Best Games That Use Runic Magic, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice focuses on rune discovery and intricate game mechanics.
• The Witcher 3 uses runestones to enhance silver swords and boost combat stats.
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 allows players to craft runes and harness their power in battles.

Runes are not only an important part of Viking history but also one of the key elements of many fantasy games, both vintage and modern. Typically, runes allow players to gain special abilities, power-ups, and upgrades for their weapons and equipment, which in turn results in a simplification of a game’s difficulty.

While some games fail to pull off the integration of runes into their gameplay, others excel at it, providing players with great advantages that are not only useful but often look great while fighting against bosses and other enemies. Here are some games that use runic magic as one of the central pieces in their mechanics.

5 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Discovering Rune Patterns Will Show Players The Way

• Runes show players the way and must be identified through different angles and perspectives.
• The story revolves around a psychotic Celtic woman from the Viking era, looking to bring her dead lover back to life.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is probably one of the most unique games ever released, offering an eerie approach to psychosis. The game is recommended to be played with headphones, as Senua constantly hears voices that make her (and also the player controlling her) uneasy. This title starts with Senua paddling through a river while carrying the severed head of her lover, Dillion. As she reaches Helheim (the underworld), Senua will have to overcome many difficulties and face her inner demons.

While Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice doesn’t use runic magic to help Senua fight her enemies, it does present players with the opportunity to keep progressing through the story. During many levels, including the one leading up to one of the major bosses in the game, players will have to look for runes spread across a wide open area, playing with perspective and angles in order to succeed.

4 The Witcher 3

Runic Magic Allows For Stronger Silver Swords

• Runestones increase various silver sword stats.
• They can be obtained by either facing vicious monsters, exploring dark caves, or taking on dangerous side quests.

The Witcher 3 is not only critically acclaimed for its long story, incredible DLC expansions, and likable characters but also due to its outstanding game mechanics that are further reinforced by what the game refers to as Runestones. These wonderful elements can be obtained in many different ways, including exploring caves, destroying monster nests, and doing various quests throughout The Continent.

Naturally, the more difficult a quest is or the tougher a monster results, the better the Runestone players will get. Runestones can be used to increase certain stats on Geralt’s silver sword, resulting in increased damage, special damage against certain enemy types, and even bonus modifiers that can give the Witcher an edge in battle. Some Runestones and Glyphs can also be used to boost Witcher signs, which, as most players should know by now, are key to survival — especially in the Death March difficulty.

3 Divinity: Original Sin 2

A Turn-Based Fantasy Game That Harnesses The Power Of Runes

• The game allows players to craft runes.
• Runic magic plays a pivotal role in the game, potentially making the difference between victory and defeat.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is arguably one of the best turn-based combat games released in the last decade. Set in the magical land of Rivellon, players will take on the role of individuals with immense magical powers. In this game, runic magic plays a critical part in how players can fight against enemies and survive via powerful spells that can be unlocked and used as the story progresses.

This game allows players to craft runes in order to combine different elemental attacks and become an unstoppable force. Runic magic can also be used to transform the environment and create useful interactions between characters, enemies, and other forces.

2 God Of War (2018)

Rune Magic Makes Kratos’ Leviathan Axe Much Deadlier

• Runes can be used to upgrade the Leviathan Axe, Atreus’ bow, and both protagonists’ armor.
• Nornir chests contain valuable loot.

When God of War (2018) was released, veteran fans of the franchise were extremely surprised to see that Kratos had not only survived his final act of defiance against the gods but also moved to the Norse realm of Midgard. As Kratos explores a world filled with Norse mythology and lore-accurate creatures with his son Atreus, he will have to defeat several enemies and return to the violent ways he once swore to abandon.

At the beginning of the game, Kratos’ main weapon is Leviathan Axe, which he can not only swing with unmatched fury and deadliness but also throw at distant targets and interactive elements that allow him to overcome a wide range of obstacles. While even a plastic straw would be deadly in the hands of the Ghost of Sparta, adding runes to the Leviathan Axe can infuse it with additional perks, including powerful attacks, elemental damage, and much more. And the same goes for armor.

Runes also allow Kratos and Atreus to unlock Nornir chests, which usually contain valuable loot that players will not want to ignore. All they have to do to unlock the prized chests is look around to find the hidden runes and work on their aim to hit them with the Leviathan Axe before time runs out.

Fun fact: While real-life Vikings are most known to use Younger Futhark runes, God Of War (2018) actually combines both Younger and Elder Futhark runes.

Runes Allow Players To Set Traps For Unsuspecting Enemies

• Runes can be used to set traps for enemies.
• Players can choose between Fire, Frost, and Shock rune damage.

Magic has always played a critical part in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Ever since the game was released way back in 2011, players have been given a choice regarding their playstyle. While it was possible to combine melee attacks with spells, it was always recommended to perfect one over the other. In this game, runes aren’t used to cast spells that players can carry with them, but rather as traps that can be set to inflict severe damage on unsuspecting enemies.

Players can choose between fire (orange runes), frost (bluish-white), and shock (whitish purple) rune types, which must be strategically placed and planned according to the type of enemy they’re trying to ensnare. Considering that The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is heavily based on Norse mythology, it’s no surprise that runic magic plays such an important part in the game.