarian's War Cry, thereby boosting your damage output by 15% for 6 seconds.

Much like Bac rune, Ohm rune is also one of the materials required to craft Mythic Ring of Starless Skies:

• 2 Resplendent Sparks
• 6 Ohm runes
• 6 Tzic runes
• 6 Cem runes

It is worth noting that the crafting recipe for all Mythic items follows this same pattern: 2 Resplendent Sparks, plus six runes each of legendary, rare, and magic rarity.

How to farm runes?

Broadly speaking, there are two methods for obtaining runes in Diablo 4: farming and crafting. Neither method allows you to specifically target and acquire a particular rune; however, crafting does allow you to influence the rarity of the rune you ultimately receive.

Clearing Kurast Undercity

This dungeon was added to the game via VoH expansion. To unlock it, you must first complete the campaign quest Reunion within this DLC and ensure your character has reached at least level 15.

Afterward, a new quest chain titled The Kurast Undercity will guide you through the dungeon step-by-step until you are fully familiar with the area.

The unique feature of Kurast Undercity is its time-limited mechanic: you must defeat enemies within a specific time limit. However, defeating higher-level Afflicted Monsters will restore a greater amount of your remaining event time.

Defeating enemies does not grant immediate rewards; instead, you earn Attunement Points. Once the dungeon run concludes, your final rewards will be calculated based on the total points you accumulated.

Additionally, you may encounter special beacons within the dungeon. Activating these beacons triggers optional events for you to complete, providing you with extra Attunement Points and combat buffs.

If you wish to engage in more targeted farming within Kurast Undercity, you can first collect Tributes by completing other world events. Submitting these Tributes prior to your run will grant you specific bonuses based on the type of Tribute submitted.

Among these, Tribute of Harmony is the one relevant to runes. If you submit this Tribute before clearing Kurast Undercity, the total number of runes you obtain at the end will be doubled.

Defeating lair bosses

Theoretically, all lair bosses in Season 12 have a chance to drop runes; however, the highest rarity boss Belial is undoubtedly the best choice for farming.

Regardless of which boss you ultimately decide to farm, you must first acquire the corresponding lair keys. These keys are required to unlock the boss's hoard after it has been defeated, allowing you to claim all the rewards contained within, including runes.

Crafting at Jeweler

Jeweler is a vendor in Diablo 4 that allows you to perform various crafting operations. To craft a new, randomized rune, you must consume three unused runes of the same rarity, along with 4,000 gold.

The type of rune produced is independent of the specific runes used as materials; however, the rarity of the resulting rune is directly determined by the materials used. The resulting probabilities are as follows:

• Three magic runes: 85% chance for 1 magic rune; 15% chance for 1 rare rune.
• Three rare runes: 85% chance for 1 rare rune; 15% chance for 1 legendary rune.
• Three legendary runes: 100% chance for 1 legendary rune.

That wraps up everything we have to share with you this time. Although Bac and Ohm are highly sought-after, as long as you combine them effectively, acquiring other runes can be just as rewarding!

The official rollout for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 3 has already begun, with the new season arriving soon.

The studio has revealed plenty of details, and alongside the official announcements, there's also been a fair share of leaks. Let's break down all the information.

Season 3 Release Date

Why are we talking about Season 3 update so early? Because Season 2 Reloaded cycle is unusually short - only three weeks. Based on Battle Pass countdown timer and the weekly challenge progression, Season 3 is expected to go live on April 2.

Following Call of Duty's usual promotional rhythm, the studio will likely drop a full update preview, blog post, and all the details about a week before the new season goes live - around March 26. That's when we'll get a clear look at Season 3 roadmap.

Multiplayer Maps

On the multiplayer front, one piece of content has already been officially confirmed: the classic map Plaza is making a return. Although there had been leaks about it before, the development team brought it up in the official COD POD podcast, essentially confirming that it will be part of the next major update - Season 3 - as a multiplayer map.

Plaza last appeared in Black Ops 2. Unlike many of the remade versions drawn from the larger Avalon battle royale map, this will be a full, standalone remaster.

In addition to Plaza, another map has also been mentioned in the official blog: Gridlock from Black Ops 4. It's now confirmed to be making a comeback in Season 3 as well.

Warzone Ranked Play

For Warzone players, Ranked Play is set to get a major adjustment in Season 3. The long-awaited Resurgence mode will go live alongside the new season.

Many players had previously voiced their desire to experience ranked Resurgence on Rebirth Island, and Season 3 update will make that happen. Ranked matches will rotate between Haven's Hollow and Rebirth Island.

Fortune's Keep

As far back as last year, the studio confirmed that Fortune's Keep would receive a map refresh and return to Warzone. However, no exact date for its return has been announced yet. Considering that Season 3 just introduced Avalon map and Blackout mode, and with the studio seemingly aiming to transition Avalon into the standard battle royale map, it's expected that the refreshed version of Fortune's Keep will more likely arrive in Season 4.

Blackout

Blackout mode will also continue to receive updates in Season 3. In response to player feedback regarding issues such as the lack of Solos and Duos queues, as well as concerns about respawn mechanics, loot and equipment, the user interface, and existing bugs, the studio previously stated that improvements would roll out in Season 2 Reloaded and Season 3.

One of the most significant updates could involve Operator Orders system. This system is expected to expand with subsequent updates, adding more operators, dynamic camos, and weapon blueprints. For example, in Season 3 or its mid-season Reloaded update, new orders may be introduced that allow players to complete challenges and unlock skins paying homage to classic Blackout characters.

Additionally, playlist challenges are also likely to be refreshed, offering new rewards such as charms and weapon camos. Currently, the weapon skin system has not yet been implemented in Blackout mode, meaning any weapon a player picks up only displays its default appearance. In future updates, the studio may allow players to automatically apply their equipped skins when picking up weapons. At the moment, only upgraded exotic weapons can showcase special appearances.

The studio has also confirmed that Blackout will see some immediate changes at the start of the season. They showcased an image highlighting the differences between the new map and the old one, noting that adjustments have been made to certain buildings, ground elevation, and how water flows across the map.

Leaderboard Mechanics Overhaul

The studio has confirmed that starting with Season 3, a large-scale overhaul will be made to the in-game event mechanics. They stated that they have listened to player feedback regarding leaderboard events and acknowledged that the current event format is not ideal. Since event development takes time, the revamp will roll out beginning in Season 3.

After the changes, leaderboard events may be limited to multiplayer Ranked Play and Warzone Ranked Play, rather than standard multiplayer, round-based Zombies, or Blackout Royale. Once you reach a specific rank in either version of Ranked Play, you will be placed into a group with 49 other players (whether in multiplayer or Warzone mode). Ultimately, based on your rank, finishing in the top five or even the top 25 will determine which camo rewards you can earn.

Carry Forward

Season 3 will also include updates to the carry forward content - that is, bringing remastered content originally introduced in Black Ops 6 into Black Ops 7. Following the established content release pattern, players can expect to see the last two remastered maps that have yet to appear in Black Ops 7 make their return in Season 3.

Moreover, the carry forward approach extends to Zombies mode. The studio has confirmed that a selection of classic weapons will be added to Zombies in a "unique way." Given that the studio specifically emphasized "a unique way," it's likely that obtaining these weapons won't be as simple as unlocking them directly - they may be hidden behind certain Easter eggs or specific challenges.

Modern Warfare 4

Following past patterns, the studio typically unveils the title of the next installment around March or April and kicks off the initial promotional campaign. For now, the studio is only referring to it as CoD 2026, but based on previous leaks, the new title is very likely to be Modern Warfare 4.

The studio will soon be revealing more details about Season 3. If you're eagerly anticipating new content in CoD Black Ops 7, be sure to stay tuned.

Black Ops 7 Season 3 will bring more content and Easter eggs, and ranked progress will be reset. If you need to figure out how to unlock menus or quickly complete new camouflage challenges, you can buy fast and reliable CoD Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies on IGGM for more independent and safer matches, reducing the difficulty of these challenges.