Doom Eternal Runes are strewn throughout the game's campaign and equipping them unlocks special powers that enhance the Doom Slayer's options in combat. This can be anything from launching into a Glory kill from further away, to having more control in the air. You can even gain health from killing enemies with your Blood Punch shockwave.
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There are nine Doom Eternal Runes to find across the game's hellish environments, but you can only have three equipped at once. Thankfully you can pick the powers that appeal to you early on as you can choose which Rune you want to unlock each time. Here's every Doom Eternal Rune, how to find them, and which ones you should unlock first.
Doom Eternal Runes: All the powers at your disposal
- Savagery: Perform Glory Kills faster
- Seek and Destroy: Launch into a Glory Kill from much further away
- Blood Fueled: Gain a speed boost after performing a Glory Kill
- Air Control: Greatly increase movement control while in the air
- Dazed and Confused: increase how long enemies remain in a stagger state
- Savage Throw: Survive a death blow and briefly slow down time, giving you a chance to recover. This Rune recharges on death.
- Chrono Strike: Hold down the aim button in mid-air to temporarily slow down time. Once the Rune is fully drained, you’ll need to wait for it to recharge
- Equipment Fiend: Enemies killed by equipment or while under the influence of equipment will decrease the recharge time
- Punch and Reave: Enemies killed by Blood Punch shockwave drop health
How to equip Runes in Doom Eternal, and which to choose
You can equip up to three runes at once: press Tab to open the menu and select the Runes tab at the top. Left-click the Rune in your collection and click on one of the three slots at the top to equip it.
Choose Seek and Destroy and Dazed and Confused, first. Early on, it's helpful to be able to reach staggered enemies from further away and you need a Glory Kill to top up your health. Having enemies remain in the stagger state longer means you can juggle a few injured enemies at the same time, queuing them up for a succession of gruesome close-quarters kills.
Later on (especially on harder difficulties), use Chrono Strike against tricky bosses. I'm not a huge fan of slowing down time in fast games like Doom, but it can be very useful if you're in a bind.
Doom Eternal Runes locations
Exultia
Location: After acquiring Blood Punch, take the elevator. Exit and drop down through the hole in the floor. Follow the corridor around, past the electric beams. The Rune is at the end of the corridor.
Cultist Base
Location: After beating the demons in the snowy outdoor area, use the monkey bar in the middle to access the small room ahead (it's glowing green). Melee the switch to activate it and raise the monkey bar. Now use that same monkey bar to launch yourself at the wall ahead. Grab on and climb to the top. Now turn to face the ledge behind you. Jump and dash to reach and unlock the Rune.
Doom Hunter Base
Location: After fighting the demons, take the elevator over the lava and jump to take the moving platform along. Follow the main quest marker through the big door and interact with the panel on the left to unlock another Rune.
Super Gore Nest
Location one: After jumping and dashing past the fiery suspended chains, look right and grab onto the wall. Climb to the top, grab the Sentinel Battery and then melee the breakable green wall. Head up the stairs and bear left to unlock the Rune.
Location two: Ensure that you have located and placed the Yellow Gore Key at the large altar. From the room with the monkey bars and the chomping mouth in the middle, head through the doorway marked with the yellow markings. Make a hard right and use the jump pad to find what you're looking for.
Arc Complex
Location one: In the building that's on fire inside, eliminate the demons and drop down through the hole in the floor. The Rune is at the end of the burning hallway.
Location two: After activating the elevator and pressing the green button to take it down, fight the demons in the area. You fall through the floor here so pull yourself up using the cube of rubble and fight the Pinky. Walk through the hole in the wall right of the oil can—there's a Praetor Suit Point on the right of this entrance, just so you know.
Head down the corridor, eliminate more demons, then follow the trail of shields on the floor towards a door until the floor breaks. Hop over the rubble to unlock the Rune.
Mars Core
Location one: Make your way through each of the rooms and take down all demons. In the room with two Imps and a screen on the wall that says 'Lockdown Initiated', eliminate the enemies and climb Server B to reach the vent above. Melee the breakable green vent at the end and drop down.
Follow the corridor to the end until you find a second breakable vent. Melee that again and drop into the room below. Step into the Union Aerospace pod and eliminate the demons that spawn. Enter the 'BFG Exterior' room on the right and continue through the big door to pick up the Rune.
Location two: After initiating the manual override and watching the cutscene, head through the room that just unlocked on the left behind you. Continue walking forward through another set of doors to pick up the Rune.
