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DragonSword Awakening runes, explained: All types and how to unlock
A new guide from Destructoid breaks down the rune system in DragonSword: Awakening, a gacha RPG, explaining what each of the five rune types does and how players can unlock and equip them to strengthen their heroes. The guide addresses a gap in the game's own tutorials, which do not clearly explain rune effects before players start collecting them, helping newcomers avoid wasted resources when building their characters.
Runes are earned as raid rewards and come in five rarities (Damaged, Intact, Refined, Radiant and Perfect), with random variation affecting their power regardless of rarity. The five types are Resolve (attack), Guardian (defence), Vitality (max HP), Concentration (critical hit chance) and Amplification (critical damage), with Resolve and Amplification generally considered the strongest choices. Runes can only be equipped on 4-star or better gear after unlocking a slot using an Anonymous Artisan's Crafting Tool, obtainable through raids, story progress, specific dungeons or the Exchange shop for 100 Adventurer's Emblems; runes can also be swapped or removed for 10,000 gold without being destroyed.
In short
- Guide explains DragonSword: Awakening's five rune types and their effects.
- Resolve (attack) and Amplification (crit damage) are rated the best runes.
- Runes need unlocked slots via Crafting Tools; removal costs 10,000 gold.
Explained simply
DragonSword: Awakening is a free-to-play role-playing game where players recruit and train heroes using various items and upgrades. Runes are special items that boost your heroes' abilities, but the game's built-in instructions do not clearly explain how they work before players start collecting them. A new guide from gaming website Destructoid fills this gap, helping newcomers understand runes before wasting resources.
The game includes five types of rune, each offering a different benefit: Resolve increases attack power, Guardian improves defence, Vitality raises maximum health, Concentration boosts critical hit chance, and Amplification increases critical damage. Runes come in five quality levels from Damaged to Perfect, though within each level the actual power of individual runes varies randomly. The guide notes that Resolve and Amplification runes are generally the most valuable for building strong characters.
Players earn runes mainly as rewards from raids and can equip them only on higher-quality gear after unlocking special slots with crafting tools. These tools can be obtained through raids, story progression, specific dungeons, or purchased from the in-game shop for 100 Adventurer's Emblems. Players can move runes between gear or remove them for gold, and the runes are not destroyed in the process.