best way to get vex and zod...

best way to get vex and zod...

should i bother doing baal runs and cow games looking for them? can i even get them in cows? should i just trade a bunch of stuff for them? what do you think?

 

Easiest way:

Find some SOJ's and trade them for the runes.

(finding SOJ's are not that easy, assuming you are on ladder)

 

Use some of the methods listed in the semi-guide below. Written by myself and Stormie.

Countess Running (Highest Rune = Lo)

Probably the most popular rune location. The countess can be found on the lowest level of the forgotten tower, in the black marsh. She has a special rune drop, so every time you kill her she will almost certainly drop at least one rune (1 in 64 chance she won't), and often up to 3. She is a favourite for rune upgrading (discussed later)

Although she can drop up to Lo, she can only drop up to Ist from her special rune drop - higher runes than that are not really any more common from her than any other boss.

The Hellforge Rush Technique (Highest Rune = Gul)

This one is time consuming. Offer to do free rushes to hell as long as you get the hellforge quest. Rush someone you find trustworthy (a forumer is the best bet) and complete the hellforge quest in act4. Consider whatever that drop may be your payment for the rush.

Hephasto the Armourer running (Highest Rune = Zod)

Hephasto the Armourer guards the hellforge found in the river of flame. Although there is no solid explication, I myself, along with some others, have found that Hephasto drops more runes that the average foe. You will have to kill him when hellforge rushing, but hephasto running includes killing him and only him (kind of like pindle running).

Running Level 82+ Areas (Highest Rune = Zod)

There are several level 82+ areas (full list of level 85 areas here). Each one has not only the ability to drop the highest rune, but they can drop a very good number of items. The level 85 areas can drop every last item in the game. The chances are very low you will find a rune, but if you MF in these areas anyways, a rune may show itself.

Farming & Upgrading

Farming involves collecting tons of lower-level runes. Upgrading (Ladder-Only for the high runes) involves transmuting two lower-level runes to a higher level rune by way of the horadric cube. The desperate will keep runes no lower than Amn, but most like to start upgrading runes at Lum or Ko.

Rune Upgrading recipies

Code:

3 Thul Runes + 1 Chipped Topaz = Amn Rune
3 Amn Runes + 1 Chipped Amethyst = Sol Rune
3 Sol Runes + 1 Chipped Sapphire = Shael Rune
3 Shael Runes + 1 Chipped Ruby = Dol Rune

* Below formulae are ladder only *
3 Dol Runes + 1 Chipped Emerald = Hel Rune
3 Hel Runes + 1 Chipped Diamond = Io Rune
3 Io Runes + 1 Flawed Topaz = Lum Rune
3 Lum Runes + 1 Flawed Amethyst = Ko Rune
3 Ko Runes + 1 Flawed Sapphire = Fal Rune
3 Fal Runes + 1 Flawed Ruby = Lem Rune
3 Lem Runes + 1 Flawed Emerald = Pul Rune
2 Pul Runes + 1 Flawed Diamond = Um Rune
2 Um Runes + 1 Topaz = Mal Rune
2 Mal Runes + 1 Amethyst = Ist Rune
2 Ist Runes + 1 Sapphire = Gul Rune
2 Gul Runes + 1 Ruby = Vex Rune
2 Vex Runes + 1 Emerald = Ohm Rune
2 Ohm Runes + 1 Diamond = Lo Rune
2 Lo Runes + 1 Flawless Topaz = Sur Rune
2 Sur Runes + 1 Flawless Amethyst = Ber Rune
2 Ber Runes + 1 Flawless Sapphire = Jah Rune
2 Jah Runes + 1 Flawless Ruby = Cham Rune
2 Cham Runes + 1 Flawless Emerald = Zod Rune

Other

Magic Find does not affect rune finding in anyway. Runes are purely luck, so if one does drop feel lucky.

As for other ways to get runes, just play though the game, runes pop up when you least expect them to.

 

Zod

You probably have about the same chance to find a zod yourself as flipping a coin 200 times and getting all tails. Or of getting hit by lightning. Honestly, if you've ever looked at the actual drop rate for that rune you'll see why only a tiny handful of people should ever find them legitly.

The reason they're everywhere is because of duping and cheating.

Anyways, your best bet is to trade for one of the said 'cheatily' achieved zods (aka 99.9999% of em) with other stuff you find.

Sorry, I just get that bitter that everyone is running around ladder with a BotD weapon... like, 2 people on a realm were ever meant to have that.

</rant>

 

do pindle and meph over and over and over...

between 1.09 and 1.10 i've found 2x ist, vex, ohm, and jah between the two

 

High runes are friggin' rare man, period.

Most ppl never get to see one drop during their whole playing career.
The chance that you will find one while you are purposely looking for one is real slim. Just wait till it happens when you least expect it. Be sure to hang around in act 5 and maybe youll get lucky.

-Backdoor Bandit

 

i was lucky - on my 2nd ever pindle run on 1.10 ladder - a cham dropped.

Just for information, my friend got a cham from hell cows too.

As the person above me said - they can drop anytime and anywhere really.

 

Facts

Therefore do you not all agree that the method I suggested in the first reply to this post is the Fastest and Easiest?

Facts derived from previous posts:


Cube up lower runes = 2 years

FIND the runes from killing monsters = 30 years

Kill norm Andy for SOJ’s to trade for rune = 8 hours maybe?

 

Don't you have a better chance of finding a SOJ on hell mode then normal? O yeah you do. I've been playing this game for 3 years about 5 hours a day at least (yeah im a loser,) and I've only found about 7 SOJS ever. I did have a bot do andy runs in 09 alot too. I don't know if they changed her SOJ dropping since then but I doubt that they did. The best way to get vex and zod read my guide "rages to riches." If you actually read it (the details too) it will tell you how to get everything you've ever wanted. Coresponding guides to this one include "Poor Mans MFer," and "How to OWN all with a wind druid."

 

I got vex from killing a forgotten in act 1 hell - go figure

 

Nightmare has the best overall chances for a SoJ, since the higher Qlvl unique rings cannot drop there.

Andy's SoJ drops are higher than ever, with the new quest drop bug. She'll always drop high quality (always rare or higher, but failed sets can spawn), but her chance for dropping an item is lower.

Hephasto drops more runes, because his chances for the "good" TC (see here) are higher than most monsters.

 

And what are these "Level 82+ Areas"? :scratch:

 

If you do one Hephasto run in one minute you need ca 8 years and 7 months working 16 hours per day and your chance to get the Zod under this time is still around 60% - never 100. For more details look for my post in thread "Runes".

 

I think I have an idea now of what the ETA for the new ladder actually is. :lol:

Btw, if you're hell mephing, try not to skip the council members in dur3 and even the chests! They can be very nice. :uhhuh:

 

But what about the number of players in the game? As far as I've understood it, the chance for monsters not dropping anything decreases with increasing number of players. All other things being equal that should mean that they are more likely to drop a rune, or what?

BTW, my best rune drop (Ber) was in the pit (4 player game).